Author note: Okay so it has been just a little bit we are wrapping up the re-write of chapter One which was a 40 page 18k+ word Monster and we did extend it quite a bit but broke it into four chapters my beta reader is readying chapter Four once ready we will launch that then go to continue Hollow Kitty.
For those readers who don't know the story got a rewrite some plot stuff has changed around a bit and characters added so please take the time to re-read chapters: 1 and 2 if you are interested. Otherwise, feel free to read this chapter only it mostly explains things better and adds meat to the bones.
Once again Special thanks to my Co-Author and Beta Reader Timerlinewolf for helping with this project this is the first time in a long time I have placed trust and faith in another to help with my stories in years.
On with the show! -Zeltronica
H.K. Chapter: 3
Sometime later...
Why did he follow? Even now, he didn't know. Why do things happen as they do? All he knew, was that when She waved, he had to follow Her. And from that moment they traveled together, East. Always, into the East.
They continued on, over the Mountains and back into hardened deserts of broken lands. Over the miles, his companion told him of Herself. How She was once, a Great Warrior, with a dark and secret burden, now weighed heavily on her shoulders.
They walked for an eternity, across the wasteland. How long? He couldn't say. Time seemed meaningless. But always, a dark cloud seemed to follow us, if the disturbed glances She kept sending behind them, were anything to go by.
All the more reason, for him to follow.
Ranma breathed out a cloud of smoke as she, once again, glared at her unwanted 'companion'. She recognized it, sort of. It was the unidentifiable hollow from that group she beat up in the cave. No idea why it followed her, but it hadn't tried anything so far.
As irritating as having a stalker was, he had had some benefits. Apparently, the things stealth was such that she hadn't even noticed it following her for the first three days, or so (she had decided that a 'day' was around the time it took to walk eighty kilometers and have a nap). So, he made the perfect target for training her senses.
At least it gave her something to do for the next couple of days. It also made for a good reference gauge for how far her senses could go. After that, well... It wasn't exactly the most talkative in the world, so she mostly filled the silence by grumbling to herself about her current circumstances.
Her only solace that being the Mystery Voice that every now and again blew by to offer words of encouragement, as well as offer small tips about her new world of eternal night, and how it worked.
It was thanks to that, that she had little trouble along the way. Handily defeating any wayward bands that attacked, she was able to somewhat recreate some of her old move-set. Taking her cue from that weirdo following her, quietly sneaking around and past any of the larger guys she didn't feel like messing with, helped her relearn the Umi-Sen-Ken.
'I'm dead anyways. Who cares if they were forbidden at this point.'
Though she never killed anyone herself, there were some she put down harder than others. When that happened, she was always careful to ignore when her silent companion lingered behind. She may not be hungry anymore, but that Mystery Voice had been quite clear on how it worked for all the others. If you didn't eat, you died. And there wasn't exactly a whole lot else to eat out here, except each other.
That did lead to the interesting discovery that she was, in fact, eating. It seemed her pipe, which she'd stolen from Happosai, wasn't an ordinary pipe. A fact she should have clued in on much earlier to be clear. As it turned out, it actually condensed the residual energy in the air to be absorbed. It actually answered some questions about the Pervert and the Old Ghoul.
It also gave Ranma something else to do. Studying the pipe between trekking, she tried to see how it worked. Maybe she could make her own?
And so it was that the time passed. She'd get there eventually.
XXXXXXXXXX
Eventually...
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As Ranma crested the edge of a cliff, she knew. She could feel it. She had finally arrived. Looking down, she surveyed an old, abandoned village. A rather odd sight, from what she'd seen so far.
"Geeze, the heck happened here?" she wondered at her tag-along, despite knowing she'd get no response. It'd been about the halfway mark, she guessed, when the thing had become comfortable enough to actually come up to her.
It was still weird. The thing was as tall as her Pops panda form, even crawling splayed on all six. She knew it could stand, she'd seen it and heard it speak to others she'd left behind. But never to her.
Taking a habitual pull on her pipe, Ranma waved the annoying thought away and continued scanning the canyon. Almost all the buildings were in complete shambles, the only real exception being the large Shrine Temple, sitting atop a ziggurat in the center of the village. Six, ruined, Guardian statues stood at the Temple's entrance.
Looking toward the 'South', if she was facing 'East' on arriving, Ranma noted a narrow opening at the end of the canyon valley. Clearly the intended entrance, she saw the old winding path as it sloped down the cliff face, leading directly towards the statues.
Not feeling any particular rush, Ranma made her way down the path, rather than take the more... gravitic approach.
As she peered up at the Temple's entrance, Ranma was once more greeted by the soft Mystery Voice. ("You traveled so far to get here, and now you have finally arrived! Come here child, so I may gaze upon you, who have fallen in my spring water.") Though she tried to sound regal, she was unable to contain the excitement from her voice.
Ascending the steps with a shrug, Ranma eventually arrived at the entrance of the Temple. Making her way inside, she found exactly what she'd expected within. That is until she saw the four chains connected by four points of the room to the central figure.
Suspended three feet in the air by her arms and legs, Ranma beheld the visage of a ghostly woman around her height, her yellowed eyes, framed by her mask fragments adorning her cheeks, gazed back intently. With long, almost black, violet hair, she bore robes not unlike those of the traditional Miko.
At the center, just under the woman's breast, was a similar hole to the one Ranma herself currently had where the woman's heart once was.
The power Ranma felt from her put her in mind of that Captain guy she had spoken to a while back. Only held back much less. If she were any weaker, Ranma'd have been forced to her knees. Idly, she noted that her follower had elected to wait outside the room, almost scared as it peeked around the door frame.
"Ara ara, Look at you, Young One. You're so beautiful, Little Mokougami-chan." the woman called with a fond smile.
Ranma gave her an irritated look as she puffed on her pipe, "Well gee Lady, thanks... I guess. 'Cept that I'm a not a girl, Damnit! 'Nd my name ain't Mokougami! It's Ran-" her angry retort was interrupted by a chime of giggles.
The woman shook her head in amusement, "Every Hollow has a name. Yours is Mokougami. But I know your living name, Saotome-san." she paused briefly before going on to say,
"A young man, cursed to be a woman. Who would have thought, after all, you went through, you would die as a young woman saving a child? A truly honorable and noble sacrifice, to be sure. Yet here you are, in this purgatory of emptiness. Not where a hero like you should be." The woman asked though it wasn't exactly a question.
Taken aback Ranma pondered on her words, "You sound like ya know me. We met before, Lady?"
The woman laughed sadly and shook her head, "Oh Ranma-chan. No, I never once met you in life. After all, it has been over fifteen-hundred years since I died, by Earthly calendar."
"Well, if ya never met me, then how do ya know me?" Ranma inquired as she examined the chains binding the woman. It was faint, but she could see they were surrounded by a faint blackened green glow.
The figure gestured with a nod at Ranma's waist. "That zanpakuto you carry belongs to me. I believe that when you died it sought you out since you fell into my spring water so we are connected you and I. That and your reiatsu is quite powerful in your own right." The woman explained.
Ranma pointed at the woman, her eyes widening at the revelation. "You! Yer the girl that drowned in Nyannichuan!"
With a nod, the woman's voice grew stronger"Yes. My name is Hirata Chiaki. I was a priestess of Jusenkyo once, though the springs were not cursed then as they are now." Her gaze turned inward at a long untouched memory, " That was not until after I was murdered by my own parents, a sacrifice to the God's."
Ranma recoiled slightly at the venom in Chiaki's voice. No question as to how this one became a hollow.
It took a moment to register what Chiaki had said after collecting herself, "Wait, the springs weren't always cursed?"
Coming back to herself, Chiaki gave another giggle, as if Ranma had asked if chickens grew on trees!
"Heaven's no! Of course, they were not. Our village was quite beautiful, and we lived peacefully for some time, building our Temple and praying to the Gods. Unfortunately, one day our Gods turned on us. Supposedly, one of them demanded I be sacrificed or the village would be destroyed." Chiaki explained, her tone dripping with contempt towards the end.
Ranma exhaled some mist. "Yeah, somethin' tells me that didn't quite work out for 'em."
The Chiaki gained a saddened expression saying, "You would be correct. After I was murdered I eventually took vengeance on the village, burning it to the ground and killing those responsible in Death." She paused momentarily.
"As a result, the spring in which they drowned me became cursed. Hence why you take the body you now possess." she finished.
Ranma let out a low whistle. "Musta been a pretty powerful priestess to cause waters to become cursed," Ranma replies casually.
The woman nodded her head and then spoke up, "Such was my pain and resentment that I became a Hollow within hours of my death. But to be honest I would have ended up here anyways. You see my aspects of death are pride and vanity, as well as arrogance. These three we both share, you and I Ranma."
Ranma could only look away, scratching the back of her head, unable to refute the accusation.
"Most Hollows only have one aspect of death, but you and I have more than one. You also possess Envy. So whether cursed and fated to be here or not, you would have found yourself here anyways. How lucky for you to have already had evolved." Chiaki explains with a smile.
"Whaddya mean evolved? You sayin' I wouldn' normally be this, what'd that guy call me, hah Naranja, thing? Ranma questioned.
Hearing this, Chiaki was overcome by a bout of sudden hysterical laughter. It took her several minutes to come down enough to shake her head and respond. "Arrancar, dear, A-ran-car! Not 'naranja'!" she was once again overcome by a fit of giggles, "Naranja is orange dear, but yes. That is correct, most Hollows don't start out so evolved. Most are even feral." She paused momentarily as Ranma got over her momentary embarrassment.
Conciliatory, she went on "I would guess it's due to our connection through your curse." she then paused before saying, "I must say I adore your mask child. It even has little cut-outs allowing your adorable ears to poke through. Even though your fang was broken, he kept his word to me."
Ranma suppressed a shiver at the mention of her furry ears as her bone tail lashed back and forth. Instead, she grasped onto the other thing Chiaki let slip "He? Who kept his word to you?" she inquired.
The bound woman winced as she closed off "urgh I said that out loud didn't I..." Chiaki trailed.
Ranma narrowed her eyes, "Who kept his word?"
With a sigh, the woman dipped her head, her hair now obscuring her face, "He didn't want his name revealed, but they were the one who tore off your mask." She lifted her gaze back to Ranma, a small smile trying to ease the tension. "Does it really matter though? You're better off this way, don't you agree?" Chiaki inquired of her red-haired acquaintance.
After a moment's thought, Ranma reluctantly dropped her glare with a puff on her pipe, "I s'pose it's better then being mindless but why am I kitsune or whatever I am now, ain't I s'posed to be human?"
Chiaki tilted her head in confusion. "Kitsune? I think you mean Neko, dear." she corrected with a motherly smile. Before Ranma could protest she continued on with a shrug, "In any case, if I was to guess, your Hollow nature appears to have been influenced due to your training of the Neko-ken? Or perhaps this is a punishment from the Divine?" Chiaki offered.
Ranma clenched her teeth on her pipe stem, the dangling woman was honestly surprised the object hadn't broken from the sounds it was making. Streaming mist between her teeth, Ranma ground out "I am Not a c-c-cat! You ain't gotta clue, do ya?"
Shrugging as much as she could, Chiaki said with a disarming chuckle, "Hai hai, you got me. I have no idea why. But look at it this way, you may be a 'Kitsune'-girl, but your body is still mostly human. It makes you quite unique." Chiaki offered to the 'kitsune' girl with a knowing smile.
"Hey, I heard those air quotes you sonnuva bitch." The redhead grumbled out before deciding to change the subject. "So, why're ya hangin' in chains?"
Chiaki's good mood soured as a sad sigh escaped her lips, "As a priestess, I sought to make a peaceful place for those Hollows who simply wished to live in peace, without fear of being eaten by more dangerous Hollows. I founded this village as an oasis from the violence of Hueco Mundo. Over time, the Hollows that gathered began to revere me less as a Leader, and more as a Goddess among Hollows." she paused briefly.
She then went on to say, "In my arrogance and vanity, I did nothing to dissuade them. Accepting it and reveling in the worship of my devoted followers." a self-deprecating laugh escaped her lips, "Needless to say, my arrogance lead to our downfall." As she continued, her face transformed into a rictus of rage.
"Once again again, I was betrayed. Lured by honeyed words, six of my most loyal followers turned on me, sealing me here for a promise of power. They sold themselves to the King of Hueco Mundo, who discovered what was being created in this village and sought to destroy it."
Sneering, she finished "He had me imprisoned here, for the so-called sins of claiming to be a Goddess and attempting to rule Hueco Mundo."
Ranma at this point put in mind of Saffron, and his claim to be a God of the Phoenix People. Apart from the fact that his plan had involved killing Akane, Ranma'd had no issue with the guy. "Wait, why the heck would this guy care if yer claimin' ta be goddess or whatever? It's not like you were pushin' it on everyone else?" Ranma asked, not at all liking the way the story was going.
The look she gave Ranma could have matched her in cockiness "Oh, I was quite a powerful Arrancar. The 'Mighty King' himself was scared of the deeds I could accomplish." she slumped as the memories came back to her. "So he bought my most loyal with promises of reward, and bade them bind me here with divine chains and forced me to watch as my people and village were destroyed."
For a time, the silence was all that was heard as they both digested the conversation. Eventually, Ranma broke the quiet with a long exhale of her pipe, the mist now beginning to cover the floor.
"Those followers, did they get that reward they were after?" Ranma asked with a raised eyebrow, only to smirk as the Priestess shook her head with a frown, "He rewarded them for their exemplary service with a swift death."
Ranma's smirk fell at her expression, "Was their death a comfort to you?"
"At first, it was. Much like when I died, I wanted justice for the wrongs against me. Now, however... No dear. I never truly wanted that for them. More than anything, I simply wish it had never happened." Chiaki replies shaking her head from side to side.
Ranma conceded the point with a hum, studying the chains suspending the priestess, "So, How long ya been stuck here, Lady?"
"Quite a long time, since time here moves differently than in the living world." Chiaki gave a sigh of resignation. "To be honest, I find myself quite tired of it all Ranma. So very, very tired." Chiaki admitted her tone was one of melancholy.
She peered at the crimson-haired girl speaking once more in an offer, "Though maybe, with you coming here, perhaps I can finally be free of my bonds. and in turn, I can make you whole once more."
"Whole once more?" Ranma questioned with a confused expression on her features, subconsciously bringing her offhand to her sternum.
Chiaki gave a simple nod of her head, "Yes Ranma. I can make you whole, and fill the emptiness where your heart once resided. In doing so, it will restore your full potential. It won't bring you back to life, nothing can do that, but you would be far more powerful than you currently are now."
Ranma scoffed at the offered power-up. "I'm already plenty strong. I don't need no free handouts or borrowed powers from anyone else."Ranma looked at the hanging woman for a moment in contemplation, then said with a slow stream of mist.
"While I can't say I ever was a fan of seeing woman chained like that, it's been my experience that nobody wants somethin' fer nothin'. You know how to get down from there? What's yer price?"
Chiaki gave a slim smile, going on to explain, "I do not offer to give you powers you do not already possess. I merely offer to restore your lost power, filling the void where your heart once was will allow you to reach your full potential as an Arrancar." At this, the priestess gave a mischievous grin. "That, and maybe help train you in how to use those powers. You will need such knowledge to survive in this world."
She paused briefly before continuing, "And well, I do have a request, but I believe it best be done at your leisure. I know it will be a sensitive topic for you, having formerly been male."
The priestess went on to make her plea to the crimson-haired girl who gained a nervous, if thoughtful, expression. Her eyes showed fear in them as she worried her lip just contemplating the request she just heard.
Taking a deep pull on her pipe to try and calm her immediate response, Ranma tilted her head to the left, "What yer askin' ain't something I can easily live with. I ain't makin' promises or givin' a timeline or nothin'." Ranma stated as she shook her head, not at all sure she could go through with the request.
Chiaki merely gave a fond smile. "I understand your feelings, and I understand what I request is a little selfish, but please consider it. Regardless of if you go through with it or not, freeing me of this prison would be more than enough to earn my gratitude." Chiaki stated hoping the crimson-haired girl would at least consider her request at some point down the road.
Taking a deep breath Ranma steeled herself, looking to the priestess saying, "Alright, so, how do I do this?"
"Simply use my zanpakuto to cut the chains binding me in place. After that, I shall mend the void your heart left behind." Chiaki explained with a smile as she watched her crimson-haired counterpart proceed to draw her zanpakuto.
Grasping the hilt of her larger blade, Ranma paused at the persistent nagging her in the back of her mind. Before fully committing to the deed, Ranma eyed the woman briefly inquiring, "This ain't some ploy to take over my body is it?"
Chiaki laughed that off with a shake of her head. "While the idea might be tempting, I would rather not. No, I just want to sleep for a while, if all the same to you?" She said playfully, amused with the mild paranoia the crimson-haired girl was showing.
Ranma sniffed as she thought for a moment. Not sensing any falsehood from the hanging soul, Ranma proceeded to flash-cut all four chains. So fast were they cut, that Chiaki actually seemed to float in midair for a moment, as though gravity itself had forgotten about her.
Drawn to a movement in the open door, Chiaki noted that odd hollow that had been following her ersatz protege was still there, peeking in. Grinning to herself. She thought, 'Ara ara? It seems we have an audience. Well, I suppose I might as well give them a show.'
As Chiaki seemingly floated to the floor, gravity reasserting its opinion on the state of airborne objects, the power Ranma had felt from before became a sudden gailstorm. As if the two powerhouses had clasped hands in solidarity, the gravity of the air seemed to triple, the suddenness nearly bringing Ranma to her knees from the shock.
Outside, barely audible in the chaotic flow of power no longer suppressed, Ranma could just perceive the wail of fear and pain as her Follower collapsed. Though mildly concerned, she was too preoccupied with the growing glow coming from the fallen priestess.
Slowly, oh so slowly, Chiaki drew herself up on shaky legs, brought her hands to her head, and twisted.
With a mighty crack CCRAACKKK! She let out a sigh of relief and massaged her neck. "AHHN! Ten hundred years can give you Such a crick in the Neck!"
With a wry chuckle, Ranma could only agree, "Heh, yeah. I'll bet."
Flexing her arms and hands, Chiaki grinned back, very much the cat that caught the canary right now.
"My thanks, my Dear Child. Now, I do believe you are owed something, yes?" So saying, The glowing priestess proceeded to close her eyes and bring her arms up and hands together in prayer, before growing slightly brighter and floating back to her previous place in the air.
Softly Chiaki began to chant. Ranma had no idea what it was, only that it was likely ancient Chinese, and it was getting louder. With each passing word, the tone and volume built into a crescendo. As the chant reached its peak, Chiaki's eyes snapped open, glowing a harsh golden light, and her hands came together again and again. Through the nearly blinding light, Ranma just could make out what appeared to be hand signs, though not quite the ones she was used to.
With a final blinding flash, Chiaki brought her hands together one final time (Ranma idly noted it was not quite a ram sign) and intoned "Nichuannyan" For the barest of moments the air stilled. And then, all the rampant power that had raged around them spiraled in on Chiaki as her form dissolved into a fist-sized blinding ball of light. Within seconds the process was complete as the orb that was once an ancient priestess darted forward, directly into Ranma's sternum.
Gone was the light. Gone were the howling winds and the oppressive weight in the air. And with them, was Ranma's ability to stay conscious.
Her Companion drew in the writhing and oppressive air of the temple. It seemed to... strengthen her. He knelt in the doorway, between light and dark. What was left of his sanity, implored him not to enter. But that voice was just a whisper now.
As he crept his way closer, he began to see, a change in his Companion. She seemed to be, losing strength.
"AAAAGGHHHHHH!"
It was then that he realized. She hadn't been losing strength; She had been gaining something, far greater.
Weary of the oppressive power, he made his way forward, to his fallen Companion. Reaching out, he hesitated.
("Look at her. See how strong she is? Help Her. Quickly now, quickly.")
Careful not to wake Her, he gathered the chains and created a throne fit for such a higher being.
("Good! You have just witnessed the birth of something incredible. You cannot even begin to imagine what has been set in motion this day. Go now, further into the Temple on the eastern side. There you will find what remains of my old raiment. This is the gate of a new era. Will you find the courage to step through that gate, Tetrex? Hear Her, and She'll see you through. Go now! Before She wakes!")
What choice did he have? He ran.
"Uurgh. Mierda, mi cabeza! What hit me this time?"
When she woke up, it was to a pounding headache and... heartburn? Dragging herself to a sitting position, Ranma tried to remember how she got knocked out. Fortunately (question mark?) she had plenty of experience waking up after being knocked unconscious, so it was only a matter of moments before it all came back to her.
A quick survey of her surroundings confirmed that Ranma was still in the main room of the temple she had met Chiaki within. Though the addition of the comfortable throne she was now sat upon was a mystery, as was how she had gotten onto it. Brought out of her musings by a sudden burning itch was her hole should be, Ranma absentmindedly gave it a soothing scritch before continuing her investigation.
Not a moment later she froze, her hand once more coming to rest at the base of her cleavage. With a hesitant prod, Ranma confirmed that yes, there was, in fact, something there now. Slowly, she opened her top enough to expose her hollow hole.
And then kept going. There wasn't one. Where once sat an empty black hole you could flash a light through, was now solid flesh. It wasn't without a mark though. In place of the hole was now a tanned starburst pattern, not unlike a birthmark. 'Except I never had a birthmark there.'
She was interrupted from her inner dialogue when she heard Chiaki's voice once more from within her mind, ("As I said. I shall make you Whole once more. My zanpakuto are now yours from here on to do with as you please... Please, consider my request... Even if it takes a century or more, I can wait.")
With that Ranma felt the other woman's presence fade, now dormant inside of her body, eternally sleeping.
With her mind now quieted somewhat, Ranma began a more in-depth examination of her new changes. Turning her focus inwards, Ranma felt her ki, (or reiryoku, or whatever), Energy, become strengthened as she felt a warmth flow over her body from what had been her hole. That warmth soon rose to a burning hot before eventually cooling to normal tolerable levels.
Instantly Ranma realized she was indeed stronger than she had initially been upon arriving at Hueco Mundo.
Feeling a slight twinge in her hands Ranma lifted her right palm up, and her eyes widened as she beheld the claws extending from her, smaller, natural ones. Long and sharp, they gleamed in the moonlight like steel. If one were to look closer, they'd see the faint blue glow as energy surged through them.
A shiver ran up the back of her spine as she looked at her claws. She knew instinctively that, much like her mask, these were the claws of a furry bane of her existence. A fang pierced the corner of her bottom lip, drawing blood as she tried, once more, to stave off the fear building inside of her.
"No big deal, jus' bigger claws. I 'lready had claws. These're just.. bigger... Kitsune are yokai anyway, they can have big claws." With every ounce of her being, Ranma suppressed a full-body shudder.
"Yeah. I'm a kitsune, not a c-c-HellBeast (just say cat) URUSAI!" she cajoled herself, once again ignoring the insistent voice in the back of her mind.
Her mental fortress of denial was sturdy once more, she let her hand drop, retracting her claws. Finding her pipe resting in a perfect little indentation on the throne, she took a drag to calm herself, her (feline)vulpine bone tail swishing back and forth in agitation as her (cat-like) Fox-Like ears twitched.
Looking up, Ranma was greeted by the sight of her follower. The odd, silent hollow somehow had little difficulty maneuvering through the standard-sized door, despite moving his rather impressive size on only four of his six limbs; his main front pair holding a folded bundle.
He froze as soon as he met her gaze, only creeping toward her slowly at her raised eyebrow. When he approached a decent social distance, he extended two of his odd back-plates, which as it turned out were actually tethered by some cable-like tendrils, and struck them like shovels into the floor. Before Ranma could utter a word, he had raised up the small portion he'd dug up and, almost like it was frosting, shaped it into a simple, yet masterful, waist-high table, (he also took the time to fix the floor afterward).
Placing his bundle on the table, he backed away. One step... Another... One more... And bowed.
'No', Ranma thought, a new, entirely different thread of dread running down her spine, 'That ain't normal bowing.' In fact, it reminded her all too much of what little etiquette lessons her mother had managed to drill into her head as a member of an old samurai clan (and wasn't that a shock to learn), and the proper way to stand before...
Shaking her head to clear that, obviously completely incorrect thought out of her head, Ranma walked up to the, gift? Leaving the tip in her mouth, she absentmindedly tapped the end with her finger to stabilize it as she reached down to examine the now-identified bundle of ornate priestess robes.
Her robes.
As she held the ageless garments in her hands, she marveled at the familiarity before recalling the one who'd brought them to her. Looking back at the still-bowing hollow, Ranma gave him a cheerful smile as she refolded it.
"Thanks, Tetrex. No idea how they survived this long, but I appreciate you grabbing 'em for me. And get up off the floor already! I don't need ya bowing to me like that." she admonished with a light giggle as he hesitantly picked himself up.
It was a sweet thing, a sound like morning chimes. And it brought her up short.
'Did I just?... Did I really just Giggle like that? That's not how I laugh! Unless I'm acting, which I'm not! An' how the hell did I know his name?! He's never once spoken in my hearing! Let alone introduced himself!'
Practically on autopilot by this point, Ranma picked up the bundle and proceeded further inside the temple toward the private rooms. In fact, she was so lost in thought that she didn't even notice until she was stood before a mirror, fluffing out her now loose crimson locks. She was now dressed much like Chiaki had been...
'That's it! This must all be cause of that stupid merging thing she did! It must've messed with my head or something! Would also explain how I knew that guys name... or would it?' Miffed, but deciding the major mystery, for now, had been 'solved', Ranma merely resolved to watch her actions more closely, to see if there was any more major bleed-over effect.
She took some time to let her mind stop racing before she finally decided to head back outside. Upon reentering the main room where she'd left her odd follower, Ranma found him to be standing guard just inside the door. Giving him a nod and a wave to his respectful bow, thankfully not the groveling kind this time, she proceeded back out into the village.
Ranma stood atop the head of the stairs, observing the rubble that once made up the village. Observing items that shouldn't exist within Hueco Mundo, her mind was flooded with images of Chiaki's past.
Ranma watched as Chiaki cut open a portal to the Living World, only to return with lumber, hammers, and chisels. Tools Ranma didn't even have names for, but knew where for constructing their new home.
Ranma was entranced by all the hollows, from the smallest to the largest, assisted Chiaki and one another as they worked together to build the various dwellings in the village. And at the center of it all, flashing through the major steps in a time-lapse, was the grand Temple on which Ranma now stood.
Coming back to herself after what felt like hours, but what she was certain were mere moments, Ranma continued her observations as she made her way down the stairs. Puffing away on her pipe, she contemplated the revelations in the visions. 'So, she could go back and forth between worlds. Makes sense, in theory. Question is; could I do the same?'
With a snort, she thought back to the Shinigami Captain who had, not quite, taught her how to travel to Hueco Mundo, a thoughtful expression to her features, 'Right, dumb question, of course, I can. Least I know I have places to go other than just this place.' she thought to herself, realizing she had options.
For now, though, she decided to clean up the ruins surrounding the temple. Tetrex, who had of course followed her, turned out to be quite an unexpected help in this. With his ability to reshape material with those weird plate things on his back, even the most unsalvageable mess could be put back into working order. Failing that, it at least made for good filler material.
Despite the two of them working together, and Tetrex's useful ability, it still took nearly an entire Living World month before the entire Temple was put entirely back to rights.
Having set aside a decent amount of burnables for said purpose, Ranma lit a great bonfire at the head of the Temple to commemorate the occasion. She stood watch, the reflection of the fire in her sapphire orbs giving them a red hue, a look of deep contemplation and reflection on her face as she thought on her past and the endless possibilities of where she could go from here on.
Eventually, she turned her attention to the various mask fragments from Hollows that had been destroyed. Once more enlisting in Tetrex's aid, Ranma proceeded to give the remains a proper burial and memorial, something she felt Chiaki would have wanted done, had she been able.
It was a simple thing, really. Just a crystalline obelisk roughly thirteen feet tall. The problem came from what to write on it. Scratching her neck with her pipe stem, Ranma could only growl in aggravation. "Mierda. This ain't ever really been my thing..." Suddenly, Ranma remembered her last words before she died.
"Nothing keeps Ranma Saotome down."
Smiling, Ranma knew what to put down now.
Stepping back with Tetrex, she lead them both in a small prayer for the departed, slightly modified. As she looked back up, Ranma felt a deep sadness for such losses. These hollows would never have a chance for reincarnation, now lost forever. Ranma hid a shudder as the memories Chiaki had transferred to her showed her the true horror, should a Hollows mask be destroyed or forcibly ripped off.
'I am glad I didn't kill any of them.' She thought wistfully as she would have done them a great injustice.
Tetrex lingered a moment as his Lady left, contemplating the full meaning behind the words she wrote.
"We get knocked down"
"We get up again"
"You ain't ever gonna keep us down"
Note: Well Hope you enjoy this chapter inclusion, chapter 4 will soon be on the way, If you like what you read so far please leave a review or don't totally up to you. Thank you for your time and for reading my content.