Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach, Tite Kubo does. However, I do own my OCs.
Feedback: Reviews are what keep me going, so don't forget to review! However, flames are not appreciated.
A/N: Thanks so much for your reviews, they really helped my muse. I was so close to updating last week, but something or another would keep me from writing. I'm just a slow writer. I already know how I want the story to go but I always take forever figuring out the little details. The good news is that I managed to come up with the longest chapter I've ever written, surpassing Ch 3. I hope you guys enjoy! I can't always promise timely updates, but I will try my best in delivering lengthy chapters when I do update. Probably not as long as this one is, but at least a good size. I apologize ahead for any OOCness and my lame fighting scenes. Any advice on improving them would be thoroughly appreciated.
And a quick reminder:
Italics means thoughts.
'Italics in single quotes means Ichigo's thoughts while talking to his Hollow.'
'A bold, italicized font means Ichigo's inner Hollow is talking.'
Edited Formatting 1/25/18
'What's a matter, King?'
'Shut. The. Hell. Up.' was the terse reply.
'Don't tell me you're still mad at me, King?' Ichigo's inner Hollow asked, feigning hurt.
Silence.
With brows knitted tightly together over closed eyes and a deep scowl engraved on his features, Ichigo lay on top of his sheet covered replica bed, balling his hands at his sides into fists. The drapes were drawn, shrouding the room in darkness, except for a thin sliver of light that slipped through the opening where the drapes parted.
'It's not my fault you know, it's just he's so weak,' his Hollow continued.
Ichigo clenched his hands even tighter, his scowl deepening further.
'He's the one who wanted to fight at full strength, wasn't he? The so-called fighting you were doing wasn't doing him any favors, you were holding back. I was just giving him a taste of real power; if he kicked it, it just meant he wasn't cut out to handle it,' he sighed, 'It's just too bad, you didn't let me finish him off.'
'It was training,' Ichigo finally snapped. 'And how is finishing him off helping him?'
Yesterday he had resumed his training with Renji after Mai had left. During the course of their fighting, Ichigo's inner Hollow broke through for a couple of seconds, which was more than enough time for him to overwhelm and injure Renji. Thankfully, Inoue took care of Renji's wounds, but if Ichigo hadn't brought her over, if he hadn't regained control, he was sure his friend would have been dead. Because of him.
He tried to apologize to the red head, but he had shrugged it off, saying it was part of training. Ichigo wasn't even sure if the Sixth Division fukutaichō realized he hadn't meant to injure him, because he didn't even bring it up. And when Ichigo was going to, Rukia and the red head had to leave to report in.
'Really, King, how's pineapple head gonna get any stronger with that shit you call training? Finishing him off is the best thing for him; I mean, honestly, would you rather have him sliced up by some ol' Arrancar or Aizen himself? Just being considerate is all. Isn't that what friends do for each other?'
'He's not your friend,' Ichigo growled.
'Nope, he's not,' he agreed. 'But he won't be yours for much longer,' he laughed that psychotic laugh of his.
'What's that supposed to mean?'
'What are you, an idiot?'
'You're not taking over, I won't let you, and you're not gonna hurt my friends.'
'We'll see about that,' he said. 'And, I don't have to hurt your friends. It's like I said, King, some Arrancar or Aizen will do it. You aren't naive enough to believe everyone's gonna make it, are ya?
Ichigo tensed.
'Of course, you are,' he laughed, 'but honestly, how do you expect them to survive? They're all so weak.
'We will survive,' Ichigo said forcefully.
'What? Are you gonna save 'em? You're weak, too. You couldn't even lay a scratch on Aizen. You wanna know why? 'Cause you ain't got the power to do so.'
'And you do? Do you think you could do shit to him? Ichigo roared.
'Of course, I can. Just let me out and I'll show you what I can do.'
'The hell I will.'
'Not like I need your permission, anyway,' he retorted.
Suddenly Ichigo jumped up, clutching his head, muttering, "Stop it."
'I told you I'd come back when you'd become weak.'
"Ichigo?" There was a knock at the door. It was Rukia's voice. "Get up!"
"Quit it!" Ichigo said through gritted teeth. "I won't let you take over!" Ichigo shouted, squeezing his head even tighter, swinging his feet over his bed.
There was more pounding on the door. "Rise and shine, Ichigo!"
'I'm not giving up that easily, King.'
"I won't let you!" Ichigo shouted.
There was more pounding on the door until it finally burst open. Rukia strode in, the door swinging behind her, nearly closing completely.
"What the hell is a matter with you, Ichigo?"
Her eyes took in the scene of Ichigo sitting on his bed, clutching his head, eyes squeezed shut, grimacing like he was in pain.
"Ichigo!" she called out, but he didn't reply.
"Stop!" he groaned.
She took a couple of steps forward, stopping short, two feet away from him, looking uncertain. "Snap out of it, Ichigo."
"I- I'm trying," he managed to mutter as he sank to his knees, beside his bed.
"Ichigo!" she cried out but just as she approached him, he stopped moving.
Slowly, he lowered his hands from his head, his eyes remained closed.
"Ichigo?" she queried.
"Yeah?" was his reply.
"Are you okay?"
"Better than okay, actually," he replied.
Before she could even ask him anything, he leapt forward, pouncing on top of her, and knocking her onto the ground. Her arms were held out at her sides, grasped tightly by his hands, his body hovering above hers, keeping her effectively pinned.
"Ichigo, what the hell are you doing?" she said angrily as she tried to squirm out of his grasp; it was no use, he wouldn't budge.
Glancing upwards, she saw golden irises surrounded by black sclera peering down on her with what she could only describe as a dark joy.
"You're not Ichigo, you're his Hollow," she stated in a matter of fact tone.
"Bingo!" He said gleefully with a sadistic grin that looked out of place on Ichigo's face. "Well, aren't you smart?"
"Where is Ichigo?" She demanded, glaring at him.
"He's around somewhere," he laughed. "But that's not really important."
"Bring him back," she ordered, chin pointed defiantly at him.
"Why would I do that?" he said, shaking his head, looking at her like she had just said the stupidest thing.
"This is his body, not yours."
He laughed. "He just got evicted. Guess whose body it is now?"
"No." She shook her head, refusing to believe to his words. "Ichigo, can you hear me? Ichigo!"
"It's not gonna work, he's been locked away. I'm the King now," he declared, smirking.
"No, that's not true. Ichigo, I know you're still in there!"
"It's no use, he just wasn't strong enough. He couldn't handle my power."
"Ichigo, can you hear me? Fight him!" She said, ignoring the Hollow's words.
"Silly girl, I'm telling you it's not gonna work."
"Come on, Ichigo, I know you can fight him! You've done it before!"
"You sure have a lot of faith in him," he observed, eyes boring down on her."Not that that's gonna be any help to you," he said, leaning forward, getting closer to her right ear, his breath tickling her cheek.
Her heartbeat quickened but she didn't move, instead her glare intensified.
"I mean, here you are, all helpless. I could easily snap your little neck or strangle you," he said teasingly. "Or if you want I could use your katana to slice you up," he said, leering at her as he lowered his body to rub against the hilt of Sode no Shirayuki."Or Ol' Zangetsu," he said, jutting his chin towards Ichigo's desk, where his Zanpakutō rested. "It's your choice."
"Ichigo!" she called out.
"You're not afraid," he stated, half-disappointed, half-annoyed. "Why aren't you afraid?"
"He won't let you hurt me," she answered, meeting his gaze steadily.
"You sure have balls," he said," unlike that other chick, but that ain't gonna save you."
He released his grip on her left arm and then reached for her neck.
"Ichigo!" she called out even as she swatted Ichigo's arm, trying to prevent him from reaching her neck.
He easily evaded her swats, and soon his right hand found itself around her neck. She gasped, feeling his grip tightening.
"I-chigo," she uttered.
Ichigo's Hollow just laughed, releasing her other hand, and wrapping his now free hand around the other side of her neck. He settled himself in a straddling position, adjusting his grip around her neck so that he could put more pressure on it.
"I-ch..." His grip tightened further, cutting off her words.
Ichigo.
She couldn't move. Her arms and legs hung listlessly at her sides. Her breathing was becoming shallow. The image of Ichigo was starting to blur; her eyes were starting to darken. Suddenly, the tight grip choking her to death stopped, and her crushed air pipes began to struggle for air. Shocked amber eyes stared down at her.
"R-Rukia! D-Did he hurt you?" Ichigo asked, panting, wide eyes examining her reddened neck, where his hands had just been wrapped around moments ago.
She gasped, struggling to breathe. "I-I'm f-fine."
There was a light tapping on the slightly ajar door."Kuchiki-san, Kurosaki-kun," said a feminine voice.
Rukia twisted her head around, and Ichigo glanced up to see a stunned Orihime at the doorway. She stared at them, noticing the way their chests heaved, and the position they were in.
"Inoue, what's wrong?" Ichigo asked, after she failed to say anything.
She blinked and then managed to say in a shaky voice. "I-Ishida-kun and S-Sado-kun are ready for breakfast."
"Oh, right, we'll be there in a minute," Ichigo said, and then glancing downward he noticed the position Rukia and he were in. They disentangled themselves, scrambling upwards looking flustered, a slight flush on their cheeks.
"We'll be there!" Rukia assured, the pitch of her voice rising. "I just gotta finish talking some sense into him." She quickly turned to face Ichigo, punching him in the arm.
"O-Okay," Orihime said, a shaky smile on her face as she left, closing the door behind her.
"Rukia, I..."Ichigo began, "Owww." He stumbled as pain shot up his foot, and then he found himself doubling over from a knee in the gut. He winced, feeling the burning contact of her palm as it connected with both his cheeks; each one receiving equal treatment.
"You idiot!" she seethed, violet eyes blazing. "Is this what you were waiting for? For your Hollow to start regaining control? To start attacking your nakama?"
Guilt flashed through his amber orbs.
Rukia's gaze softened a bit at that, but her tone remained the same. "I'm fine, Ichigo. Renji's fine as well. Get over it," she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You were able to stop him, but you can't go on like this. Your Hollow's been acting up since battling Aizen, hasn't it?" She stared at him, his gaze confirming her suspicions. "Because of that new mask."
"Yeah," he said, staring at the floor. "At first, he was just talking more and more in my head, but now he's trying to take over."
"Well then, you'll just have to beat him into submission again! You can't expect to go fighting like that let alone beating Aizen in two weeks, if you can't even control your Hollow," Rukia stated.
"W-What?" Ichigo sputtered, gaping at her.
"That's right, Ichigo. The Hōgyoku will be ready in two weeks, give or take according to Urahara. Ukitake-taichō informed me of this last night. So we can't waste any more time, you have to go see the Visored." Noticing resolve as well pity in his eyes, she quickly added, "There's no time for mourning in war; we have to continue battling no matter who falls or else both of our worlds will be doomed."
"I know that," he said annoyed.
"Besides, you've given them enough time already. You better go today. You can't afford to waste more time. You've defeated your Hollow once before, and I know you can do it again! You better not come back until you have your Hollow under control. You got that!" she said, jabbing a finger in his chest.
"I will," he said resolutely. "And, Rukia…"
"Save it, Ichigo. I knew you'd stop him. Now, let's go," she said heading for the door.
He followed her, grabbing Zangetsu from his desk on his way out and slipping it into his back.
Orihime couldn't believe what she had just seen; Kuchiki-san and Kurosaki-kun on the floor, on top of each other, looking like they had just been kissing. She closed her eyes, shaking her head, trying to erase the image from her head. Her heart thudded painfully in her chest, feeling like it was going to burst. She found it hard to breathe; she wasn't even sure how she was walking. Her eyes prickled, threatening to spill tears.
Kuchiki-san had made it seem like they had just been fighting but a part of her didn't believe it; she'd never seen them fight like that. She'd always known there was something between them. Could it be that they were now together? Or had they always been together? Have they just been hiding it all this time through their bickering?
Four nights ago, when they had first moved in to Kurosaki-kun's house, and she and Kuchiki-san had been lying in Yuzu's and Karin's replica beds respectively, Kuchiki-san had made a comment about how the house was a perfect duplicate of the real Kurosaki household except that it was too bad that the Twelfth Division had failed to include sheets and her other belongings in Ichigo's closet; however, she was quick to add that she was glad to be sleeping in a bed. She hadn't realized that the dark haired girl had been staying at Kurosaki-kun's house ever since she gave her Shinigami powers to him and had resumed her stay once again upon her return from the Soul Society. She had felt her heart lurch with jealousy and couldn't help but detect a sort of longing…a disappointment about the closet in Kuchiki-san's voice despite the girl's words otherwise.
She hadn't quite believed that Kurosaki-kun had initially kept Kuchiki-san in his closet. She understood the reasons behind hiding her, but at the same time she didn't think that was something he would do. And, why would Kuchiki-san miss staying in a closet? That was just ridiculous. Surely, the honorable thing would have been for him to offer his bed to her while he slept on the floor. Or did they share it?
This information coupled with the way the raven haired girl always snapped Kurosaki-kun out of his depressions and the way he showed concern for her whenever she got hurt, and what she had just seen, couldn't help but make her feel that there was more to their relationship than they let on.
Her mind suddenly drifted over to that night that seemed long ago, the first time she had ever been inside his room, right before she had been taken to Hueco Mundo. She had grasped his hand, leaning forward, contemplating whether to kiss him. God, how much she wanted to. She could have, all she needed to do was lean forward and press her lips against his.
But he'd never know.
He'd never know she had kissed him, how she felt about him. In the end, knowing this, she couldn't force herself to do it. It wouldn't have been fair stealing a kiss that wasn't meant to be hers; that wasn't how she'd imagined her first kiss would be like. No, she had imagined him kissing her because he wanted to, because he desired it. But apparently, she wasn't what he wanted; it was her.
"I wonder what's taking them so long?" Uryū's voice wafted up the stairs.
She was just a step away from the landing; she had to stop thinking these thoughts. She inhaled sharply in an effort to stall the sob trying to escape her lips.
Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe they were fighting after all and somehow they got tangled up and fell on top of each other. That could happen right? It's probably just the jealously in my heart making me think and feel this way.
She didn't want to feel this way. Really, she didn't.
Taking a deep breath, she squared her shoulders, and exhaled slowly, trying to calm herself down. She stepped onto the landing and descended the stairs, meeting Uryū and Sado at the foot of them.
Uryū frowned noticing something odd about Orihime's gaze, like it wasn't quite focused, like something was bothering her
"Where's Kurosaki and Kuchiki-san, Inoue-san?" he asked.
"They're coming," she answered with just the slightest tremor in her voice despite the smile on her face.
"Are you okay, Inoue-san?" he asked.
"Of course," she said, widening her smile even more to reassure him.
He wasn't convinced. What happened up there? What could have possibly happened that had upset her? Kurosaki. It had to be him, what else? He had observed that Kurosaki and her friends, well people in general, getting hurt were the things that elicited the most reaction from her.
Back in Hueco Mundo, in Las Noches, he'd been relieved to find her physically well although he wasn't sure how being kidnapped at the hands of Aizen and the Espada had affected her mentally. Despite knowing that it was too early to tell, so far she had surprised him with her resilience and commitment to tend to the injured. She worked herself so much, healing so many people in quick succession to the point of exhaustion. While there was no doubt her powers had grown tremendously, even she wasn't immune from fatigue.
In the dome, she'd immediately tended to his wounds, those dealt by Ichigo's Hollow form and Ulquiorra, and afterwards she busied herself healing Renji and Sado when they found them. She'd cried tears of joy and guilt at reuniting with her friends; she'd been sorry that she had ever put her friends in danger but they had quickly assured her that they were just glad she was fine.
He'd seen the worry in her eyes when she'd learned that Kurosaki had left for the fake town in the Material World to fight Aizen, but she quickly hid it by offering her assistance to Isane and Hanatarō when they were healing Byakuya, Kenpachi, and even Kurotsuchi, who joined the fight in the latter stages of the fight. And, once they'd arrived at Fake Karakura, he'd noticed her relief at seeing that the orange haired substitute Shinigami was okay save for a slashed shoulder and some other minor injuries. Kurosaki had urged her to go to those that needed her assistance more than he did and despite her obvious desire to heal him, she did as he asked, meanwhile Kuchiki-san used some healing Kidō on him. Inoue-san met the task of healing Hachi, Ukitake, and Suì-Fēng fervently; the latter didn't seem to be all that grateful which had annoyed him but Inoue-san had stopped him from goading the Second Division taichō into giving a more meaningful thanks. She was just glad that she could be of assistance.
Yes, nothing seemed to bother her except him and people getting hurt. What did that idiot do this time? He was always unaware of what he did.
"Oh, there they are," Orihime announced, as Rukia and Ichigo appeared at the top of the stairs and began climbing down the steps.
"Is everything okay?" Sado asked.
Uryū glanced at the tall teen; apparently he wasn't the only one noticing Orihime's strange behavior.
"Yeah, everything's fine," Ichigo said, his earlier deep scowl was gone and instead his normal scowl was on his face, determination shining in his amber gaze.
"Let's get breakfast," he said, walking past them and heading towards the front door.
The cafeteria was bustling with activity when they arrived. Shinigami were coming and going, conversing loudly, joking, and eating in the normally vacant tables. Ichigo and his friends stared, observing the scene. Apparently, yesterday they had caught the ending act of the Seventh Division's dining because at least half of its members were currently occupying the seats.
Spotting a line where they usually received breakfast from Hanatarō and the other Fourth Division members, Ichigo frowned making his way there, his friends following his lead. Curious eyes seemed to follow them and hushed whispers began erupting across the tables; Ichigo ignored them. The line moved fairly quickly and they soon found themselves in front of a tired Hanatarō and a flustered Kotetsu Isane and three other Fourth Division members in front of long table filled with large pots, bowls, and eating utensils.
"Yo, Hanatarō," Ichigo greeted the short Shinigami. He nodded towards the silver haired woman. "Isane-san."
"Ohayō, Ichigo-san," Hanatarō replied, wiping the sweat from his forehead before grabbing one of the empty bowls in front of him. He filled it with steamed rice then passed it on to the Fourth Division fukutaichō, quickly turning his attention to the others behind Ichigo.
"Ohayō, Kurosaki-san," Isane said as she added some tamagoyaki to his bowl and passed it to a male Shinigami with long brown hair.
"Busy morning?" he asked.
"This is just..."—she shook her head—"chaos. Waking up to prepare everything to feed not just the taichō, the fukutaichō, and you and your friends, but an entire division! An entire division who expects to get their food quickly, which we are trying our best to do, but we can only do so much. And then there are people who actually have the gall to complain about how the food isn't even good, that they hate what we're serving..." she trailed off, blushing as she glanced anxiously at the Shinigami that were behind Sado. They seemed to be talking amongst themselves, not really paying attention, so she let out a sigh of relief.
Ichigo was now standing off to the side with his bowl in his hands, waiting for the others to receive their breakfast.
"Complaints are the worst," chimed in Hanatarō.
"That's awful," Orihime said, joining Ichigo.
"You could always not feed them," Ichigo suggested.
Longing shone in Isane's gaze to do just that.
"At least it's not the Eleventh Division," Hanatarō said, shuddering at the thought.
Isane paled, murmuring."Thank God, it's not."
Rukia, Uryū, and Sado soon joined Ichigo and Orihime. "Arigatō, Isane-san, Hanatarō," Ichigo thanked them, giving the other Shinigami assisting them a nod in thanks, before they went in search of a table.
They found an empty table in the last row in front of windows. Sado, Uryū, and Ichigo sat facing the windows while Rukia and Orihime sat across from them. Everyone was quiet, lost in their own world, just like on their way to the cafeteria except for a couple of minutes of chatter that occurred after Rukia gave her update about Aizen and the failed search of the intruder.
As they ate breakfast, suddenly Orihime broke the silence. "Look, it's Mai-san."
The guys turned around to see Mai on the other side of the row parallel to their table, holding two bowls in either hand, walking alongside a male Shinigami that was shorter than her with dark bangs that covered his eyes.
If Mai wanted to stand out, there was no doubt she'd definitely succeeded. She stood out like a bright orange beacon in a sea of ebony colored heads, occasional blondes, brunettes, and red heads. In addition, the fact that she was female only seemed to highlight her presence even more; only forty percent of the Shinigami filling the tables were female.
She seemed to notice that someone was staring at her because she had stopped talking to her companion and was now looking at them.
Orihime waved.
Mai smiled at them.
Mai turned to her companion and said something to him to which he shook his head vigorously. He began walking away, leaving Mai alone. She turned around, heading towards them.
"Ohayō," she said cheerfully upon reaching their table.
She stood by Uryū and Ichigo; Sado was seated on the other side of the substitute Shinigami. Her bright amethyst gaze regarded them from beneath the two stray strands of hair that framed her forehead; proof that they hadn't imagined the unusual combination of orange hair and violet eyes.
"Ohayō, Mai-san," Uryū greeted.
"Ohayō, Mai-san," Orihime smiled.
"Ohayō, Mai," Rukia said.
"Ohayō, Mai-san," Sado said.
Ichigo simply nodded since he was chewing his food; he was acutely aware that the stares in their direction had increased tenfold since Mai arrived.
"How are you guys doing?" she asked.
"Fine," Uryū answered first followed by similar replies from the others.
"What about you, Mai-san, how are you doing?" Orihime wondered.
"I'm doing well," she said.
"You're stocking up this time?" Ichigo said, noticing the two bowls she carried.
"W-What? Oh, no, one of them is actually for my superior officer," she explained.
"You have to get breakfast for him?"
"Hai."
"Why doesn't he get it himself?"
"Well, he's tired," she said.
"Tired?" Uryū echoed.
"What has he been doing that's gotten him so tired? Haven't all the Shinigami been doing the same thing just searching for that intruder that was never even found?" Ichigo asked, recalling how yesterday everywhere he went he saw Shinigami combing the town.
"Well, hai…" she said.
"He's just ordering his subordinates around because he doesn't feel like doing it himself, right?" Rukia asked.
"Uh," Mai started, as if she wanted to deny the statement, but then slowly nodded.
"You shouldn't have to do everything your commanding officer says; there's a limit to their power. You shouldn't have to follow orders that aren't related to your assignments. Don't let him push you around," Rukia advised.
"I know," Mai said.
"What's his rank?" Rukia asked.
"He's an eighteenth seat."
"He can be reported, you know. He is just an eighteenth seat. There are plenty of people that outrank him. You should go to your fukutaichō or taichō if it really does get to be a problem."
"I will," she promised.
"Do you want to join us, Mai-san?" Orihime wondered.
"Well, I have to give my superior officer's breakfast to him," she said.
"Oh, right," Orihime said. "But can't you come afterwards?"
Mai looked across the room where she was met with a furious glare from Okada.
"I'd like to but I don't think he would approve and I'd rather not upset him so early in the morning. It was nice seeing you guys again, but I really should be getting my superior officer's breakfast to him. I doubt he'd appreciate a cold breakfast," she said.
"Okay, bye," Orihime said.
"Remember, don't let him push you around," Rukia reminded her.
"I will, bye," she said, smiling.
"Um, where's Renji?" Ichigo asked, unable to spot the crimson haired male anywhere, not even in the table at the front of the room where the fukutaichō usually ate.
"He's covering one of the pillars. You see Hisagi-fukutaichō and Kira-fukutaichō have today off while Renji and Ōmaeda-fukutaichō guard the pillars today."
Ichigo's brows knitted. He had forgotten about that. The fukutaichō and even some of the taichō took turns guarding the pillars; the three destroyed pillars had been restored.
"He's perfectly fine, Ichigo. You know, Inoue's healing is impeccable."
"Arigato, Kuchiki-san," Orihime said, giving her a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
Across the cafeteria, in a table centered at the front of the room, Hisagi Shūhei nudged Kira Izuru, noticing that Ichigo and his friends were speaking to a Shinigami female with bright orange hair, part of which was pulled back and gathered into a mid-ponytail by a white crescent moon barrette while the rest of her hair flowed freely down to the middle of her back. Its tips were reminiscent of Kuchiki Byakuya's hair.
"Kira, look," he said, nodding his chin towards their direction.
Izuru's blue eyes widened.
"Never knew Iba-san had a girl in his division with orange hair. Thought Kurosaki was the only one with that hair color," Shūhei said.
"Weird," Izuru murmured.
"What do you think they're talking about?" Shūhei wondered. Ichigo never really talked to any Shinigami save for Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika whenever they were around.
"Their hair," Izuru offered, equally confused.
They watched as she left, catching only a glimpse of the side of her face as she went to go sit with her fellow Shinigami.
"Ohayō, Kira-kun, Hisagi-san," they heard a familiar voice chirp behind them.
They turned to find a smiling Momo with her hair pinned in its usual bun, flanked by Rangiku and Hitsugaya-taichō.
"Hinamori-kun!" gasped Izuru, surprised, "and Matsumoto-san! You're out of bed!"
Shūhei nodded, acknowledging their presence."Are you guys fine now?"
"Hai," Momo smiled, looking happier than they had seen in awhile.
"We've been perfectly since two days ago, but someone wouldn't let us leave the room," Rangiku said, cerulean eyes looking pointedly at a certain white haired taichō that stood beside Momo.
"Unohana-taichō said you needed your rest, I was merely following her instructions," Toshiro said.
"But, Taichō, you forced us to stay two extra days cooped up in the same little room with nobody to visit us except for you."
He glared at her.
"Okay, Unohana-taichō would come in but that doesn't count. Oh, and Orihime has visited us, but we haven't seen Shūhei and Kira in a while."
Izuru and Shūhei looked slightly guilty, the blonde more so than the raven haired male.
"They're busy, they have responsibilities. And now that you two are okay, you'll have to start training again. I already informed you of the situation, we don't have much time until Aizen makes his move again. It might be in two weeks, it might be sooner. It doesn't matter, we have to stop him," Tōshiro said, looking at Momo out of the corner of his eye; he always gauged her reaction whenever he mentioned her former taichō. She had done fine earlier when he had told of the latest developments regarding Aizen.
Izuru, Shūhei, and Rangiku were also waiting for Momo's reaction.
Momo looked at them, aware that they were staring at her. "Right, we have to stop Aizen…" she said, catching herself before she uttered his former title."Don't worry Shirō"— he glared at her, stopping her—"I mean Hitsugaya-kun, we'll train."
His eyebrow twitched. "Hinamori, it's Hitsugaya-taichō!"
"Gomen, I mean Hitsugaya-taichō."
Kira and Shūhei shared a look, relieved that Momo seemed okay with the mentioning of Aizen.
"So, where do we get breakfast?" Rangiku wondered, eager to clear the tension from moments ago and to eat.
"Over there, Matsumoto-san." Izuru pointed towards the back of the room, where there was a small line in front of the table where Fourth Division members were still serving food.
"Over there?" she echoed, disappointed filling her voice. "Taichō," she glanced at him, pouting.
"What?" he said, and then upon noticing her pleading look and pouting lips, he added. "I'm not getting your breakfast for you."
"But..." she protested.
"You wanted to get out of your room, so now you have to act just like everyone else. Get your own breakfast."
"Aren't you getting breakfast, Taichō?" Matsumoto asked.
"No, I already ate," he informed her.
"That's not fair," the buxom beauty whined.
"You should have woken up earlier, if you wanted to avoid lines," he said.
Rangiku then looked at Izuru and Shūhei with pouting lips.
"Uh, I'll..." Shūhei offered.
"No," Tōshiro interrupted. "If she wants to eat, she's going to get it herself."
Rangiku frowned.
"Come on, Rangiku-san," Momo said. "The line's pretty short and besides it'll give us a chance to say hello to Isane-san."
"Fine," she muttered following the Fifth Division fukutaichō.
"We'll be right back!" Momo smiled.
Izuru and Shūhei shared a look, surprised to see their friend almost like her old self.
"Ichigo-kun," Jūshirō called out, smiling warmly, as he approached the former Ryoka's table, Shunsui, beside him, was grinning, looking strange without his beloved straw hat.
"How are you all?" Jūshirō asked, his coffee colored eyes sweeping over everyone.
"Fine," Ichigo answered.
"Good," Orihime said.
"Fine," the others said.
"How about you, Ukitake-san? Kyōraku-san?" Ichigo asked.
"I'm doing well, thanks," the white haired man replied.
"Not bad," the brunette said.
"Is something the matter?" Ichigo asked, wondering why the two taichō were visiting them.
"Oh no, nothing's wrong," Jūshirō assured him. "We just decided to stop by and say hello," he smiled."I trust Kuchiki has already told you of all the recent developments."
"Hai, Ukitake-taichō, I told them," Rukia replied.
"There really isn't anything else I have to say on the matter. We just have to try to be prepared as best as we can. "
"We are doing that," Ichigo said.
Sado, Uryū, Orihime, and Rukia nodded, faces full of determination
"Good to hear," Jūshirō smiled approvingly. "I'm sure the training you're doing will help each of you become stronger. It can be rough sometimes, but the point is it will strengthen us. We cannot get stronger if we do not endure struggles."
Ichigo lowered his eyes briefly, but then caught Rukia's gaze and said, "Yeah, that's true."
"Geez, Ukitake, you're making it seem like they have to overwork themselves. Don't forget they have to enjoy themselves too. What's the point of having the calm before the storm if you don't enjoy it?" Shunsui added.
"Well, yes...that's certainly true," the Thirteenth Division taichō agreed. "Make sure you take time to enjoy yourselves as well."
They nodded.
"Best of luck," Jūshirō said. "We'll leave you so you can finish your breakfast and get on with your day."
He waved while Shunsui grinned lazily at them and then they walked away.
Okada's face looked it was going to explode; he was red faced and the veins in his forehead were throbbing and his fat cheeks puffed out making him look like he had a head for a tomato with thinly patched hair on top of a giant beach ball of a body.
"Kuroda, why the hell were you talking to Kurosaki instead of bringing my breakfast straight to me?" Okada yelled, from his seat between Keiji and Mikio.
"They wanted to say hello," she explained, giving him his bowl, which he snatched. She slipped into a seat beside Emiko. Taro sat on the other side of the brunette.
"You could have waved just like that girl," he snapped, cold eyes glaring at her. "You didn't need to go to them. If my food is cold because of your little hello, you're going to get me another one," he warned her, bringing his chopsticks to his lips.
As he began to chew his food, his face suddenly contorted into an agonized look. His cheeks swelled up and he spat out his food.
"It's hot!" he said angrily as he snatched Keiji's drink and downed it; droplets splashed over his chin.
"But isn't that what you wanted, Eighteenth Seat Okada, sir?" Mai asked, wrinkling her orange eyebrows.
"Too hot," he corrected, slamming the cup down on the table.
"At least it's not cold, Eighteenth Seat Okada, sir," Mikio said, poking at his own breakfast nervously. "It'll cool down in a bit and it'll be okay."
Okada shot him a cold glare before returning his gaze on Mai. "Kuroda, go get me a new one," he ordered, pushing away the bowl in front of him.
"I'm sorry they overheated your breakfast, Sir, but I'm afraid I can't get you a new bowl because they said they aren't giving seconds. I think maybe they're running low on supplies," Mai said.
He furrowed his brows, annoyed, "What?" but before he could go on, someone called to him.
"Okada!" A thirty-year-old looking guy in a crew cut with an athletic build came over and clapped Okada on the shoulder.
"How's it going?" he asked.
"Could be better," he answered, his anger fading. Apparently, this was someone he knew and got along with.
Mikio shot her a 'you just got saved' look while she gave him a grateful look for his earlier comment. Keiji noticing the exchange shook his head as he chewed his food.
"Is your food cool enough to eat?" Emiko asked, sparing Mai a glance.
The orange haired girl glanced down at her bowl. "I think so," she answered, dipping her chopsticks into her bowl, bringing it to her mouth and blowing on it just in case before she ate it. She nodded, affirming it was safe to eat.
Unfortunately, much to everyone's disappointment and not just Emiko's, they were informed earlier this morning that they were to remain not in their ten or eleven person group, but in their five person group for the duration of their stay in the replica town. This was even worst news since they no longer interacted with the other Shinigami who were led by another eighteenth seat, who was much more likeable and approachable than Okada.
But no one was probably more disappointed than Mai, for she was the one, being the most subjected to do Okada's bidding. True to Okada's words, he found a way to make up for her tardiness yesterday. As soon as he found out they had to re-search their assigned area, he sat down at the base of a tree, once they were away from the other Shinigami led by the other eighteenth seat, of course, and ordered her to search the area he had checked earlier while he took a nap. Afterwards, he forced her to recheck the entire area they were assigned by herself. And as if that wasn't enough, he ordered her to fetch his dinner last night and his breakfast this morning.
Despite everything, Mai seemed to be keeping her chin up, not letting Okada bother her. Taro watched her out of the corner of her eye, as she ate and talked to Emiko. There was no denying that her orange hair and amethyst colored eyes were exotic but what he admired the most was her bright demeanor. He wished he could be like that, unperturbed by being taken advantage of. He'd been bullied most of his life and he had never been able to be as cheery as she seemed. And, even more amazing was the fact that she was willing to risk facing Okada's anger by arriving late yesterday on account of him and stopping by to see those Humans. He had to admit she was brave, even if she technically wasn't standing up for herself.
"I'll meet you guys at the building's entrance once you're done with your breakfast," Okada announced, grabbing his bowl and bumping into the table with his protruding belly as he slid out of his seat and stood beside his friend.
"You're not eating with us, Eighteenth Seat Okada, sir?" Keiji asked.
"No," he said and with that he went away.
Mikio scooted over to sit by his dark haired friend.
"Finally a break from him," Mikio said.
"Yeah," Keiji agreed.
"I wonder when he's gonna let up on Mai-san," the blonde whispered, running a hand through his spiky hair.
"You mean when he's going to start to let up on his subordinates in general, right? You know that's how he is. I doubt it'll change any time soon, more like never," Keiji whispered back.
"I know, but she doesn't deserve it. She's so sweet," Mikio said, staring at her.
She was still talking to Emiko.
Keiji rolled his eyes, "Does anybody deserve his treatment?"
"Well, no," Mikio admitted, "but..."
"The only way we're going to stop being treated like that by Okada and others like him is if we become seated officers ourselves. We need to move up the ranks, not get sidetracked by cute girls," he said, giving Mikio a sidelong glance.
"What?" the blonde shrugged his shoulders. "I'm not getting sidetracked."
"Don't give me that, you always get sidetracked by some girl. And this time it's her," he said, tilting his chin towards her.
"W-What? No.." Mikio shook his head, lowering his voice even further. "Would you shut up? She could hear you!"
"We're whispering, idiot, and why are you worried that she'll hear us if you don't even like her?"
"I..."
Keiji stared him down.
"Okay, maybe I do," the blonde admitted.
A smirk appeared on Keiji's face, but then it disappeared, and he became serious again. "We'll get over your crush. Nothing good can come of it anyway. You heard Komamura-taichō's report this morning, the Hollows are getting stronger. We need to keep our head in the game. We're in a war. This is our chance to prove ourselves. Maybe get a promotion."
"You're right," Mikio nodded. "I doubt she'd ever noticed someone like me anyway," he mumbled, which somehow Keiji managed to decipher.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm starting to think maybe she has a crush on Kurosaki. Did you see how she was smiling when she saw him?"
"She smiled at everyone."
"I think she smiled more at him, though. And that would certainly explain why she dyed her hair orange. Okada is probably right; she's a Kurosaki fan girl."
"Maybe she is his fan. So, what? It's just a stupid little crush. All the girls in the Gotei 13 have them. Doesn't mean they don't date other people, not that you should ask her out. We're concentrating on fighting Hollows, not thinking about girls, remember?"
Mikio ignored him. "I mean, what does she like about him?" He wondered, gazing in the direction where the substitute Shinigami sat. "He looks scary, the way he's scowling all the time and that hair. Don't get me wrong it looks good on Mai-san, but on him? It's horrible."
They watched as Ukitake-taichō and Kyōraku-taichō approached Ichigo's table and began talking to them.
"Let's see how she reacts when we mention him."
"It doesn't matter how she reacts. Would you quit talking about her? You need to get over your crush."
"Keiji, look who's visiting Kurosaki," Mikio spoke in a normal tone that he was sure Mai could hear.
Mai, however, was staring down at her bowl, lost in thought.
"I wonder why Ukitake-taichō and Kyōraku-taichō are talking to Kurosaki?" Mikio spoke even louder, eyeing her expectantly.
Emiko raised an eyebrow at him. Taro glanced up from his bowl.
Mai looked up and said, "What?"
Her voice was cool and low, a complete contrast to her high-pitched voice. Noticing the surprised looks, she said in her normal tone, "Did you call my name? Sorry, I was just thinking."
"No, I didn't. Are you okay?" Mikio asked.
"Yeah, I am," she assured him.
"I was just talking about how Ukitake-taichō and Kyōraku-taichō showed up and are talking to Kurosaki Ichigo and his friends," Mikio explained, still looking towards where Ichigo was.
Mai glanced over her right shoulder to see that Mikio's words were indeed true, and then quickly returned her attention to him and the others.
"They sure are," was all she said, sounding disinterested, as she resumed eating.
The blonde male looked at his dark haired friend in surprise. The former just shrugged his shoulders in a 'there you go' gesture, his eyes imploring him to just drop it. When Mikio looked in front of him, he was met with the questioning gaze of Emiko, which he just ignored as he busied himself with finishing his breakfast.
"I'll be right back," Mai suddenly said, grabbing her now empty bowl and standing up.
"Where are you going, Mai-san?" Taro asked.
"Just to the ladies room," she replied.
"Oh, okay," he said.
She walked away from them, eyes peering in the direction where the Eight and Thirteenth Division taichō were walking towards—the exit. She dumped her bowl in a table meant for collecting the dirty dishes and headed straight for the exit.
Back at the table, Emiko asked, "So, what was that about?"
Mikio and Keiji looked at her confused.
"Why did you guys suddenly start talking about Kurosaki?" she clarified.
"I just thought it was interesting that the taichō were talking to him. I mean, why were they doing it in the first place?" Mikio explained.
"Oh, really?" She asked, in a tone filled with disbelief.
"Yeah, is there something wrong with being curious?"
"Not at all," she responded, her hazel eyes narrowing. "It was just a bit random, a bit fishy. What I'm missing, Fujimoto? What aren't you telling me?"
"That's all there was to it. Geez, I can't even make a comment before you start attacking me."
"I don't always attack you," she said.
"You sort of always do," Keiji said, "You always contradict him, put him down, or something."
Emiko looked pensive for a moment, "It's not my fault. He always says something stupid, annoying, or weird."
"Anyways, I have to go to the restroom. Wanna come Keiji?" Mikio said, and then glancing at Taro, he added, "Taro?"
Both males nodded in agreement. Mikio quickly got out of his seat. The others did the same and they left before the brown haired girl could say anything else. A couple of minutes later, they were headed on their way back to the cafeteria, when Mikio suddenly stopped short, catching a glimpse of orange between a column and a wall in the hall where the elevators and stairs were located. He did a double take, spotting Mai hiding in the space between the column and the wall. She was peering over the column, and as he looked around the column, down the hall, he saw Ukitake-taichō, Kyōraku-taichō, and Unohana-taichō talking.
"What's wrong, Mikio?" Keiji asked.
"Nothing. You guys go on without me, okay?" he said.
"What?" Keiji asked.
The blonde just waved him away. "I'll be there."
"Fine," Keiji said, and he and Taro walked away.
Mikio stealthily made his way towards Mai. He noticed she was intently staring at the three taichō, as if she was waiting for something. He tapped her shoulder just as she was taking a step forward now that Unohana-taichō had left. She whirled around, looking surprised, and then annoyed but that look quickly dissipated from her face.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"N-Nothing," she said, her voice slightly sharp.
He raised an eyebrow.
"Just admiring the architecture," she quickly explained, running a finger down the column.
He had a questioning look in his eyes, but before he could say something she said, "Is it time to go? Is everybody done eating? Let's go, before Okada-san gets mad." She quickly grabbed his hand and dragged him away.
Mikio leapt forward, swinging his sword downward towards Mai only to be stopped by her blade. He pulled back, and she twisted around, blocking his blade as it came towards her again.
In front of them, Emiko and Keiji were sparring while Okada and Taro sparred thirty feet away beside them by a red warehouse. They were training in a street that was surrounded by warehouses on either side; this was their assigned area for Hollow duty. With nothing to do as they watched bored, the empty street and warehouses, Keiji had suggested that they engage in sparring, which they had been doing for the past half hour. They had been taking turns, fighting everyone in the group. So far, Mai and Emiko had fought against each other, Keiji against Okada, and Taro versus Mikio.
Mai parried another blow, stepped back, and then began working her into Mikio's defenses. He quickly reacted, blocking all her strikes, but all the while being pushed back.
"You idiot!" Okada hollered, as he brought his sword hard on the ground. Taro had jumped away, letting his sword fall onto the ground.
"How the hell am I supposed to practice with someone who can't even hold his katana right?" Okada continued to complain, glaring at Taro and the fallen sword.
Mai paused in her attack, sparing a glance at Taro and Okada. Mikio charged forward, his katana slicing the air, heading straight towards Mai. Only then did he notice that Mai had looked away, he tried to stop but his katana but it was too late, his blade was just ... clang.
His blade shook as Mai's own crashed against it. He blinked at her surprised and relieved at the same time.
"Almost had me there," she smiled, amethyst eyes twinkling.
She jumped back, ready to continue their match. Taro had now collected his sword and was now attempting to fight Okada again.
Mikio led the attack this time, working his way into her defenses. He grinned seeing an opportunity to end this round. He slashed downward, but she jumped, flipping over his head, and landing in mid air. He quickly turned, stopping the blow that could have slashed his neck. She was pretty good.
The noise of a Zanpakutō and body falling sounded again.
"This just pathetic," Okada muttered. "How the hell did you even graduate the Academy?"
Out of the corner of her eye, Mai noticed Taro scrambling up and picking up his katana.
"G-G-Gomen. I've n-n-ever been good at Zanjutsu."
"Well, you don't seem to be good at anything," Okada sneered.
Mai feinted, and Mikio fell for it but he quickly recovered. Okada continued muttering, and Mai narrowed her eyes, loosening her hold on the hilt of her katana as her sparring partner's blade came down over hers. Her Zanpakutō clattered to the ground.
"You're pretty good, Mikio-san," Mai praised the blonde, bending down to pick up her katana.
"You're not bad yourself," Mikio said.
"I hope you don't mind, but I was thinking maybe Taro-san and I should switch places. If Okada-san doesn't mind, that is?" she whispered. "Well, actually I guess it's about time every one switches, don't you think?"
"You're right," he nodded, sounding slightly disappointed.
Mai walked over to Okada and Taro. "Eighteenth Seat Okada, sir, if you'd like we could switch. Mikio-san and I are done, and…"
"Fine," he accepted, cutting her off.
Mai walked over to where Taro was and patted his shoulder. "It's okay, Taro-san. I'll be sparring with Okada-san from now on."
"B-Be c-careful," he stammered.
"He doesn't like to lose, huh?" She commented, referring to how he didn't go easy on Keiji in order to make sure he came out the victor.
Taro shook his head.
"Don't worry about me," she said. "I'll be okay." Her eyes shone with confidence.
"B-But," he protested.
"Would you hurry up and leave, Takeda," Okada ordered.
"Go," she said, and Taro quickly ran away towards Mikio, Keiji, and Emiko, who had stopped their fighting in order to switch partners.
Mai took on a fighting stance, Zanpakutō held readily in her hands. Sighing like he was bored out of his mind, Okada raised his own Zanpakutō, preparing himself for the sparring session. He didn't move, forcing Mai to initiate the attack. He easily warded off all her attacks and then began attacking her, launching his weight behind every swing.
"Least you can hold your katana," he stated as she didn't falter under his thrusts, "unlike that other useless twit, but then again, you're still no match for me. None of you are," he said as he swung his Zanpakutō hard, trying to catch her off balance, but she was steadfast and held on.
His eyes widened just the slightest bit. He had been sure she wouldn't be able to handle his attacks. She was just a tiny little thing compared to him. He moved back, awaiting her next attack.
"If you feel that Taro-san's skill are lacking, why don't you teach him, Eighteenth Seat Okada, sir?" Mai asked, jumping forward.
"Teach him?" he echoed, as he dodged her attack. "That's what the Academy is for. I don't even know how he made it out of there, let alone recruited in our division."
"If he made it, then he's obviously got the qualities to be a Shinigami. And, as a seated officer, isn't it your duty to help improve everybody's skills?" she asked.
He narrowed his eyes in annoyance.
"Hollows!" Keiji's voice filled the air.
Mai and Okada glanced up, seeing three praying mantis like creatures with triangular heads, long slender bodies and legs, fluttering bony wings, and spiked forelegs hovering over the air by the other building across the street where Keiji and Taro stood. Hearing a cracking noise coming from the building next to them, they turned their heads, seeing four more of the same creatures. Two of them were perched at the top of the roof while the other two were closer to the edge.
"There's more!" Mikio shouted.
Five more Hollows appeared in the sky over Mikio and Emiko, who were located thirty feet southeast of Okada and Mai.
Keiji sprang forward, twisting his Zanpakutō to the side and cutting through a creature. Taro nervously braced himself for battle as he watched a Hollow come straight at him. Emiko was already in the air alongside Mikio as they slashed at the Hollows.
Mai watched as one of the Hollows closest to the edge of the roof, leapt off and flew straight at her. She raised her katana in front of her, slicing off its forelegs but it disappeared as she was about to cut through its chest. Sensing it behind her, she whirled around, cracking its mask.
Beside her, Okada's mouth was twisted into an ugly smile as he chopped off the Hollow's triangular head. The other remaining creatures rushed towards them.
Mai ducked, avoiding an outstretched spiked leg that meant to rake her.
"Hadō 33: Sōkatsui," she said, pointing her hand towards the creature's underbelly.
Blue flames shot out of her hand, engulfing the creature and destroying it.
She glanced over to Keiji and Taro. The short Shinigami looked relieved that the fight was over while Keiji was holding his Zanpakutō over his shoulder, looking like he didn't even break up a sweat. Turning around, she saw that Emiko had just dealt the final blow to the Hollows she and Mikio had been fighting.
Suddenly twenty more praying mantis creatures appeared around them, some hovering in the sky, others landing on top of the warehouses, sending tiles crashing off the roofs onto the ground below.
Mai and Okada shunpoed to where Keiji and Taro were. Emiko and Mikio also joined them. They stood in a circle, back to back, surveying the scene before them.
"There's so many," Keiji stated, looking grimly at the Hollows.
"Where all these Hollows coming from?" Mikio wondered.
"It's called Hueco Mundo, remember?" Emiko said.
"I mean how many praying mantis freaks are there?" Mikio amended, glaring at her.
"Would you quit your yammering and get this over with?" Okada said.
"Hai," they answered.
"So, how exactly are we doing this?" Mikio asked.
Okada glared at him.
"I mean formation wise…"
"Just worry about the Hollows in front of you," Mai said.
Displeased that Mai had answered before him, Okada was about to say something when a Hollow came at him. He reacted by slicing its head off. Everyone dispersed, heading towards the Hollows in front of them.
"They weren't kidding when they said these Hollows were going to be trickier," Emiko commented to Mikio as the Hollows kept dodging her slashes.
"I know I wish they'd quit flying around," Mikio agreed.
"Well do something about it," she said as she called out her Zanpakutō.
Electricity shot of her Zanpakutō zapping one of the creatures.
"I am," he muttered, as he too released his Zanpakutō.
Mai was fighting three Hollows on top of a warehouse that was just past the one she had been fighting earlier. Her bangs flew around her forehead and face as she struggled to cut the Hollows she was fighting. Irritation and determination burned in her eyes as the back of her kosode got nipped by a Hollow's pincer mouth because she just narrowly managed to shunpo out of the way.
She glared at the Hollows, daring them to approach her. The one closest to her on her right, darted forward, and she leapt over it, flipping in mid air and severing its head. She landed back on the roof, taking in her next opponents.
One of its companions let out an angry buzzing noise as it shot out some sort of sticky liquid. It caught part of her left foot. She struggled to lift it from the ground.
"Ahhh!" Taro screamed. "Help!"
"Okay, that's enough playing around," she said, refocusing her attention on the Hollows. "Hadō 4: Byakurai!" Blue lightning burst out of her finger, striking both Hollows.
With a quick swipe of her Zanpakutō she removed the sticky substance holding her foot and quickly turned to see Taro down below, lying on the street and covered in the same substance she had just removed, his katana a couple feet away from his outstretched hand and a Hollow on top of him.
The others were heading to help Okada, who had just begun to fight with a Hollow that looked like it was the mother of all the praying mantis creatures. It was five times larger, and its gelatinous red eyes looked furious.
"Hang on, Taro," she yelled, pointing her sword in his direction.
"Descend, Hyōketsu Kiri," she said, a pale lavender light enveloping her Zanpakutō.
Once the light subsided, mist began to swirl around a semi-white, translucent blade. The bronze rectangular crossguard with diamond etchings had disappeared and had become replaced by a silver diamond shaped hollow crossguard. The hilt had changed from royal purple to a bright white, and the lozenge pattern running down it had now become royal purple.
Mist swirled out of the blade, heading straight towards the Hollow attacking Taro and covering him. "Mugen Hyouhen," she said.
Taro watched anxiously, as the mist surrounding the Hollow suddenly disappeared, transforming into— he blinked—tiny quartz like ice crystals; miniature razor sharp six sided prisms with six sided pyramids on either end of them filled the sky, sparkling in the sunlight. The Hollow screamed as ice crystals punctured him, destroying him.
Taro sighed relieved.
Feeling a sharp, stinging sensation on the upper part of her left arm, Mai turned, spotting a Hollow's spiked foreleg embedded in her arm.
"Damn it, let go," she hissed, swinging her katana at him with her other arm.
He didn't remove his leg. Instead he reached for her with his other leg. She sliced it off, and only then did he begin to remove his other leg from her arm. She made a move to try to cut off said leg, and he raked his leg downward tearing the sleeve of her kosode and shitagi, exposing the blood running down her arm. Blood covered bandage like cloth slipped off her arm out with something that sparkled gold in the sunlight as the wind carried it out over the rooftop and down to the floor below.
She tried to move her left arm but it hung limply on her side.
Yells filled the air as a blast resonated in the area; a Cero had been unleashed. Wasting no time, she aimed her sword at the creature, shrouding him in mist.
"Mugen Hyōhen," she muttered, as she turned, shunpoeing towards the ground below where the others where.
When she arrived, she spotted Keiji and Emiko unconscious at the foot of the red colored warehouse, covered in various cuts and scrapes. Mikio had been thrown in the opposite direction, in the middle of the street, where Taro was, who had apparently managed to free himself of the sticky stuff he'd been doused in. The short Shinigami stood shaking, staring at the large Hollow that was currently spewing his sticky liquid over Okada, who was lying on his back. Mikio was lying at the foot of Taro's feet, unable to move partially because he was still stunned from the blast, and because the right side of his body was paralyzed.
"Help me!" Okada was screaming. His Zanpakutō lay scattered on the floor twenty feet away from him, closer to where Emiko and Keiji were.
"Help me!" Okada kept yelling, watching horrified as half his body was glued to the floor by the adhesive coming from the huge triangular head above him.
"H-Hadō 33: Sōkatsui," Taro shouted, aiming a shaking hand at the huge praying mantis.
The spell hit the creature on his right eye. It didn't even glance up, so Taro attempted it again. This time the Hollow decided to shoot Taro with a stream of adhesive instead of Okada. The short Shinigami tumbled to the ground beside Mikio.
"Taro!" Mikio shouted.
"Help me," Okada yelled. "Kuroda, what the hell are you waiting for! Help me!" he shouted, noticing her arrival.
She stood thirty feet directly in front of him; Mikio and Taro lay a couple of feet away on her right.
"You expect me to help you, Sir?" she asked sweetly.
"Kuroda!" he yelled, annoyed at the stupidity of her question.
"And, why I would I do that?" she asked her voice losing some of its sweetness, but still maintaining her high pitch. Her gaze firmly locked on Okada.
"W-What?" his eyes nearly bulged out his sockets. "Kuroda, what the..."
By now he was covered up to mid chest in the sticky stuff.
"What?" she interrupted him. "Do you really believe that I'm gonna save you just because you're my superior officer? Because it's my duty, because I owe you respect. How can I be willing to risk my life for someone who doesn't even respect his subordinates?" Her voice was starting to sound a bit strained, as though she was having trouble keeping her anger in check.
Mikio and Taro were staring in shock, unable to believe what they were hearing, from their position on the floor.
"H-Help me!" Okada started to plea, panic filling his voice as the Hollow suddenly raised his leg ready to strike the large man now that he was thoroughly secured.
"A title is meaningless if you don't have respect from those around you. Remember that in your next life, Dai."
"Mai-san!" Taro and Mikio gasped, watching as the giant creature lowered its leg.
Okada shut his eyes, bracing himself for the pain of the protruding spike in his body. Seconds ticked by, and he didn't feel his flesh being torn, instead he felt a cool mist floating above him. He nervously opened his eyes, seeing the giant praying mantis stepping back, shaking his head, and blinking his eyes. He seemed aggravated by the mist.
Taro and Mikio stared at Mai, confused. She had just been about to let Okada get attacked by the Hollow and be killed, and yet she released a blast of mist straight at the creature.
She stood, pointing her Zanpakutō straight at the creature, still not looking at them.
"And here I thought you were actually going to go through with it," said a male voice.
Mai turned her gaze towards a man with long, flowing teal hair, dressed in white wearing a white mask shaped like a pair of glasses over his eyes, standing beside Mikio.
"It would have certainly been entertaining. Here I was thinking, how absolutely dreadful it is that I landed in a place with a bunch of Shinigami that barely have an ounce of Reiatsu, and some low ranked seat that just barely emits more Reiatsu than them. I got all excited when you were about to let him die, but you had to let him live, didn't you?" He sighed, disappointed. "Well, at least for a couple of seconds longer. It looks like I'm going to have to entertain myself with you guys after all."
"Ahh," Mikio cried out as he was suddenly raised from the floor.
"Mikio-san!" Mai shouted.
Okada suddenly screamed. Mai saw that the Hollow had cleared the area of the mist she had emitted earlier and was now piercing Okada's right arm. Her gaze flickered from Okada to Mikio, who was dangling from the Arrancar's arm.
"Let him go, Arrancar," she stated, speaking in a cool commanding voice, no trace of her high-pitched voice.
"What are you going to do about it?" he asked, eyeing her paralyzed arm. "You only have one good arm and like I said earlier, you barely have any Reiatsu. There's no way you could save any of your little friends," he said, looking over to where Okada was.
Mai didn't reply instead she pointed her Zanpakutō towards the Hollow attacking Okada, releasing yet again another cloud of mist. The air around her suddenly began to glow a pale, lavender color.
"What's this?" the Arrancar looked at her interested.
Her Reiatsu is increasing, Taro thought, watching from the ground transfixed. It was rising past the average level just getting into the lower level seated Shinigami range like Okada when a blur appeared in front of the Arrancar.
"Mind if I cut in," a voice said, as a giant black and silver cleaver blade started cutting the Arrancar's arm.
The Arrancar grimaced, shaking his hand before it was completely cut off, sending Mikio flying into the air past Mai. Mai's increasing Reiatsu instantly disappeared, lowering to its normal level.
"T… K-Kurosaki-san," Mai said, surprised to see Ichigo standing in front of the Arrancar.
"Don't worry, I'll take care of him," he said, nodding towards the Arrancar. "You better take care of your friend."
"Hai," Mai said.
Mikio groaned, as he landed on the ground. His left shoulder jerked with the sudden impact and parts of his body that weren't paralyzed ached. He lay there, letting the dizziness from the fall pass. Once it was over, he realized something was poking into his back, on his left side. He shifted, trying to get away from whatever was underneath him. Finally, after much trying he succeeded.
He turned his head to see what he had been laying on. It looked like cloth covered in a blood. He raised his head up a little, trying to get a better view of it. Suddenly a breeze came in, moving the cloth slightly so that he caught sight of a glint of gold.
What is that?
He reached for it, fingers struggling to secure themselves over the cloth. Once he was sure he caught of a piece of it, he pulled it towards him.
He fumbled with the cloth, revealing a bronze pentagon shape with the number seven and insignia of the Seventh Division, the iris flower.
He blinked, unable to believe what he was seeing.
What's Iba-fukutaichō's badge doing here, covered in blood?
A/N: Next chapter things are about to get very interesting, to say the least. Okay, maybe that's a huge understatement. Anyways, I hope my pacing is okay. Next one will definitely be focused on Mai and Ichi and co. The rest of my OCs won't be around for much longer. Maybe they'll be briefly mentioned later on but that's about it.
I'd love to hear any ideas from you guys concerning what you'd like to see about Aizen's plans and the Hōgyoku. I'm not going down the route that the manga is currently going (the Hōgyoku materializing a person's inner most desires). Remember, this is up to Ch382, although I will have to say that I will be using some elements of the later manga chapters as I see fit for the story (certain things not events).
And, as far as the current manga chapters, it looks like Tite is going in a similar direction that I'm going with Ichigo's Hollow. I won't go into details for those that aren't caught up, but I just have to say that initially it didn't look like he was going there, but then all of a sudden he did.
Ultimately, I was just want to show that Ichigo has to find a balance between his inner Hollow and his Shinigami self, which seems to be where Tite is headed again. I wish I had written these chapters before Tite released his manga chapters but oh, well. They actually motivate to write so I could come up with my chapters. It's just too bad I can't write fast enough hehe. And I actually won't be returning to Ichigo's Hollow troubles until Ch 6. Yeah, Ichigo is about to get sidetracked.
And, as far as Mai's Zanpakutō and attack, I do not know Japanese, so they are literal translations.
Quick Glossary
Ohayo- good morning
Tamagoyaki- rolled omelet
Hai- yes
Katana- sword
Zanjutsu- swordsmanship
Shunpo- flash step
Kosode- black Shinigami outer robe
Hyouketsu Kiri- Freezing Mist
Mugen Hyō hen- Infinite Ice Shards
Shitagi- white under shirt worn underneath the kosode
Please don't forget to review! Reviews motivate to write! Hopefully the next update will be faster!