Hollow Moon: A Lost Shadow

Chapter 42: Nothing Personal

"Argh..." Love silently screamed. "Something's off!"

He frantically put away the comic book he was reading and began looking around. Sweat dripped down his face as he scanned the area.

To his right, deep within the crowd, was Lisa, cheering. On the stage was Rose, singing a smooth jazz song. Something was indeed troubling: Hachigen's and Silas's spiritual pressures mysteriously vanished.

Of all the Visoreds that kept his senses up at all times, Love was one of them. Not that Lisa and Rose wouldn't have felt the same; they were too preoccupied. Instead of bothering them, he chose to go to the location where he had last felt Hachigen's presence.

The Visored walked into the woods, looking around for any signs. The deeper he went, the more his instincts were telling him to go back. But he wouldn't listen. That's when he heard something rushing toward him.

Startled, a black cat raced right past his leg. He gave a slight chuckle. But when he looked at where the cat came from, he saw Hachigen lying flat on the ground, covered in blood.

"Hachi!" he screamed, running towards him. "What happened?!"

Nothing could describe what Love saw next. Hachigen's entire head was missing!

Without a moment's notice, he summoned his Zanpakutō and put his guard up. Sweat dripped from his face as he darted left and right for any enemies.

Suddenly, he heard something coming fast from behind. Like the wind, he swiftly turned and collided against something that was strong enough to push him back several feet.

The surrounding trees roundabout were deceptive, concealing his assailant's position. Love quickly used that moment to focus his senses in the direction the attack came from.

"What the heck?!" he said, startled. "I... Ichigo, is that you?!"

The next arrow hummed through the air, a blur of crimson light. Love, alarmed, reacted purely on instinct. His blade clanged against the arrow, shattering its form into glittering specks.

'It's a little difficult to control...'

Another arrow was shot, this one faster. Clang! Love parried again, skidding backward across the dirt. Adrenaline coursed through him.

"Cut it out, Ichigo!"

A flurry of arrows followed, a crimson storm. Love danced a desperate waltz, his sword a flickering shield. He was good, very good, but fatigue set in quickly. The persistent assault, the relentless accuracy—it was almost as if his movements were being read ahead of time.

Sweat dripped on Love's shades. Frustration boiled into anger. "Enough!" he roared. His Hollow mask began to manifest; a traditional ogre-shaped devil's mask with two small horns at its forehead slid over his face.

This was the power he needed.

But a flicker of crimson, faster than all the rest, pierced the bone-white surface. The mask shattered, a gasp escaping Love's startled lips. It was powerful enough to even shatter his shades.

Blood trickled down his forehead. From a very far distance, he could see a red, sparkling light. It was none other than his enemy.

Silas stood braced, front foot forward, back foot angled for balance. His shoulders, relaxed yet aligned, mirrored his steady hips as he faced Love. What astonished Love most was not the stance, but the weapon Silas held.

A polished white bow gleamed in the sunlight, its string a vibrant pulse of red. The arrow rest was a stark counterpoint of black, while the bolts themselves seemed honed for deadly flight. At the upper and lower limbs, two rubies pulsed with Silas's spiritual pressure, a testament to the weapon's power.

Although Silas was wearing a Soul Reaper's uniform, by no means was he fighting like one. This wasn't a Zanpakutō; it was his sacred bow, a bow in which only Quincy's could manifest!

Words couldn't describe the distraught face Love was making. Thoughts of betrayal rummaged through his head. This had to have been a joke; this had to have been an illusion. All he could do was stare at Silas's demeanor.

An arrow had already been cocked back. Fired, Love's eyes widened. He tried to evade it, but when he felt that he couldn't move, he looked down and saw two glowing arrows pinning him to the ground.

When had Silas fired them?!

Love crumbled, preparing to swing his weapon. Crashing the hilt into the incoming arrow, his sword was knocked right out of his hand. Blood splattered from his severed fingertips.

"Argh!" he screamed out in pain, covering his hand. By the time he looked up, Silas was slowly walking past him.

"Ichigo, you filthy bastard!" he shouted. "You've been deceiving us this whole time! What was it all for?! How could you be so heartless?!"

The crunching sounds of leaves breaking beneath Silas's feet were heard. Silent filled the air before he answered.

"Nothing personal... You were just a test for the real battle."

He continued to walk forward, disappearing behind the trees. A chilling sensation could be felt on Love's face. Placing a hand over his head to call upon his mask again, he felt a sharp object protruding out of his forehead. It was an arrow that he hadn't seen nor felt till now.

Arms becoming limp, Love collapsed to the ground, dead.

Back at the concert, Rose's performance concluded. The crowd raged in excitement at how smoothly he strung his guitar. Many of the ladies were so entranced by his singing that they wanted an encore.

And that's just what he was going to give them.

The next song began to play. As Lisa waved her arms around, she wound up hitting someone.

"I'm sorry! I got a little too... Ichigo! Were you there the whole time?" she corrected, seeing that it was Silas.

"No, I just got here. Where are Hachi and Love?"

"I thought they were with you."

"I'm sure they went to go read some manga or save a cat stuck up a tree."

The unbeknownst irony caused Lisa to laugh a little. Silas peered in Rose's direction, who was about to sing another song. When Lisa saw this, she asked if he wanted to get closer.

"No, that's fine. Actually, there's something I've been meaning to ask you."

Lisa became a tad flustered, hoping that he wasn't going to confess again. But when he said it was important and dealt with his amnesia, she calmed down.

The two moved through the crowd until they were alone in a safe space. She looked to him with eagerness, asking, "So what happened?" Her face was suddenly blanketed by Silas's entire palm. The last thing she witnessed was his cold eyes before being knocked unconscious.