Heroes

Chapter Twenty

Once everything was settled and calmed dow, Ichigo caught up with me, tapping my shoulder from behind. 

“Oh, hey,” I said. I peered around the hallway. “Have you seen Tara or Babs? I can’t find them anywhere!”

“They already went to bed,” he said calmly, but there were definite stress lines marking his forehead. “But anyway, can I talk to you for a second?” He had this look on his face that I couldn’t one hundred-percent name. It wasn’t worried, exactly, but he did look like something was really bothering him. 

I looked skeptical. “Sure…” I said uneasily. He walked off quietly, so I assumed I was supposed to follow. 

He ended up leading me to his bedroom. Opening the door, he gestured for me to go in first. 

I gave him a look, but hesitantly stepped inside. Why was he acting so strange? What was wrong?

Upon enterring, I found out. 

Rukia was seated on Ichigo’s bed, both her arms and legs crossed. Her hair was ruffled a bit, as if she was under serious stress. Her fingers also revealed stress; they were bitten to nubs. But her expression showed more than just stress, it held an equal amount of worry, fear, and anger. When I saw her I had a sudden urge to sprint out of the room as quick as my legs could carry me. But my little inner voice (aka my best buddy [kidding]) got the better of me, telling me that if Rukia was that freaked, there was reason to worry, so I’d better hear her out. 

I stepped further into the room and sat in Ichigo’s desk chair, preparing myself for the news. 

Kurosaki quietly shut the door behind him, using it as a support.

“Do you feel it?” he nearly whispered. 

My brain automatically clicked to Yûichi, then to Chad’s burn. I swiftly nodded my head, admitting that I smelled the Hollow stench secreting from Chad. Ever sice our encounter with Sora, I suddenly could recognize a Hollow’s foul stench and gained the ability to sense spiritual pressures and energies. I guessed it was because during Ichigo’s battle with Orihime’s brother, Kurosaki and Sora leaked out so much spirit I kind of couldn’t not notice it; it was like I was being held down with a six-ton block.

“Of course,” Rukia said bluntly. “I felt it all the way in here. I sensed no evil in the parakeet but…his (his referring to Chad’s) would reeks of Hollow..!”

END OF VOLUME ONE

I nodded again. “She’s right.”

Kurosaki walked closer to the two of us. His hands moved behind his head, half in frustration, half in pondering. 

“Well,” he said, “if the bird’s not a Hollow, the why does Chad’s back reek of that awful smell? I mean, it can’t be just a coicidece that, as soon as he gets that damn bird, he gets attacked. Stuff like that just doesn’t happen. Especially to someone that isn’t a Shinigami.”

Annoyed, Rukia groaned slightly. “I don’t kow! It just doesn’t make sense!”

I stroked my chin, decided to let a bit of the plot loose. “What if a Hollow’s following Yûichi?”

Rukia’s head shot up towards me, and her eyes widened to saucers. “I dunno,” she said in a faraway voice. “Is that really possible? I mean, a Hollow will sometimes chase it’s prey, but it seems like the parakeet’s been through a few too many owners, each having supposed ‘bad luck,’ and ending up getting killed in ‘horrible accidents.’ I’ve never heard of a chase going on for that long.” She paused, seeming to contemplate the idea a bit further. “But it’s and intriguing notion, in it’s own way. I think I’ll look into that a bit more.” With that she flash-stepped and was gone before I could blink.