Chapter Eight: Shut Down and Reload. BEGIN SOUL SOCIETY ARC
Ichigo’s POV
It doesn’t hurt… Oh, no. Am I about to die? I probably don’t feel pain because I’m on the verge of death. That’s right… my body was so cold before, but now I feel warm. It’s warm. I forced myself to open my eyes. And what a mistake that was. I screamed at the man who was lying on top of me.
“Oh, what a good reaction,” he said, inspecting my face at a closer view. “Quite excellent.” I began to sweat.
“Y-you’re… too close!” I said, trying to push him off of me.
“Boss, you wanted me to call you the moment Ichigo woke up!” he shouted, turning his head toward the door. “Well, he’s awake!” I turned my own head, and saw that a girl was standing in front of it, hiding the wide grin on her face behind her hands. “Boss…?” I suddenly remembered where I’d seen them before. The girl… was from a dream, if that’s what it really was, and the man…
“Wait, you’re Mr. Hat and Clogs friend!” I shouted angrily. “Why are you under the covers with me?! Get off!” I pushed up on his stomach with my feet, kicking him up and over into the wall across from me. That’s when a sharp pain ripped across my chest and left shoulder, causing me to clench my teeth to stop me from shouting out. I realized something. I wasn’t dead. And then I realized something else: where I had just been in pain, the girl was holding onto the same areas on her own body. I looked around the room, avoiding Hat and Clogs friend, who was folded up against the wall with his feet in the air. This isn’t my house. Where am I? I saw the girl move aside as the door next to her opened, revealing Hat and Clogs. But then the girl left, sending me an odd look.
“Now, now, Ichigo, try not to move around so much. Your wounds haven’t healed yet…” His friend jumped up into a more composed position. Hat and Clogs took out his fan and held it in front of his face and hid his eyes with his hat. “You’ll die if you do.”
“So, this is your house, then?” I asked.
“That is correct!” he said, shutting and stuffing his fan away.
“So then it was you who saved me?” He eyed me strangely.
“That’s a little unexpected,” he said, looking down at me. “It sounds as though you didn’t want to be saved.” I didn’t say anything. Maybe I didn’t want to be saved. Maybe I didn’t deserve to be saved.
“Wait, Uryū was there, too!” I said, remembering how he was attacked by that red-haired soul reaper, Renji Abarai. I’d never forget that name. “What happened to him? Is he here, too?”
“Nope; he went home. He lost a lot of blood, but his wounds weren’t too serious. Even if just laid there, he would have died until a couple of days passed. So I was able to treat most of his wounds there. He was worried about you when he left.”
“He was?” I questioned. “No way.” Hat and Clogs looked up at the ceiling.
“When I asked him to rest, he told me he was fine…” I waited for him to continue. “He also told me to take care of you, Ichigo, and that if there’s anyone who can defeat those men and rescue Rukia… it’s you.” I crossed my legs and stared into my lap, taking in what Hat and Clogs was saying. I had a brief flashback of seeing Rukia get taken by those two guys I fought against. I let out a quiet laugh and forced a small smile on my face.
“Only me, huh?” I repeated. “What does he expect me to do? Rukia has gone back to the Soul Society! How can I go after her? How can I save her? There’s no way I can do that. There’s no way.”
“Do you really believe that?” Confused, I glanced up at him. “There is a way to get to the Soul Society.” I jumped up from out of the covers.
“There’s a way? How? How do I get there? Tell me!” Hat and Clogs grinned.
“Of course I’ll tell you—on one condition.”
“Condition…?”
“Yes. For the next ten days, you will train with me and learn to fight.”
“What? You want me to train?” This guy is unbelievable. “I don’t have the time for that! Rukia could be killed over there at any time! We have to get to the Soul Society and—“
“You just don’t get it, do you?” I stopped short as he raised his cane in the air so that it rested against my forehead, pushing me over so I tripped over on the blanket and fell over. He kneeled in front of me and held the end of the cane above my forehead. “If you go there now, you will die.” He said it in such a malice tone which made it clear that he wasn’t kidding around. His cane suddenly began to glow in an orange light, and the form of a blade appeared briefly in its place. But then it disappeared. At the end of his cane, there was an image of a white skull surrounded by blue and black flames. It was the same design that was on Rukia’s red glove.
“Do you honestly believe you can beat them? You’re the one who fought them. I let you fight them. That’s because I figured you would understand that better than words. With your level of strength, you won’t be of any good in the Soul Society. You are weak. A weak person entering the enemy’s territory: that’s suicide. You want to save Rukia? Don’t make me laugh. Don’t use others as a reason for walking straight into death’s arms.” He stood up and looked beyond me before walking away. “The Soul Society usually has a one-month waiting period before an execution. This holds true in Rukia’s case, too.”
“An execution?” I thought they’d just kill her right away.
“It’s different from the way that humans are executed, though,” he continued. “I have ten days to toughen you up, then seven days to open the gate to the Soul Society, and finally, thirteen days after we arrive in the Soul Society. We’ll have lots of time.”
“Can I actually become stronger in ten days?” It sounds like such an impossible goal.
“Certainly, that is if you truly wish to save Rukia from the bottom of your heart. Your feelings are strong. You have to abandon any doubt you have.” Does he have to be so dramatic about it? He looked at me through the shadows cast over his face by his hat. “Ten days. Can you play a game of Life and Death with me?” I rubbed my head, as it was still sore from when it fell against the hardwood floor. I was determined to save Rukia, no matter what. And nothing was going to stop me.
“Of course.” I felt as though… the rain stopped.
“Well now that that’s over and done with, I have something else to discuss with you.”
Kisuke’s POV
“Well now that that’s over and done with, I have something else to discuss with you.” He gave me a questionable look. Fair enough; I guess I have asked a lot of him. Besides, who’d honestly be crazy enough as to agree in training with me? I suppose that Abaron might. She and Ichigo are a lot alike. Even if it were without their linked souls, you’d think that they’d be brother and sister.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Do you remember the young lady who was in here before?” His eyes trailed to where she had been standing. “I’ll take that as a ‘yes’. Now, like all soul reapers, she has a zanpakutō, and a rare one, at that.”
“S-she’s a soul reaper?” he repeated. “Does that mean she knows those two guys from that night?”
“I would imagine so.”
“Why is she here? Did she come here to take Rukia back, too? Did she want to finish the job for them?”
“Actually, it’s the complete opposite. In fact, she’s the one who saved you from dying.”
“B-but… why would she do that?”
“I can think of three possible answers: the first is that, considering Rukia is one of her closest friends, she wants to help you in saving her, and thank you for trying to. The second is that she could’ve just helped you out of the kindness of her heart—I don’t think that’s the case here. The most logical answer would be the third: if she let you die that night, she would’ve died, as well.”
“What you mean? Why would she die?”
“You sure have a lot of questions, Ichigo,” I noted.
“Maybe I can help in answering them.” I turned around to see her standing in the doorway, looking grim. Her eyes flashed as she walked through the path of the sun which streamed through one of the windows. Using my shoulder for balance, she pulled herself down in a sitting position on the ground. But she still didn’t let go of my shoulder. Instead, she began squeezing harder, to the point where I thought she might snap a few of my muscles.
“Would you mind letting go of my arm?” I asked, looking at her. But she was staring down at her lap, the one corner of her mouth twisted into a devious snarl. “Abaron?” She finally let go, looking satisfied. I massaged my shoulder sympathetically.
“So tell me,” said Ichigo, staring at her. His eyes were narrowed, as if he were trying to remember something. “Who are you? Hat and Clogs already told me that you’re a Soul Reaper. And you saved my life. Why’d you do that?” Was it possible that he’s already seen her before? He was unconscious and practically near death when we found him. And although she was in worse shape than he was, she managed to hold on so she could save him.
“Maybe I just felt like it,” she replied, shrugging. Then she added, as she stared at me icily, “Because I’m being kind.”
“Oh… you heard that?” She reached up and pulled roughly on a chunk of my hair. “Ouch…”
“No, there’s more to it,” Ichigo said. “So who are you?” Sighing, she looked him straight in the eye.
“My name is Abaron Kakaku.”
***
“Is that all?” Ichigo stared into his hands. Even after hearing what Abaron told him, as it had been the complete truth, it seems as though he still doesn’t believe that it’s actually true. The details she included must’ve been updated by her zanpakutō, otherwise, she wouldn’t have known about most of the things she mentioned. They share each other’s thoughts; nothing is a secret. Their souls are infinitely connected, for as long as they both live. If he gets hurt, the amount of infliction increases by twice the original factor on her. And if one dies… so does the other.
“I’m sorry, Ichigo, but it’s the truth.” I could tell that ever since her memories were returned to her, she had been thinking about the subject. How would she explain something like this to him? Would he be able to take it? Would they work together in keeping each other alive? “I made the mistake of not listening to her. It’s my fault. If there was anything I could do to fix it, I—“
“Shut up.”
“W-what--”“Stop trying to blame yourself; you didn’t know what would happen. It’s over and done with. So, shut up.” Her face went red with either relief or anger.
“But I—“
“Shut up.” She went silent, before she stood up and strode to the door. She paused and looked back at him, wearing a strained smile and a faint tint on her cheeks.
“I hope you know that I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Ichigo’s POV- Next Day
There really isn’t any point of being in school right now. And I can’t get over the fact that I was beaten by those guys from the Soul Society and how I was almost killed by them. And the fact that she wasn’t here right now… I looked over at Rukia’s empty desk… or the fact that none of my classmates remembers her... And then there’s the issue with Abaron… I heard Keigo laughing from somewhere in the class. I looked and saw him standing by the doors with Chad and Mizuiro with his hands on his opposite shoulders.
“Are you still into that?” Mizuiro asked with a sigh.
“So what if I am? The time is ripe for me.”
“Orihime, have you made any plans for summer vacation?” I looked over my shoulder and saw Tatsuki speaking with Orihime by the windows.
“Not yet,” she replied, looking thoughtful. Chizuru bounded over to her.
“Then come and stay at my place, Orihime! My parents aren’t gonna be there and—““No way!” Tatsuki shouted.
“And why not?” “Because I know exactly what you’re up to!” Is this what it means… to go back to the Soul Society? You disappear from this world and from people’s memories… Every piece of evidence of her existence disappears… into white.
“All right, students, don’t you die before September! Have a great summer vacation!” All around me, people got out of their seats and headed for the doors. I realized that Uryū cut class, after all. I thought he might still remember Rukia—
“Ichigo!” Some type of fabric was tied around my head, covering my eyes. I was brought up from sitting in my chair to a standing position in the middle of one of the aisles, only to be spun in circles. “Now then, where’s the watermelon?” Watermelon…? A board of some kind was placed in my hands. I swung, expecting to hit whatever my target was. But my target ended up being Keigo’s head. “No! Not my melon!” But he recovered and began talking about his plans for summer.
“That’s right! Summer means going to the sea, and the sea means summer! And so I, Keigo Asano, am planning a ten-day trip to the seaside from tomorrow! Fireworks, scary outings, and even a co-ed outdoors bath! Lots and lots of things to do, both fun and embarrassing and—“
“Sorry,” I interrupted. “I have plans, so I’ll pass.”
“I’m sorry, too,” Orihime said from beside me. “I’m not too keen on the ocean.”
“I’ve got an inter-high tournament, so I can’t go,” Tatsuki piped. Michiru appeared beside her.
“If Orihime and Tatsuki aren’t going, then I guess I won’t…”
“I can’t go, either,” said Chad. I watched as Keigo got teary-eyed. And to his horror:
“I’m leaving for Hawaii tomorrow,” Mizuiro told him.
“What?!” He grabbed the front of his shirt and started shaking him. “With that older girlfriend of yours?”
“Actually, with her and her nine other friends, which would make eleven of us, including myself.”
“What?! What did you say?! Don’t tell me it’s you and ten other girls?!” I left them arguing in the class and left the school.
Strange… nothing feels out of place. Even with Rukia gone, our world continues to turn… I guess it’s because she was originally from the other world. There was really no place for her here. Then what’ll I do? I stopped thinking as I heard a pair of footsteps coming from behind me. I turned to see Orihime, holding her school bag out in front of her.
“Orihime…” Her expression wasn’t as friendly as it usually was. “What is it? Is something wrong?”
“Where is Rukia?” B-but I thought that everyone’s memories of Rukia were erased! “Why did everyone suddenly forget about her? I thought you would know, Ichigo.”
***
The sun was just beginning to set over Karakura Town when I was able to finish explaining to Orihime about Rukia’s disappearance.
“She returned to the world she came from?”
“Yeah… But I’m surprised that you could see us. How long have you been able to?”
“Ever since the incident with my brother.”
“I see…”
“I’m really grateful for what you did for him. You guided him… I’m sure he’s happy on the other side. I can feel it.”
“Really?” She nodded.
“I wonder if Rukia is doing well on the other side, too. She probably has friends and family, right?” Yeah, if you count the guy who almost killed me and the other guy who also tried to kill me…
“I have to bring her back.”
“Huh? But I thought that she’s happy there.” I shook my head.
“She’s in a situation where she could be killed at any moment.” That’s when Orihime stood up and faced me.
“You would probably say something along the lines of this:” she forced her smile away and tried to get serious. “Who cares if she has friends and family over there? As long as she’s alive, we’ll be able to meet again. If she’s dead, it’s all over.” Her straight expression faded and was replaced by a smile. “You already know what you’re going to do, am I right?”
Yeah. I do know. The realization of Rukia’s existence hit me like a brick. There was no way in hell that I was just going to let her go like that.
“You were really here.” Rukia’s image flashed before my eyes. “She belongs here.” I grabbed my bag and stood up. Orihime watched me with a curious look on her face. “Thank you, Orihime.”
Renji’s POV- Squad 6 Barracks
I pondered on the thought of telling Captain Kuchiki about my feeling Abaron’s spiritual pressure in the World of the Living. But how would that be possible? She was held back by the guards, even after the Senkaimon was closed; I made sure of it when returned. If it wasn’t just a coincidence, then maybe somehow her presence followed us through the Senkaimon… I’m sure the captain would’ve noticed. There was no reason for me to tell him.
“Good morning, Lieutenant Abarai, sir,” Two other squad members who were talking amongst themselves jumped from their spot on the wall and bowed to me.
“At ease,” I replied. I walked to the end of the hall, stopping before a pair of tall, red doors. Taking the key that kept it shut from my pocket, I stuck in in the lock.
“Wait! Wait!” Turning my head, I saw one of the unseated officers running down the hall, waving his arms frantically in the air. “If you get away, I’ll get in trouble!” I saw that he was trying to catch a Hell Butterfly. "I'll have to lure it back! Hey there, big butterfly, check out these antenae-- I'm a Picses with double-D buttercups--"
"You still can't handle Hell Butterflies?”
“I-I-I'm sorry, sir, I didn't know you were coming in today.”
“I had to come in to check on the prisoner. Is she still insubordinate and difficult?”
“I’m not insubordinate,” said a voice from inside the room. It was Rukia’s. I stepped inside.
“If you're not insubordinate, then why do you refuse to eat?”
“Maybe I’m just not hungry. Does that bother you, Mr. Lieutenant?” Somehow, she knew that that would bother me.
“Oh, so you resent the fact that I'm a Lieutenant, now, is that it? I can hear it in the tone of your voice!” She turned around in her chair and looked up at me.
“Hit a nerve, did I?” But then her eyes glimmered. “Well, don't worry, Mr. Officer, now you have the rank and the pompous attitude and the weird eyebrows to go with it!" She smirked and then turned away.
“How dare you mock me! I could kill you for an insult like that!"
“Tell me something... Am I really going to die, Renji?" I let go of the bars and shoved my hands under my arms, scoffing.
“Oh, absolutely," I answered. "For what you did, I expect you'll be executed immediately."
“I see. I understand…” I didn’t expect that. Besides, I was only getting back at her for getting at me.
“Rukia, I was only kidding! It was a joke!”
“Then which is it, moron?”
“Who’s the moron here? Making us worry with your behavior. Captain Kuchiki is probably asking for clemency right now.”
“I wonder…”
“But he’s your older brother,” I argued. “As if he’d let his sister die!”
“No,” she said. “He would kill me.”
“What?” How could she say something like that?
“I know exactly what kind of man he is, because even forty years after I was adopted into the Kuchiki Family… he has never once looked at me.”
Ichigo’s POV- Spare Room
“Hey. Wake up,” said a voice. It was definitely Abaron’s. She poked my cheek until I was half-conscious. “Are you awake yet?” I didn’t want to reply; I was too comfortable. “Hello? I know you can hear me. Your breathing changed.” ‘I don’t care if you know that I can hear you; go away.’ That’s when I felt something pinch my nose.
‘No way is going to work on me.’
‘Shut up, idiot, it always does.’ I couldn’t hold back my surprise. Why did I hear her voice in my head?
“If you wake up, then I’ll tell you. Again.” Opening my eyes, I saw Abaron sitting next to me. She didn’t look particularly happy, either. She glared at me, the skin on her nose bunched together in annoyance. She took her fingers away from my own and wiped them off on her jeans. “It took you long enough,” she said, crossing her arms. “What kind of idiot sleeps all day?”
“What gives you the right in calling me an idiot?” I asked.
“Oh, I’m sorry; would you rather I call you a dumbass, then?”
“They mean the same thing.”
“Then how about I call you ‘strawberry’? If your parents actually named you after a strawberry, I sure hope that it was sweeter than you—“
“My name doesn’t mean ‘strawberry’, alright?” I snapped.
“Does it mean fifteen, then?” she asked with a grin. My eye twitched.
“My name doesn’t mean either of those things,” I told her edgily. “My name is “Ichi-go”— one who protects.” Her expression relaxed as she put on a sincere smile.
“That’s good to know. Kisuke told me that you’re going to train with him. I hope you know what you’re getting in to.”
“What do you mean?”
“Oh, don’t worry; you’ll find out for yourself. So tell me: what’s your plan in saving Rukia?” I have to have a plan?
“I never made one. I’d just run in and get her and that’s all there is to it."
“What do you mean? You aren’t going alone, dumbass. I’m going, too.”
“Why? Why do you want to?” She gave me a look.
“Because Rukia’s my friend, remember? I swore to her that no matter what, I’d be there for her. But there’s something I still don’t understand. Why did she give you her powers? Or did you take them from her?”
“I never took her powers,” I said defensively. “She lent me them so I could save my family.”
“You have a family?” she asked. “Could I meet them?” Sighing, I lied back down. “Can I? Please?”
Abaron’s POV
Today was the day where Ichigo was to begin his training. Ichigo agreed that once everything was all over and Rukia was safe again, I could meet his family. All that Kisuke had told me about it was that he devised a way for someone to regain their abilities as a soul reaper. I wasn’t sure exactly if it was meant only for humans, or if it could work on actual soul reapers, like myself. When he told me that he had a secret training area under his shop, I didn’t believe it.
But I stood corrected when he showed me for myself. There was a huge desert-looking room with bright blue walls that resided underneath Urahara’s Shop. I’ll admit, it reminded me of the place where Kisuke had trained me for Bankai all of those years ago, except that it was a whole lot bigger. The only way down was by climbing an old ladder that Kisuke had built, through a pitch black elevator-type shoot.
“No way!” I rolled my eyes at Kisuke’s self-praise. “This place is amazing! Who would've guessed that after all this time there was a huge, subterrainium training ground under my store!" After Ichigo had agreed to do his training, he talked to him about me. There were certain parts he left blank, and that was for me to explain to him with myself; about how this whole ‘soul-link’ business works, and why we have the connections that we do. It turns out that Ichigo had already seen me in a dream of his.
“Actually, it was more of a nightmare,” I remember him telling me. He didn’t reply when I asked what made it a nightmare.
“Oh, cut the act,” he grumbled. "Obviously you knew this place was down here."
“You don’t have to yell,” I said, stuffing my hands into the front pockets of my jeans. “We’re impressed, alright?” Kisuke let out a small laugh. His face was hidden by the shadows of his hat. I couldn’t see his eyes, and that was never a good thing.
“So then, you wanna get down to business?"
“Yeah, let's just get on with it-- this 'training session', or whatever you call it.” In that instant, I knew exactly what Kisuke was going to do. I moved away from Ichigo, who was staring at me with a weird glint in his eyes.
"Always be careful for what you ask for." In one fluid motion, Kisuke lifted his cane so that it was level with Ichigo’s forehead. Before he could react, the end of the cane and his forehead touched. I watched as his soul body disconnect from his human one. He flew backwards, landing roughly in the dirt just a few meters away. Groaning, he stood up.
“What's the big idea of knocking me down like that, you--” He stumbled over his own feet and his face grew even whiter, if at all possible. He fell onto his right knee, gasping and panting.
“Is it hard to breathe?” Kisuke asked. “When you’re in the form of a soul, that’s what it’s like.” Ichigo glared down at the ground in front of him, his jaw set and his eyes wide. “Right now, your soul sleep; the well-spring of your spiritual energy, and your soul chain; the booster, have been destroyed. So now,” he continued, looking over at me as I fell over onto both of my knees. My chest as if a three-ton boulder was sitting on top of it. “Your souls are like that of an average human, who has no spiritual power. Before we can procedd, we must restore the power you’ve lost.” I clutched at my chest, getting the full wind of Ichigo’s detachment.
“Alriight, already, just tell me what I have to do!” Kisuke swung his cane over his shoulder, grinning.
“You're so impatient. Alright, let's bring out your opponent and then we can start.” He raised his hand to his mouth, earning him a curious look from both me and Ichigo. “Warrior, are you ready for battle?”
"Nice to see you again, Ichigo." I didn’t even realize that Ururu had left. Using her long pink skirt as a basket, I saw that she had several odd items in it. She nodded.
“Here's your first lesson: you must go up against Ururu, one-on-one.”
“What?”
“The rules are simple,” he went on. “Lesson One will be over once either of you are rendered immobile. Please; knock her out.”
“Are you kidding?” Ichigo asked. But it was clear that he wasn’t. “You expect me to fight a little kid?”
“I think it’ll be quite difficult,” he admitted. Ururu threw a pair of white gloves and a white headband at Ichigo’s feet.
“Please put them on,” she insisted. “Otherwise; you’ll die.” My insides tightened again. By the way she said it I don’t think that she was kidding around. The remaining objects that she had let fall to the floor were now sitting on top of her head and strapped on over her hands. They looked a whole lot like mushrooms, and although I liked Ururu, I hated mushrooms.
“This is crazy,” Ichigo muttered. A blur that moved faster than a rocket ran past me. I watched as Ururu stretched out her fist, only to have it connect with his jaw. The impact his body had when he hit the ground caused dirt and rocks to fly into my face. That’s when I was thrown off my own feet. I sailed heedlessly through the air as if I were a Frisbee. I landed painfully on my head just a few feet away from Ichigo. My jaw felt like it was dislocated. My vision became blurry as the crown of my head slammed against a nearby rock mound.
“Abaron, I suggest that you come out of your gigai,” said Kisuke, shaking his head at me. Tessai came over and pulled me up to my feet. The sudden rush of blood made me wobble and trip over my shoes and into his chest. “Are you alright?”
“You know; a w-warning would’ve been nice,” I answered, rubbing my skull. Nevertheless, I reached into a pocket on the inside of my jacket and pulled out a small green pill. I popped it into my mouth and swallowed it. Feeling a bit of a tingle in my hands and feet, I watched as my fake body and I separated, with me falling forward onto my knees and my gigai falling back onto her backside. The replacement soul was grinning down at her hands. “What are you so happy about?” She looked up at me, startled.
“I finally have a body, that’s why,” she replied, her purple eyes gleaming.
“Whatever.” I heard her run off, as I had already turned around. Ichigo had gone missing in the thick dust cloud.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Kisuke called to him, covering his smirk with his fan. Ururu had her hands in front of her face, looking around nervously.
“So where’d he go?” asked Jinta, placing his hands behind his head. “I don’t see him anymore.”
“Do you suppose he’s dead?” said Tessai.
“Hard to say…” Ichigo finally emerged from the cloud of dust, falling flat on his head. Another sharp pain rang through my own.
“Oh, there he is.”
“Damn it, Ichigo; be careful!” Instead of responding, he began running toward Ururu.
“It looks like he’s going after her,” Tessai narrated as we followed him with our eyes.
“Hey!” Jinta shouted, looking outraged. “He just ran right past her!”
“If Little Miss Muffin hits me like that again, I’ll be taking a long dirt nap! Hey, Hat and Clogs!” Ichigo shouted to us. “How do I put this gear on, anyway?”
“Strap the headgear onto your forehead, Ichigo!” he yelled back. Ichigo slid to a stop and held it to his head.
“Like this?”
“That’s right! Now yell as loud as you can: Amazing Headband of Justice in place; Amazing Armor of Justice, protect me now!”
“The Amazing Headband of—ah, that’s just stupid!” He threw it to the ground at about the same time Ururu came down from above, her fists outstretched. He let out a scream before just narrowly missing her attack. I let out a relieved sigh.
“It’s interesting how the imminent fear of death can change one’s mind,” Kisuke told us with a smile.
“Alright, alright; I’ll say it!” He pulled it to his head again. “This is nuts! Amazing Headband of Justice in place, Amazing Armor of Justice, protect me!”
“Well, what do you know? I can’t believe he actually said It.”
“What?” I glared up at him.
“You’re gonna pay for that—“”Look out behind you.”
“Oh-h, great…!” The ties of the headband wrapped themselves around his head as he pulled on his gloves. “Alright, bring it!” He just barely missed another punch. “Amazing Armor of Justice my ass; more like Armor of Junk! Running for my life is the only thing saving my life!” I realized that even though neither of them had been seriously injured, Ichigo was still able to outrun her, which meant that his spirit energy had returned. I could already feel it, even though there was only a little bit. But did that mean that he’d be able to dodge her attacks? And it was as if he read my mind that when Ururu closed in on him that he came to a stop, turning to face her head-on. She reached out to strike. I held my body close to me to brace for another impact, in case it went through, when I saw that her fist went past his cheek, completely missing him.
“Whoa,” Jinta muttered, sounding surprised. Kisuke and Tessai grinned. That’s when a voice spoke briefly in my head—‘I can do it'. It was clearly Ichigo’s. The table began to turn as he went after Ururu. His voice came back again. ‘I won’t aim for her face; I’ll just give her a tap on her headgear so she’ll back off.’ Ururu continued to dodge as Ichigo continued to punch. There were moments where his voice rang in my ears: ‘…and because of my size, I can—oh, damn, I cut her!’ Ichigo froze in mid-punch, staring wide-eyed at Ururu. Unexpectedly enough, she jumped up on his outstretched arm and drew back her right leg. Swinging it higher behind her, she let it go, as if it were a wind-up toy. The bottom of her foot connected with the left side of his head with such force that it sent him flying to the opposite side of the room, crashing through several mounds and mounts as he went. I gripped onto the mound behind me with my arms to prevent me from having the same fate. I felt the imprint of Ururu’s foot on my cheek, and I realized that it was no use. The mound was ripped from my grasp. Kisuke waved at me as I was tossed roughly in the same direction as Ichigo. The impact wasn’t as hard as I had expected it to be, either. Although it still hurt (especially in places that I didn’t even know were attacked), my landing was a lot softer than I thought it would be.
“Strike!” I heard Kisuke yell. I forced my eyes open.
“G-get off…” I heard someone say. Something was pushing on my back. I looked over my shoulder slightly to see Ichigo straining against my weight.
“Ah, I-I’m sorry,” I muttered, pulling myself off of him and falling to the ground. My knees burnt heavily from their collision with the rocks below. I felt even sorer when Ichigo fell on top of me, making me collapse on the ground. He was still on top of me. Lifting my shoulder, I shoved him off, so that he fell over onto the earth beside me. Looking back, I saw that Tessai was the one who gave us the soft landing in the first place. Ichigo stood and pulled me up with him before addressing Kisuke.
“Give me one more crack at her!”
“Congratulations, Ichigo,” he said, ignoring his request. “I pronounce Lesson One: cleared.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” he asked. “She kicked my ass just now; I lost.”
“I never said anything about you actually having to win the fight in order to clear the lesson, did I? The fact is, Ichigo, Ururu here has the fighting skills to counter even a full-fledged soul reaper. A mere human wouldn’t have the chance of defeating her outright.” I glanced down at her nervously.
“Forget what I said about you beating up Jinta, then,” I mumbled.
“By the way, Ichigo, are you still having trouble breathing?” With a surprised look on his face, he touched his chest with his gloved hands.
“No, now that you mentioned,” he said, his tone being just as surprised as his expression. “Why do you ask?”
“Because it means that we’ve successfully restored your spirit energy. The entire point of that lesson was to determine in a one-shot battle to see if whether or not you could dodge Ururu’s first attack.” Oh… now I understand… “Spirit energy increases a lot faster when the soul is at risk of being destroyed. We just need to see if you’d be able to raise yours fast enough to dodge that fatal punch.”
“And if I hadn’t succeeded?” Ichigo questioned.
“Then you would’ve died,” he replied casually.
“Why the hell didn’t you say so in the first place?”
“We both would’ve died!” Kisuke looked at us with a pathetic smile on his face.
“I wasn’t worried about it,” ‘Well, it wasn’t up to you to worry about it to begin with!’ “I had a lot of faith that he’d be successful.” ‘You had faith?’ Ichigo thought. ‘It’s more like you were willing to take your chances.’ “Well; so far, so good. Now, let’s celebrate the return of your spirit energy, shall we?”
At that moment, a ginormous axe swung down in front of us by Tessai, missing the tops of my feet by only inches. It landed on Ichigo’s Soul Chain, severing it completely from his body. He let out a weird, strangled noise. “Now… let’s continue with your Second Lesson.”
Orihime’s POV~
“Lessons?” I repeated.
“You’ll need them if you want to learn more.”
“Well, I suppose that I do, but this just all seems so sudden!”
“Plus, it’s a little weird dealing with a… talking cat.” Chad gave the cat a strange look.
“You think so?” The cat gave a small chuckle and turned its head toward us. Its gold eyes glimmered under the light of the sun. But what a strange color! They were unique.
“Your friend, Ichigo, is preparing to go to the Soul Society.” ‘Does he mean the place where Rukia was taken to?’ “If you want to learn to use the new powers awakening inside of you, then you will have to agree to take my lessons. After that, the choice will be yours: whether you want to go, or not.” This is really happening. For a moment I thought it was just another one of my daydreams, like the one where I was a fire-breathing robot. But Chad was here, so I don’t think it was. I’m usually all alone in my dreams—and that’s why they become nightmares.
“Well, I’m going to go,” said Chad, looking down at me.
“Are you really?” I wondered. “Aren’t you scared? I am.” I didn’t want to admit it, but it was the truth. I won’t hide how I feel. He nodded, which made me feel a little better, knowing that I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
“I won’t force you,” said the cat. There’s nothing that would hold me back from me doing what I thought was right. So I’ll see this through to the end.
***
“There he is! We found him!” For the last half hour, we’ve been trekking through one of the forests on the outskirts of Karakura Town. We were searching for a friend of ours; Uryū Ishida. “Hi, Uryū,” I called, waving my arms at him from over my head. I climbed over the rocks that blocked our path. “What are you doing?”
“I could ask you the same thing, Orihime.” He pushed his glasses further up his nose. “So, how did the two of you find me?”
“Yoruichi,” I told him. That was the cat’s name. “He just followed your aura and it led us right to you.”
“Yoruichi…?”
“Did you come out here to come camping?” That’s what it looked like he was doing. But if he was, then why didn’t he bring a tent or a sleeping bag with him?
“Not exactly—“”You’re training, aren’t you?” “Who said that?” Uryū began looking around. He probably didn’t expect a cat to talk, which was why he was acting so strangely.
“It was me; I’m right over here.” Uryū glanced behind us. “I am Yoruichi.” And that’s when he began to scream.
“A talking cat!? No way!”
“What, you’ve never seen a talking cat before? Honestly, don’t be such a wimp.”
“You are kind of making a big fuss, Uryū,” I added, as his complexion went from milky-white to vampire-pale. “What’s the big deal?”
“If it makes you feel any better, Uryū, I’m having a little trouble with the talking cat, myself,” said Chad from behind me. Yoruichi sighed.
“Some humans have so much trouble adjusting to the unexpected, and you, Orihime, are the only one who didn’t react in the way the others did.” Uryū regained his composure and pushed on his glasses again.
“Well, excuse me,” he said. “Why did you come here, anyway?”
“Actually…” After we explained to him of what Yoruichi told us, it seemed like questions were just rolling off of his tongue.
“Ichigo’s planning on going to the Soul Society?”
“Yes,” I answered. “He’s going to try and rescue Rukia. We’d thought that you’d want to know, so you can help him, too.”
“What Ichigo does has nothing to do with me.”
“But Rukia’s life is in danger!”
“You’re forgetting that I am a Quincy,” he said crossly. “The whole reason I’m out here training is because I lost to a Soul Reaper, and I’m angry about it. Rukia doesn’t mean anything to me.” I stared down at the ground in front of my feet. Would he really hold a grudge so as to losing a fight over saving the life of a friend? I know that he didn’t mean what he said. He’s still just thinking about how Ichigo defeated him.
“Too bad,” I said quietly, trying to hide my emotions. “But I understand that you’re only doing what you think is best, Uryū.” He sighed, frowning. “I find it completely confusing to me at this point, but I’m going to keep on listening and try to learn all I can about the changes that are happening! It’s a little scary to have new powers awakening inside of me, but I want to know what I can do with them.”
Chad and I stood up and made for the path that led back to the city, with Yoruichi at our ankles.
“Be careful, Uryū!”
Abaron’s POV~
“I feel l-like I’m d-dying!” Ichigo pursed his lips in discomfort while he struggled under the muscly weight of Tessai. I had to hold myself up from having the same fate.
“That’s because you are,” Kisuke clarified. “See, once the Chain of Fate has been severed, you can no long return to your physical body. Death comes quickly.”
“Do you have to be so casual about it?” Ichigo asked him, groaning for about the millionth time.
“That’s not even the worst of it. Your Chain will begin the Encroachment where it was severed. When the end reaches your chest, you will become a hollow—and that will be the end of you.”
“Like he said, you don’t have to be so casual about it…” I wonder… if Ichigo does become a hollow, will he be able to control it like Shōri can? What if he does become one? What will happen to me? Will my hollow wake up? No, I won’t let it. I’ll do whatever I can to suppress it.
“So what d-do I have to do?” Kisuke shut his fan and pointed it at Ichigo.
“If you don’t want to become a Hollow, then you must become a soul reaper. If you manage to clear Lesson Two, you will find that in the process, you have regained your former powers as a soul reaper.” He started to laugh. “Of course, which path you choose is up to you entirely.” Ichigo gave him a cheeky smile.
“As if you even needed to ask.”
“Then let’s get this party started. GO!” A gigantic hole suddenly appeared on the ground beneath Ichigo’s body. I jumped up from my spot on the ground and ran to the edge, hoping to grab him in time. I watched in breathless horror as he plummeted toward the bottom; his screams echoed the dug-out walls.
“Well, what do you think of that?” Kisuke asked me as he walked over to my side. “We really suckered him that time.”
“We…?” I repeated angrily. “You’re the ones who sent him to his death!”
“Yeah, good one,” said Jinta, ignoring my comment. I glared at him.
“It’s awfully deep,” Kisuke noted.
“I did my best!” Ururu said proudly as she approached us, holding a small shovel in her hands. Ichigo stopped screaming, and I knew he had finally hit the bottom. I waited for the pain to come—but it never did.
“What happened?”
“When Tessai severed Ichigo’s Chain of Fate, your connection to him was externally cut off. Internally, however, I have absolutely no idea.” I leaned over the edge of the hole, gripping on the ground for support.
‘Ichigo, are you okay?’ There was no reply. ‘Ichigo…?’
Ichigo’s POV~
Damn, that hurt.
‘Ichigo, are you okay? Ichigo…?’
‘Abaron, is that you?’ Despite the pain I was feeling from my fall, I had to answer her. Was she alright? The whole time I’ve been training, it’s been as if she had been, too. She’s almost in twice as worse of a condition than I am, even with my Chain cut. Were they serious? Will I actually become… a Hollow?
‘Ichigo, are you alright?’
‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ She sighed. All of her thoughts became too confusing to hear anymore. It was loud and distracting to me.
‘Thank goodness! Ichigo, whatever you do, don’t let the end of your Chain touch your chest!’
‘I know, I know! You don’t need to worry about me.’
‘Believe me, I know that you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself; I’m not worried about you one bit.’
‘Are you mocking me?’
‘I’m being serious!’ she shouted angrily. ‘If you let your Chain get to your chest, you will become a Hollow.’
‘I already know that, Abaron, so stop yelling.’
‘Ichigo, there’s more to it than that. If it reaches your chest, I’ll—‘‘Don’t worry. Everything’ll be fine.’ She whined uneasily. I opened my eyes, as I had been squinting in pain. Looking around, I saw that I was enveloped in a complete darkness, except from the small amount of light from above. I could see Abaron hanging over the edge, trying to see what was going on where I was. I felt something cold on my arms.
“What--? What is this?!” Cold metal bound my arms together, preventing me from moving them.
“Bakudo 99…” I heard Tessai say. I looked ahead of me to see him sitting cross-legged with his hands together. “Restrict. It was wrong of me to use this, but until the Lesson is over, your arms will remain in their current position.” I strained my muscles as I pushed my upper body from the ground. I stood on my knees and glared at him.
“Damn you—“”Ichigo!” I looked to the top again to see Hat and Clogs beside Abaron. “If you can climb back up here with your arms in the way they are now, you will have completed Lesson Two—the Shattered Shaft.”
“That’s impossible!” Without the use of my arms, there’d be no way in Hell I could get out of here.
“I don’t think you have time to decide whether it’s impossible or not,” he called back. I felt a small pain coming from my chest. I followed the trail of the Chain until my eyes reached the end. The end couplet had begun to chew on the one that followed. I couldn’t help but scream—the fear of become a Hollow had built up so widely in my chest that I couldn’t contain it anymore. Even from at the bottom of the Shaft, I could hear an intake of breath that came from Abaron. “You have three days to escape from the bottom of the Shattered Shaft, before your Chain becomes completely encroached. If you don’t come back here as a soul reaper before that time is up—then we’ll have to kill you.
Rukia’s POV~
“C-Captain… w-what did you j-just say? Captain… what do you--?”
“It is as I said. Do not make me repeat myself. Rukia Kuchiki is guilty on a First-Degree offense and will be executed in twenty-five days at the Central Execution Grounds.” And Renji thought he knew my brother—what a fool. Byakuya, though a greatly-respected man, has never been one to show me any kind affection. The way he works—Justice comes first. Renji was choking on the words that were lodged between his windpipes. “That is the final decision of the Soul Society. This will be the last time we see each other. Rukia, the next time I see you will be in the Execution Grounds.” And on those words, he left.
We shall not shed tears… for tears mean the defeat of the body to the heart. And to us, that simply proves that the existence of a heart is a burden.
Ichigo’s POV~ Inside the Shattered Shaft
“You’re going to kill me?” After all I’ve worked for… after all of the pain I put Abaron through to get to where I was… was it worth it in the end? I did all of this so I could get my powers back and save Rukia. If Kisuke kills me, he kills Abaron, too, and as an extension; Rukia.
***
They just kept chewing… and chewing… and chewing… I was so exhausted; my attempts at climbing out of the hole had failed miserably. But I wasn’t just about to give up. Every now and then I could hear Abaron’s thoughts.
‘Even if you do become a Hollow, I won’t let them kill you. I’d rather not die; thank you very much.’
‘Thanks for your words of encouragement’, I replied flatly. I watched as the fifth encroachment was eaten away. It’s like it’s timed, or something. If a certain amount of time goes by, another gets killed off, until they just fall asleep. During each encroachment, it’s like being shot in the heart with a shotgun. It’s so painful that it feels like I’m already dead. I got up on my knees again as the pain subsided. I’d have to try while they’re sleeping. Taking a running start, I leapt up onto the wall and tried desperately to keep my balance as I ran upwards. But I lost my focus, and as a result, I found myself back at the bottom again, sporting a bruised head.
Abaron’s POV~
“What an idiot,” said Jinta, peering at him from over the edge. You might as well paint the word ‘ANNOYED’ on his forehead, because that’s what he was. “He thinks that he’ll escape by running up a wall.” He scoffed.
‘My, my…” Kisuke fanned himself.
“Idiot.”
“Shut it, you three,” I said angrily. “He can do it. I know he can.” ‘Dammit…’ Getting up off the ground, I jumped down into the hole, landing on the bottom roughly with the balls of my feet. I walked over and sat next to him.
“Hey!” Jinta shouted from above. “Are you getting hungry?”
“I’m fine,” I called back, still bugged out.
“I’m talking to Carrot-Top, not you.” Even though he couldn’t see it, I made a rude gesture toward him.
“Why would I be hungry?” Ichigo shouted. “I’m a soul!”
“Let me tell you something that would interest you, then. When you get hungry when you’re a soul, it’s a dangerous sign. It means that you’re just one step away from becoming a Hollow.” Ichigo gasped at about the same time I did. “It’s okay to feel thirsty, though,” Jinta added. “If you do, you can just go ahead and drink my spit!”
“That’s disgusting!” I cried, moving away from Ichigo as he struggled to avoid the globs of drool that were hanging out of their mouths.
“No! Stop it! C-cut it out!” He squirmed, but the back pieces of metal had him stuck where he was. “I swear; I’ll beat the crap out of you two! Stop! Stop, please!”
***
It must’ve been hours since Lesson Two began. Ichigo was curled up in an uncomfortable ball on the ground. He flipped over onto his side and looked up to the top.
‘Dammit; I can’t climb it!’
‘Ichigo, calm down—“
‘How long has it been since I’ve been here?’
‘I-I dunno, I—“
‘How do I get out of here?!’ I watched as Jinta dropped down into the hole. He was holding what looked like a tray full of fruit. I got up from my spot on the wall and made my way over to him.
“I brought you some food,” he said, staring down at Ichigo. I quickly grabbed a banana before he could tell me off. “I figured that you’d be hungry.”
“What are you talking about? As if I’d be hungry; take a good look, kid,” he gestured with his head at the encroachments. There were only seven or eight left. “There’s still quite a few left.” Jinta’s grin disappeared.
“I guess I should tell you that it’s already been seventy hours since you’ve been down here. Some people become Hollows quicker than others.” Ichigo got up to his knees. “Oh, just one more thing: the final Encroachment is nothing like the others.”
“Ichigo!” Abaron’s eyes were wide with fright. The banana that was in her hand previously was now on the ground in front of her. I looked to where she was looking.
“The Chains!” This time, they were all awake. One by one, they gnawed down on each other like their life depended on it. “Stop!” I shouted at them. “Stop it! All of you stop!” But it was no use. They broke free from each other, falling to the ground separately until they faded away—every last one of them.
“Jinta, get out of here!” Abaron shouted, shoving him toward the wall. The hole in my chest split open. Something wet began falling down my face. “No!”
Abaron’s POV~
“Jinta, get out of here!” I shoved him behind me and toward the wall. I watched as the hole in Ichigo’s chest broke open. A white gooey substance began falling from his eyes. “No!” His eyes, wide with fear and shock, were pushed so far out from his skull that I thought the liquid coming from behind them wasn’t going to stop until it succeed. His mouth, opened for words to be screamed out, was opened far up his cheeks, allowing the rest of the goo to pour out. Ichigo was too late. His time was up. His hollowfication was beginning.
The feeling that came from it immense; it brought me to my knees. Ichigo’s screams pierced my ears, making me shout a song of my own tune. Covering them with my hands, I dared to open my eyes. The garbled, choking noise that was being issued from his mouth made me feel sick to my stomach.
Thoughts of the night where I had been a victim of Hollowfication, along with Shinji, Hiyori, and the others flashed before my eyes. Before long, the only thing I was seeing was a bright, white light. It blinded me, and blocked my view from watching Ichigo. But I was glad it did. I had no choice but to just stand by and let it be. If I interfered, Ichigo would most likely be killed by Kisuke because he became a Hollow. The chance that he’d have of gaining his abilities as a soul reaper back would be flushed down the stained toilet in the bathroom upstairs. So I just had to believe in him, and trust my instincts.
“Trust your instincts, huh?”
***
The only explanation that I had for what I was seeing was that Zangetsu must’ve brought me to his world again, otherwise, I wouldn’t be holding onto the side of a blue building for the sake of my life. Last time I was here, Zangetsu was standing on the empty flagpole. I looked around, searching for any sign of his permanently wrinkled scowl. But he was nowhere to be found.
“Zangetsu, are you there?” I called, forcing myself to get up to my feet. The clouds that were floating vertically in the sky were moving a lot faster from when I first came here. I wonder why. “Hello?” I heard a quiet, echoing chuckle from behind me. I turned around, gripping the handle of my zanpakutō. No one was there.
“What’s wrong? You look scared.” I searched high and low for the voice. I pushed back the urge to draw out my zanpakutō, but whoever was here with me just might accidentally take it as a threat.
“I might be,” I said, trying to focus in on where they were. I felt a small amount of spiritual energy coming from nearby. “Where are you?”
“Drop your weapon,” the voice said.
“And if I don’t?”
“Well then I guess it wouldn’t be a fair fight, now, would it?”
“A fight? Why do you want to fight?” I felt something touch my shoulder. I jumped away, not giving another look. I had to get out of here. I ran down the side of the building, looking for an exit of some kind; a way back to Ichigo and the others.
“Why are you running away?” the voice asked. “You are scared, aren’t you? Stop running and face me!” I was forced backwards, landing painfully and awkwardly on my left arm. I pulled it up slowly from underneath me and got up to my feet.
“I’m sorry; I guess I don’t know my own strength yet.” A cold hand slipped gently around my sore wrist from behind. I cringed and bit down on my lip, trying to hold back the tears that threatened to spill over my eyelids. Why did this hurt so much? I’ve never felt this much in pain before, especially from such a small injury. Was it broken? Was the impact really that bad?
“Turn around,” the voice commanded. “Turn around and look at me.” I shut my eyes closed tightly.
“No way,” I answered, refusing to listen to him.
“Look at me,” he repeated. “Look at me!”
“If you keep shouting, I won’t even talk to you!” He shouted out in frustration. I froze. Why does he sound so much like Ichigo? The spiritual energy I felt before was almost the same as his, if not a whole lot stronger. I buried the temptation to look at him to find out my answer.
“Why won’t you look at me?” he asked more calmly, though I could still hear the annoyance in his tone.
“If you didn’t break my wrist, then maybe I would have.”
“I said I was sorry.”
“You didn’t sound sorry. You passed it off on your ‘unknown strength’.”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“Why do you sound so familiar?” I asked.
“If you’d turn around, you would have your answer.” I dropped the hand that was cradling my arm so that it dangled at my side. A second hand grabbed onto it, this one just a little bit colder. And weirdly enough, it felt good, as if my bones were realigning. As I turned on my heel, I opened my eyes. And I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
“I-Ichigo…?” No, it couldn’t be. Even though he had the figure, the hair shape, the height, and the cocky grin, he looked completely different from the Ichigo that I knew. Everything about him was white. He was wearing a white shihakushō, with a black belt wrapped around his waist. The inner robe was white, too. His hair looked as though it was bleached, and his skin was just about as icy-looking as it felt. His irises were a golden yellow, even brighter than Yoruichi’s, and the sclera that surrounded them was pitch-black. Everything about him was the opposite of Ichigo.
“You’re half right,” he answered, flashing me a bright smile. “I’m his instinct.” He was the one who spoke to me before I came here, I realized. He may be Ichigo’s instinct, but that wasn’t all.
“You’re his inner Hollow,” I corrected him. It looks like he failed after all. But wait, if Ichigo failed, then this guy shouldn’t even exist. If he failed, than his spirit world shouldn’t exist, either. That means he passed the test; Ichigo is a soul reaper again. A smile escaped my chattering teeth. Hollows are ruthless. Why the hell is he being so calm then, instead of screaming, like he was before?
“That is correct,” he said. “Since I answered your question, how about you answer mine?”
“What are you talking about?” Taking a hand off of my arm, he put it against my chest, right on top of my collarbone. It made me shake. “Where is your inner Hollow?” I backed away, pushing his hand off of me. I was shivering to the point of where I might literally become an icicle.
“What do you mean?”
“I could feel her from the very moment that I was born; don’t play dumb! I could feel her heart beating when I touched you. She’s awake now, and she wants out. And I’ll get her out if it’s the last thing I do!” In an instant, he was in front of me. He was so fast that I didn’t even see him coming! His frozen hand wrapped tightly around my neck, cutting off my air supply. His grin was mocking. Something inside of my heart began to stir. I struggled to get away. Somehow I knew that he had the ability to free my inner Hollow. Kurotsuchi had warned me about this.
“In fact, any day now, that Hollow could awaken inside you and take over your being.” So that’s what this is.
“L-let me g-go,” I stammered, trying to pry his hands away from me. But as the last of my air dissipated, my arms fell to my side. I no longer had the will to fight back.
“Now, let’s bring her into this world.” As my eyes began to roll back into my head, I felt a sharp pain rip through the center of my chest. I forced my eyes down, and saw his arm reaching through it. My body tightened as he retracted it, pulling something out with him in the process. At first, it was just a small white ball about the shape of an egg, but when he dropped it on the ground and put me down at the same time, it began to grow. Gasping for breath, I back away, trying to keep a reasonable distance between us. It began to expand, growing taller and taking the physical form of a woman. As its features became defined, she took the form of myself—but all white. As she opened her eyes, instead of seeing them purple, they were yellow; the same color as Ichigo’s Hollow’s eyes. Hair shot out from her skull, becoming the same length of my own. Her bangs didn’t cover her eyes the way mine did, but shot out in little spikes, in the style of Ichigo’s. She stared down at her arms, grinning. The corners of her mouth stretched up to her cheeks, in the same was as Ichigo’s Hollow’s.
“You know, it took you long enough,” she said, punching Hollow Ichigo in the arm. He recoiled, rubbing it. “You know how long it’s been since I was born that I was stuck in that idiot’s head?”
“You’d better shut up—“
“What, and that’s my fault?” he argued, cutting me off. “Well I’m sorry that I was born from a pathetic human.”He looked over at me and began to stare me down. “What are you still here for?”
“Where’s Zangetsu?”
“Try another building,” he said. I walked away, and they began arguing again. When I was a good enough distance away, I called out for Zangetsu.
“Old Man Zangetsu; where are you?” A dark streak sailed past me, landing just a few feet away. “Ah, there you are.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“Well, I was wondering if whether or not you’ve seen Bōkyaku. She hasn’t come back yet. I thought that she might be with you.”
“For a time, she was. That is all I know. You should not have come here.”
“What? Why not?”
“The Hollow that has been born from Ichigo is planning to free your—“”He’s way ahead of you, then. He already has her.” He looked down at me.
“You should return back. Do not tell Ichigo my name.” Before I had a say in anything, I was gone.
***
I awoke from my subconscious to find myself lying on the ground. My wrist wasn’t broken, after all. I could see Ichigo as he struggled to break the bonds on his arms while his Hollow began to overpower him. I pushed myself up and forced myself to abandon him. I jumped up on to the wall and began running to the top. Jinta had just made it when I stepped out of the Shaft.
“He’s gonna become a Hollow, after all!” he shouted out. I looked down at Ururu, whose fist was outstretched toward the hole.
“I’m going into rescue mode,” she said quietly. I heard Kisuke come up behind us.
“Hold it,” he said. She turned around and looked up at him. “Watch him carefully. Normally, when a Plus becomes a Hollow, the spiritual body first explodes and then reforms. But in his case, it’s the other way around. He is still a Plus, as the mask is being created. This is proof that he is resisting.”
“That means that there’s still a chance for him to become a soul reaper again, right?”
“Yes,” he replied. “So let’s watch a little longer… and see if he truly becomes a Hollow.”
“Kisuke, I—“”I already know. I saw you collapse when Ichigo’s final Encroachments were eaten away. You were affected, as well. Did you see your Hollow?” I nodded. “I see.”
Ichigo’s POV~
“Ichigo, can you hear me?” My head felt like it was on fire. Where did Abaron go? The last thing that I remember seeing was her leaving me. So it wasn’t her voice who was calling me. I opened my eyes, and at first, I was blinded by a bright light. I focused, squinting to see where I was now. There were buildings, maybe hundreds of them. They were all blue; every single one.
“Where… am I?”
“Over here.” I jumped at the return of the voice. It wasn’t familiar, either. I turned around. A man dressed in a black robe with long, brown hair was standing up ahead.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“’Who’? What are you talking about? It’s me…” I couldn’t hear his name. I know he said it; I could tell by the way his mouth moved. But why couldn’t I hear it?
“I see,” he said. “I still can’t reach you. How disappointing… how many times must I shout out my name before you can hear me? There is no one in this world that knows me better than you do.”
“Huh?” I was completely confused. “What are you talking about? Sorry, but I don’t know anyone depressing like you.”
“You sound just like her,” he said. “But I’m not surprised. I wonder; how can you stay seated in a place like that?” What--? I started falling.
“If you can scream, then I guess you have time to listen.” The man came up gliding beside me. “That’s good. Do not worry. Soul Reapers rule death. They control many spiritual beings.”
“B-but I’m not a soul reaper anymore!” I cried over the wind.
“Remember that the power taken from you by Byakuya Kuchiki was merely the power that was given to you by Rukia Kuchiki! Of course, that was all he was after. He thought that by destroyed that power, he could end this! But he was careless. He overlooked the fact that you have soul reaper power of your own!”
“What? My own… soul reaper power?”
“That’s right. The power that was awakening inside of you due to Rukia Kuchiki’s power hid itself in the very depths of your soul an instant before Byakuya Kuchiki stabbed you.” He suddenly turned upright in the air, coming to a complete stop as I continued to fall. “Now find it! If there is ever a time when you can’t find the power of the soul reaper that has hidden itself, then that time is now, when this world had begun its collapse. Countless boxes are raining down,” They fell from the pieces of buildings that had begun to disintegrate. “And in one of them lies your soul reaper power. Find it!”
“Will you cut the crap?” I shouted at him in fury.
“I will not take any excuses. There is no time for them. Before this world is destroyed, you must find it. Or you will become a Hollow.” I fell through the ground and dove into a watery domain. I sunk deeper and deeper, accompanied by the boxes. There were so many of them. So what do I do?
‘You can do it, Ichigo!’ a voice cheered. ‘I know you can. Don’t give up! If you do, they’ll kill you!’ As if that wasn’t incentive enough. I took Abaron’s thoughts to heart. I have to search through every box in order to find it. But there wasn’t enough time to do that! How will I find the one that has my powers inside of it? What do I do? I’ve never been able to find other’s spiritual energy before. I think Uryū said the same thing to me. Uryū! That’s right… how did he find out that I was a soul reaper? His face appeared in my mind, along with his voice.
“… You know?” It was some type of ability… “Did you know?” He bragged about it… but what was it? “Did you know? A soul reaper’s Spirit Ribbon is red.” “That’s it!” All around me were long white ribbons, but there was one above me which stood out from the rest. It was mine: red in all of its glory. I grabbed hold, keeping a firm grip on it. “I got it!” Yanking roughly in the end, I pulled until the box connected to it floated in front of me. As it opened, a red and gold handle stuck out.
“The handle of a Zanpakutō…?” I felt a presence behind me. I turned to see the man from above standing there.
“You’ve done well in finding it,” he complimented flatly. “I hope that next time, you will hear my name.” A realization came to mind.
“Are you—“”What are you doing? It’s crumbling!” The buildings above me were almost gone. “Hurry up and pull it out!”
Abaron’s POV~
I didn’t want to leave him down there all alone. It broke my heart in doing so. His screams became shallower as the goo took a hard form around his face.
“Do you see that, Abaron?” My Hollow asked me. “He is almost complete. Can you feel him, Abaron? Can you feel the power of his Hollow?” I could feel it. It was mixing with the power that Ichigo had prior to this. It was distorted, twisted, and evil; it gave me the creeps. “Good.”
“What?” The bonds that contained him broke apart.
“This is my limit, boss!” I heard Tessai shout in desperation. “I am switching to Suppression Mode!” He slammed his hands into the ground. “Bakudo 99 Part Two: Ban-Kin!” A white wave of material flew toward Ichigo and began enshrouding him. I felt a painful restriction on my upper body. “First Incantation: Bandage! Second Incantation: Hundred Dead Bolts!” Thick nails pierced Ichigo’s skin through the bandages. I fell over, doubling in pain.
“Tessai, you’ll kill him if you do that!” Jinta began to panic.
“I have no choice!” he shouted. “I can’t hold him back any longer! I must destroy him before he becomes a Hollow!”
“T-Tessai!” I yelled, trying to ignore the pain spreading toward my heart. “Y-you c-can’t!”
“Final Incantation: Fatal Seal!” “No!” A large box appeared over the hole and began to fall. Ichigo’s screams became more intense, growing louder as each second passed.
“This is it!” I heard the box slam heavily against the ground. That’s when I felt myself being pulled away from the hole, only to be wrapped in a pair of warm arms. Jinta and Ururu were beside me, looking scared. I realized that the arms belonged to Kisuke. He looked at me from the corner of his eye before shielding my face by putting his hat over it. Something erupted behind us, as what looked like yellow flames burst out of the hole. It shook the ground, sending Ururu in a fit of whimpers. The pain started to fade away.
“Something’s coming!” Jinta shouted, staring wide-eyed at the sky. As the quakes subsided, I moved Kisuke’s hat from my face. A flickering ball of light shot out from out of the hole, bounding several times against the wall before crashing onto the ground beside it. Kisuke let Jinta and Ururu up, but kept a firm hold on my arm as I was unable to. I was numb with pain. “What is that?” I looked over his shoulder, squinting at the dust cloud to shield my eyes from flying dirt and rocks. Jinta stood up and began walking toward it. “Hey!” he shouted. “Is that you? Answer me, Carrot-Top! If you’re alive, answer me!” I already knew that he was. If he wasn’t, then either would I be. Through the cloud, I could see his silhouette—and a pair of red eyes? Jinta gasped. As the cloud blew away, a shallow growling noise was emitted from Ichigo’s throat. I saw that his regular human clothes were gone, and were replaced by a shihakushō. His face was covered by a Hollow mask with three red stripes over the left eyehole. The top of his head was wrapped up with bandages from Tessai’s Ban-Kin spell. A few deadbolts remained on his right shoulder. That was the only pain I felt now.
“A shihakushō… and a mask…?” Jinta was at a loss. “Is he a Hollow? Or is he a soul reaper?” Ichigo’s hand rose to his back, pulling his broken zanpakutō from a bandaged sheath. Jinta and Ururu gasped as they went into a fighting stance. “Don’t think we’re afraid of you!” Jinta shouted. “Come at us if you want!” But instead of attacking them, Ichigo took the butt of his zanpakutō and smashed it against the side of his mask. ‘So, you did it, after all.’ ‘Yeah,’ he replied. The part where he smashed his mask shattered to the floor. He pulled the rest of it off with his free hand, letting it rest on his head. The bandages flew away. Giving us all a look, he sighed.
“You didn’t become a Hollow?” Jinta asked, looking surprised. Ichigo stared down at his hand, clenching it and unclenching it to see if it worked just the same. Handing me off to be held up by Ururu and Jinta, Kisuke began to clap. He walked over to him with us right behind him.
“Congratulations,” he said. He opened his fan. “You became a soul reaper again! Well done! Lesson Two: Cleared!” Ichigo’s eyebrows were furrowed close together.
“Shut up,” he said, hitting Kisuke in the nose with his hilt. He fell over, holding his face in his hands. “I’m alive, and you know what that means?” He pointed at him with his finger. “I swore that when I got out of that place that I’d kill you!” Then Ichigo looked to me, his expression softening. “Are you alright?”
“I am now,” I told him, smiling. “I’m just glad that you’re okay.” Using his cane for balance, Kisuke stood up.
“Perfect timing,” he said. “With that spirit, we’ll go right to Lesson Three. Lesson Three has no time limit at all. If you can use your zanpakutō to knock off my hat, then the Lesson will be cleared.” He stepped out of the way just as Ichigo swung his zanpakutō up at him. A blue light shot out from the end of the blade. It missed Kisuke, but it hit his hat, putting a slice on the edge. “Not bad, considering that your zanpakutō is broken.”
“I haven’t even started,” said Ichigo in confidence. “No time limit, huh? Forget that. Let’s end this in five minutes.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kisuke agreed. He took the curved edge of his cane in his hands. “Five minutes and we’ll end this, huh?” He pulled out his zanpakutō. “Alright, then.”
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