Making an excuse at the end of the day, I rushed off in search of the hollow, but not a trace remained. It must have hidden between our two worlds, meaning that there was no possible way for me to sense the horrid creature. An exasperated sigh escaped me in the midst of my hurried breaths. I heard on the news about the explosion this morning; not many people would know the true cause of the carnage.
On the way home, I managed to bump into Ichigo as he fought some hoons that live around the area. It turned out that they knocked over a vase that was left in memory of a young girl just a few years younger than ourselves. These things always managed to push Ichigo over the edge; he took these matters very seriously. The young spirit remained standing by a light post the entire time, observing the disagreement. I offered a curt smile, and she returned the gesture.
Ichigo was unaware that I knew of his secret, and he didn't know of mine. I wanted it to stay that way; for his own sake, he needed to stay away from soul reapers and hollows. It's wasn't likely that he'd find out about me. It seemed that he can only see the weaker spirits, which was something I was grateful for.
I walked ahead of Ichigo once he was finished with his business, but not so far ahead that I couldn't hear him comforting the spirit girl. It was rarity to see him show his kinder side, so I wasn't going to miss him perform his speech.
Once I arrived home, I decide to enjoy myself and relax on one of my rare nights off. Well, that's what I had planned before I remembered about the pile of maths homework sitting on my desk. I hated the thought of the effort this would take immensely, but was somewhat comforted by the packet of pocky sitting by the papers.
There was no sign of the hollow anywhere, which had me on my guard. It could easily strike whilst I was asleep, but I hadn't been as worried as I normally was. There was a new spiritual pressure roaming around the area; soul reaper spiritual pressure. I didn't need to be as cautious of hollows, but I can't let them find out about me. The Soul Society doesn't take kindly to humans intervening with their affairs.
For the night, I confined myself to my house and tried to somewhat block out the racket the Kurosaki family rang out. I silently laughed at their silliness; no matter how often I heard them, they were still just as entertaining as ever.
"For high school, a seven o'clock curfew is totally uncool!" Ichigo yelled out at his father.
"Speaking of uncool Ichigo, you have a new one." I looked out my window to see the shadow of a spirit fly around the kitchen.
"How long have you been here? Take a hike you damn pest!" Ichigo tried swatting the man away but it didn't seem to do anything. I chuckled at his useless attempts; watching him trying to deal with spirits could be very entertaining. He was actually quite good with them, but there were times where he lost his patience and his composure. This was one of those times.
As it normally did, the argument continued for another few moments before Ichigo stormed off to his room. I did feel sorry for him; all he wanted was some peace and quiet after a long day.
I worked on the questions for a couple of hours, patting the ragdoll kitten that slept on my lap. Princess was my company here, and I loved her to pieces. She was there for me, and that's all I could ask.
Once I had attempted most of the answers and eaten all of the snacks at my disposal, I put the books away and turned the television on. The news had the same story on regarding the explosion which it had this morning. It confused me as to why they constantly replayed their stories when there are no developments; it put me off watching the news.
I peered over at the table clock and realised I should have gone to bed long ago. It didn't matter too much; I'd be tired anyway when I wake up. Though I had some studying to do for the midterms coming up, I wasn't too worried. I'd made sure to prepare in between my duties as a soul reaper.
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The snow was stained a deep crimson with two lifeless body lying in front of me; their once colourful eyes were glazed over. The couple were holding hands as they enjoyed the company of one another in their final moments.
Slices covered their entire bodies, sending shivers through me. I was all alone, looking at these two sorry souls, sobbing uncontrollably. Why did this happen? What could they have possibly done wrong to end up like this? I didn't understand...
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Without warning, I jolted up in a sweat. My lungs struggled to get air in and out. It must have been a nightmare, but I couldn't recall every detail.
Lazily, I stumbled to the bathroom with my uniform in hand. I quickly undressed and step into the warm shower. The steam floated through the air around me, allowing me to clear my mind. Having the water soothing me was something I desperately needed and let my mind think clearly. It'd had been six months since I'd felt that terrified from a dream; what caused it to happen again?
The skin of my fingers began to shrivel, letting me know that it was time to get out. I turn the water off and get ready for school. My hair remained down to let it dry, rather than its usual tied up appearance. The kink that it leaves was a real pain to deal with later on.
I grabbed an apple and all that I needed for school and shoved them in my bag. After waiting impatiently, I grab a piece of buttered toast and walk outside, locking the door behind me. I was somewhat impatient whilst I waited for Ichigo to leave his house. By the time we had started walking, we were already running late.
"How do you always manage to take so long? I don't see what you'd have to prepare," I groaned in annoyance.
"Well, unlike you, I actually enjoy my sleep."
"Sleep is alright, but we shouldn't be late because you just want to keep dreaming."
"Look don't get snappy at me, I was just stating a fact," he said looking down at me.
"I won't snap if you would stop being late!"
"Alright, alright just calm down. I'll try." I nodded and smiled, satisfied with his response. I did enjoy these little squabbles of ours. We both knew that we were simply messing around with one another.
I was so focused on the conversation that I didn't notices the loose concrete on the path. I braced for impact, holding my arms out. The impact never came, but instead strong arms kept me up.
"You really should more careful. I can't catch you every time, you know?"
"Y-yeah I know' thanks." I stood on my own feet and straightened out my skirt, dust flying as I patted it.
"No problem. Are you okay?"
"Oh, yeah I'm fi-" An explosion interrupted us, causing us to look towards the cause. Debris covers my vision, causing not only my eyes to water, but the cause remains unseen to me. However, it is quite obvious to me what had happened; a bad feeling settled in my stomach.
"Ichigo!" Coughing, I stumbled forward to try and search for him. When the dust cleared, my eyes widened at what I was forced to see.
A bug shaped hollow rushed around the corner, chasing down its prey. I gasped as I discovered who it was after: the young girl we saw yesterday. As I searched for Ichigo, I couldn't help but wonder how I hadn't sensed its spiritual pressure. This large a hollow should have given off some signs of his presence.
The bug shaped body came around to corner, chasing down its next meal.
"How did I not sense its spiritual pressure? What could possibly have blocked my senses?"
I was careless; because the other soul reaper was patrolling the town, I let down my guard and put those around me in danger. I didn't bring my soul pill, and we could be killed because of it.
"What the hell is that thing!" I turned to Ichigo with widened eyes. If he could see it, that meant that he could see me in soul form. His spiritual power had increased, which meant that I would find it increasingly hard to keep my hidden life a secret.
"I don't know!" The spirit's breath was heavy and laboured and she moved her small legs across the pavement. Her respond was weak and quiet.
"W-what thing?" I stuttered, looking directly at the hollow's mask. I knew the danger of standing and doing nothing; if no one moved me I was dead. I couldn't let him know the truth; that was the oath I swore to keep. I would keep it, even if it meant my life.
"Kukiko get out of here!"
"What? Why?" I hated hiding the truth; it killed me to lie to him.
"Kiko!" He grasped my hand dragged me from my position. "You can't see that thing?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about. What's going on Ichigo?"
"It's a monster... We have to get away," he yelled out. Just as we were starting to put some distance between the hollow and ourselves, the young girl tripped. "Hey!" He halted and so did I.
"Ichigo, what are you doing!" I couldn't stop myself from crying out to him.
As I started to panic, a glimmer of hope appeared from the very corner of my eye. The black cloth coming into view brought great relief. A soul reaper with short, black hair jumped in front of the hollow's face. With a single clean slice, the mask began to fade along with the rest of its being.
The reaper took a quick glance at us and left, as if nothing had ever happened. For that, I was very much grateful.
"Looks like those explosions have stopped," I heard some of the public whisper.
"What was that?" I could tell Ichigo was thinking to himself, but I couldn't help but respond, "Nothing good."
I took a glance around, taking in the outcome of the monster's hunger. I brought my watch up; my eyes widened at the numbers glaring at me.
"We're late!"
"What?" I shook my head at Ichigo's response.
"School dumbass! It started five minutes ago!"
"Damn it. Let's go!" Without a second thought, we sprinted off as quickly as we could.
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There was nothing particularly exciting about school that day. We were given an assignment regarding what we want to do in the future, which I was a little lost for. I hadn't thought about it since my life wasn't exactly normal.
There was one irregularity that I made note of; something was affecting my ability to sense spiritually pressure. I had a slight suspicion, but I would have to make time to investigate the cause once school was over.
As a result of my investigation, I made the decision to avoid the duties of a soul reaper that night. With the other soul reaper on guard of the town, I was a lot more relaxed. When school was finished that afternoon, I made my way home and put on a movie. Throughout, I was constantly grabbing tissues to wipe away stray tears that trickle down my cheeks, holding the kitten close to me.
Once it was over, I walked to my room and took out my sketchpad from my school bag and place it on the desk; Princess sat on the bed beside me. I wasn't the greatest artist, but I could draw a decent sketch when the time called for it. I decided to illustrate myself as a writer, scribbling my ideas in my little note book. It wasn't something elaborate, but if I had the choice, I would take this life in a heartbeat. Letting my imagination wonder helped me to deal with the stress of the life I was given.
As I eat at the small, rickety table in my dining room, I enjoy the silence which is very rare in this town. There's usually a disruption of some sort to break the lack of sound. This time was no exception. A howl roared out in the distance, sending shivers down my spine.
"Another one?" I muttered as I made my way to my room. I could tell that it was the same one I had sensed at the school the day before. I opened the door and pulled out the mint container which contained my soul candy. As I placed the pill on my tongue, a scream echoes through the air. "That's Karin!" I felt soul and body come apart; when that happened, I jumped from my bedroom window and into the trees. If the soul reaper were in the area and saw me, I would be killed without hesitation.
The hollow had Karin grasped tightly in its hand, waving her around manically.
"Ichigo, get me out of here!" She cried out. After her words, a huge burst of spiritual pressure released itself, causing me to gasp in surprise. That was a kido being broken, but how is that possible? You'd need incredible spiritual pressure to break such a skill.
From the corner of my eye, I noticed a head of bright orange hair sprinting towards the monster with a small metal chair. His effort was in vain, as Ichigo was easily swatted away. My stomach began to twist and I knew that I needed to take action. I couldn't let him die, or Karin. Their family has done so much for me over the years that I consider them my own. As I prepare to jump, the soul reaper from this morning came running from the Kurosaki house.
"I found one of you; that will do for now." Excitement dripped from the hollow's voice, causing fear to wash over me. One of us? Was this monster looking for us?
Slowly, the monster reached his arm towards Ichigo; its arm was cut in that moment. Ichigo slid in just in time to catch Karin. Knowing she was safe, I let out a heavy sigh.
Letting out a howl of pain, the hollow left for the safety of the in between dimension. There was silence as everyone's guard was raised.
"I have a bad feeling about this," I muttered, trying to sense whether the hollow was coming back.
Worry filled Ichigo's eyes as he scanned his sister's body for any sign of injury, which is replaced with relief when none are discovered.
"Don't worry. She'll be alright. The hollow left without devouring either of your sisters' souls," the dark haired reaper explained.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. It's seeking specific souls to eat, ones with much higher concentrations of spirit energy. In fact, the hollow from this morning was also looking for those souls."
"But why?"
I was intrigued with the conversation. I'd never heard of hollows seeking out specific souls before, so now was my chance to learn what could be crucial details.
"For some reason, most of your spirit energy was hidden deep within you until now, when you needed it to save your sister. That's why I didn't sense anything unusual about you when I arrived. Your friend on the other hand, there is something different about her. She has the same feeling that I'm getting from you now. It explains why the hollows have been coming after the both of you.
"The spirit energy that was bottled up inside the both of you started to pour out when you made contact with that girl's ghost. As a result, both of your souls have been exposed. Those two hollows today detected you and that girl's souls through that spirit and used her to track them down. Which means, the hollows are really after the both of you." Surprise was evident in her voice as she came to her conclusion and she gazed with wide eyes into Ichigo's.
"Those things are after us?" Ichigo was in absolute shock, and honestly, so was I. I'd learnt to control my spirit energy from a young age, and I hadn't noticed a change in me lately. I was petrified; having to kill hollows was one thing, but to be targeted by them was something else entirely. It was as though I was the prey, and they was the predators.
"That friend of yours lives close by, if I'm guessing correctly." I stiffened.
"She's right next door."
The soul reaper muttered something that I couldn't quite hear, and not a moment later the hollow returned, howling out in hunger.
"It's back, get out of here!" the soul reaper ordered Ichigo, who then stood up in defiance.
"No!" Determination shown in his eyes which glared at the monster before him. "So those vicious attacks on that poor girl were because of Kukiko and me?"
"That's one way to look at it," she responded with an agitated tone.
"And both of my sisters could wind up dead and it would be our fault?" Ichigo gritted his teeth in pure frustration, his body tensing as thoughts raced through his head. I knew Ichigo well, and I could see exactly where this was going. Ichigo sprinted into the hollow's path and stopped right in front of the creature; I could do nothing but watch. I was frozen in place; my body was frozen in place no matter how much I willed it to take action.
"Coward! Quit attacking others. It's my soul you want; come and get it." He was challenging a hollow, a beast that no normal person could face with no weapon. But he was determined, and once he had his mind set on something there was almost no turning back. "Fight me one on one you ugly bastard!"
The hollow let out a deafening howl and lunged straight for him.
"Ichigo no!" I couldn't control the cry that escaped my lungs. He turned to meet my gaze and his eyes widened. I know that I shouldn't have done that, but I couldn't let him die. I couldn't lose my best friend like this. But no matter how I tried to move, my body wouldn't listen.
The events proceeding surprised me. The soul reaper jumped in the way of the hollow, it's teeth gripping down on her shoulder. Struggling, she fought the hollow off and feel to her knees, blood spraying from her open wound. She nearly sacrificed herself to save him.
"Soul reaper!" Ichigo ran over to her limp, injured body.
"You, are a fool. How could you have thought that you were any match for a hollow?" She struggled to form her words, spitting out what she was trying to say. "Did you really think that it would be over if you gave him your soul? One soul doesn't satisfy them for long. If you don't stop interfering, we're all going to end up as its food!"
Slowly, she crawled over to a nearby telephone pole, propping herself up against it. "I'm too injured to fight. Do you want to save your family?"
"Of course I do! If there's a way, you have to tell me." I have never seen Ichigo plead and beg before, showing just how truly desperate he was; I felt just the same.
She grabbed her blade, pointing it at his chest, "It will only be temporary, but you must become, a soul reaper yourself." Ichigo's eyes widened at the thought, as did my own. Time seemed to freeze as my mind continued to race against the increasing panic.
I couldn't let this happen. The world of a soul reaper is dangerous; it's deadly if you're inexperienced. I needed to stop him before he ended up killing himself. In pure frustration, I continued willing my body to move, but it wouldn't. Something was making it so that I couldn't move or say a word. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed the dark figure looming. I returned my attention to the situation just in time to hear the soul reaper's name.
"My name is Rukia, Rukia Kuchiki."
Ichigo grabbed the blade and aimed it towards his heart, "And my name is, Ichigo Kurosaki!" Without a single moment of hesitation, he plunged the Zanpakuto into his chest; a white light surrounded him as he did. In that instance, my heart skipped a beat. Heavy smoke covered the area in which the hollow was standing, but not thick enough to cover the spray of blood from the hollow which emerged missing an arm.
I couldn't help but stare in awe of Ichigo. He was wearing a shihashuko similar to my own, with the only difference being the shape of our blades, Ichigo's Zanpakuto ran the length of his body, just like my own. The contrast between them was the width, with Ichigo's being much wider than my own.
"How could this have happened?" Rukia gasped in complete confusion, "I meant to give him only half of my powers, but he's somehow taken nearly all of it." A pure white robe now dressed her figure; the shoulder stained red from her injury.
"This ends now." Ichigo growled at the monster before him, standing his ground against this new found opponent. He charged head on with no fear in his eyes. With one swift movement, Ichigo took off the hollow's leg.
"How is he doing this? In fact, just how have I been doing it? I've been a soul reaper for as long as I can remember, but how could I be? I've just taken it as a normal part of life, but I know for sure that THIS isn't normal."
It was obvious, at that moment, that it had been Ichigo's immense spiritual pressure blocking my senses all day. Somehow, he was able to break a kido without causing any damage to his soul. I know that I'm able to do that as well, but I've been taught to control my excess spiritual pressure from a young age. Ichigo managed to do it out of pure instinct.
Other than myself, I'd never seen a Zanpakuto the length of the body. I couldn't help but wonder, "just what exactly are we?"
"You'll pay the price for hurting my family, you hollow scum. Feel the wrath of my blade!" A scream of anger flew out of the orange haired boy as he leapt into the air. Without any hesitation, he sliced straight through the hollow's mask. As a result, it faded away.
As soon as the monster had left from sight, my limbs were freed from their binds, and the dark figure was gone from behind me. Cautiously, I took a final glance at the site of the battle, only to make contact with Rukia. Petrified, I froze in place. I had didn't know what would happen to me if she were to tell the Soul Society about me; I would most likely be killed. A small, comforting smile appeared on her face. Obviously, she had witnessed the fear in my eyes. I faked a smile back and went back inside my room.
I wasn't sure if I could trust her and remained on guard for the rest of the night. Despite my uncertainty, I chose to give her the benefit of the doubt. Things were certainly about to change.
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This is the re-written version. The plot will not be changing, but the protagonist's name has to suit the story more. I hope you all enjoy the change :)