NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4: Resentful Family spirit
Orihime was unsure of what happened. She was talking with her friend Tatsuki when a huge hole in her wall was suddeenly created. It was even weirder when she could now see her body from a third point of view. As she looked up, she saw a hulking, bipedal creature with black hair on his head and a bone-white mask on his face.
The creaturem a hollow, roared loudly and made a bee line straight for Orihime. His claws were outstretched and Orihime attempted a dodge, one that barely worked. As the claws of the hollow missed, its claws grazing the ground, Orihime swore she could have heard the hollow say "Ori...hi...me." The words were gravely but she could make out her name.
'What' thought Orihime in a confused state. The creature turned and made another attempt on Orihimes life, and Tatsuki got up to try and defend her. "No!" shouted Orihime as she waited for the disastrous scene to come. But she saw the hand stop as the sound of blissful flute music make its way in. An aura of red energy began to surround the creature and was sourced from a young man in Chinese robes, Kaname Amenogawa. The field of energy he emitted tried to contain the creature using the flute to manipulate the energy.
"Kaname?" said Orihime in a daze as the confused Tatsuki looked over with widened eyes. "What's going on here?" asked Tatsuki to no one in particular, and her confusion only grew when Ichigo showed up with his oversized zanpaku-to. Ichigo looked towards the hollow and the energy around it. Rukia, who came in behind him, looked at its source was was attempting to analyze it.
"Kaname, what are you?" muttered Rukia as his powers gave birth to a certain feeling in her mind. His powers seemed dark and hollow-like yet she knew he was human. she could sense his reiraku(Spirit Ribbon) was tainted red though. 'A visored?' thought Rukia as her mind conjured forth tales of Shinigami who did the tabboo and somehow obtained the powers of hollow and shinigami combined. 'Was he a similar case, a human with hollow powers?' thought Rukia as Ichigo rushed into action.
Ichigo, who was ready for battle, swung his sword at the restricted hollow. The hollow, who was earlier struggling against his bonds, broke free and managed to deflect the blade. Ichigo was then swatted to the side. "Ichigo!" shouted Orihime in concern for her friend. "Damn" said Kaname as he began to weave an incantation as the resentment in the air began to congeal into thick, red ribbons and flew forth .
A thing he learnt from Eve was that he could use his own thoughts to mold the power given to his will. Using the revelation that he wasn't bound to preset knowledge, he created a binding spell which began to wrap around the hollow. The hollow immediately resisted and began to claw at the ribbons surrounding him with some success. Ichigo got up from his position and slashed his sword with a resounding cry. Instead of a clean cut down the hollows middle like he should have gotten, he got a section of the bone white mask. Inside this mask was revealed to be a pale face which Orihime recognized in surprise. Ichigo himself was caught off guard as he was flung away by the hollow.
"Brother!" shouted Orihime as she got a good look at the face behind the bone white mask. 'What?' thought Ichigo. "Rukia, what's going on?!" asked Ichigo as Rukia was shaken from her former thoughts. She looked over and saw the human face of the hollow and understood what exactly was going on.
"Ichigo, do you know the reason I had you try and kill the hollows in one strike?" asked Rukia as Ichigo shook his head no. "I had you do it so you don't see the face behind the mask, to spare you the pain" said Rukia. Kaname on the other hand, unlike the others, took this revelation well considering he had knowledge of the source materials earlier volumes. So he had knowledge from an outsiders perspective.
Orihime was devastated at the hollows reveal, and the hallow taking advantage in the lull of attacks lunged towards Orihime and grasped her neck in his hands. "Orihime!" shouted the hollow, her brother Sora Inoue. "Why did you not know me!" he shouted, his voice full of anger. Ichigo then began to drive away the hollow, freeing Orihime from Soras grasped. Orihime sat in stunned silence. "Brother" she said in melancholy.
Sora than swatted away Ichigo as he also spotted Tatsuki and jealousy swelled up deep within him. He struck her across her back leaving bloody marks upon her back. "Sora, Why!" shouted Orihime as she saw him attack her friends. "Why? WHY?! It's because you stopped praying for me, so I will get rid of all your distractions!" he roared.
As he was fighting Ichigo, who came to save Tatsuki, Sora also exclaimed "As soon as they entered your life you only talk about them!" he shouted as Ichigo was able to finally land hits on the hollows body, leaving obvious wounds. Sora, growing tired and filling with anger, swats ichigo away feeling him akin to a buzzing fly. "You always get in the way! I am the one who protected her from monsters we called our parents! I took care of her, now she only thinks about you!" shouted Sora as he quickly shifted his posture and lunged at his true target, his darling little sister. Before he could deliver a decisive blow, Kaname took action.
Weaving a spell into his flute, he began to try and temper the resentment of Sora. Sora struggled but was ultimately bound by the spell Kaname conjured with his sweet yet eerie music. His eyes was full of anger, though what happened next shocked him. He felt the tender embrace of his younger sister. "I'm sorry that you feel forgotten. I just didn't want to just dwell on sad memories which could make you sad. So I told you the good moments in my life and all the good people I met. I never meant to forget you Sora" cried Orihime as she sunk deep into his chest, leaving even Sora in tears. "Are you mad at me?" asked Sora. "I feel angry at what you did, but I cannot hate you. I love you brother" said Orihime in a sweet voice which could turn even the hardest of criminals.
"I'm sorry" muttered Sora as he slumped down. He felt regretfully and his energy seemingly have left him. "See, she just wanted to protect you yet you ended up hurting her" said Kaname. "I known, I know but I can't move on unless she is safe" said Sora as Kaname gave a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, she has protection. So rest in piece so she will be at peace" said Kaname as he motioned Ichigo over. "Are you ready?" asked Ichigo, his zanpakuto ready for battle. "Yes" said Sora, his eyes resolute and his will as firm as steel. "As you wish" said Ichigo as he swung his zanpakuto, purifying the evil which has corrupted its soul sending it off to the seireitei, the soul society.
"Ichigo, I have a question" said Orihime. "Is there an afterlife?" she asked curiously. "Yeah, but where he will end up is paradise, not the ever burning flames of hell" he muttered as the night drew to a close.