It was night.
In a dark warehouse in a certain part of Karakura Town, figures sitting in various places were talking with each other.
"You were supposed to be here, Hiyori," The blond Visored said to the small, blonde girl wearing a white shirt with a skull and a pink sash.
The said girl glared back. "What did ya say?" Hiyori spat.
"You know, being a part of the team, we should stick together and-"
"Shut your trap, Shinji!" The girl named Hiyori kicked him in the face. "Stop actin' so bossy, I don't need yer permission!"
Shinji's nose bled, his eyes turned into a whirlpool. He fell on his back while holding his nose and groaning. "UWAAAA!"
Kensei sighed. He had seen this happen a hundred times before. It's like watching a rerun of some sitcom.
"Now, now... You don't need to hit Shinji like that." Hachi, a large guy with a big smile on his face, said in a calming voice.
Hiyori ignored him and kicked Shinji once again, making him roll away and crash into the wall.
A girl with long black hair, glasses, and wearing sailor uniform clicked her tongue and closed her book. She looked at them with a scowl.
"Focus." She said, turning her gaze toward an orange-haired boy struggling to escape from the ropes binding him to a chair. "It's about time."
"Hmmm!!"
Staring at them with a deathly gaze was none other than Kurosaki Ichigo. His eyes were sharp, his mouth was bound by a cloth and his face showed rage and hatred toward them.
His left eye was still turning black, a sign that hollowfication was still happening.
Ichigo couldn't talk or move his head. He could only glare at the strange group in front of him.
"Oooh, he is quite pissed. Hmhm." Shinji grinned, "I can't wait to see his face after we do the deed."
"Shut up, Shinji." Lisa said, annoyed at his antics. She turned her attention to the boy tied up on the chair, and stared at him intently.
Ichigo stared back, trying his best to understand what these people wanted. After all, the last thing he saw before passing out was Grimmjow's fist.
How did he end up here? What was this situation?
And more importantly, where was Shirou?
'Damn! I don't know anything about this!'
The last memory was when Grimmjow punched him, and he was sure that it would be deadly. However, he woke up tied up and in this warehouse.
"Hey, Ichigo. We met again. Don't you remember me?" The blond guy grinned at him.
Ichigo stared back and frowned deeply.
Of course he remembered. There was no way he would forget the strange transfer student who had a zanpakutou and hollow mask that easily.
The one and only, Hirako Shinji.
"Oops, you can't speak, eh? Let's take off your gag." He said as he moved forward and took the cloth off his mouth.
As soon as he removed it, Ichigo immediately spoke.
"You-"
BAM!
"AGH!" He was interrupted by Hiyori, who kicked him right in the face.
Hiyori then stomped her foot on his head, "Don't get too excited! You're just a freaking newbie who's about to lose control over your hollow. Shut up and listen to us, idiot!"
"H-hey! What the heck did you-"
"SHUT UP!!!" She kicked him once again, shutting Ichigo up.
Shinji watched this while rubbing his nose and rolling his eyes while Kensei sighed at this scene.
Love and Mashiro, who sat on top of a steel container, watched everything unfold. The latter laughed and pointed at Ichigo, who got his ass handed to him by a short girl.
"Hehehe, are we playing a villain now? Can I be the next to hit him? I want to bully him, too."
"No. Stay quiet, Mashiro. This is not something that you can get involved with." Love shook his head, smiling slightly. He looked at the rest of the group. They all seemed to have their own opinion about this.
Meanwhile, Ichigo still couldn't believe that this little girl was so violent toward him. She looked so cute and tiny, but she was strong enough to beat him down.
"Hey, Hiyori! That's enough! Stop it already!"
"Shut up! This is all your fault, stupid Shinji!"
Shinji, who was supposed to be the leader of the Visoreds, didn't seem to be respected by anyone. He scratched his head and looked away awkwardly. "I know it is my fault."
Kensei, the silver-haired Visored, had a stern look on his face. He looked at Ichigo as if he were a piece of meat that would soon become a meal. "So? Are we starting?"
"Yes, yes." Shinji nodded, looking serious. He looked at Ichigo and grinned widely. "We will help you with your hollowfication problem. So be ready."
"Tch!" Ichigo clicked his tongue. "You are all just like those guys, no? Trying to trick me and turn me into a pawn for your plan. Why would I believe anything that comes out of your mouth?"
Shinji shrugged, "I don't expect you to trust us, Kurosaki-san. But do you think you will be able to deal with your problem by yourself? It's exhausting and extremely dangerous, and even with the best efforts, you can't guarantee that you'll be able to overcome this."
The Visored continued, "It will eat away at your mind and soul, consuming everything you hold dear and making it into its own. It's a horrible process, one which no human should ever have to experience. You need help, and you need it quickly. Otherwise..." He trailed off.
Ichigo gritted his teeth and stared at the floor.
He couldn't deny it.
There was no point in lying to himself. The truth was obvious. The power that had consumed his body earlier was a Hollow, and if left unchecked, it would devour him. That's why he was afraid of it and wanted to avoid it as much as possible.
Everyday, the whisper became worse and worse.
If this went on, then he'd be swallowed up sooner rather than later. Losing control of his mind and body, leading him to mindless rampage that could endanger everyone around him. And he knew it. He had experienced it firsthand.
Even this stage was a gamble.
Ichigo was desperate, but it wasn't enough to just stop thinking about it. Even though he knew that he needed help, there was nothing he could do.
That was why he felt helpless. It was frustrating and painful to know that he could only watch as his life crumbled before his very eyes. But there was nothing he could do about it.
"What if we say we can help?" Shinji said, "You know what is happening, don't you? The power you felt when fighting against Yammy... that is a part of you, and if it's left uncontrolled, you will die. No, probably you will wish to die."
Shinji paused and stared at Ichigo. The teen looked back, and the Visored nodded.
Gritting his teeth, Ichigo's eyes narrowed as he clenched his fists behind his back. He felt a sense of unease rise from within him.
It wasn't that he was worried for himself. He knew that whatever these people planned on doing would have consequences, and that they might be terrible ones at that.
He glanced around at them once again and then looked down. "What's going to happen?"
"You will be fighting against your inner hollow," Lisa answered, putting down her book for a second. "You might die from it, but if you don't... then congratulations, you can control it."
Ichigo's frown deepened.
Alright, that made him interested. But he still didn't know who they were and what kind of people they were.
One thing he knew was the blonde girl wearing a tracksuit in front of him was trying to seek death. She kicked him twice. Right on the face on top of that!
"Wow, what a scowl. You really aren't similar to your brother at all." Shinji said as he looked at him. He chuckled a bit, "Don't worry, it will be easy. All you have to do is beat the shit out of the Hollow within you."
"Beat him?" Ichigo asked. "How?"
"How? It's simple." Shinji's grin widened, "You fight it until it stops moving. If you win, great! If you lose, then too bad! You're gonna die."
"What?!"
"Did I stutter?" Shinji shrugged. "I guess not. So... Hachi!"
"Alright."
The large guy clapped his hand and Ichigo's seal began to loosen. He was freed from his restraints and was able to move again.
"What-"
"Too slow." Hiyori raised her hand and brought it down, creating a hollow with one horn at the center of its head. She grabbed her sword and increased her reiatsu.
Putting on her mask, Hiyori's voice became distorted like a hollow, "If you hold back, you will die."
With that, she disappeared from where she stood and appeared right next to him. Without a moment of hesitation, she kicked him.
Ichigo couldn't even react. One second, she was in front of him, the next, he was sent flying by the kick.
He flew for a few meters before he crashed against the steel container with a loud crashing sound.
Hiyori raised her chin arrogantly and looked down on him. "Let's start."