The Darkness In Our Hearts (TDiOH Bk1)

Chapter 25: Hollowfication

"What's that supposed to mean?" I argued. "I want to be a soul-" The end of the cane stabbed through my forehead, forcing my soul out. Grunting, my arms windmilled to keep me upright, but my head went light and I collapsed to the ground, head spinning.

"You just couldn't wait for me to finish my sentence," I grumbled, sitting up slowly. My head throbbed, blurry eyesight alighting on my crumpled gigai and the serious expression on Urahara's face.

"I didn't really want to do this in front of Ichigo; that's why he's inside the shattered shaft at the moment," Urahara explained in a quiet voice.

"What the hell are you going on about?" I asked, getting to my feet.

"Kera, what happens to a soul with no chain?"

Startled, I glanced at my chest, patting myself and checking. No chain, but no hole as well. I let out a slight bark of laughter, more a release of the tension in my shoulders, before I stood. "I'm a soul reaper?" I asked happily.

"No."

That single word cut through me like a knife. "What do you mean, no?" I watched Urahara as he raised his left hand and pointing at the base of his throat.

My fingers groped until they rested at the edge of something circular. Fear clouded my mind as I ran a finger around the edge, hoping that it was all a trick. A small circle, not as big as the other's I had seen on Hollows, but exactly the same in its form.

"Get ready for the fight of your life, Kera," Urahara muttered, just as pain exploded in my head.

Shrieking, I dropped to my knees, eyes squeezed shut. The pain was like a thousand needles, all puncturing my skull, stabbing through my nerves, rendering me immobile. Hands on my head, my gag reflex kicked in and before I knew it I was vomiting. But whatever I was vomiting was coating my arms, my face, dripping down the front of my shirt.

I peeled my eyes opened long enough for me to see the white liquid pouring from my mouth, coating my elbows, my lower limbs. Screaming in fear, I wretched my hands off my head, the sound of cracking clay in my ears before shards of Hollow bone rained down. My hands were being coated in the liquid, which flowed and waved over my body.

Leaping to my feet, I tried wiping it off, trying to get the awful stuff out of my mouth, but to no avail. It just kept coming, followed by laughter and Urahara's muffled words. Suddenly, every sound was like I was hearing it underwater and the white liquid was hardening on my face, before a thin film of it covered my eyes and my world went dark.

~

"Ah, it's been such a long time."

My eyes blinked opened slowly, my whole body numb. I felt as if I had no control as I stood, eyesight wavering before focusing on Urahara before me. I wanted to ask what had happened but my mouth and tongue were heavy.

Panicked, I wiggled my fingers but even the feeling wasn't coming through. Desperate, I tried to look down, to move my head; but I had no control.

Someone laughed, a voice not unlike mine, but harsher and regal. "Come now, Kera. Don't fight me; after all, I'm the one who's going to purge the world of feeble minded weaklings such as these ones."

I could faintly feel my lips moving, could hear a voice loud and clear in my ears. But it wasn't mine and never would be.

"Kera, can you hear me?" Urahara called out.

"Yes, yes, I can hear you!" I shouted, but Urahara's stare never changed besides the guarded look he held.

The other voice using my mouth laughed again. "Oh, it's wonderful to hear you trying to make yourself heard, Kera. Although an impossible task, to tell you the truth."

A coldness swept through me as my arms lifted into the air, my eyes watching my hands move and fingers bending and straightening. My arms were coated in white Hollow bone, jagged and pointed in places, while more crept slowly towards my fingers.

No. Oh no. No, this can't be happening.

"I'm afraid it is, Kera."

"I thought as much," Urahara said and an echo of his voice filtered in my mind. He had said those same words when the pain had erupted and white liquid had poured from my mouth. "Kera's soul is slowly being devoured, isn't it?"

"Slowly being devoured?" the voice mocked in a harsh tone. "I give it several minutes before she's gone and what was left of her soul reaper powers to be absorbed into my new body."

"Who the hell are you?" I shouted at the voice, struggling for control. It was useless, no matter what I tried.

"Who am I? Really, Kera. I've been speaking to you for weeks now and you can't even tell who I am?"

I froze in my attempts, dread filling my stomach. "The Blue Dragon?" I whispered, eyes widening.

"Yes, the Blue Dragon. But I have a name. It's ...."

I didn't catch her name, for it was muffled. "What?"

The dragon was silent. "I guess you're too deaf to hear my name; all the more reason to devour your soul and get on with the task I had been given."

"What do you mean 'task'?" I shouted at her. She took a step forward. "No, wait! What are you doing?" I tried to dig my heels into the ground, but she was too strong, controlling my body, while I was basically a voice floating inside the confines of my own skin.

"A man came to me once before," she spoke, heading towards Urahara steadily, while he stood his ground, raising his cane in defence. "Came singing words of deliciousness at me," she purred. "He said I could have all the souls in the world if I helped him." She paused, metres from Urahara. "I agreed and before I knew it, I was forced into the body of a weakling," she snarled. "Forced to hide in the confines of a female soul reaper's body, whose whole existence was, and still is, based around a crumbling fortress of lies and fakes."

"What are you going on about?" I asked, but the answer was already before me.

"She thought the sword she held was hers, until her world fractured into shards and she fled like a coward to another world. Where she met a man who will ruin everything I've been working for."

Me. She's talking about me.

My life is all... a... lie?

"You must have been waiting a long time," Urahara commented and the blue dragon snapped her focus back on him, snarling. "I bet you thought that I wouldn't notice the twisted spiritual pressure growing like a disease inside a gigai of my own creation."

"Shut it, Kisuke," she growled, a hand raised into the sky, palm opened, fingers like claws due to the Hollow liquid. "I don't care if you realised I existed; maybe it's great that you knew who I was. That way, when I kill you, my name will be the last thing to leave your lips."

A/N: 

So how are all my readers enjoying the story so far? 

This is a shorter chapter than the rest, but I assure you, more is to come. Please (PLEASE) comment on what you think so far of the story, tell me if it's boring or exciting and engaging - speak to me! I don't mind comments, even if they are negative as they can help.

If you are really enjoying the story, go and hit that little star in the top right corner - yes, you know the one I mean. I can see you staring at it XD 

~Anyway, goodbye for now!~