Their True Feelings

Hu carried the Hollow, three times the size of a person, as he sped through the night using Shunpo.

Moonlight shone on his face, and sweat trickled down his temples. The Hollow was heavier than he had expected, and using Reishi to support it was taking a considerable toll, but he didn't dare slow down. It was already late, and his skill in Kidō was still rudimentary. If he didn't hurry back to the Fon Clan before the Hollow woke up, it really might go out of control and hurt someone, just as those two Soul Reapers had said.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from ahead.

Hu instinctively slowed down and looked closely. A figure was running toward him from the riverbank, panting for breath.

It was Shimizu.

Hu stopped and landed in the middle of the road.

Shimizu had been running so fast that by the time he saw the dark figure suddenly appear ahead of him, he couldn't stop. He swerved to the side and nearly fell into the roadside grass.

"Damn—!"

He flailed as he regained his balance, then looked up and froze.

Under the moonlight, Hu stood before him with the enormous Hollow slung over his shoulder.

Shimizu opened his mouth, then closed it. He closed it, then opened it again.

"...What are you...?"

Hu tilted his head. "What's wrong?"

"You're asking me what's wrong?!" Shimizu pointed at the Hollow. "Why are you carrying it?!"

"To take it back, of course."

"Back where?"

"To the Fon Clan."

Shimizu fell silent.

He looked at Hu, then at the Hollow, then back at Hu, then back at the Hollow.

"Uh..."

Shimizu was a little confused. The Hollow had just been trying to squash them to death, and now Hu was carrying it back. Shimizu had run off to find someone to deal with it, and now he had sent someone over, but the Hollow hadn't been killed. He was thoroughly confused.

"The Soul Reapers stationed here should have gotten there first. Did you miss them?"

Hu shook his head. "I ran into them."

Shimizu: 0_0?

He looked at Hu.

"Are you okay?"

Hu shook his head. "I'm fine."

"Then why didn't you leave the Hollow to them?"

Hu wasn't sure how to explain. The Hollow clearly hadn't been corroded into one in the world of the living; it had been transformed in Soul Society. This wasn't an ordinary situation. Something was going on, but he couldn't tell Shimizu about it.

Hu's brain was a little overloaded. He wasn't good at lying and didn't know what to say, so he scratched his head in distress.

Shimizu saw Hu carrying the Hollow with one hand and scratching his head and ears with the other, looking like a worried monkey, and found it somewhat funny. He realized something was probably going on and that it wasn't convenient to let him know, so he didn't press further. "All right, if you're no good at thinking, don't force it. You might hurt yourself. I won't ask anymore. It's something serious, right? Then hurry along. I'll head back to the dorm on my own today. Oh, I forgot to tell you something. Keiko and I bought a property on the street next to the Fon Clan, and we're planning to move in. The housewarming feast is in seven days. Don't forget to come have a drink."

The moment Shimizu said he wouldn't press further, Hu felt as if he'd been granted a reprieve. He was about to thank him and continue on his way, but the rest of what he said annoyed him. Something this important, and this guy had waited until now to mention it?

He flashed behind Shimizu and kicked him in the backside, nearly sending him flying.

"Some friend you are! How could you forget to tell me something like that until now?!" He resumed running with Shunpo, calling back, "Don't worry, your buddy will definitely be there. Say hello to Keiko for me when you get back..."

Shimizu rubbed his backside, which was nearly swollen, and a complicated feeling welled up in him. He enjoyed joking around with Hu, who often messed around with him when he needed it most and helped relieve his stress. He knew there wasn't much he could do to help right now. It didn't feel good to be so useless...

"That guy really doesn't know when to hold back. That kick hurt."

Shimizu stood where he was, watching Hu's figure disappear into the night.

But the hand he was holding against his backside slowly clenched into a fist behind him:

I need to get stronger faster.

I can't just stand by and watch every time.

That was what Shimizu thought, and his Reiatsu slowly began to gather, forming a small cyclone around him...

Late night • Fon Clan

Hu returned to the Fon Clan carrying the Hollow. Standing at the gate, he suddenly remembered a problem—

Which part of the Fon Clan grounds did the Onmitsukidō usually operate in?

He didn't know.

During the day, the Onmitsukidō were like shadows, appearing when they were supposed to and nowhere to be seen when they weren't. At night, it went without saying.

Hu hesitated at the gate, then decided to go inside first.

So, carrying the Hollow that was three times the size of a person, he began wandering around the back courtyard.

In the moonlight, a figure carrying something enormous moved back and forth between the corridors and courtyards, occasionally stopping to look around before changing direction and continuing on.

The sight was bizarre no matter how one looked at it.

The first person to notice him was an attendant on night patrol.

The attendant was yawning as he made his rounds when he suddenly saw a huge shadow moving ahead. He was so startled that he nearly dropped his lantern.

"Who's there?!"

Hu turned around and gave him an awkward smile. "It's me..."

The attendant saw who it was and breathed a sigh of relief. Then his eyes fell on the Hollow over Hu's shoulder, and he caught his breath again.

"...Lord Ye Xing, what are you...?"

"Uh, I'm looking for the Onmitsukidō." Hu scratched his head. "Do you know where they are?"

The attendant silently shook his head, dumbstruck.

Hu thanked him and continued farther in.

The attendant stood there without moving for a long while.

After a while, he silently took the communication talisman from his waist and sent a message to the colleague coming to relieve him:

"Lord Ye Xing is carrying something huge and looking for the Onmitsukidō... He seems to have urgent business..."

After sending the message, he stood there a while longer.

"How would attendants like us know where the Onmitsukidō are? Lord Ye Xing is always acting on a whim. At times like this, all you have to do is smile," someone replied through the communication talisman.

Hu wandered around the back courtyard for nearly another quarter of an hour.

Along the way, he ran into several attendants on night patrol. Every one of them smiled at him, and every one shook his head.

Hu felt as though he had nearly searched the entire Fon Clan.

Just then, a familiar voice came from behind him.

"Ye Xing?"

Hu turned around.

In the moonlight, Sakiro stood a short distance away, her arms folded across her chest as though she were looking at a genius.

Hu was relieved.

"Instructor Sakiro! Thank goodness! Do you know where the Onmitsukidō are?"

Sakiro looked at him, then at the Hollow on his shoulder.

Silence.

A long silence.

"...You're carrying a Hollow around looking for the Onmitsukidō?"

"Yeah."

"In the middle of the night."

"Yeah."

"By wandering around the Fon Clan and asking the guards you run into?"

"Uh... Yeah."

Sakiro took a deep breath, then slowly let it out.

"Follow me."

She turned and walked away at a brisk pace.

Hu hurried after her.

After a few steps, Sakiro asked without looking back, "Where did this Hollow come from?"

"I fished it out of the river."

Sakiro paused.

"Huh?"

"Yeah." Hu nodded. "It jumped out of the river while we were fishing."

Sakiro was silent for a while, then continued walking.

"How did its mask get broken?"

"I broke it."

"And then? Why didn't you deal with it on the spot?"

"Then..." Hu considered his words. "After its mask broke, it regained its humanity. It said some troubling things."

"What did it say?"

Hu fell silent for a moment.

"About how he became a Hollow in Soul Society."

Sakiro stopped and turned to look at him. A sharp glint flashed in her eyes. She stared at him for a few seconds, then turned and continued walking.

"We'll talk when we get there."

Sakiro led Hu to an inconspicuous door deep in the back courtyard.

She reached out and knocked three times, paused, then knocked twice more.

The door opened soundlessly, revealing a dim passage beyond.

"Come in."

Hu followed her inside.

At the end of the passage was a spacious underground chamber. Several people in Onmitsukidō uniforms were putting equipment in order, and they all stopped what they were doing when Sakiro entered.

"Instructor Sakiro?"

Sakiro stepped aside, revealing Hu behind her.

Hu stood there awkwardly, carrying the Hollow.

The Onmitsukidō members looked at the Hollow, their expressions gradually turning peculiar.

"This is..."

"Ye Xing brought it back," Sakiro said. "It needs to be confined."

The Onmitsukidō member in charge stepped forward without asking any questions. He waved his hand, and several members came forward, took the Hollow from Hu's shoulder, and carefully carried it into a cell farther inside.

Hu breathed a sigh of relief and rolled his aching shoulders.

Sakiro stood beside him and asked, "What did it say after it regained its humanity?"

Hu thought for a moment, then repeated what the middle-aged man had said. After hearing him out, Sakiro nearly lost control of her expression, and her body trembled slightly.

"That's all?"

"Yeah. After that, I used Bakudō to knock it unconscious for the time being."

Sakiro nodded.

"I'll report this," she said.

She turned to leave, but stopped again after a few steps.

"Go back and get some rest. Her Highness will probably come and question you tomorrow."

Hu froze. "Shouldn't this be reported to Captain Soi Fon of the Second Division? Some bastards in Soul Society are turning ordinary souls into Hollows! Shaoling is just a girl; she can't handle this!" He stood there. He had seen the original anime and knew Aizen was behind this. It would be very dangerous for the Fon Clan alone; the whole Fon Clan in Bamboo Creek Plain might be wiped out. Maybe the reason Soi Fon didn't have a younger sister in the original story was that she had investigated this? He also knew that, at his current strength, provoking Aizen was courting death! If Soi Fon knew, she could at least report it to the Captain-Commander and make Aizen a little wary.

Shakiro looked at Hu's anxious expression and suddenly found it rather amusing. The boy seemed not to know that their leader was Soi Fon. He was so worried—could it be that he felt something for their leader...?

At that thought, Shakiro could hardly keep herself from smiling like a doting aunt. She said to Hu, "What, are you worried?"

"Of course I'm worried! What kind of decent person would dare do something like this?! It's too dangerous for Shaoling to investigate! How can that Soi Fon let her own sister stand in front of her... Ugh..."

As Hu's words grew more and more outrageous, the Onmitsukidō members around them began giving him dangerous looks. Shakiro used Shunpo to move forward and planted a kick on Hu's face, sending him flying a long way.

"Yexing Hu! Watch your mouth! Saying those things without knowing what kind of person Captain Soi Fon is practically amounts to slander. And dismissing Princess Shaoling's abilities without a second thought is an insult to her too! Get back to your room and reflect on yourself!"

Shakiro hadn't held back this time. Half of Hu's face was nearly numb, and his nose was bleeding, but he stubbornly climbed to his feet and glared at her. He thought that no matter how capable Fon Shaoling was, it wouldn't help against Aizen. Shakiro was almost at a loss for words. Just then, she saw a pink figure behind Hu, and the surrounding Onmitsukidō members also noticed the figure's arrival.

"Are you really that worried about her?" Shakiro continued.

"Of course I'm worried about her!" That was all Hu could say. He couldn't give his reasons; casually accusing a captain would cause trouble. Besides, Aizen was so good at putting on an act that no one would believe him anyway. They would only take it as a joke.

"Don't you believe in my princess's abilities?"

"Of course that's not it! Shaoling takes time to teach me Kidō every day while handling clan affairs. She's been looking after me ever since I came to Soul Society, helping me fit into this world, giving me a name, and guiding me onto the path of becoming a Soul Reaper. Without her, I might have already turned into Reishi scattered across the sky somewhere. How could I not believe in her abilities?!" As Hu thought of everything Fon Shaoling had done for him, he gradually got carried away.

"She may be a princess, but she's approachable, and she's held in high regard in Bamboo Creek Plain. Just look at the souls living here, and you can tell she's a good princess. Look at the Fon Clan's attendants, and you can tell she's a good clan head. But being capable and being able to fight are two different things. She wouldn't be facing some street thugs or nobles looking to line their pockets through underhanded tricks, but a bunch of maniacs who want to turn souls into Hollows!"

"What if she's ambushed? Who knows how many Hollows the enemy has? What if she's surrounded by them? What if she's infected and undergoes Hollowfication? Why make a young girl like her deal with fighting? When I first met her, she was a cute, innocent girl who only started by reprimanding a bunch of villains!"

When he said "cute and innocent," most of the Onmitsukidō members apart from Shakiro looked as though they could hardly believe what they'd heard. Was their leader cute? Innocent? It was fine to call her strong, resilient, or beautiful, but cute and innocent? There had to be something wrong with this boy's head.

Shakiro, however, smiled. "So you're afraid the princess will get hurt?"

"Of course I'm afraid she'll get hurt!" Hu's mind was racing in desperation, but he couldn't find a reason that would convince her to change whom she reported to. Thinking and talking at the same time really was too much for him.

"Why are you so afraid she'll get hurt?" Seeing Hu's expression, Shakiro had a feeling she was about to hear an interesting answer.

"Because I like her!" Hu's brain shut down the moment the words left his mouth, and Shakiro's smile grew even wider.

The surrounding Onmitsukidō members had already thought there was something wrong with the boy's head, but now they thought he was a true warrior.

And the graceful pink figure behind Hu vanished in an instant.

Seeing Hu's pig brain overload and shut down completely, Shakiro finally couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.

"Hahaha... Is that so... You like her?... Is that right?... So you like her?... Hahaha... I see... Hahaha..." Shakiro composed herself and said,

"But, Hu, if you really like her, you shouldn't shut her away behind you. She no longer wants to be kept in the background, a princess who can't do anything..."

At that, Shakiro's eyes grew a little desolate.

"If you force her to stay shut away, she'll hate you. If you really like her, get stronger and walk alongside her. If you're afraid she'll get hurt, then get stronger. Stay by her side until no danger can harm her in the slightest..."

Seeing that Hu still wore the same stunned expression, Shakiro sighed. Feeling that the boy probably still hadn't recovered, she pointed out two Onmitsukidō members and told them to drag him back to his room. After watching Hu being dragged away, she flashed toward Fon Shaoling's office.

The light was still on in Fon Shaoling's office.

She sat at her desk, a report in her hand, but none of the information in it sank in.

Footsteps sounded outside the door, followed by a gentle knock.

"Come in."

Fon Shaoling said, pretending to be calm.

Sakiro pushed the door open and knelt on one knee before her.

"Leader."

Fon Shaoling put down the report. Her porcelain-doll face was still slightly flushed as she said, "Go on. What exactly has that guy Hu been up to?"

Seeing the leader pretending nothing had happened, Sakiro felt playful. "What happened? Didn't you hear it all, Leader?"

Fon Shaoling's face immediately turned bright red. She leaped out of her chair and waved both hands up and down. "I meant what happened before that idiot started running his mouth! How did things end up like that?"

Shakiro smiled and gave a full account of what had just happened—how Hu had returned in the middle of the night carrying a Hollow and wandered around the Fon Clan, and how she had gone to find out what was happening and asked about what the Hollow had said after its mask broke.

After listening, Fon Shaoling gradually got back into work mode.

Her fingers tapped lightly on the desk.

Once, then again.

"Where's that Hollow now?"

"In the underground cells. Same as the twenty-seven from Sizhuzhai."

Fon Shaoling nodded.

Sakiro waited for her to continue.

Fon Shaoling stood, walked over to the window, and pushed it open.

The night breeze blew in, carrying the rustle of bamboo leaves.

"Someone has restarted the Hollowfication Experiment in or near Bamboo Creek Plain." Her voice was calm, but beneath that calm lay a certain heaviness. "And judging by the incident at Sizhuzhai, they may have already made some breakthroughs in their experiments."

Sakiro remained silent.

Fon Shaoling turned and looked at her.

"Shakiro... Sister Kiro... the people who drove Yoruichi away a hundred years ago have started making moves again."

Shakiro looked up. The anger and resentment in Fon Shaoling's eyes were directed both at their enemies and at the woman they had once admired most. Over the past century, Shakiro had watched that resentment gradually grow and twist Fon Shaoling, but there had been nothing she could do.

"Shaoling..."

Fon Shaoling returned to her desk and sat down again, her gaze falling on the report on it. It was an analysis of the condition of the twenty-seven Hollows in custody. Ever since Hu had explained that Jiku'a's ability to separate Hollows required a certain proportion of a Plus's Reiatsu to remain, Fon Shaoling had been trying to increase the proportion of Plus Reiatsu in those twenty-seven Hollows, hoping to improve their chances of survival. But she could wait no longer. She needed information—the location of those people's testing ground, what the people who had started the Hollowfication Experiment looked like, even the slightest clue would do. She decided to interrogate the Hollow Hu had captured today first, and then the other twenty-seven...

"Tomorrow," she said. "I need to talk to Hu."

Shakiro waited for her to continue.

Fon Shaoling was silent for a while before she spoke.

"We can't wait any longer with those twenty-seven Hollows, either." Her voice was very soft.

Shakiro understood.

"Are you planning to have Hu begin the separation tomorrow?"

Fon Shaoling nodded.

Sakiro fell silent for a moment, then asked a crucial question.

"But some of those twenty-seven have already undergone extensive Hollowfication. If they're separated..."

The office fell so quiet that only their breathing could be heard.

A long time passed before Fon Shaoling spoke, her eyes red from staring.

"I know."

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

Moonlight streamed through the window, falling on Fon Shaoling's face and revealing a trace of guilt beneath her calm expression, as well as a hidden hint of something twisted.

She looked up at the bamboo grove outside the window.

"Tomorrow... I'll talk to him. If what he said today was all true, then he'll certainly agree..."

Hearing this, Shakiro felt something was wrong. She thought Fon Shaoling's approach of putting Hu on the spot this way was terrible, and immediately said, "In that case, Leader, could you allow me to try speaking to him first tomorrow morning? Perhaps I can help him prepare himself."

"Mm, that's fine too. Having another person say it will be more persuasive."