The Unexpected

The weather was fair that day, a rare occurrence, and even the flow of Reishi seemed a little smoother than usual.

The three younger members of the group volunteered to go to the river and try their luck again with the crude fishing net Liu Hao had improved.

Liu Hao, Renji, and Rukia, meanwhile, headed as planned to another, relatively "prosperous" district to carry out a "supply mission" that was familiar to them but always fraught with danger.

The trip went more smoothly than expected. Perhaps the weather had made people careless; they managed to obtain some flatbread and a few pieces of fruit that looked fairly fresh. With their haul in hand and their spirits a little lighter, the three were hurrying back along a familiar, secluded path.

Just as they approached the wasteland connecting the river to their home, Liu Hao abruptly stopped.

An extremely faint sensation gripped him, sending a chill up his spine in an instant. It came neither from the food in his hands nor from the path ahead, but faintly from the direction of the river... a warped fluctuation of Reiatsu, tinged with greed and malice, and... the familiar presences of their companions, suddenly weak and disordered!

"Something's... happened at the river!" Liu Hao's expression changed. With scarcely a moment's hesitation, he shoved the food he had just acquired into Rukia's arms and growled, "Don't follow too fast. Be careful!" Before he had finished speaking, he was already sprinting toward the riverbank like an arrow loosed from a bow, far faster than he had ever shown himself capable of.

Renji and Rukia were stunned by his sudden reaction, but in the next moment, alarm flashed in both their eyes.

Having escaped death several times thanks to Liu Hao's almost instinctive sense of danger, they trusted it! Without a word, they dropped their things and immediately raced after him as fast as they could, their hearts sinking. Liu Hao had never been so frantic before.

The wind howled past his ears, and wild grass scraped painfully against his skin, but Liu Hao paid it no heed.

His senses were clearer than ever, and crueler than ever. Of the three familiar Reiatsu signatures, one had gone out completely and dispersed, like a candle flame snuffed out in the wind. Of the other two, one was weakening rapidly, like a spark about to be swallowed by darkness; the other was filled with desperate struggle and rage, yet was also like a small boat in raging waves, ready to capsize at any moment.

No! No! Faster! Even faster! The scream in his heart nearly burst from his throat. He hated this seemingly useless body and the sudden sense of powerlessness. Those children were bonds he had built bit by bit since coming to this world, a faint warmth in the cold Rukongai.

When he finally burst through the last thicket and the riverbank came into view, Liu Hao's pupils shrank to pinpoints, and his blood seemed to freeze.

Under the bleak daylight, the river still flowed, yet reflected not a trace of life. An ugly Hollow, seemingly cobbled together from a ragged cloth doll and deathly pale bones, opened its mouth full of sharp teeth in a soundless sneer.

In one claw, sharp and thin as a dead branch, it tightly gripped a small, scrawny figure: Kosuke, the quietest of their group, a boy who always liked to follow Rukia around and imitate her expressions. Kosuke's face was ashen, and pale golden motes of light continuously spilled from the corner of his mouth—a sign that his soul had been grievously damaged and was beginning to disperse. His eyes stared blankly at the sky; he had already lost consciousness.

Another child, Kenta, the most rash of them but also the most loyal, ran around the Hollow with bloodshot eyes like a crazed young beast. He shouted and desperately hurled stones at its enormous body, trying to draw its attention and save Kosuke.

Yet his attacks failed to stir so much as a ripple when they struck the Hollow. The Hollow did not even bother to look at him. With eyes full of malice and mockery, it merely watched the life drain from the "prey" in its hand and the futile struggle of the "insect" at its feet.

As for the presence of their third companion, Ogawa... it had vanished completely. Not even a trace of his Reishi could be sensed, and his fate was all too clear.

The sight seared the depths of Liu Hao's soul like a red-hot branding iron. Boundless fury, overwhelming remorse, and utter hatred for his own helplessness instantly swept away the dam of his reason.

"You bastard!!!"

A roar erupted, not from his throat, but from the depths of his soul, shaking the entire riverbank! At the same time, an indescribably terrifying Reiatsu erupted like a slumbering volcano, spreading violently outward from Liu Hao!

Renji and Rukia, still racing toward him, felt as though they had run headlong into an invisible but immensely solid wall of air. Their bodies stiffened instantly, pinned in place by that pure, violent Reiatsu, filled with the will to destroy. Unable to move even a finger, they stared in bewildered horror. Was that... Liu Hao?!

Even the Hollow, which had been playing with its prey, jerked its head around! For the first time, the mockery in its eyes gave way to shock, suspicion, and a trace of instinctive wariness. The Reiatsu was violent and chaotic, far less concentrated and orderly than that of the Soul Reapers it had encountered, but the "quality" it contained and the sheer fury within it made the Hollow sense a hint of danger.

That momentary distraction was all it took!

Liu Hao's figure blurred where he stood, his eyes bloodshot, as though flames burned deep within them! There was no technique, no method—only the savage power that had erupted in full, power even he could not understand, poured into his legs and concentrated in his fist! Like a human cannonball, he shot straight at the arm holding Kosuke!

Crack!!!

A grating crack rang out, the sound of breaking bone mixed with a spirit body breaking apart! The Hollow's seemingly sturdy arm was punched clean through by Liu Hao's furious blow! No blood flowed from the break, only thick black Reishi and shattered white bone spraying in every direction.

Liu Hao caught Kosuke as he fell from the Hollow's claw and landed lightly. The child in his arms was almost weightless and cold, his Reishi dispersing fast enough to be seen with the naked eye. The pale golden "blood" at the corner of his mouth stung Liu Hao's eyes. He was still alive, but his soul was on the verge of breaking apart completely.

"Aaagh!!!" The agony of its severed arm drew a piercing howl from the Hollow. Its massive body staggered backward, making the ground tremble. The eyes it turned on Liu Hao were now filled with nothing but rage and murderous intent.

Renji and Rukia finally recovered a little of their ability to move under the crushing Reiatsu, but the sight before them left their minds blank. Liu Hao, who always planned calmly, taught them how to survive, and claimed to have "no Reiryoku," had... broken a Hollow's arm with one punch?!

"Watch... out..." Rukia forced the warning from her throat.

The Hollow, enduring its pain, suddenly opened its great mouth. Scarlet light began to gather and compress wildly in its throat, giving off a terrifyingly destructive fluctuation—a Cero!

"Get out of the way!! Liu Hao!!" Renji roared hoarsely and tried to rush over, only to be pushed back again by the residual Reiatsu generated as the Cero gathered.

The dazzling red light stung everyone's eyes. Destructive energy was about to erupt!

Liu Hao gently laid Kosuke on the relatively safe ground behind him. Facing the terrifying red light, which could have vaporized him, Kosuke, and even the entire riverbank, his eyes held no fear, only the cold determination to tear the monster before him to pieces.

He moved again, not to dodge, but to charge straight at the Cero! He was even faster than before, his figure nearly leaving an afterimage!

At the critical moment before the Cero fired, Liu Hao curled up and leaped. He concentrated in his right fist all the violent Reiryoku left over from the eruption and still surging out of him uncontrollably, then drove a straightforward uppercut hard into the Hollow's jawbone!

Bang!!!

With a muffled impact, the unexpected, terrifyingly powerful blow snapped the Hollow's head upward! The scarlet Cero that had been aimed at Liu Hao and Kosuke veered off course, becoming a blinding column of light that shot diagonally into the sky. It left a red streak across the gray heavens that lingered for a long time before finally exploding high overhead and scattering into red motes of Reishi light.

Liu Hao, who had thrown that nearly impossible punch, also seemed to have exhausted all his strength and some other force supporting him. His vision went black, his body slipped out of control, and he fell straight down from the air.

Just as he was about to hit the ground, a gentle yet firm Reiatsu suddenly arrived. A pair of strong arms caught his falling body.

Liu Hao forced his heavy eyelids open and saw a beautiful face marked by concern and gravity, short silver-white hair stirring faintly amid the motes of Reishi. She wore a white haori with the character "four" on its back, and a seemingly ordinary Zanpakuto in her hand was emitting a pure healing light. It was Isane Kotetsu, lieutenant of the Fourth Division.

"Don't move, child. It's all right now." Isane Kotetsu's voice had a reassuring quality, even as she looked sharply at the Hollow, which had grown more violent after missing with its Cero and having its jaw injured. Without any unnecessary movement, she held Liu Hao in one arm and waved her sword forward with the other, seemingly without effort.

A soft yet immensely concentrated arc of white light swept through the air.

The Hollow, still howling and struggling, abruptly froze. Then, starting where the arc of light had passed through it, its enormous body rapidly turned into the most basic Reishi and silently dispersed into the air, as though it had never existed.

We're saved... Liu Hao's taut nerves relaxed, and crushing exhaustion and a tearing sensation from deep within his soul overwhelmed him. Yet the relief lasted only an instant.

An indescribable heat suddenly erupted from deep within his body! It felt as though magma were raging through his veins and countless tiny blades were cutting through every inch of his spirit body! Violent, uncontrolled Reiryoku rampaged through him, wildly destroying and rebuilding, bringing him unbearable pain.

He grunted, his body shaking violently beyond his control. Fine beads of pale golden Reishi sweat even began to seep from his skin, and he curled up like a boiled shrimp.

"What is this?" Isane Kotetsu noticed something was wrong with Liu Hao. Her expression changed slightly, and she immediately increased the healing Reiryoku she was applying, trying to stabilize his rampaging Reiatsu.

"His Reiatsu is running wild." A gentler, calmer female voice rang out, carrying an unmistakable authority. At some point, a woman wearing a Captain's Haori, with a dignified and tranquil bearing, had quietly appeared nearby.

She had long black hair that reached her waist and eyes as deep as an ancient well. She was the Fourth Division Captain, Retsu Unohana, also known as Yachiru Unohana.

She calmly observed Liu Hao's condition and continued, "He suddenly released Reiryoku beyond the limits of his control. His body and soul couldn't withstand it, causing his Reiryoku to run wild. The excess, turbulent Reiryoku in his body must be guided out and released as soon as possible, or his spirit body will be torn apart from within."

Liu Hao heard Unohana's words through the agony, and the scene from the "Soul Reaper" story in which Ichigo Kurosaki's Reiatsu ran wild after he first defeated a Gillian flashed through his remaining consciousness.

Release it... guide it out... He desperately focused his fading consciousness and stopped trying to fight the violent Reiryoku rampaging through him—that would have been like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. He began trying to "feel" it and "sort out" the chaotic torrent, guiding even the tiniest thread of it along some latent course instead of letting it wreak havoc unchecked.

His attempt was feeble and clumsy, but to an expert like Retsu Unohana, it was plain to see. A nearly imperceptible trace of surprise flashed in her eyes. Could this boy from Rukongai instinctively try to take control rather than simply endure, even amid such agony and danger? Interesting.

She raised a hand to stop Isane Kotetsu, who was about to use Kidō to forcibly channel Liu Hao's Reiatsu. "Wait, Isane," Unohana said, her voice still calm. "He seems to be trying to control it himself. Stabilize his injuries first, and let's observe."

Though puzzled, Isane Kotetsu had no objection to her captain's order. She instead focused on using Kaidō to repair the tissues of Liu Hao's spirit body that had been torn apart by the violent Reiryoku, while carefully protecting his heart core and the vital pathways of his soul.

With the support of Retsu Unohana's masterful Kaidō, the destructive pain Liu Hao was enduring eased slightly, allowing him to focus more intently on that mass of "raging fire."

He abandoned the foolish notion of controlling it all at once. Like someone trying to build a tiny dam in a rushing torrent, he intercepted and guided the scattered threads of Reiryoku bit by bit, letting them flow slowly along certain instinctive, latent channels in his body.

Each thread of Reiryoku he successfully guided seemed to grow a little more obedient. In the process, like iron being forged, it quietly tempered and strengthened the tissues of his spirit body as they were damaged and repaired.

The process was painful and slow, but the improvements to his fine control of Reiryoku and the strength of his spirit body were real. Retsu Unohana watched quietly, the approval in her eyes growing. The boy's soul had extraordinary aptitude, as did the willpower and control he had shown in such desperate circumstances.

He did not know how much time passed; it seemed both an instant and an eternity. The violent torrent of Reiatsu within Liu Hao finally began to subside. Though still vast and active, it had come tentatively under his control and was circulating through his body in an orderly fashion.

The intense pain receded like the tide, replaced by an unprecedented sense of fullness and strength. He could clearly "see" the pale golden Reiryoku flowing through him and feel that every inch of his spirit body was several times tougher than before. He struggled to his feet and stood with Isane Kotetsu's support.

Only then did Retsu Unohana speak again. Her tone was still calm, but carried a barely perceptible sigh. "Go and see him. Your little friend doesn't have much time."

Liu Hao's heart sank as he finally remembered Kosuke! He did not stop to thank the unfathomable captain before him, or even to take stock of the changes in himself. He abruptly pulled free of Isane Kotetsu's support and stumbled over to Kosuke.

Isane Kotetsu had already finished giving Kosuke emergency treatment. She gently shook her head at Liu Hao as he came over and said softly, "The Hollow's Reiatsu has penetrated too deeply, and the core of his soul is badly damaged. We... did everything we could."

Liu Hao fell to his knees beside the faintly breathing Kosuke. Looking at the boy's ashen face, he felt endless guilt gnawing at his heart like a venomous snake. "I'm sorry... Kosuke... it's all my fault... If I hadn't found this place... if I hadn't sent you fishing..." His voice was hoarse and trembling.

Kosuke's eyelashes fluttered, and he struggled to open his eyes a slit. When he saw Liu Hao, he managed a faint smile, his voice barely audible. "Brother Liu Hao... it's not your fault... Ogawa... when Ogawa was swallowed by the Hollow... I was so scared... but... you came... you saved me... cough, cough..." Pale golden motes drifted away with his coughs. "Without you... all these years... we wouldn't have had so much fish to eat... or been able to live... a little better... Everyone... is very grateful to you..."

He paused, his breathing growing fainter and his gaze beginning to lose focus, though he still looked in Liu Hao's direction. "I heard... after a soul disappears completely... it goes to a new world... and starts over... so... don't be sad... Brother Liu Hao... live well... for our sake too..."

"Liu Hao, this isn't your fault!" Renji's eyes were red, and his fists were clenched tight.

"Kosuke's right. Without you, we might have starved to death or died at a Hollow's hands long ago." Rukia's voice choked, but she tried to keep her words clear.

Kenta, their only other remaining companion, was already in tears and nodded vigorously.

Liu Hao looked at his companions, then at Kosuke, whose breathing grew fainter in his arms. The sorrow and self-reproach in his eyes threatened to spill over. He wanted to say something, but his throat was blocked, and he could not utter a word.

Kosuke's body began to turn slowly into pale golden motes at the edges, drifting upward. His smile remained fixed on his face, and his gaze finally turned toward the gray sky, as though he had seen some distant hope.

At that moment, Retsu Unohana stepped forward, her gaze sweeping over Liu Hao, Renji, Rukia, and the grief-stricken Kenta. Her voice rang out calmly. "You all"—her gaze lingered briefly on Liu Hao, Renji, and Rukia—"have the potential to become Soul Reapers. If you do not wish to experience again the helplessness of being unable to protect your companions, or live a life in which you never know what tomorrow will bring, you may come with us to the Seireitei. There you can be tested and trained to become Soul Reapers who protect order."

Become Soul Reapers! Enter the Seireitei! To orphans from Rukongai, it was an almost unreachable dream, an excellent chance to change their fate! Renji and Rukia both shuddered at her words, intense longing and conflict flashing in their eyes. As one, they looked first at Liu Hao.

Liu Hao, however, slowly raised his head. He looked neither at Captain Unohana nor at Renji and Rukia, but at Kenta, the only surviving companion, whose ordinary talent meant he was certain to fail the Soul Reaper test. Tears still streaked Kenta's face, and his eyes were dazed, yet held a trace of humble joy that his companions might have a chance.

Liu Hao took a deep breath, suppressed his thoughts about power, safety, and the story yet to come, and slowly, clearly shook his head. "Thank you for the invitation, Captain Unohana. But... I can't go for now."

His choice spoke for itself.

Retsu Unohana followed his gaze to Kenta and nodded in understanding. She did not press him, saying only, "That's all right. There is more than one road to the Seireitei. If you have the chance in the future, you can still come."

"Liu Hao! Renji! Rukia! You should go!" Kenta suddenly cried out, tears welling up again. "Don't worry about me! This is a rare chance! Only if you grow strong can you protect more people! Kosuke and Ogawa... they'd want you to go too!"

"Shut up, Kenta!" Renji shouted, though tears glistened in his eyes. "We're companions! If we live, we live together; if we stay, we stay together! What would we be if we abandoned a companion and went off to enjoy a better life?!"

Rukia said nothing, merely taking her place beside Liu Hao and Kenta to show her decision through her actions.

In the end, Liu Hao, Renji, and Rukia all chose to stay in Rukongai, beside their only remaining companion.

The years that followed seemed shrouded in a veil of gloom. Liu Hao and Kenta were almost inseparable. Whether they ventured out again to "obtain" food or went fishing at the river that held so many memories and so much pain—they had moved to a more secluded stretch—Liu Hao always kept Kenta within sight, even being somewhat overprotective.

Time passed, and several more years went by. Yet Kenta's health grew worse by the day.

Although Liu Hao had saved him from the Hollow's claws back then, the Hollow's Reiatsu had already eroded and damaged the foundation of his soul.

For someone with Reiryoku and a strong soul, such damage might slowly heal with time or treatment. But for a soul like Kenta's, with ordinary talent and meager Reiryoku, the erosion was like maggots burrowing into bone, steadily consuming his already limited soul lifespan.

Liu Hao tried everything he could think of. He worked harder at fishing to trade for better food and even ventured into more distant areas in search of herbs said to nourish souls—most were merely placebos—but he still could not reverse the slow, relentless decline.

On a heartbreakingly peaceful evening, Kenta leaned against the wall of the dilapidated house, watching the last rays of sunset on the horizon as his breathing grew faint. He held Liu Hao's hand, his face showing no fear, only peace and a trace of reluctance. "Brother Liu Hao... thank you all... for staying with me... all these years... I think... I can see Ogawa and Kosuke... they're calling me..."

His hand slowly fell, and his body, like Kosuke's years before, turned into specks of warm golden dust that drifted through the window into the twilight, finally merging completely with the endless Reishi of the Soul Society.

Liu Hao sat there quietly, still holding his hand out as though clasping Kenta's, and did not move for a long time. The fading sunlight stretched his lonely shadow very, very long. The last of his original companions was gone too.

Only he, Renji, and Rukia remained in the room, the other two equally silent, complicated emotions hidden in their eyes. The children they had once been were gradually leaving their childishness behind and taking on the appearance of adolescents. After loss and choices, the road ahead seemed clearer, yet also lay more heavily before them.