Chapter 4: A little bird told me

"A cursed cockatiel?!"

"Yeah! Apparently all its previous owners have met with some accident or mishap… Any of you want it?"

"Hell no! After what you told us? Who in the right mind would-"

"I'd take it." Chad raised his hand and stood up, reaching for the cage containing the bird. Suddenly, the bird flapped its wings and start squawking as a metal bar came hurtling down towards the group from above. Chad immediately raised his shoulders over where his friends were and braced himself for the impact.

"Cha… Cha.. Chad! Are you okay?!" His two friends exclaimed as the monstrous teenager nonchalantly shrugged off the metal beam that landed on his shoulders.

"…Mmm… It's nothing" The stoic teenager replied.

"Nothing?! You are bleeding!"

"Thanks for saving me mister! I am Shibata Yuuichi, what's your name mister?" Amidst the chaos, the cockatiel chirped, speaking in fully formed sentences like it was natural.

"… My name is Sado Yasutora…"

"Mizuiro, yer bastard! Who was that pretty lady I saw ya with 2 days ago?!" Shinji demanded.

"Its just a friend who I met on the way back from school."

"Just a friend? I saw yer walk her all the way home!"

"…Hirako-san… Were you stalking me?!"

"I… That's beside the point! Tell me, how did ya persuade her to let ya walk her home?"

"Nothing! She just asked me to do so."

Shinji stared gobsmacked at the unassuming 15 year old before prostrating himself on the bare floor of the school rooftop.

"Please teach me your ways, Mizuiro-sensei."

"Huh?"

Ichigo could not help but give a sigh as the absurd scene played out in front of him. A 200+ year old asking a 15 year old for womanizing advice? It certainly was not something you see every day.

"Oi Ichigo!" A familiar voice rang out.

"Hey Keigo… Oh hey Chad…!" As Ichigo turned around to greet Keigo, he noticed a tall, muscular teenager with messy wavy black hair trailing behind Keigo.

"…Mmm…" Chad replied.

Noticing that Chad had bandages and plasters on his head and arms, Ichigo asked

"What happened to you Chad? What's with all the injuries?"

"Mmm… Yesterday a metal beam fell from above. Today… I collided with a motorcycle."

"What the hell are you doing?!" Ichigo exclaimed at the ridiculous chain of events.

Chad lowered a cage he had been carrying on his shoulder and placed it on the floor. Inside of it was a cockatiel. The cockatiel looked around at the teenagers.

"Hello! My name is Shibata Yuuichi. Nice to meet you!"

"Woah, what a well-trained bird!" Asano exclaimed.

Ichigo could sense it. Other than the soul of the cockatiel itself, there was another soul inside the body of the bird; a human one. He immediately shot a questioning gaze towards Shinji.

"Don't worry, it's just a lonely spirit. Although we should perform a soul burial soon to prevent him from turning into a Hollow in the future." Shinji replied softly, making sure the others did not hear him.

"Ahh… I guess there goes my sleep for tonight too." Ichigo grumbled.

It was a relatively uneventful morning after that. The duo made a detour to Urahara's store for a short bout of training before heading home in the late afternoon. However what greeted them at the house was that of chaos.

"Ichi-nii, move out of the way!" Yuzu rushed past Ichigo, carrying a box of medical supplies.

"Move it!" Karin said as she pushed a stretcher past.

"What happened?!" Ichigo asked alarmed.

"There's been an accident at the intersection!" Yuzu replied. "There's one more guy coming who is hurt too!"

"Oi, Ichigo! Help me with this big guy here!" Isshin said. Ichigo ran over to the entrance.

"Chad?!" Ichigo was surprised to see his classmate slumped over his father's shoulder, holding the cage containing the cockatiel in one hand.

Ichigo and Shinji carried Chad to the examination room. Isshin took off Chad's shirt, revealing a massive claw-like wound on his back. A Hollow wound! Ichigo recognised the traces of spiritual pressure that the wound was giving off. He glanced at Shinji who gave an almost imperceptible nod.

"This looks terrible! It's bleeding all over; you will have to remain here for treatment and rest." Isshin commented.

"…No… I'm fine… It's dangerous… The bird… Where?" Chad asked while gasping.

"It's here." Karin said shakily, holding up the cage.

Chad grabbed the cage and his shirt and with a sudden burst of energy, pushed off the table and started running towards the exit, catching everyone by surprise.

"Hey wait! You're injured!" Isshin yelled.

"We'd get him!" Ichigo dashed out together with Shinji, following Chad.

Karin felt nauseous. She felt something from the cockatiel. A cry… A cry for help. He was in pain. The intense feelings washed upon her, making her dizzy and weak. "I… I need to tell them." She huffed and gathered her strength to follow after them.

"Where is he?!" Ichigo stopped at an intersection.

"Can't we trace where the Hollow who is targeting Chad is at?" Ichigo asked.

"That ain't possible, Hollows hide in between the dimensions separating this world and Soul Society when they are not attacking people. We can't trace them when they are there."

"Shit!" Ichigo cursed.

"Hey calm down, I'd can trace him with-"

"I know! That cockatiel! Can't I trace the spirit within the cockatiel?" Ichigo interrupted Shinji's sentence.

"Ya can't do it yet but I can- Hey! Are you listening?!"

Ichigo concentrated, blocking out the noise around him, trying to visualise the aura of the spirit in the cockatiel. White spiritual threads started appearing around him and Shinji before he grabbed one of them.

"I found him! Follow me!" Ichigo dashed off.

Shinji whistled at the display. Reiraku; the ability to visualise the spirit's aura. This boy was progressing a lot faster than he thought. Usually only seated officers would be able to pull off something like that, finding a weak soul in a town full of souls. Such potential… It scares me to think how far he could go. "Heh, I wouldn't mind having him in my squad." He murmured under his breath as he followed Ichigo.

As they turned a corner, a familiar voice rang out.

"Ichi-nii!" Karin shouted out while leaning on a lamppost for support.

"What happened to you, Karin?" Ichigo was startled to see his sister who looked to be in a bad state. She suddenly buckled forward as Ichigo rushed towards her and caught her before she fell.

"Ichi-nii… I saw the memories of the boy within the cockatiel. His mom… His mom was murdered in front of him! Please… Save him!" Karin gasped before passing out.

"Take her home, Ichigo. I'd follow and find Chad!" Shinji said.

"But… You still don't have your full power, how are you going to fight the Hollow?"

"Heh, don't underestimate me kiddo, yer a hundred years too young to be concerned for me." Shinji flashed a conspiratorial smile. "Besides I don't think ya can fight in peace knowing your sister is passed out here."

"… Thanks, Hirako-san. Don't push yourself too hard." Ichigo carried Karin and started heading in the opposite direction.

Shinji took off too and ran towards where he felt the cockatiel's spiritual pressure was at. "That damn Chad, how does he run so fast?!" He complained under his breath.

"You've got a tasty scent..!" The Hollow roared, suddenly materializing from behind Shinji. Already aware that the Hollow was sneaking up on him, Shinji dodged the Hollow's swipe easily.

"I know I'm pretty irresistible and all but let's not go too overboard, eh?" He turned and lifted his leg before bringing his heel down towards the Hollow's mask, chipping off a part of it.

The Hollow roared and clutched its face in agony.

"Hadou No. 4! Byakurai!" A white flash of lightning emitted from Shinji's fingers and streaked towards the Hollow, sizzling as it burned the Hollow's flesh. It reared back, roaring in pain and hissed. Too shallow. Shinji tsked, looking at the depression on the Hollow's shoulder where the Hado had struck. Excellent for an average Shinigami but for one of his calibre, it was shameful.

Still a long way off from regaining my full powers huh.

"I recognize that spell. It's Shinigami magic isn't it? Ahh… Brings back good memories." The Hollow purposely smacked his lips, the sides arching upwards, forming a hideous smile. "They tasted especially good."

"Bastard." Shinji hissed.

"Now now, where are my manners? As per your traditions, my name is Shrieker, the one who is going to kill you!" Shrieker launched towards Shinji

"That two misters who were chasing after you are being attacked." The cockatiel chirped out. Chad immediately stopped in his tracks. He placed the cage containing the cockatiel on a nearby ledge.

"Mister, you can't! He's dangerous!" The bird spread its wings and fluttered anxiously. "He can kill you!"

"Mmmm." Chad gave a smile and a thumbs-up to the bird before running back the way they came from.

"Mister!"

Chad knew how dangerous the unseen enemy was, while Ichigo was strong, Chad did not want his friend to get injured because of him. However, upon arriving on the scene, he saw Shinji instead.

"You… Transfer student?"

"Come on, I'd been in yer class for like what a week and ya can't remember my name?!" Shinji grumbled, simultaneously dodging oncoming blows from the Hollow, skipping backwards until he was backed against a wall.

"You're dead meat!" The Hollow snarled as he took a swipe at Shinji. The latter jumped, doing a front flip over the Hollow, neatly dodging the hit.

"You pesky little-"

Chad punched Shrieker, where Shinji had been cornered previously, causing it to fall backwards. The Hollow growled, before revealing its wings, flying upwards into the sky.

"I… hit it?" Chad looked at his fists confusedly behind striking blindly at the general direction where he hit the Hollow before.

"Lucky hit wasn't it?" Shinji chuckled. "He's in the air now, don't waste yer energy."

"Transfer student… You can see ghosts?"

"Yeah I can, come give me a boost and I will kick his sorry ass out of ta sky."

Chad nodded, cupping his hands and lowering down slightly. Shinji took several steps away from Chad then ran as fast as he could, leapt onto his hands and with their combined strength, Shinji rocketed into the air, shooting straight towards Shrieker.

"Wait, stop! I apologise… Mercy!" Shrieker cried, covering his body with his wings. "… Or not." He smirked, stretching out his wings and revealing a hidden artillery.

"I thought as much." Shinji grinned and twisted his body with amazing flexibility, narrowly dodging the leeches that the little Hollow spat out. Experience had taught him some things about Hollows and their aces.

"You are no normal Shinigami I see." Said Shrieker, only mildly surprised. "But if there's one thing I've learnt about you Shinigamis, is that all of you are such saints." Shrieker's smile morphed into a cruel one and he cackled. Immediately grasping his meaning, Shinji turned his head to watch as the stream of miniature leeches he just avoided sail towards an unsuspecting Chad.

"Son of a bitch!" He cursed, performing a somersault in mid-air, pushing off on Shrieker, causing the Hollow to stumble and propelling himself back towards Chad. He barely made it just in time, gritting his teeth as the leeches attached to him, covering him from head to toe.

"So noble and self-sacrificing! I would have expected nothing less." Shrieker taunted the blond. "Now, let me show you why I am called Shrieker!" He opened his mouth, letting his fork-shaped tongue snake out. A high pitched sound emitted from the tongue, detonating the leeches.

Shinji grunted as the bombs exploded, biting down hard and clenching his fists. Blood ran down his arms and forehead but despite that, he had not even flinched.

"Transfer student!" Chad said in surprise, seeing the wounds materialize seemingly out of nothing.

"Hmp, that barely even itched." Shinji replied. Out of the corner of his eyes, he spotted some of the little Hollows inching towards Chad. He swiftly dispatched the lot of them with a kick.

"Run." Shinji said.

"But transfer student, you-"

"No hard feelings but, but do ya really think you can help me?" The intensity of Shinji's voice shocked Chad.

"Besides, ya need to protect the little bird don't cha?"

Chad hesitated for a few moments. "Don't get hurt." He said before dashing off.

"Ever the selfless one aren't you?" The Hollow taunted gleefully.

"You've been pretty annoying." Shinji stood up and dusted himself. He raised a hand to his arm and started healing the wounds. He was getting rather irritated with the cocky Hollow. It might be a little overkill but it would not hurt to teach this smug Hollow a lesson. After making sure no one was near them, a smirk formed across Shinji's face as he brought his right hand in front of his face and made a claw. He concentrated his reiatsu and focused on bringing out the darkest part; making it materialise over his face as a mask.

"You… Your reiatsu…! That mask! A Hollow?!" Shrieker choked and did a double take as a mask reminiscent of a pharaoh's mask appeared on Shinji's face.

The Visored's only response was to give a malicious smile and to take several confident strides towards the Hollow.

"Sto-Stop! Don't come any closer, you… you freak! You monster!" Shrieker cowered, pathetically scurrying away from the blonde.

"Such irony." Shinji said darkly, as he raised his spiritual pressure up another notch.

Shrieker gasped and then gagged. Shinigami reiatsu alone was repulsive enough but Shinigami reiatsu mixed with that of a Hollow's? It made him utterly nauseous, sick to the stomach. The noxious and oppressive yet unnatural mix caused his eyes to water and his limbs to grow weak. With every step Shinji took towards him, Shrieker felt the air around him grow heavy, weighing him down such that he could barely move. The blond loomed over him, a sadistic grin adorning his face. He reached down into the Hollow's mouth, who was still paralyzed, gently pulling out his fork-shaped tongue.

"You were so proud of this, weren't cha?" With that, he gave a quick twist, ripping the Hollow's tongue cleanly. The Hollow howled in pain as Shinji looked on coldly, nonchalantly tossing the mangled tongue over his shoulders.

"You monster!" Shrieker choked out, his voice barely a whimper as he trembled.

Shinji cocked his head and bent down, placing a finger under the cowering Hollow's chin, tilting it upwards so that their iridescent yellow eyes met. "That's rich, coming from the one toyin' with an innocent boy's soul." He said before lifting his head towards the sky, then suddenly dispersing his mask, causing the overwhelming pressure to disappear at once. Shrieker collapsed on the floor, breathing heavily. "What are you…"

"Hirako!" Ichigo yelled as he dashed onto the scene. His eyes darted from the Hollow to Shinji. "Are you okay?"

"Took ya long enough. Did yer stop for a toilet break on the way back and take a dump?"

"I… I just got lost on the way here after bringing Karin back home."

"You and your great sense of direction eh? Well, ya can take over from here now, I'm pooped." Shinji strolled towards Ichigo while donning a red, wrist-length glove fingers and pushed Ichigo's soul out of his body. He grabbed Ichigo's falling body, pulled it to a side and then proceeded to squat down beside it.

"Couldn't you have easily taken care of the Hollow?"

"Eh, ya need more training anyways. Speaking of that… What did I tell ya about taking your eyes off your opponent?" Shinji motioned towards a fleeing Shrieker.

"COME BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!" Ichigo chased after the Hollow, swiftly catching up with him before swinging down his sword, cutting deep into the Hollow's shoulder. He lifted his sword again and sliced straight down towards Shrieker's head and stopped a mere inch before the sword touched the Hollow.

"You… Were you the one that killed the parents of the boy inside the parakeet?!"

The Hollow cackled. "… That's right. I killed his mother! Stabbed her so many times as she kept running and trying to protect that pathetic brat. I was enjoying it so much and then this brat grabbed my shoelaces as I was giving his mum the final stab, causing me to lose balance and fall out of the veranda! The little rascal had to punished, so I took his soul and forced him into a parakeet in the cage and played a little game with him. I told him that if he managed to run away from me in his current form for 3 months, I will return his mother to life!" Shrieker laughed gleefully.

"Yer bastard Hollow, that's a lie." Shinji interjected.

"OF COURSE, IT WAS A LIE! BUT HE FELL FOR IT LIKE A LITTLE SUCKER! Every time I killed the humans protecting him, the boy would plead with me to stop the game and to stop killing. But I'd remind him that his poor mother was waiting for him to rescue him! And he'd wail for his mother pathetically! Oh the fun I've had!"

"BASTARD-" Ichigo hissed.

"Don't be so disturbed, Shinigami!" Shrieker pushed the sword away and swung towards Ichigo with his other hand. Ichigo ducked and kicked Shrieker's leg, causing him to stumble. He then swung down his sword down through the leg and into the ground, pinning the Hollow. "GWAAA! My.. My leg!"

"How's that feel? Being unable to fight back or run. Being pinned down like this with no way out. CAN YOU SAVOUR IT A LITTLE!? HOW IT'S LIKE TO BE ONE OF THE MURDERED FOR A CHANGE?!" Ichigo pushed the sword through deeper into the flesh.

"Hii…!" Shrieker recoiled at the murderous energy that the blond boy was emitting. He used his claws and ripped through his own leg that was pinned down and immediately took to the skies, trying to flee from his certain doom.

"Scared aren't you? So scared you'd even sacrifice your own leg! Remember and never forget; THIS TERROR, HAMMER IT INTO YOUR MIND AND DISAPPEAR FROM THIS WORLD!" Ichigo leapt up and followed after him, giving the Hollow the final blow.

But what followed was not what Ichigo had seen with Orihime's brother. Instead of a gentle light that envelops the Hollow, a large door structure emerged from behind Shrieker. The door had 2 skeletons with bandaged heads spanning the length of each of the doors, with the arms positioned in a way to open the doors.

"What the hell is that?!"

"Well ya just said it yourself; it's the gates of hell. Hollows who've committed atrocious sins when they were alive are doomed to hell. The Zanpaktou only cleanses sins committed after the spirit has become a Hollow after all."

Shrieker screeched and feebly tried to crawl away from the gates of hell as they slowly creaked open. A massive blade held by a gigantic hand came through the gates and pierced through the Hollow and then withdrew back inside the doors. The doors closed and cracks started appearing throughout the whole structure before fragmenting and disappearing into thin air.

Ichigo and Shinji managed to catch up with Chad and reassured him that the Hollow chasing the boy in the parakeet was gone and everyone was safe for now.

Shinji bent down and examined the bird before sighing. "Too much time has passed, his chain of fate has already been disconnected. He won't be able to return to his old body anymore. It's best if we perform a soul burial on him."

"Ahh... No way…" The boy drooped his head. "Where are you sending me to? I'm scared… I don't want to be alone anymore…"

"Hey, don't worry. At the very least, you will be able to see your mom again. It might not have been what you wanted as it's not possible for the both of you to return to your lives here, but this time, your mom will really be waiting for you!" Ichigo smiled as he reassured the boy.

"Really? I… I'd like to see her again!"

Shinji chuckled. Ichigo could be pretty dense most of the time, but when it matters the most, the teenager could be trusted to pull through and deliver. He was a pretty sensitive boy despite his rough appearance.

"Well then, should we send off your soul now?"

"Y..Yeah!" The parakeet chirped before turning to face Chad. "Mister… Thank you for everything! Because you carried me around and protected me, I didn't get hurt at all."

"Mmm… It was nothing." Chad acknowledged, a slight smile pulling at his lips.

"… Yuuichi… When I see you again, is it alright if… I carry you around one more time?" The tall, dark-skinned teenager asked.

"…Sure!"

A faint streak of light floated towards the calm night sky, as if being guided by the warm milky glow of the moon. A mere trick of the eye some people may say; but for those who knew a bit more, they gave their blessings for the soul whose journey has just begun.

Ichigo and Shinji said their farewells to Chad before starting the walk back home.

Hirako Shinji~

"Urgh!" Shinji stopped in the middle of his strut, momentarily stunned by the sudden migraine.

Fuck off you pest. Shinji hissed internally, but his retort was only met with a cackling laughter. Soon… The single word faintly echoed in his head.

"Oi, Hirako! Hurry up or we'd miss dinner!" Ichigo yelled.

"…Coming!"

A while after the two left, a raven-haired Shinigami walked onto the scene. She fingered with the device in her hand; which had been incessantly ringing just moments earlier and was now silent as a sleeping baby. She absentmindedly surveyed the scene before her and squatted down, running her petite hands over the surface of the ground. She closed her eyes and concentrated. The wind gently blew, causing strands of her hair to caress her face. The Shinigami stood, seemingly satisfied with what she had found and hopped onto a nearby building, silently and gracefully.

A/N: Guess who's back from the years of inactivity? Well I guess staying at home has given me some free time to write again. May be a little rusty but I hope that you will enjoy the story! I'm especially excited for the return of the bleach anime next year too. I've started on the next chapter so hopefully you wouldn't need to wait too long for it.