As Sombra stood in the back of the classroom, by the window in case the teacher pointed at the back wall for some reason, he found that Human school and lessons were completely boring and didn't interest him at all, as all the topics that were discussed meant nothing to him at all. Sure, he could have spent his afternoon wandering the town in search of Hollows, but since he couldn't detect any he figured that staying near Ichigo and Rukia was the next best thing for him to do, and it also gave him the opportunity to observe some of the students that shared the classroom with them. The only ones that he was interested in happened to be the girl that Ichigo had bumped into earlier, Orihime Inoue, and a tall muscular guy whose hair hung over his eyes at times, though while his name was Yasutora Sado everyone called him 'Chad' for some reason, one that he decided he wasn't going to look into. The only other person that he had some interest in was the one called Uryu Ishida, one of the few people who wore glasses in the classroom, but the reason behind the interest was because Sombra was absolutely sure that Uryu could see him... only he wasn't making a big deal out of his appearance and seemed to be ignoring him, if he could see him anyway, as there was no real way for him to tell without making a scene.
Other than staring at Ichigo's classmates, which seemed to annoy the Human in question, Sombra remained quiet and barely listened to what was going on around him, wishing for something to do that would allow him to use the open window that was near where the teacher was standing... but without any Hollows running around, for the moment anyway, there wasn't much he could do besides stand around and wait for the school day to be over.
When the last bell of the day rang, and Sombra found that it was early in the afternoon, he noticed that both Ichigo and Rukia happened to be the last ones to leave the classroom, but he knew that they weren't waiting for him at all, to which he simply sighed and followed them outside. Once they were in the hallway Sombra discovered that Ichigo was heading to the roof for a few minutes, as he wanted some alone time before he left the campus, and Rukia was heading to the library so she could check out some books, especially one that she had started earlier that morning while she was waiting for Ichigo to arrive. Sombra decided that he might as well follow Ichigo, since he was going to be the one that was protecting Karakura Town at some point in time, though he was certain that the young man was going to stare out at the town and think about what Rukia had told him earlier, even though he was likely set on the path that he had chosen when they fought that Hollow together. Sure enough when they reached the roof, which was currently vacant at the moment, Ichigo walked over to the railing and stared out at the town, taking in the sights once more, though at the same time Sombra stood nearby and did the same thing, because due to his lack of memories this was the only place that felt like home to him.
The two of them stood there for a few moments, letting silence reign between them as they stared out at the town, before Ichigo sighed and closed his eyes for a second, no doubt thinking about what happened earlier, while Sombra just stood there and kept staring at the town.
"So, Rukia said that you weren't a Shinigami, despite the fact that you happen to wear the same clothing that she did when she barged into my room a few nights ago," Ichigo commented, to which he opened his eyes and glanced at Sombra, who turned away from the town and faced him, before he continued talking, "What are you exactly?"
"I'm an Arrancar." Sombra replied, knowing that he'd likely be repeating that statement a couple more times in the future, to both Ichigo and Rukia, before the information sunk in and they stopped asking him what he was, though right now it appeared that Rukia might have already stopped that routine.
"And what is that supposed to be?" Ichigo inquired, because while he sort of understood the concept of the Shinigami, the Hollows, and the spirits that he could see, after Rukia explained what she was and her mission to him earlier, he had no idea what an Arrancar was or where it had come from.
"Honestly, I have no idea myself." Sombra answered, and that was the honest truth, because despite all the pieces of information that he was able to gleam from Kisuke and Yoruichi, about the realms and the people that called each of them home, he still didn't know anything about his own kind, or even if there were any other Arrancars at the moment.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ichigo asked, as that wasn't wanted to hear, because he fully expected someone to be able to tell him what they were and what sort of purpose they had, especially since Rukia was able to do the same thing in a short amount of time, even though she cut corners and likely didn't tell him everything.
"I have no memories of who I was before I woke up in Hueco Mundo," Sombra said, to which Ichigo raised an eyebrow for a moment, as he at least remembered that Hollows came from the same place, though Sombra still wasn't sure what the connection between the Hollows and an Arrancar was, "All I know is that I woke up next to a crystal of some kind, with what had to be my name etched into the surface, and then I opened a gateway to the World of the Living... one that I have, so far, been unable to replicate, despite my best efforts. All I know is that I have to form new memories in the hopes of coaxing out the old ones, though so far I haven't been able to recover anything or rediscover something that I knew before losing my memories."
Ichigo had heard of people getting amnesia before, and had seen some people that had suffered through it come through the clinic from time to time, but never to the point where even creating new memories didn't help bring even a single old one to the surface. Despite the fact that Sombra clearly had no idea who he had been before his memories disappeared, which he was trying to recover from the looks of it, Ichigo had the feeling that he could trust him and, maybe, even work with him for some time, just to see if he could be of some help. Of course that meant assisting Rukia with her own job, something that he was still coming to terms with, but for now he was still undecided on being a Shinigami and fighting those Hollows, even though they might snatch the occasional spirit or two if someone didn't take care of them. In the end he sighed again and headed back through the door that he had used to get to the roof, to which Sombra followed after him and stopped in what appeared to be a changing room of some kind, which meant it had to be a locker room. Not a few minutes later Ichigo, wearing something that wasn't his school uniform for once, walked out of the room they were in and headed out of the school.
As Sombra followed after him, however, he noticed that Rukia, who had also changed into some ordinary clothes as well, catch up with them and walked behind Ichigo, though at the same time she seemed to be more interested in the book that she was reading... though Sombra had the feeling that she was going to start reading from it at any moment, and that Ichigo was going to be annoyed with her in a matter of seconds.
As it turned out it wasn't long before Rukia started reading from the book that she was carrying with her, just like Sombra thought she would, though as they walked into the town, following the route that Ichigo had picked, Rukia took it one step further and started verbally saying the lines that were on the page that she was reading... and eventually Ichigo snapped after hearing her do that for a few minutes.
"Oooh god..." Rukia said, acting all intense and dramatic when she read from the book, though at the same time Sombra stared at the back of her head as Ichigo stopped in his tracks, telling him that it was time to get her to stop what she was doing before his head exploded, "Why was I born unto this world? I entreat thee, please suffer me to return unto thee once more! This very mome..."
"Shut the hell up!" Ichigo snapped, making sure that he was right in front of Rukia's face when he did that, as she immediately stopped what she was doing and pulled back a little, though whether she was shocked or embarrassed over the situation Sombra honestly didn't know.
"What's wrong with you?" Rukia asked, though the way she held the book that she was reading from indicating that it was likely her attempt to research something, while the look on Ichigo's face indicated that he wasn't interested in what she was doing at the moment, "I'm trying to study modern Japanese."
"What's modern about that?" Ichigo inquired, looking at the book that Rukia was holding onto, appearing to recognize it by the title, though at the same time Sombra just stood there and observed them while the other people on the street seemed to ignore them, "And how long are you going to keep follow me?"
Sombra could tell that the question was directed at both Rukia and himself, though at the same time Ichigo knew that he was trying to create new memories and was trying to figure out why he hadn't gone somewhere else yet, since his days shouldn't be about following someone through the town.
"Until you say that you'll do the work I'm supposed to do as a Shinigami." Rukia replied, indicating that she wasn't going to give up unless Ichigo started performing the tasks that she was supposed to be doing, though that also made Sombra wonder why he couldn't just do it until Ichigo agreed to step up.
Ichigo opened his mouth to say something, likely about how he didn't care about being a Shinigami or something that was similar to that, though before he could actually say what was on his mind all three of them heard the sound of a car coming to a screeching halt. Since it was rather close to where they were standing they decided to check it out and headed in the direction of the noise, because there was the possibility that someone might have died and it would be a chance for Ichigo to send the soul off to Soul Society, or maybe it was nothing more than a false alarm. Sombra also knew that it couldn't be a Hollow, since he didn't feel one at the moment, but that didn't stop him from wondering what had happened and if someone had gotten hurt, just like both Ichigo and Rukia were clearly wondering the same thing. When they arrived at the scene the car in question was already up to speed and was driving off, not giving anyone a moment to catch it's information, though Ichigo was more concerned by the fact that the person who was laying in the crosswalk was Orihime... who appeared to be unconscious at the moment, making him wonder if she had been hit by the car and the driver fled before someone came to investigate.
The other thing that all three of them noticed was that Orihime was dressed in casual clothing and happened to be shopping, if the grocery bag was anything to go by, though as they got close Orihime started to pull herself up into a sitting position as she looked in the direction the car came from.
"Orihime!" Ichigo said, though he was relieved to see that nothing serious had happened to his classmate, because the last thing he needed was for one of them to die and force his hand to assume the Shinigami form again, as he'd ferry their soul to Soul Society the instant something happened to them, "Did you just get hit by that car?"
"Oh, Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime replied, turning to look at the group as they approached her, where Sombra noticed that she, like Chad and the majority of Ichigo's classmates, couldn't see him at all since she looked at Rukia, "Uh, yeah, probably. It just hit me a little. I'm revived now!"
Orihime, to prove her point, immediately stood up and started pushing her hands in and out from where her chest was, showing that she was just fine and that there was no need for anyone to worry about her, though while Ichigo said that it was great that she wasn't hurt, despite the fact that the car had left the area, Orihime really focused on who was standing beside Ichigo at the moment.
"Kuchiki-san?" Orihime said, glancing between Ichigo and Rukia for a moment, as she was surprised that, after knowing each other for a few hours as classmates, that they were hanging out together and happened to be walking down the street together.
"Who the hell are y..." Rukia started to say, which would have indicated that she wasn't paying attention to the students that were in the same classroom that she had gotten herself into, but at the same time Sombra stepped forward and grabbed her shoulder, stopping her from finishing her statement for a moment.
"That's Orihime Inoue, and she's in the same class that you and Ichigo are in." Sombra said, knowing that since Orihime couldn't see or hear him, as she couldn't see spirits, it was okay for him to speak with his normal voice instead of whispering into her ear.
"Ah, you're looking quite well, Inoue-san." Rukia commented, though at the same time she raised part of her skirt for a moment, just as Sombra pulled his hand back and Ichigo looked a little weary over what had happened, but it appeared that Orihime didn't seem to catch onto what she had almost said.
"Your looking well as well." Orihime said, to which she mimicked what Rukia was doing with her skirt for a few seconds, before both of them stood straight once more and she turned towards the groceries that she had been carrying before the accident happened.
"Were you shopping earlier?" Rukia asked, though if that was the case she guessed that Orihime was a fast shopper, as they had only spent a few extra minutes at the school once the final bell had rung and the bag that the young lady had been carrying was full of food items already.
"Oh yes, I saw." Orihime replied, to which she picked up her bag and inspected it for a few seconds, before she turned around and started spinning the leek that had been inside the bag for some reason, "My green onions, butter, banana, and sweetbean jelly are all uninjured."
While all that happened, however, Sombra noticed the shadowy marking on her left leg and tapped Rukia's shoulder for a moment, before pointing at the mark in question, where Rukia stared at it for a few seconds and seemed to know exactly what it was.
"What's that bruise on your leg?" Rukia asked, though as Orihime noticed that there was something on her leg, and Ichigo noticed it as well, Rukia knelt down and examined the marking, confirming her suspicions that it was made by a Hollow, which wasn't good news considering that it was a living person that had been nearly attacked.
Orihime, despite the serious look that was on Rukia's face, guessed that the bruise had come from the accident she had been in and was only now noticing it, which made sense to her since the pain wasn't that great, though once that happened she smiled at the duo and excused herself, where she started to head back to where she lived... where at the same time Ichigo, Rukia, and Sombra remained on the corner and watched her go about her business. From there Ichigo sighed and continued walking down the path that he had chosen to go home, where Rukia remained quiet as she thought about what was going on and Sombra simply kept his eyes open for enemies while trying to figure out if he had missed a Hollow moving through the town. As they walked Sombra found that the sun started to lower, indicating that they were heading towards nighttime once more, though it was around that point, when they were near the river, that Rukia inquired if Ichigo was close to Orihime, where Ichigo said that he really was't and actually never had a proper conversation with her, despite the fact that she was in his classroom.
Of course Ichigo talked about how he knew Orihime, especially since Orihime was best friends with another young lady in his neighborhood, before he mentioned that it was around three years ago that she lost her big brother, as he had taken his last breath at his family's clinic. Rukia, despite hearing that Orihime had a brother and had lost him one night, decided that now was the best time to ask how Ichigo's spiritual power was at the time, where he confessed that it wasn't as strong as it was these days, along with saying that it was only recently that he was able to see and talk to ghosts and spirits so clearly. When Ichigo asked why Rukia was asking all these questions, however, she simply told him that there was no reason behind her questions and said that she would see them later, to which she departed from the group and headed to the area that she was calling home until she got her powers back, leaving Sombra to follow Ichigo once more.
"So, Sombra, where do you live these days?" Ichigo asked, because based on what he had learned so far he could determine that the Arrancar was stuck in this world, though someone had to be letting him live in their residence, or maybe he was living in the abandoned buildings and the train yard.
"A shop manager let's me stay at his shop ever now and then," Sombra replied, knowing that without a name Ichigo wouldn't be able to find the Urahara Shop, though at the same time he walked beside Ichigo while he wondered what Rukia was thinking at the moment, "or, if I don't head back there, I sit on someone's roof and simply fall asleep until the morning of the next day arrives."
"That... sounds strange." Ichigo said, though at the same time he decided not to think about it all that much, because he had the feeling that there was an instance or two where Sombra must have been sitting on the roof of the clinic since his arrival in the town.
Sombra knew that it was strange for him to do that, after all the time he spent inside the Urahara Shop and slept on the bed that he had been offered, but at the same time it allowed him to stay nearby in case something happened, as Ichigo might be a magnet for Hollows now that he had these powers. Of course that statement was the last one that Ichigo made for some time, as he spent the rest of the walk heading home and eventually reached the clinic, though when they got there Sombra simply headed to the roof while Ichigo spent the evening with his family, including his little encounters with his father when he walked through the front door. After some time Ichigo went up to his bedroom and worked on some of the homework that he had been given, so he could be prepared to turn it in when his teacher asked for it, but he finished it in a good amount of time and picked up the book that he happened to be reading... though his mind was distracted by the fact that Sombra was likely on the roof of the clinic, watching over the area in case some more Hollows decided to make an appearance.
As another hour ticked by Sombra heard Yuzu asking Ichigo if he had seen her pajamas, though he told her that he hadn't seen them and that she needed to learn to knock when she saw that he was busy doing something, to snap him out of his mindset... though as the door closed Sombra's senses tingled, as he felt a Hollow coming straight towards the clinic, to which he jumped down to the window he entered the bedroom through and noticed that Rukia was already talking about the same thing. The instant that followed Rukia, wearing the red glove from earlier, rushed forward and swiped her hand towards Ichigo, where both his soul and his body flew towards the wall she was pulling them towards as Sombra caught the body... though the reason behind the motion was the large red hand that had crushed the bed that he had been sitting on seconds ago, attached to a red skinned Hollow that pulled itself from the black hole it made in the wall above where Ichigo would have rested his head. What interested Sombra was the fact that this was one of the few Hollows he had seen so far that still had hair, meaning it must have been created some time ago, and the fact that the lower part of it's body, where the legs would have been, resembled a snake's body.
The Hollow roared as it swung at Ichigo, who pulled his Zanpakuto out of it's sheath and brought it down over his head, though since he carved a gash into the ceiling at the same time the impact of his attack did nothing as he landed on the floor, but the second attack he dodged allowed him to cut a gash into the Hollow's right arm. Sombra, after making sure that Ichigo's body was safe, drew his own sword and swung at the creature's chest, cutting several gashes into it's body in the process, before backing away as Ichigo attacked the mask and left a shallow cut in it, though that was when the Hollow grasped the blade that he was holding onto and stared at him for a few seconds. It was in the seconds that followed that Ichigo managed to shatter part of the Hollow's mask, revealing part of a person's face in the process, before the Hollow screamed and started to retreat... though as the creature rapidly got away from them, however, Sombra noticed that Ichigo was shocked by what he had seen.
"Come on, we have to get him before he get's away." Rukia said, intending on chasing the Hollow down so they could end it before it killed someone, but as she moved to leave, however, she noticed that both Sombra and Ichigo were standing where she had left them, though Sombra was interested in what Ichigo had seen, "Ichigo, what's wrong?"
"That's exactly what I want to know." Ichigo stated, to which he turned and looked at Rukia, as there was something about Hollows that she hadn't told him and he was only discovering it right now, "That Hollow's face, when I broke off a part of it's mask... that was Orihime's brother."
"I have only one thing to say to that." Rukia replied, as she understood what Ichigo meant, even if he didn't know the specifics of Hollows like an actual Shinigami would, while seeing that Sombra was interested in what she had to say, "You should crack a Hollow's skull from behind with a single attack... that's the fundamental rule of Hollow vanquishing. It's to reduce the damage one might take while fighting a Hollow, and to keep us from ever seeing the identity of the Hollow that we're fighting."
"What do you mean the Hollow's identity?" Ichigo asked, because Rukia had told him that Hollows were bad spirits that needed to be taken care of, but now it sounded like there was more to them than what he had originally been told, and, from the looks of it, Sombra was thinking about it as well.
"You both saw it, didn't you?" Rukia commented, to which both of them noticed that Sombra was nodding his head, as he had seen what Ichigo had seen when the portion of the mask had been destroyed, indicating that she could tell them the truth of the matter, "Hollows... were all formerly Human souls, and right now Orihime's brother is just another monster that we need to take care of before he hurts or kills someone."
Ichigo wanted to stay and talk about it, but Sombra put Rukia on his back and forced them outside, to which they started hunting for the Hollow of Orihime's brother while leaving the wrecked room behind, where they would have to come up with an explanation for that when they got back. As they moved through the town Rukia explained that, when souls aren't sent to Soul Society by a Shinigami, using the Konso technique, their feelings for the world tend to eat away at them until they transform into Hollows, or, as a second explanation, the Human souls are surrounded by Hollows and they forcefully transform the one Human soul into another Hollow. Ichigo then inquired as to why Orihime's brother would come after him, of all people, though Rukia was quick to point out the same reason that Hollows attacked other people and spirits, that he was after his immense spiritual energy, along with mentioning that Orihime's brother was likely being controlled by an even stronger Hollow that was behind all the attacks on Ichigo's family. Rukia then revealed the reason why they were heading out instead of waiting for their target to come back, because he was likely heading to where Orihime lived and was likely going to try and kill her tonight, which only made Ichigo pick up his speed once he heard that bit of news.
Despite the fact that they made excellent time getting to where Orihime lived, as it was easy to find since Ichigo sort of knew that already and Sombra was following the reiatsu that the Hollow was giving off, though when they arrived they discovered that Orihime was already knocked out, with her spirit still chained to her body, and the girl that had been having dinner with her was wounded... though Ichigo tossed Rukia towards Sombra, who caught her, before he dived into the house and drew his sword as he blocked the next attack.
"Aren't I the one you're after?!" Ichigo exclaimed, though he held onto the end of his blade as well, to make sure that it was a stalemate between the two of them, at least until he determined whether or not it was possible to save what was left of Orihime's brother's soul.
When Ichigo pushed the Hollow back, and prepared to strike again, the Hollow faded into the wall and disappeared, though as he looked around for his foe Sombra entered the room as well and rushed over to where Orihime was sitting, where he found that she was staring at Ichigo and seemed to be quite shocked by what was going on. Ichigo glanced over at the other girl, Tatsuki he called her, and noted that she, unfortunately, got caught up in this mess, though before he could actually do anything Orihime commented on the fact that Ichigo was actually standing before her, where Sombra watched as Ichigo put together the pieces on his own. Technically, thanks to the situation they were in, Orihime was now a spirit that was still chained to her body, though she wasn't quite dead yet, but at the same time her current state was allowing her to see into the other world that normal people couldn't see, the same one that Sombra resided in when there was no one around that could see him. It was in that moment of understanding that the Hollow started to materialize before them once more, only this time around Sombra left Orihime and drew his sword as well, intending to finish this fight before someone actually died... as he was sure that they could fix up Orihime and Tatsuki once the Hollow was taken care of and sent along to Soul Society.
"Oh course she can see you... she's a spirit." the Hollow said, surprising Ichigo for a moment, as this was the first time he had heard a Hollow talk before, though while Sombra was in the same boat he was more prepared for what was going to happen next, "Orihime is dead!"
Ichigo, acting on impulse once more, rushed forward and swung at the Hollow, who ducked and curved around the attack as he grabbed onto the chain that was attached to Orihime's spirit, dragging her along, though as that happened both he and Sombra attacked the Hollow, who then used it's tail and hard scales to block the attacks before pushing Ichigo into the wall with the window. Sombra, on the other hand, managed to cut a gash into the creature's tail, but not deep enough to make a difference just yet. Not a moment later it hit Sombra and sent him flying into Ichigo, where they crashed through the wall and appeared outside the building, with Rukia on the street level, but before either of them could do anything the Hollow told them not to move and started to crush Orihime, which was the perfect chance to hit them both and send them flying towards the ground, though while Ichigo hit the ground hard, and his sword landed a few steps away from him, Sombra steadied himself and braced for another attack... though this time around he found that none was coming, to which he made sure that Ichigo was up and ready for a second attack before he did anything to the foe that they were fighting at the moment.
As Rukia ran over to them, however, Sombra jumped up and stood on the edge of the opening that the Hollow had created, intending to ambush him while he was distracted, though before he moved he heard the sound of Orihime talking to her brother. He stood there for a few moments, listening to how Orihime prayed for him every day since his death, starting the day after he died no less, and that he watched over her since that day, though the peace his soul had enjoyed had been broken a year later, when Orihime became friends with Tatsuki. Becoming friends with Tatsuki had been around the time that Orihime started to pray for her bother's soul less and less, until she eventually stopped when she entered high school, where she was happy since she had friends to lessen the pain of her brother's passing, but at the same time her brother felt despair at being forgotten... and it was that loneliness that had eventually caused this transformation, even if there was the possibility that all of this had happened even quicker because of some Hollows that came and attacked his soul on Saturday night, which Sombra had felt the presence of with his senses.
Just hearing the tale, even if it was just a summary of what he had gone through while Orihime was alive, caused Sombra to pause for a moment, making him wonder about his own situation and the fact that he didn't have any actual friends to speak of... only acquaintances, and those mostly included Kisuke, Tessai, Jinta, Ururu, Rukia, and even Ichigo, though maybe Yoruichi, who he spent the most time with, might be a friend.
His thoughts were interrupted when Orihime's brother told her to listen to what he had to tell her and that if she had any sort of feelings left for him, as if he was accusing her of purposely forgetting about him and inflicting this state upon his soul, that she would obey him and not betray him anymore. When her brother mentioned devouring Ichigo, and killing 'the other nuisance', Orihime pleaded with him to not hurt Ichigo anymore, not even bothering to come to Sombra's defense since she had no idea who he was, but that only caused her brother to grab onto her and start chocking her with the threat that if she didn't listen he would kill her first. It was in the moment that he threatened Orihime that Ichigo charged into the room and plunged the tip of his sword into the Hollow's tail, causing him to howl in pain while he dropped Orihime, who Sombra caught and rested on the ground nearby, while keeping his weapon at the ready for when the Hollow attacked them again. The moment came when the Hollow raised it's right hand and tried to crush Orihime against the wall that was behind her, though at the same time Sombra swung his sword and severed the hand in the process, causing the Hollow to roar in pain as it backed away from him... while at the same time Ichigo grinned at him, indicating that he was pleased with him rushing to Orihime's aid like that, even though he was sitting near her.
"Listen you," Ichigo said, turning his gaze towards the Hollow that was standing in front of them, as he had fallen off the tail and was now standing near Sombra and Orihime, though his focus was on the creature they were fighting, "Do you know why big brothers are born first? It's to protect the little brothers and sisters that follow them... and yet here you are, threatening to kill your own little sister? Don't you dare say such a thing, even if you're dead!"
"Shut up! Orihime is mine!" the Hollow replied, anger filling it's voice as it prepared itself once more, though at the same time both Ichigo and Sombra raised their blades as they waited for an attack to come their way, "I raised her when our parents abandoned us! That was when Orihime was only three years old... I've been protecting her ever since! Orihime, come to me. If you listen to me, I won't lay a hand on the others."
"Brother..." Orihime said, though even as she said that there was a profound change in the Hollow's eyes, as for a moment the red glare that had been there disappeared and his Human eyes could be seen again, though that was before the glare came back and he started thrashing around the room they were in.
After a few seconds the Hollow side of Orihime's brother took control again and attacked the group, where Ichigo made sure that his blade was stuck between the creature's teeth, where the Hollow tried to get by him, before he was forced back and was thrown outside through the hole in the wall. Instead of standing still, and letting him get away this time, Ichigo charged through the opening and raised his sword into the air, as the Hollow happened to be slowly flying through the air under where he was floating, though before he could swing his sword the Hollow turned and spat some acid on his hands, causing him to drop his weapon once more. The following instant Ichigo found himself being hit out of the air by the Hollow, where he landed on the ground and started to stand as he searched for his Zanpakuto, though while that happened the Hollow flew towards him with the intent to eat him and Sombra prepared to jump out and behead the creature before it could do that... but what they weren't expecting, however, was Orihime dropping down and putting herself between the Hollow of her brother and Ichigo, even if it meant letting his teeth tear into her skin and drawing blood at the same time.
Not a few seconds later Orihime fell to her knees and stayed where she was, though at the same time the Hollow actually stopped in his tracks and the red glare in his eyes faded away, transforming back into his normal eyes, while surprise could be seen in his eyes.
"Ori... hime..." the Hollow said, his voice indicating that he was definitely surprised over what had happened, though he wasn't the only one since Sombra, Rukia, and Ichigo were surprised by her jumping down and stopping the Hollow of her brother in such a manner.
"I'm sorry brother." Orihime said, to which she looked up at her brother for a moment, choosing to believe that it was actually her brother and that he had been fighting what was happening to him the entire time, that the creature that had hurt her and Tatsuki had been repressed for the moment, "It is all my fault. Its all because I begged you not to leave me alone. That's why you couldn't... rest in peace. I sensed that you were always beside me... even earlier today, when that car almost hit me, you protected me, didn't you? You pulled on my leg to get me out of the way, and I'm grateful for you saving me earlier, but if I keep depending on you, you'll never be able to rest in peace. So I wanted to show you... that I'm happy. You don't have to worry about me anymore."
It was in that moment that Orihime fell over and her brother started to assert himself on the Hollow that he had been turned into, where the mask actually faded away for a moment before returning, but that was when the group watched as it actually shifted from him having no mask to having a mask as the two halves fought each other. Rukia understood what was going on and explained it, as it was clear to her that Orihime's brother didn't become a Hollow by choice and that the transformation into one had been forced upon him, indicating that the Hollow that had turned him had to be extremely strong and had forced him to fight, knowing that Ichigo would have hesitated to kill him if part of the mask was damaged during the fight. This confirmed her suspicions that a Hollow was trying to consume Ichigo's soul, the specific reason why it was targeting him she had no idea, but as they watched she had some good news for them, as the mask that was over Orihime's brother's face shattered and he seemed happy to be back in control of his body once more, instead of being a slave to the Hollow he had been transformed into. At the same time Rukia told everyone to remain calm when Ichigo started to move towards Orihime, because while the Chain of Fate, which was attached to Orihime's chest, was still connected she wouldn't die... meaning that her spirit would be able to return to her body, though she was sure that this would have some impact on her further down the line.
Rukia, at the same time, knelt beside Orihime and started to channel her reiatsu into a healing Kido, indicating that she would be able to heal Orihime's wounds, while at the same time her brother noticed the hairpins that Orihime was wearing, where Ichigo informed him that she had worn them every day since his death... where he turned towards where Ichigo's Zanpakuto was resting and pulled it from the ground, causing Ichigo to ready himself for whatever the unfortuante soul was about to do.
"Even if I stay here like this, eventually I'll turn back into that monster." the poor soul commented, staring at the sword that he had picked up, while at the same time the group stared at him as he prepared himself for what he was thinking of doing, "So now... while I have a semblance of sanity... I want to disappear."
"It's the right thing to do." Sombra said, to which he sheathed his sword, as he knew exactly what was going to happen when the soul ran the blade through his transformed body, because he had learned that information back when he was having his lessons, "His soul will be purified and he'll be able to enter Soul Society... which is what we're doing to the other Hollows that we've taken care of so far."
"Wait, brother..." Orihime said, surprising the group for a moment, as Rukia was sure that it would have taken longer to rouse her, but at the same time she carefully got into a sitting position and stared at her brother, who was now staring at her once more, "This hairpin that you bought for me that day... we had a fight over it, remember? Because I said that it was too childish. I let you go to work without saying anything... and that was the last time I saw you alive. So, I want to say it now... Brother, have a nice day."
"Yeah, I'm off now." her brother replied, though that was when a smile appeared on his face and he closed his eyes, indicating that he was going to stab himself with Ichigo's Zanpakuto, but before he was able to do that a mysterious figure appeared in front of him and rested a hand on the blade, stopping it from moving and caused Orihime's brother to open his eyes once more.
"There's no need for you to do that." the mysterious figure said, though as Sombra was able to identify that it was male, thanks to the voice, there wasn't much else to see since the creature or person seemed to be wearing a black robe that prevented anyone from seeing it's face or features.
"Please, I need to do this!" Orihime's brother stated, indicating that he would not be shaken from the path he had chosen to walk, but at the same time he found that the figure was not willing to release the blade just yet, "If I stay like this I won't be able to stay sane! I'll turn back into that monster and keep attacking my own sister, not to mention the town, until someone strikes me down!"
"Ah, but there is another way for you to live with what you have become," the figure replied, to which he raised the arm that wasn't touching the Zanpakuto and pointed at Sombra, causing the group to turn towards him while Sombra stared at the figure, "He is an example of what you can become, a protector of the town and those close to you and your sister. Instead of stabbing yourself, and hiding in Soul Society, there is another path for you to walk: simply let your mask reform around your face, but instead of letting the 'monster' take over again you can willingly remove the mask yourself, take on a new form, and be able to stay here as a spirit, with your sister no less, and be the protector that you wanted to be, instead of the Hollow you were forced to become."
Orihime's brother looked at his sister for a moment, remembering what he had done to her and could already imagine more monsters coming after her, though he had to wonder if it was that simple, to just remove the mask when it reformed again, while at the same time letting go of the sword for a second. The monster inside him, as if sensing his hesitation, surged to the surface and the mask that had been covering his face reformed with the express purpose to controlling him once more, but this time around something else happened as his mind stayed in control of the situation. Orihime's brother raised his right hand for a moment and grabbed onto the side of his mask, where the group could hear him grunt in effort for a moment, though that was shortly followed by his mask cracking and a light shining through it, before the mask shattered and he was covered in a cloud of smoke for a few moments... while at the same time the group stared at the smoke as they wondered what was going to happen next.
When the majority of the smoke clear Sombra and the others found that what was standing in front of them wasn't the Hollow that they had come to fight, and had been wounded by, but rather a spirit that had taken on a more humanoid form. Orihime's brother, as they discovered, was actually a tall and slim man with brown colored hair that reached his neckline, though what caught Sombra's attention was the fact that he now possessed a Hollow's hole where his heart was supposed to be, exactly where his was located, and part of his mask, the which had been around his eyes, happened to rest in front of his right eye. Sombra was surprised by the sudden change, because from what he knew souls that weren't sent to Soul Society had the potential to become Hollows, that much had been confirmed when Orihime's brother had been changed against his will, but now her brother was an Arrancar as well, if the katana that was resting near his feet was any indication. Sombra then glanced at the mysterious figure, who simply draped a robe over the new Arrancar for a few seconds, but before he could say anything the figure disappeared as quickly as he had arrived... and the only sound that followed was the sound of Ichigo's Zanpakuto hitting the ground.
Sombra guessed that he should be happy, as another soul was purified of the Hollow they had become, or maybe it was the Hollow's feral nature that had been purified this time around, though while Ichigo collected his sword and sheathed it, and Rukia tended to Orihime and Tatsuki, intending to use the memory device she had bought from Kisuke, Sombra departed from the area and headed back towards the shop. He would have stayed, he really would have, but Rukia insisted that she could finish up and then both she and Ichigo would go back to the clinic once she had put the unconscious girls back in the house and replaced their memories, while also promising that she had figured out how to use it, so the girls wouldn't miss more than a few hours. Orihime's brother insisted that he help them out, once he was fully dressed, and stated that he would watch over his sister and protect her whenever she was in danger, meaning that Sombra definitely wasn't needed at the moment. As Sombra jumped over the roofs, and headed back to the Urahara Shop, he sensed another Hollow enter the town for a moment and prepared to change directions almost immediately, as this wasn't something Ichigo and Rukia needed at the moment, only for the creature to disappear as quickly as it had appeared on his radar.
He was actually thankful that the Hollow had disappeared as quickly as he had detected it, because his mind was reeling at what he had seen earlier, as he had no idea that an Arrancar was actually just a Hollow that had taken off it's mask in such a manner, gaining abilities that matched what a Shinigami had. That meant that, with time and practice, Orihime's brother would be able to do what he was able to do, which would please him since he'd be able to guard his sister more effectively, but at the same time that wasn't what actually concerned him. What bothered him was the truth that he had discovered, that Arrancar's were Hollows that had removed their masks, meaning that, at some point in time, he had been a living person, then became a spirit by some sort of accident, only to be transformed into a Hollow because of his emotions or something else, and then, finally, tore his mask off to become what he was now. It explained some of what he had been able to do, if removing the mask gave Hollows Shinigami powers, but at the same time it left him with even more questions than he had before seeing what happened to Orihime's brother... and he had the feeling that he wouldn't be getting any answers soon, because there was no telling when that mysterious figure would reappear again to answer the questions that he now had.
Despite what had happened tonight something told him that another student at Ichigo's high school was going to be attacked soon, if what happened to Orihime was any indication, though before he went out and searched for the Hollow he needed some rest... and then, when morning arrived and Ichigo was ready, they would start a new day and see what the new Hollow did to the town and the various people, and souls, that called it home.