Just wanted to say I'm sorry...

[SoulofDarkness]

Now Ian's whole body was shaking. "She- she wouldn't..." But he didn't sound too sure of himself. "She accepted me, even with my hollow, why would it be any different if she has one too?" He felt as if Jayde's eyes were boring through him. He grabbed her shoulders, "Can't you just leave Daelyn alone?"

[Kurorin]

Jayde's smile disappeared.
"She knows what you and Ichigo have been though. She can't handle another hollow." Jayde said. She gripped her towel. She knew she was getting to him and it was eating him alive.

[SoulofDarkness]

Ian was desperate, "It doesn't matter what Ichigo and I've been through, we're still okay... And she... She'll be okay too, I'll make sure... So..." He was grasping for words, unsure if he could say anything to make the situation better.

What should mean nothing to you
Has left a poison running straight from your lips
And into (lead to) the poison I'm becoming.
Walk right through me, I'm not really there.

What could you see?
What could you find?
If we meet please avert your eyes.
What I'd never show, what you'll never find
Is explosive so hide your eyes.

[Kurorin]

Jayde sighed. Her time was running out. She had to go before Daelyn would pass out.
“Listen, it's not that easy. I haven't seen the light of day in ages. That man didn't beat her because she refused a date but because he figured out what she was. I erased her memory and replaced it with a new one. And Daelyn will be in a field not far from this house. The only reason you don't remember your brother is because your hollow probably erased your memory. I'm not sure why but it's a possibility. Don't tell Daelyn! I have to go before--” with that, her eyes turned back and she closed her eyes as she fell slowly down the door before she hit the floor with a thud. Jayde used up all Daelyn's muse to talk to Ian.

[SoulofDarkness]

Time seemed to stand still for Ian as Daelyn fell before him. Instantly he was kneeling beside her, his arms around her. He shook her gently, "Daelyn! Daelyn are you okay?" Suddenly he didn't care about Ichigo knowing they had both been in there. He shoved open the door and ran to the stairs. "Ichigo!" he called, "Come quickly! Something happened to Daelyn!" He only hoped Ichigo would know what to do. About how Daelyn was now, about her hollow, about everything...

Kazuma turned his head as he heard Ian's voice from above. "It sounds like something's wrong..." Then he was headed up the stairs, taking them three at a time.

[Kurorin]

Ichigo turned to see Ian. He had his sister. He followed Ian.
“Put her on her bed. What happened to her anyway?” Ichigo looked at Ian. He had much worry in his eyes. Something was definitely wrong.

[SoulofDarkness]

Ian slipped one hand under Daelyn's legs and the other under her back, and carefully lifted her into his arms. His eyes urgently searched her face for any signs of consciousness, and he moved as quickly as he could into her room. This was all his fault, he was sure of it... As gently as he could, he lay her onto her bed.

Kazuma stayed behind, watching Daelyn silently. "She... Did you know she has a hollow within her too?" he said, directing his question at Ichigo. "My Tengu can tell... though it seems slightly different now than when I first saw her... Something was different about her when I first met her, but I wasn't sure it was a hollow... Until now."

[Kurorin]

Ichigo stood next to Kazuma.
"Of course I did. When I was learning about hollows.... a girl born into a family with hollow boys or just siblings...... is surly to become a hollow.... I was the one who convinced her to go training. She needed to know who to use her powers to help with her hollow. But she didn't know what she was, and if she did.... who knows what would happen to her. For all I know.... She can't handle another hollow on her hands. We're enough for her." Ichigo explained. Suddenly, Daelyn had clothes appear on her. They were abnormal in this day and age. She looked like a mid-evil, female warrior. Ichigo looked at Daelyn. He was awe struck.

(this is what she was wearing: )

[SoulofDarkness]

Once it meant something to me
I find it rather stunning
I draped it cold and clarity
It's true, I find the look becoming
Walk right through me, I'm not really there...

Ian clutched his hand into a fist and bit his lip until it bled as he heard Ichigo talk. "Even if she would hate it... You can't run away from something like that! She doesn't hate me just because of my hollow, why would it be any different for herself?" He lowered his voice. "I'm sorry... I just don't want her to have no idea, to be stuck going through something this troubling blindly, not aware of any of it. To me, that would be the most painful, especially if I found out that others knew but hid it from me..." In truth, he was just pushing his feelings on Daelyn, maybe she really would be better off not knowing.

When Daelyn's clothes suddenly appeared, he stood gaping. "What the-" He had never seen anything like it. At this point, all he wanted was to figure out what exactly was going on with Daelyn and her hollow, so that he could be by her side and help her through whatever it was. He needed to know...

What could you see?
What could you find?
If we meet please avert your eyes.
What I'd never show, what you'll never find
Is explosive so hide your eyes.

It's a day gone away.
Turn away from the day, it's explosive.

[Kurorin]

Ichigo glared at Ian.
“Shut it! I'll tell you about it later! Right now is a bad time! Daelyn's sleeping and if she wakes up.....” he stopped. The thought of it made him shudder.
“Who knows what could happen.....Just please don't wake her....” he whispered. He grabbed Ian's wrist and pulled him out of Daelyn's room and shut the door behind him.
“I'll tell you what you want to know about.” he said to Ian.

[SoulofDarkness]

Ian followed behind Ichigo quietly, and Kazuma slipped through the door after them. Then Ian slumped against the wall and held his face in his hand. "I just don't get it... Any of it. My hollow... Even when it takes over and I don't know what's going on, I still feel the sensation of being trapped inside my head... like I'm somewhere else, not in my body. So... I don't get what makes her hollow so different, that she wouldn't even know it existed." All his fears and insecurities were tumbling out at once. "And her hollow told me she was different, just like how she had a name... She said she can control Daelyn, and that scares me more than anything... Daelyn's gone through enough! Why did this happen?" He had to remind himself to keep his voice low. Waking Daelyn right now would do nothing to benefit the situation.

[Kurorin]

Ichigo sighed.
“Well sometime a hollow can remember their name after they die. And the only reason she doesn’t know that she has a hollow is that Jayde can suppress the feeling of being trapped and replace it with the feeling of sleeping or passing out and dreaming. And the controlling thing is only because she doesn’t know. Female hollows are much more aggressive and fierce….So I don’t know all Jayde’s movements…. And the fact that she was a warrior back when dragons and knights and castles were everywhere or so it seemed, seems like she wants to fight until she can’t fight no more.” Ichigo said. It seemed what he said puzzled him even more.

[SoulofDarkness]

Ian sighed, and seemed to calm down. "Why do things like this happen?" he said, directing his voice at no one, "Why can't I just take it away? Everything she has to go through. If I could bear it for her I would, gladly. But I- I feel so helpless, like there's nothing I can do..."

Kazuma stared at the floor with dejected eyes. That girl had really replaced him. In Ian's eyes, voice, everything, he could tell how much he cared for her. Yet, when Ian looked at Kazuma, there was nothing. Nothing to show that he was important to Ian at all. But he couldn't blame his brother... And he didn't want to blame Daelyn either, she was so important to his brother, he wanted to respect that. But he truly couldn't stop himself from hating her. He felt like he was betraying his brother by loathing her this way, but no matter what he tried he couldn't remove the knot of jealousy that had seared its way into his stomach. What had he been expecting? When he found Ian, his brother would welcome him with open arms, and the two of them would live happily, forever secluded from everyone? This had been a wake up call for him. Nothing ever went like he had wanted, his life was full of screw ups and disappointments. And this was the biggest disappointment of all.

[Kurorin]

Daelyn, who was on the other side of the door, had been listening the whole time. She stood in the middle of the room silently sobbing. Blood was dripping from the cuts she had made with her own force field.

“Daelyn I want you to have this.” a man said.
“What is it?” she said looking up at the man.
“It's a locket and I want you to have it. It has a picture of me, Ichi and you in it.” the man had a bright smile on his face as he put it on Daelyn.
“But why are you giving me this nii-chan?” the said brother knelt to her level.
“Because dad and I are fighting and I want you to have this. I might have to leave.” Daelyn started to cry.
“Please don't cry... you'll see me soon if I do have to leave.” Daelyn wiped away her tears--

Loud noises rush through her ears as she snapped back into reality. Turns out Ichigo could hear that she was sobbing and that she was wearing the necklace her brother gave her.
“Daelyn! Why?” Ichigo hugged her tightly as if she was going to vanish any second.
“I'm a monster.... I don't want to be a monster.... you already have Ian and yourself to take care of...... you both aren't fully trained your hollow yet... I don't want to be such a burden!” she yelled. Ichigo shook his head.
“You wont be.... we'll get through this together.... I'm sure Kazuo-kun wouldn't want this but we will make it through...” he said in a comfortable tone.

[SoulofDarkness]

Ian's chest tightened when he heard Daelyn crying. He stepped quietly into the doorway. "When have you ever been a burden on me?" he said, his voice barely above that of a whisper, "If I had never met you, I'd probably be dead right now..." It was Daelyn who had pulled him through when he was ready to give up on himself, to end it all, many times. She was definitely no monster.

Ian walked slowly into the room and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Please, don't do this to yourself... Because when you're like this... When you hate yourself this much, I don't know what to do. And if I can't even help you feel better... Maybe I really am useless..." He clenched his other hand into a tight fist; his nails dug into his palm until his hand began to bleed, and his knuckles were white. His breaths came more slowly as self-hatred clouded his blue eyes.