On a Mission

[Kurorin]

Tears streamed down her face.
"Please Ian… I don't want you to go and leave me… I've already had to forget bout you once and I don't want to do that again…" she cried. She hugged him tightly and looked up at him.
"I want to give you something that will contain your hollow for a short period of time... My hollow probably wants the same thing yours does... But please... Don't leave again..." she turned toward Kazuma.
"And all I wanted to be is friends with you! I tried to cool it when you called me a bimbo but I don't want to separate you two... It's not my fault that Ian's hollow suppressed his memories!" she yelled. It was. Good thing her brother was out doing errins because they wouldn't ever see her again.

[SoulofDarkness]

"No!" Ian said firmly, "Last time, I hurt you!" He shook his head as he forced his hollow back. I wont let you touch her, even if it kills me!

Then he felt the hollow's presence within his head change. Slowly it grew colder, like icy steel. In one swift surge it seized him. His eyes yellowed and the hollow's voice poured from his mouth, "You aren't good for Ian." The hollow's piercing gaze locked on Daelyn, "You make him soft, you make him want a happy, content life. This is something he can't have. That's why I can't let you have control over him any longer." Hollow Ian slowly stalked closer to the girl before him with a murderous glint in his eyes.

Kazuma saw this and sprung into action. He tackled Ian and pinned him to the ground, but the hollow would not be silenced. The two began to struggle against the other with everything they had. Finally Kazuma twisted one of Ian's arms behind his back and wrapped his free arm around his neck as he forced him against the floor. A gruff scream escaped his lips as his sable wings ripped from his shoulders, adding to his strength and sealing his hold against the hollow. "Get ahold of yourself, brother!" he whispered into Ian's ear.

[Kurorin]

Daelyn's eyes yellowed as well. Daelyn became more angry. The necklace that was around her neck began to burn but she only ignored it.
“I'll have you know that Daelyn has helped Ian through the worst of times and I will fight you if it's the last thing I do. I don't care if Daelyn doesn't want to but I've been itching for a good fight.” she looked at Kazuma.
“Let him go and meet me out side. It will be a one on one fight. Anything goes in this fight. If you faint or give up, I win and visa versa.” she said as her whole attire changed into a warrior's outfit (like the one in our other post). Daelyn managed to push through to talk.
“Hollow... you are going to regret fighting me.... I'll win either way... whether it kills me or not...” Ichigo walked over to Daelyn and took off the necklace that had burned into her skin. It left red marks around her neck. Signs that she tried to transform before.

[SoulofDarkness]

Kazuma hesitated, unsure of what to do. The hollow seized this moment and shoved his brother off him forcefully, then drove his foot into Kazuma's stomach, sending him sprawling across the room. "Don't touch me," he spat.

He turned his vengeful eyes on Daelyn next. "I guarantee that I wont regret this. Before Ian manages to come back you'll be wishing you had never met him." Hollow Ian took a step toward her to emphasize his point. This girl, the one thing he knew Ian would die for, was a threat to his existence, and it had taken him until just recently to realize that. Ian was so set on protecting her, on never hurting her, and it made the hollow sick. "Let's go," he said simply and headed through the door.

[Kurorin]

Daelyn growled, her hollow mask formed over her face. It was dragon like and was black and white.
“Kazuma, you will be responsible for breaking up the fight if too much blood is shed. Pin point our pressure points; under our neck and the pressure point right here.” she said indicating toward her shoulder.
“We will pass out immediately and go back to our normal selves. Ichigo will tell you more about it. Right now... pretty boy's hollow needs to learn a lesson...” she said stretching out her muscles. Before walking out she made a duplicate of herself with her force field. She walked out side, her duplicate following her every movements. Tears randomly came down her face. Daelyn was very upset. Jayde... please don't hurt him! Daelyn pleaded.
“So pretty boy, shizenkopf hollow...(she knows a bit of German)...”she grinned.
“What do you have against my girl? She's the one you should be thanking and not banishing her from pretty boy's life. She saved him from insanity and suicide. Why do you hate her? Sure, I hate pretty boy, but family's forever.. right?” she said shrugging.

[SoulofDarkness]

The hollow scoffed, "As if you could understand. Ian will never truly be happy as long as she's around. I'm sure she knows he'd drop everything for her, even if it killed him. Yet she still asks him to follow her around like a lost puppy... He even cast his own brother into the shadows for her."

Kazuma watched this exchange, his face white as a ghost. He had never seen anything like this... His hollow had never so much as spoken to him, and he had never had to fight his hollow for control... Yet his brother's had a mind of its own, and was trying to kill the girl... He swallowed and lowered his eyes to the ground. What had gone wrong?

Hollow Ian saw Kazuma's pale expression and turned his hateful eyes toward his brother. He spoke, his voice cold yet enticing. "You had best not interfere, Ma-kun. When this is over, it will be just you and me."

Kazuma's eyes widened. The hollow really wanted to kill her... His gaze flickered around uncertainly. What should he do? A dark voice inside him spoke up, Let him kill her... Then there will be nothing stopping you from regaining your place by Ian's side... Isn't that what has kept you going for eight years? "I... I can't do that..." he whispered to himself, "Ian loves her... Even if I can't stand her, she makes him happy... I can't do that to him." But his words shook with uncertainty, and he stood rooted to the spot as the voice within him tainted the depths of his mind.

(duhn duhn DUHN!!!! Maybe it's Kazuma's hollow!!! Its still in his head, it's just never spoken out before)

[Kurorin]

Do you know what it's like when
you're too scared to see yourself?
Do you know what it's like when
you wish you were someone else?
Who didn't need your help to get by?
Do you know what it's like
to wanna surrender?

Jayde grinned underneath the mask. The hole in her chest where some of her cleavage and her upper chest showed.
“Oh please! It's not Daelyn's fault she looks like a dead girlfriend of his. Honestly, I don't see why pretty boy would follow Daelyn.” 'She's not the real thing, so she's better off without him too.' Jayde wanted to say but the words didn't come out. She vanished out of thin air, appearing behind him, leaving the duplicate in front of Ian. He wanted to get away from me to protect me from his hollow... this is all my fault Jayde! Daelyn had pleaded from inside.

I don't want to feel like this tomorrow
I don't want to live like this today
make me feel better
I wanna feel better
stay with me here now
and never surrender

“Besides... why would you want to get rid of me, your hollow girlfriend?” her voice was contorted but it had a softness to it yet in a sarcastic way. A tail had formed in that moment of time. It was crystallized and could be seen through slightly. Wings protruded her back also crystallized and could be seen through slightly. She gripped his forearms, making him bleed a little.
“I'd like to chit-chat some more but... I want to kill you as much as you want to kill me...” she let go of one of his arms and made a sword out of her forcefield, gripping it tightly at the hilt as it shown glittery from the sun hitting it.

Do you know what it's like when
you're not who you wanna be?
Do you know what it's like to
be your own worst enemy?
Who sees the things in me I can't hide?
Do you know what it's like
to wanna surrender?

Ichigo looked at Kazuma with worried eyes but he never failed to hid it.
“Don't let your hollow get what it wants. I can tell that what Ian's hollow said had gotten to your hollow and now, it's taken your jealousy and wants to use it against you... I know that.... It's happened to me before...” he had no emotion in his voice. He tried not to seem like he cared but he did. He was the one trying so hard to make everyone happy around him. Even his brother said that he had reminded him of their mother.

Make me feel better
You make me feel better
You make me feel better
Put me back together

“He's got no chance against her... he's a lower hollow then Jayde... she's a con artist, taking pleasure in making other boys follow and swoon over her and making other girls jealous... not to mention that Jayde's older then him... she's got more knowledge too... thinking in ways that others don't. She thinks ten steps ahead of the other hollows and people... she's and experienced hollow...” he said to himself a little too loud. He was too out of it and was watching Daelyn and Jayde fight and working to beat Ian and his hollow. He was thinking of things not even related to the fight. He had seen what Daelyn wrote in her journal and wanted to help her with the thing that most worried her.


(oooohh!!!! what did Daelyn write in her journal?!?! heh heh heh.....clever me only knows... well until I write it the post.....)

[SoulofDarkness]

(hehehehe... I know that song)

Could I change one thing?
Could I change your mind?
Shall we burn it just like the last time?
I can't change a thing, can't explain why I...
Never felt it, Not even the first time.

Hollow Ian's eyes remained fixed forward, his lips stretching into a cruel grin. "My hollow girlfriend? Since when does a hollow need anyone?"

Kazuma shook his head as his body trembled. "It's not Ian I'm worried about... Can't you feel that? His hollow... It's completely different than it was before, now it's very presence is... bitter, and frozen. Even my own hollow is petrified by it. I don't know what caused it to change, but this is what I was afraid of. Ian had fairly good control over it before, but now... Now we're dealing with something else entirely." He finished, his eyes never once moving from his brother.

Raise a glass and toast the flame
Just like the old days.
Swallow, but be careful, don't drown
The new ways you could say:
"Would you change... this time?"

Ian's body began to convulse, and his shirt tore as his muscles bulged through. He shot forward, wrenching himself from Jayde's grip. Then he spun around to face his as his feet slid along the dirt to come to a stop. The Hollow's eyes pierced through the cloud of dust, and as it dissipated his voice rang out, "You will be the first of many... Don't you feel special?" His twisted laughter followed; he was drunk on his own newfound power.

"Her tricks wont work on him anymore... He has become a true hollow, a berserker who relies on nothing but brute strength... And he has plenty of that." Kazuma's voice was low, he could hardly bring himself to speak. His own brother had finally transformed.

I'll begin to change my mind
When you can explain why
I feel see through.
Can you feel me?

[Kurorin]

Jayde let out a loud growl, like a mix between a tiger and a bear.
“You bastard hollow... I am going to kil-” she was cut in mid sentence as her mask disintegrated and her eyes turned back to normal. Tears flowed down her face as the duplicate also shattered like broken glass.
“I..... I can't do this... just kill me already.... if Ian doesn't want me... then kill me.... I don't care how much Ian tries to fight.... just do it....” she pleaded. She couldn't deal with it anymore.

Ichigo sighed.
“I've never seen a hollow like that.... only few can use their true hollow.... like me and him.” ichigo held out his hand. It showed markings all over.
“There was always two option to control to destroy the hollow completely but by doing that, you'd be destroyed as well.... or you can use this mark to control your hollow.... it'll burn every time your hollow turns into that.” he pointed to Ian.

[SoulofDarkness]

~Hollow Ian~

The hollow stopped in his tracks. He hadn't been expecting that. His expression quickly changed from one of surprise to disgust, "How can Ian be attracted to such a weak crybaby?" he growled. That one sentence was enough.

Hollow Ian shrieked and grabbed his face, his claws digging into his flesh. His roar caught in his throat, and he threw himself backward into a tree. Then he slid to the ground. "Get out!" he screamed, "I'm not done yet!" His skin began to crack and pull apart, freeing his blood to gush forth to stain the ground.

Ian

Ian was trapped; he was surrounded by darkness, as far as he could see. He slumped to the ground, feeling despair. His hollow was going after Daelyn, and there was nothing he could do about it. He stared into the endless nothing before him, his breath catching in his throat. After what seemed like an eternity, he could see a figure in the distance, and heard a quiet voice reverberate through his mind, "It's not Daelyn's fault she looks like a dead girlfriend of his..."

Ian's eyes widened as he watched the figure, which quickly faded back to nothing. After a moment, he shot upright. "That's not true!" he yelled coarsely as he ran towards where the figure had been. He could hear his footsteps echoing loudly as he ran forward, but nothing changed. He collapsed back to the floor and slammed his fists into the ground. "That's not true..." he sobbed. Ian curled into a fetal position and rocked himself, "She's going to die... She's going to die and there's nothing I can do about it..." After a few moments, he roared, "She's going to die, and I'm the one who's going to kill her!" After the words left his mouth, the realization that it was his hands that would end her finally hit him, and he broke into strained sobs.

He moaned and sobbed for what seemed like hours, until only whimpers managed to leave his lips. "Damn it," he muttered bitterly, "I should have ended this when I had the chance. I should have killed myself. Then at least she would have had the chance to find someone else and live happily. That's something I'm sure I'll never be able to give her: happiness." After this left his mouth, another figure sprung into his vision. It was Daelyn. He called out to her, but she couldn't hear him. "Just do it..." He heard. He twisted his head around to see his hollow. Slowly the surrounding area invaded Ian's world, and it felt as if he was standing outside his own body, slumped on the ground between the two. "How can Ian be attracted to such a weak crybaby?"

Ian saw red at this. "Damn you!" he screamed and charged at his body. He leapt forward and tackled the hollow, wrapping his arms around his neck. Then suddenly he was within himself once more. He could see his hollow, facing him off with a smug grin on his face. "Finally decided to show up, huh?"

~Kazuma~

Kazuma bit his lip as he watched the exchange before him. Daelyn was out of time... His brother would never forgive himself if his hollow killed her. Never. "I need to stop this..." he whispered. But his body wouldn't move. His hollow knew that going out there would be suicide. "I don't care!" he spat. With that, he flexed his wings and sprung forward... then stopped in his tracks. The hollow had just flung itself into a tree! What was going on? Then a relieved grin formed on his face. He turned to Ichigo, "Looks like Ian found himself again, huh? And not a moment too soon."

(wow, that took a while to write... A bit longer than my usual posts. And I assume you figured out that when I switched to Ian I didn't pick up where I left off with the hollow but sorta stepped back in time with him to explain where he was during the whole fight... yeah.)

[Kurorin]

Daelyn looked up at the hollowfied Ian, crashing into a tree. She felt relief but also sadness. She looked down to her feet to look away from what the hollow was doing.
“Why don't you just do it? Ian tried to kill himself once and I stopped him. This is my fault Ian's like this...... I blew my chance to tell him something..... I really wanted to tell him...” she sobbed ignoring the rude comment about her. Ichigo stood next to Kazuma, ready to defend his sister at anytime the hollow would attack her.

[SoulofDarkness]

Ian eyes the hollow's feral grin warily. "I already beat you, yet you still want to challenge me?"

The hollow threw back his head and laughed. "Hardly! But I just wanted you to know..." he strode forward and placed his hand on Ian's shoulder. Then he leaned forward so that his head was just past Ian's, resting over his shoulder, "I'll be waiting for the right moment. When you're happy, enjoying yourself, or maybe even when you're having intimate moments with your girlfriend. I will be here, waiting. Always. You can never get rid of me, as long as you live. And someday, I will make it so that you're the one trapped in this hell, and it will be me running the show. Got that?"

Ian swallowed. There was something about the hollow's quiet, deliberate tone that sent chills down his spine.

Ian's body took a slow step toward Daelyn, his inexpressive eyes still yellowed. Then he took another and another, until he was close enough to touch her. He locked his eyes into her's, and reached out a hand, touching it against her cheek. Then he collapsed against her and wrapped his arms around her body, his eyes finally returning to blue. "I'm sorry," he whispered. He could feel the pain of the open wounds that ripped across his bare chest from his battle with himself, and was starting to feel dizzy from the bloodloss. His remaining clothes were in tatters, revealing even more torn flesh. Ian's eyes closed peacefully as he let the darkness take him.

Kazuma lurched toward the two and pulled Ian back, supporting him. "He's passed out from the bloodloss! We need to bandage him before this gets any worse."

[Kurorin]

Daelyn nodded as she wiped away the tears that had dried on her face. She tugged on Kazuma's shirt like a little kid would if they had wanted something.
“Listen.... I'm sorry about earlier.... that I yelled at you...” then it seemed her mood changed into “Nurturing big sister” as she tugged, both Ian and Kazuma like they were weightless. Soon Ichigo tracked along as well as he went ahead of them, fixing Daelyn's bed for Ian and grabbing the bandages and placing them on the nightstand next to her bed with a neatly placed drawing journal with doodles of familiar faces around the bubble letters “Daelyn's Drawing Journal”. Ichigo sighed as he thought of how Daelyn would beat herself up for Ian and how Ian would do the same for her.

[SoulofDarkness]

(I forgot to mention, when Ian turned back to himself, his hair and eyes returned to normal too... but Kazuma is still in disguise)

Ian allowed himself to be lead inside. "Hey..." he called softly. "Do you think I could get that shower now?" He knew the water would feel good on his battered body. He had the gnawing urge to ask Daelyn to take one with him, as he knew his time before he and Kazuma left again was limited, but he didn't think she would take it the right way... He had just gotten back, and wanted to spend time with her for her, nothing else. And that was easier to do when she was fully clothed. He chuckled to himself softly, it was a lot easier that way.

[Kurorin]

Daelyn chuckled lightly.
“If it means washing that nasty-ass smell off of you and are willing to smell like roses, then yeah... but your too weak to stand up on your own... so how are you going to take one?” she asked. Obviously the thought of her helping him take a bath and her in her bathing suit, washing him... never crossed her mind. Soon they made it to her room, carefully placing him on the bed.
“Are you still hungry too?” she tried to push away the thoughts that reminded her of what Ian had just looked like. She felt a little squeamish about what happened at the end of their short battle. She smiled at the thought of Ian regaining control. She grabbed some rubbing alcohol that was placed so neatly with cloth folded neatly as well.
“This is going to hurt like hell....” she murmured that only Ian could hear her.