Chapter 15

(Previously)

He's fist struck the mask and face of the hollow, blowing it away. The hollow keeps on rolling again and again on the ground until it hit the wall destroying it with itself making a mess of dust around.

When the dust disappear its body was shown slowly disappearing like it never even existed, leaving a destroyed house.

(Continue)

Errol walks unsteadily due to his injuries and exhaustion from using too much Spiritual energy, he at least managed to heal his left arm. He arrives at where Izumi is laying, and luckily she was not affected by his fight.

He checks her again and sighs in relief that her injuries are halfway healed. He was about to try to wake her up when he saw that her body is changing color, getting paler and paler.

He panics and looks carefully at what is happening and found that the chain in her chest is very loose like it could come off in just a few movements.

"Is the reason this happening because of her chain? Is she turning into a hollow!?" Errol said out loud, he didn't mean to say it to anyone but someone answered him.

"Your Right! That's a good deduction skill you got their kid" A voice of a man was heard at the back Errol thought that it was hollow and immediately attack with a weak punch.

His fist was caught by a human-looking man with a hat making his eyes hide in the shadow. The moment Errol saw the person's face, he was immediately surprised as he recognized this person.

Urahara Kisuke is a mysterious man who supports Ichigo in many parts of the series. He didn't know much about him but at he knows that this guy is knowledgeable enough and might be able to help Izumi.

"Sorry, I thought you a hollow" Errol apologize but the man just wave his hand.

"Don't worry, don't worry I don't mind, by the way, your friend there looks like he is suffering" Urahara pointed at Izumi and Errol immediately comes to her. She is squirming around as if suffering from a lot of pain.

He checks her condition and saw her chain hanging loosely as if one touch and it will fall, there is also a hole similar to the hollow.

"What's going on and do you know how to help her!?" Errol asks Urahara quickly while hugging Izumi to at least try to comfort her, from her pain.

"She is turning into a hollow, from what I can see it should still take her a lot of time to become one in normal circumstances, but the hollow you fought before, somehow accidentally accelerated her hollowfication" Urahara explain calmly.

"I'm asking if you could help her!?" Errol said glaring at Urahara.

Urahara don't know how to deal with kids, but he shook his head and said. "I have, but it's too late, she is already turning into a hollow at any moment. Look at her chain of fate, it's as if with a single wrong move and it will fall so I recommend that you leave her as it is dangerous"

Errol as if his world shattered with Urahara's words and couldn't help but hold Izumi's hands tighter in his hug.

"...is there really no way to help her?" Errol said as he looks at Urahara in desperation, his eyes were full of pleading that he said yes.

Urahara don't know what to say, but he could only shake his head, making Errol feel despair and like he lost the light in his eyes.

"If it is a few minutes earlier then maybe, I can send her to soul society with the special konso that I made which should stop her hollowfication, by the way, a konzo is a process by which a Shinigami send souls to the thing we called afterlife, but now even if I used it, it will take a half an hour to send her and a few seconds now she will be a hollow" Urahara said feeling pity for the kid. Urahara might have some methods, to help Izumi but unfortunately, most of them do not apply to her, and some of those methods he lacks something like the Hogyouku.

Errol was silent hugging Izumi softly afraid that he might hurt her, he was feeling despair when a word that came out of Urahara caught his attention.

"You mean we can save her if we have time?" Errol asks with some light returns in his eyes.

Urahara didn't know what he was about to do but he nodded.

Errol immediately took a deep breath and check the amount of his spiritual energy left, and was feeling desperate that it was only at 3%.

He thought for a moment before he got an idea.

[Absorb all the spiritual power in the atmosphere]

The order caused something like a storm with him as the center.

"Now this is something you can't see every day, but some eyes might catch on this and cause some trouble," Urahara said before he chant something, Errol didn't know what he did but he didn't care as there is something more important he should focus on.

[New Order: WITH THE ABSORBED SPIRITUAL ENERGY, USED IT ALL TO STOP IZUMI ABIKO HOLLOWFICATION AND RESTORE HER!]Errol ordered loudly with hope and pleading to some gods out there that this would work. He didn't care right now if Urahara know what his power is, Izumi is more important right now.

The moment his order was made, Izumi stopped squirming and the pain that was showing on her face stopped, bringing him hope. He looks at her chain of fate of her, before looking at Urahara asking for confirmation.

"Oya, Oya now this is surprising, you managed to extend her hollowfication from a few seconds to at least 5 minutes, but unfortunately it's not enough" Urahara's words made Errol lose the spark of hope that barely even appear after he does his best.

Errol felt like the world turn silent and grey, he holds the body of Izumi like he was clinging to a rope on a cliff. His vision felt like it was slowly turning dark from the helplessness he was feeling right now.

"Don't look so sad...Errol... you are making me feel bad you know" Izumi's voice sounded as she opens her eyes and smile weakly at him.

Errol has tears in his eyes and tried to smile at her. " ...that's impossible, you know Izumi-nee"

Izumi chuckled weakly. "You know...when I was in the mouth of that hollow, I thought it was the end of me"

Her hands that were on his face moved as if she was trying to trace its shape. "I was scared...so scared until suddenly I felt nothing, I let go of hope to live, with a single wish...and that is at least to see you one last time"

She move her hands to his eyes and remove the tears in his eyes, but it was just replaced by another.

"That is why...when I woke up, after being released from the mouth of that hollow, and the first thing I saw you I thought I was hallucinating....but even if it's an illusion I was so happy....that at least even in my end, I could at least be happy seeing you one last time"

She pulls his head in a hug. "Thank you, Errol, for coming...not only from the time you saved me from the hollow....but also from losing myself being alone, thank you for entering my life and being my friend that colors my colors from this dark room..."

Errol couldn't take it anymore and cried, his tears falling down towards Izumi who keeps on hugging him.

After a minute of Izumi hugging Errol to comfort him, he left her embrace with red eyes.

"Hey, mister...can I request something?" Errol said looking at Urahara that stayed silent for a while now.

"Hmm, what is it?" He asks with his usual smile.

"Can you take the piano over there here?" Errol pointed at the side, Urahara didn't mind and carried it, to the side of Errol.

Errol stand up while carrying Izumi in his embrace, and put her in the seat, while also sitting himself.

Izumi looks at him in confusion until it finally clicks on her mind.

"I didn't expect you to know how to play piano," She said in a teasing tone, as she knows how he hates doing something in repetition and stopped immediately, and learning piano requires constant practice like many other things.

"...shut up, you want to hear it or not," Errol said with his face red.

Izumi pokes his cheeks with a little weak grin saying. "Yes, of course, I want to hear it, after all, it's from my cute little Errol"

He took a deep breath and focus on the piano only and the music he wants to play. He moved his fingers above the keys.

He moved his fingers down and started playing a melody that was soft-paced. Its tune somehow evokes a feeling of peace and some longing.

Izumi listen carefully and was surprised at how good he is, it was as if he practices playing piano for years. This is not wrong as Errol practiced for months and even cheated to learn it faster with an increase in learning speed using an order.

She closed her eyes and listen, the more she hears the song a familiar feeling arose inside her as if she was returning to something that she already lost.

The more she listened to the music the feeling grew stronger until something came to her mind and like some switch was turned on tears fall from her eyes.

"Mom..."

She finally knows why the music evokes so much familiarity to her, this song is made by her mom, it's as if the song has her soul in it that it evokes a familiar feeling.

She remembered her mom's words that when you play a song, you just don't play it according to the tune, you put your emotions, and your passion and mark the music with your presence.

Errol searches for her mom's music with the help of his grandpa, until he finds some of her originals and so he also requests to learn how to play the piano to play those songs.

She opens her eyes as if some regret in her eyes was gone making it shine brighter with her smile as the music continues to play making her beauty that was already high increase even higher.

Meanwhile, on the side where the music also reaches, Urahara is watching the duo. He listened to the music and smiled. "Not a bad tune"

He hummed along with the tune.

Errol continues to play until he finally clicks the final key. He took some deep breaths as it was really exhausting to play after all that happens.

He was about to turn around when he felt a familiar hug. "Thank You, Errol"

Errol smile slightly. "You're Welcome"

They just hug each other like this, for a moment and a few minutes have passed. Errol felt despair and helplessness again knowing what is about to come.

Izumi noticed it, but she was not surprised as even she was scared of turning into a monster.

"Hey...Errol, can I ask you one last thing?" Izumi asks.

Errol woke up, and turn to look at her.

"What is it?"

"Don't move" She said while holding his face that was filled with confusion but her next action stunned him.

She brought her face closer to his and kissed him, not on the cheeks or forehead but on his lips. He was so stunned that before he even registered what happens, it already ended.

"W-w-what?" Errol didn't know what to say or think.

"Hehe, you bad boy to think you actually managed to take the heart of a girl four times of your age" She chuckled like she was composed but her deep pink cheeks already told everything.

Errol who barely managed to hold himself made an action that surprised her. He kissed her this time on the lips.

"Th-that's was revenge!" He said making Izumi turn a total pink.

They ended up turning silent before Izumi recovered and broke it. "...Ne Errol, My father always said not to lose hope in times of hopelessness...."

Errol looks at her in silence as she continued.

"That is why, in by some miracle...that I didn't turn into a monster or if we meet again.... maybe not this life... let's try to be more than friends..." She said with a smile that was no longer scared and just hope.

Errol was stunned before he gave her a weak smile and nodded.

Urahara was silent during the whole exchange of theirs, can't help but whisper. "Now this is romantic, but unfortunately...it looks like the miracle didn't come."

Izumi suddenly felt pain in her chest, and the chain of fate has finally fallen leaving a hole in her chest.

"YYAAAHHHH"

"IZUMI!"

.

.

.

.

.

Author Words:

Is this the end of Izumi?

Also for those who might say he has the power to bend reality why can't he save her?

Well to answer that, his power might have a lot of potentials that could compare to miracle, visionary and etc.

But the thing is his ability has not yet reached the level of being conceptual, yes he can somehow do concept-level Orders or the thing I called Reality Order, but it requires a lot of spiritual power, he can't do Order's that doesn't pay an equal amount of spiritual power, like how the visionary just imagine getting stronger equal to Kenpachi without paying anything.

Maybe it will change in the future but for now, he still is weak as hell