Spirits Shouldn’t Be With You

Within the crowd of Ghost Bust fans, Chiaki stretched outwards, reaching towards the sky as she unwound her muscles, still sore from a lack of sleep. Of course the movement and the jostling of the crowd didn't help much either, but Chiaki would just have to grin and bear it for now. It was, after all, her own suggestion to go to the filing of the Ghost Bust episode in Karakura, but considering the circumstances, she felt like she didn't have much choice in the first place.

If anyone doubted her and Ichigo were twins however, they wouldn't once they saw the similarities between both of their expressions, with the two both sporting a grimace and both looking just a little exasperated, truly looking like two peas in a pod. Sneaking a glance at Chiaki, Ichigo have a small, self-satisfied smirk.

"Regretting your words now?"

"Ah, don't be like that. It's not anything to do with the show."

Chiaki simply shrugged it off, not fazed by the slight jab. After all, at the end of the day, it was simple sibling banter. Really, her mind was just focused on the matter of a certain powerless shinigami who would be joining them.

"Speak of the… ah, I probably shouldn't finish that."

Chiaki turned to see Rukia walking toward them, still in human world garb: unfortunately for Chiaki, any chance of her being able to work things out with her regarding their recent falling out was dashed by her traveling with the other students from Karakura High. Chad, Mizuiro, and Keigo all making their way towards the area.

"Hey! Chiaki! Ichigo! How are you doing?"

Chiaki simply smiled and returned the greeting, as Rukia did the same, keeping up more or less the same facade of politeness as her. Chiaki could tell that she was, while not angry, not exactly enjoying herself however.

"Ah, not much. It's good to see everyone turned out! This is a big occasion for the community, and everyone should be focused on it, right guys?"

Chiaki suddenly shot a look towards Keigo and Muiziro, who had gone quiet and suddenly decided that the ground was much more interesting than whatever they had been reading for so long on Chiaki's chest area, something which caused Rukia to hold in a laugh. It was a step in the right direction at least, and Chiaki had to admit, the two slinking back in terror in fear of her wrath was pretty funny. They should just be glad that Ichigo hadn't noticed.

"Annnyway… how long until the actual main event starts? I don't want to be waiting on the guy too long."

"Why did you want to meet up as a group if you don't like the guy? Seems like you have a bone to pick…"

Keigo was the first to speak up (likely being more than willing to change the subject), Chiaki grinning in response, waggling a finger as if she was giving a lesson.

"You guys know me and Ichigo can see spirits like nobody's business. It's sort of a big thing for us, "with great power comes great responsibility" and all that jazz. It's great that there's a new medium in town, bringing attention to these issues, but… Ichigo and I want to see if he's the real deal, and give him a piece of our mind if not. And if we're all together, I can give you all a play by play of anything that happens. It's a win-win!"

"Ah, that's actually pretty smart."

The group all nodded in acknowledgment (except for Ichigo, who looked as uninterested as always), and Chiaki took the opportunity to give a nod towards Rukia.

The cries that Chiaki had been hearing had now gone from barely noticeable to actively audible: in fact, it wasn't just Ichigo and Rukia who were noticing it now: Chad had taken notice, and Chiaki knew that Orihime had to hear it as well, wherever she was in the crowds. Chiaki shook her head, trying her best to clear her thoughts of the malicious scream.

"Well, I can tell you one thing now, the locale is definitely real. This place is haunted out the wazoo from what I can see. I kind of wonder if the Don has some sort of safeguards in place, might be dangerous with people nearby.

["Maybe he did, but jury is still out on if human occult methods actually work in the first place."]

Unfortunately, neither Chiaki or Ayane had the opportunity to dwell on that information any further:

"Hahaha! SPIRITS ARE ALWAYS WITH YOU!"

From the sky, a boisterous presence made itself known, the great Don Kannonji dropping from the sky to the wonder and amazement of onlookers. With a quick pull, a parachute shot from his back, leaving the host of tonight's festivities to gently drop into the ground, before doing his signature pose, arms crossed over his chest.

"BOHAHAHAHA! Let me hear everyone's cheers!"

In the midst of all this cheering, Ichigo leaned over to ask Rukia something, whispering in her ear to keep it private. Of course, Chiaki already knew they were discussing the Demi-Hollow nearby, so Chiaki opted to pay attention to the Don instead, who was currently talking to a man with a microphone.

"Tsk tsk, this spirit has gotten incredibly rotten from corruption. It may as well be a yokai at this point… but do not worry! I, Don Kannonji, vow to find any solution to the problem, no matter if it costs me my life!"

Cheers and yells of gratitude erupted, but the shaman made no signs of acknowledging them (at least not externally). Stepping up to the spirit, who was currently growling and practically frothing at the mouth bad he muttered about being the "rightful owner of the hospital, Kannonji circled around, as if to inspect him from all angles, before nodding.

"I know what must be done! To send you to heaven, that is an endeavor that requires the aid of my Super Spirits Stick. Prepare yourself for passage to the next life!"

Grabbing his staff, Kannonji would suddenly thrust it into the hole where the spirit's heart would be, much to the crowd's excitement and the shinigami pair's horror.

"No! That's only going to make things worse!"

As Don Kannonji began changing, Ichigo started rushing forwards, looking completely alarmed at was what being done to the spirit… only to once again be met with a mass of security holding him down, just as it had occurred in canon.

"Ichigo, what are you doing?!?!"

Their classmates would look on in shock, as Rukia moved to try and help Ichigo out, only to be met with another swarm of security as well. The crowds stepped back in shock, not wanting to get in the way of whatever struggle was going on.

"No, you have to let me help him. You don't understand, everyone is in danger! Chiaki! Help!"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Chiaki leapt into action; with all the security occupied with Ichigo and Rukia, and the people around them having cleared out to keep their distance, absolutely nothing was stopping Chiaki from making her way to the front where the hollow was currently being impeded.

Everything this far had been done exactly according to plan, down to the last detail, and just as she'd hoped, Rukia had asked for her help of her own volition when the chips were down. Now, it was up to her to oblige, and Chiaki did so by leaping into the fray with a show of incredible acrobatic power, reiatsu power surging outwards as she lunged towards the Demi-Hollow to separate the two.

Only for her body to go through, too late, as the hollow dissipated into nothing, to reform elsewhere.

"What?"

Chiaki hit the floor with a thud, landing right in front of a shocked Don Kannonji, who quickly bent down to check if she was alright.

"Young miss! This is no place for a lady such as yourself. Get off, for your own protection."

"No, look!"

At the roof of the building, a mass of dark energy was pooling at the top, going from a gaseous state to a viscous liquid, all the way until it formed a massive, bony form, a Hollow mask emerging from the force like a sculpture molded from clay.

However…there something was unmistakably wrong, an aberration that completely overturned Chiaki's expectations: this Hollow, which should've have been anything but a weak newborn, was nothing like it did in the original manga, looking far bigger and much more twisted, a demonic grin practically protruding from its face. Exuding an incredible power, even Chiaki began to feel overhwelmed from its presence.

"Everyone needs to go! NOW!"