The Midnight Hour

The night was a dark one, seemingly thick and clogging. It was choking, swallowing and would even suffocate. Twin tails of black flipped in the air, as the footsteps of the girl echoe'd on the ground. The puddles splashed, as she ran, sensing lives. It was strange ; even as a plus, she had a basic sense of power and of understanding. There had been a dangerous hollow around these parts ; the girl had clashed with it, and escaped. That's why she was out here, aiming to draw it away from the city, into the barrier so that it could get zapped. But tonight, people had other plans. The girl heard the hollow move elsewhere, and cursed, before running towards where it was. She had gotten a good sense ; but she was lost at this point. The woods were confusing ; rather the rain and the darkness made it a perfect hunting ground for the hollow. The girl clutched the katana at her side tighter. This was her human blade, able to be wielded by spirits. She had requested it that way, to the surprise of her parents ; it was a just in case measure. It was a good thing she had done so too, as the girl took a breath, holding the blade close to her.

The howl it made now, was terrifying. But she would not stand down. After waiting a few moments, a crack resounded in the area. That's when she turned and ran, her hair a bit matted from the rain. Her breaths were fast and shallow, as she heard the water splash. That was her foot steps ; she was still affecting the real world as a plus. But she kept running ; she couldn't fight it here, in the woods. Echoes of fighting lanced around, as she stopped, leaning against a tree, waiting. The blade was at her side ; she would not flinch easily. After all, the summit of her human powers were with the blade, as she waited, her body steady against the bark. Slowly and surely, she knew that the hollow would come ; but would it come alone or with many? She needed a better idea, and thus, she was here, hiding, supressing herself. She wondered why it ran off, but she couldn't help but pray for any soul it had consumed. She felt apologetic, but if they could not escape or defend themselves, then they wouldn't have needed their help.

Cold, but she had to be. She had to make sure she stayed safe in order to guard her family. Shisome.. that girl was at her heart. From what she could tell from the ashes of their home, she was the only one alive. Since her parents had marked their births with a sort of clock, and as they died, it would disappear. Only two hands reminded ; one was Shisome's. But who's was the other? She could not recall the name.. but it no longer matter. She could hear it, cracking in the under brush, as the girl readied herself to counter it if needed. She had to be safe ; she had to be alive. To continue her family's hopes and expectations.

A presence ; the girl didn't expect the sudden sound of sandals in the water. Her body remained hidden behind the tree ; the tension in her was strong. But she had this feeling ; that this was not something to be afraid of. Thought, she knew that person was there ; and that threw off her plan. She wanted to curse under her breath ; but already, the girl was moving. With a limber action, she managed to get into the tree, ready to jump out. The hollow's screams were echoing, terrifyingly against the woods. Her blade was easily drawn without a sound. She was good at this ; the blade was the one she had trained with, fought with and died with. It was her blade, as the girl took in a deep breath. Even though she was a plus? She probably still had good capabilities. She also had her anima stone ; but she didn't have the energy to access it at this point. But the black haired girl knew one thing ; this hollow was strong, and most of all? In her way. The scent of dried blood hit her nose through the rain. To even smell that was a credit at how foul the beast smelled. Her body trembled, but not out of fear. No, why would she be afraid? She had a fight right before her. The girl felt her lips curve, as the blade was connecting to her. Yes, this blade was the cause of that excitement.

It was howling for blood, for battle. The girl waited until it was within sight of the figure, male she caught out of the corner of her eye, and her body pushed. Suddenly, she was existent ; she made noise. ''HIYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!'' her voice echoed in the reign, deafening, defiant. The blade moved in the little light, slashing at the creature. Her body fell to the side, and she rolled, avoiding it's next strike ; she had to. The creature was an enemy, and it aimed to devour her, as she blocked a strike, the hardened steel like flesh against the blade, causing sparks. Disengaging the block, she ran under, and slashed again. Deeper this time, as blood gushed out, the girl dancing back. She was a good fighter ; after all, in her life, she had made it her duty to battle. She was dedicated ; and focused. The girl moved away from strikes, using her agility to keep it out of her reach. She was just a plus ; but the finesse of her combative state as a human? Still remained ingrained in her soul. The girl landed near the boy, as she shot him an easy going grin. ''You'll be a picket if you keep standing there.'' she simply said. The clawed handle of the katana looked absolutely demonic in this light ; but the blade itself was beautiful. Even as she was covered in the hollow's blood, she didn't seem to be perturbed.

That was when he would more then likely notice that she was the plus he was looking for, as her blade didn't waver. She was determined.. and the hollow was enraged, more then likely. But she wasn't worried ; it was going to come at them.. and she wasn't alone, as the girl's body relaxed a bit, and yet still was ready for action. She was used to fighting, hence her lack of panic ; hollows had been easy when she was human. The girl was used to being a purifying executioner ; it was her role in Yakume's shrine. But.. now? She was on her own, and yet she still carried that grace. She just hoped she got to the Soul Society just fine, as long as this Shinigami didn't majorly screw up.

The girl let out a sigh ; obviously the male hadn't understood her well-meaning words. In a sense? She had simply told him to move since just standing there would get him killed. The black haired girl heard the creature howling, but her gaze was intent, serious and would not betray any sort of weakness to the sound. Although in truth? It more then likely terrified her in some part. She knew that, but the girl stood stout ; she would not let this thing get the best of her. The Saihossoku knew she was more then likely weaker then the creature, but did that matter? She may be weaker, but she had the heart of dozens, the sacrifices of many and the expectations of an entire family. Her fingers didn't tremble ; she gripped the blade tighter, as she was ready to move again. The tenseness in her shoulders ; the light set of her jaw. It was a stubbornness that was expected out of her family ; many had understood that to their own perils. And Mikomi was not one to stand by, as she noted the male moving into something. Her gaze, the black flashing with hints of murky blood, stared at him, as if observing him. A bit shameless, but she was considering all the factors for her next move. Her face showed thoughts fluttering across her mind, due to having an expressive face.

However, she sensed a bit of a peak in spiritual energy. Her head tilted up ; she had been a powered human before her death, so the sensing of energy didn't necessarily just vanished.. it weakened. The girl's eyes widened, as she realized just how much energy was in there ; and before she could move to stop him, the male had unleashed a blast. The strength was such that it left craters in the ground, and the girl stared with an almost sad gaze ; the hollow had been vaporized, but that wasn't the cause of her sadness. How many plants, and animals had he just killed, for the sake of unleashing a powerful blow? The girl felt pity for the lives that many humans discarded, and as that mournful gaze lifted up the male's, she could feel a bit of a tug. Yes, to humans, their companion's lives meant more then the other lives sprouting around them ; that was normal. But the plus still felt a bit sad at that. She softly lifted her hand, straightening the blade, and with a soft, swiping motion, slid it back into her sheath, as the blade ran along the inside of her thumb. It didn't cut it, but the use would ; it was the scar of a swordsman to say the least. The girl sighed as the demonic like hilt clicked, the relief striking across her face vividly. She had been afraid ; when the girl had drawn the blade, a wild fear had shown on her face, and remained in shadows.

However, turning towards the male, she let off a bright smile, a smile that was utterly pure and gentle. ''I did what anyone would do ; I jumped in to help someone in need.'' she just said softly. Her gaze was not hurt, nor angry, nor even remorseful. Although her words were gentle, there was a quiet determination behind them. She knew she did the right thing ; that was what the plus knew at heart. ''After all, you were ready to do something by yourself, so I figured if you had enough courage to do so, I would aid you.'' she said, clearly. Approaching the male, she found herself almost giggling. Because in fact? The male was shorter then her. Somewhere around three, to four inches. That's what she could tell from a look ; she was around 5'6 last she knew. But the giggles were one of a kind, almost happy discovery, as she tilted her head, shooting another smile at the male. ''I'm called Mikomi. And you are?'' she said, slowly taking the glasses out of her pocket ; and with that, she slipped them back onto her face, giving her a more wide, innocent look. But now she had approached the male and was about five to six feet away from him. She did kind of want to hug him, to thank him, but the Saihossoku wasn't sure if she should, with the male's body shaking like that. So the girl just settled for the middle ground introduction.

That was the least she could do, if he came all the way out here to help her, right?.

The male was to just stare at her, confused. Mikomi felt a bit awkward ; did she say something weird again? She observed him a bit more, noting he was still confused and irritated ; at least she could assume that from the expression on his face. The girl was frowning a bit, now confused herself. Did she do something wrong? That was not necessarily something that was good was it? The Saihossoku was now trying to figure out exactly what was wrong. She wasn't quite sure what the male had gone or went through, but it was a bit confusing her. The girl's frown started to give place to a more worried expression. She noted his almost shaky movement, and then her eyes went to his hand. The male's blade dropped with a soft thunk, the blade sinking lightly into the ground, as he himself began to fall backwards. Mikomi didn't have to think twice ; her entire body was yelling to help him. The girl pushed her foot off the ground, and flew beside him, attempting to catch him. However, she didn't make it fast enough, and he slipped through her fingers. The pain that flashed on her face was on the border of panic, and absolute guilt ; the girl felt her entire body shake with denial at the fact that she had failed to help. What if he was unconcious? What if he cracked his head on the ground?


Her body fell beside him, dropping to her own knees, her hands on the ground as she leaned over him. The hands landed on each side of his head, as if she didn't watch her fall. But she was worried, the look in her eyes almost full of absolute worry. In fact, if one looked, tears were forming at the edge of her eyes ; she was that worried about someone else. Mikomi had always wanted to help others ; and she would always help those that helped themselves. This man had stood against his own emotions ; she could tell that much. That there had been a struggle within him. She could only assume it was from emotions, but she couldn't necessarily tell exactly what. But he had fought something inside of him, and for that? The girl wanted to help him whole-heartedly. Her fingers curled into the dirt, as her katana lay in her other hand, kept close to her as always. She had heard his name, and he patted beside him, as if for her to sit. The girl's eyes widenned, as a relieved smile touched her face, a tear softly escaping from the corner of her eye. ''Thank you, Giriko-kun.'' she said softly, her voice gentle, and absolutely radiant. The plus was beyond relieved that the male was alright, as she took a shaking breath, the tear slipping from her face to splatter on his cheek. He had honestly scared her to death ; it had been frightening to say the least.

The girl wouldn't have been sure what to do if he had been seriously harmed. Guilt was obviously the first thought to come to mind, as she moved back, sliding back to a seating position on her knees. Placing the sheathed blade across her lap, the girl took in a calming breath, as one hand wiped away the tears from her eyes. Like this? She looked almost like a miko, as the chain on her chest clinked. The chain was shorter then most, having maybe three to four links. It was a miracle that she even avoided hollowfication for this long, as she tilted her head, and softly smiled at the male, grateful. ''Yes, I know what a Shinigami is. I realize that I have died.. and I am a Plus. As to how I died? I don't know. But I can't go yet ; I still have something to do.'' she said softly. Her voice held her warm, rich tones ; but there was a serious determination in the underneath. A stubbornness that would be hard to sway ; she had a duty in this world, and she was determined to see it through, no matter what. This was something she had been born with ; she was surely capable of accomplishing this duty, wasn't she? She was expected to ; and until she saw Shisome alive and well, and understood where the rest of her family was? She was not going to give up her plus life easily.

Even with that, however, the girl turned her head towards Giriko. ''I hope you understand that I probably won't allow myself to go to Soul Society just yet. I have to finish what I started ; and for that, I need to find my family. So unless you can convince me, force me or wish to join me, I suspect our encounter may be shorter then the hare's efforts.'' she said. The girl's words may appear weird, but she was strangely serene ; she didn't want to start a fight. She just smiled at the male ; if he truly wanted her to go to Soul Society, she may not deny him. The Plus could tell, relatively, that something had happened ; and from that? It was probably something that made him suffer.. so if he was suffering, she wanted to help him. And if her safety was that important, she may even consider abandoning her expectation. However? She would continue it in the place beyond ; the only reason she even considered stopping was the fact she was having no result what so ever, particularly after all this time. How long as it been? Four years? It was indeed impressive, as she let out a breath, her form swaying just a little bit. She wasn't sure.. but she wanted to do what was best for everyone. In fact, Giriko is the first person she had stopped and talked to all this time. That was a surprising thought.

And in a way, she didn't want to let him down.