Shadow Reapers

*I'm fine with that*

<Rei>

Ugh... What?

Something wierd was happening, I knew that much. Though that probably wasn't very much help. It took me a while to decide I wasn't dreaming, and to stand up dizzily from my bed.

I went out into the hallway where I had a bigger stretch of space and began to pace.

I had woken up early. I'd been drawing for a while. I went to professor hill's class... Then I had lunch, and hung about in the yard...

I darted back into my room to my sketchbook and started flipping through the pages. No new drawings, though there was a note on the next page.

"You are hereby grounded until you catch up on your schoolwork, you're four days behind. Keep your door locked. - Dad"

With a deep sigh I collected another book or two and went in search for a place to catch up on my actual schoolwork.

Kestrel

"Are you going to be okay?" Stella asked at the door to Kestrel's room. She nodded and hurriedly pushed the door open, closing it with a soft click behind her before sinking against the solid, reassuring wooden frame. She reached behind her and clung to it, turned around to run her hands against it as the tears rolled down her cheeks and she cried, sobs muffled against her shoulder.

The darkness was worse than ever, after that brief glimpse of light: the glow of auras, the soft touch of her mother's hand and the voice singing her softly to sleep just one night ago. Kestrel used to think that she should not feel resentment or jealousy for her lack of sight because while her eyes could see no light, her ears were filled with the beauty of music, her mouth with the taste of chocolate, her nose with the scent of lavender, her flesh with the touch of silk and her mind with the joy of life.

Now her mind was a cavern of grief.

Audra

I smiled at the two. So it was done. Kai would help Ichidan. We would slay the Hollows we crossed and save souls. We were in it together.

But...what good would I be? All I could do was see them...I couldn't fight them.

Then it occurred to me. I would help Kai stay strong and healthy.

I stood up and put my hand on top of their joined ones and nodded.

"The least I can do is make sure you guys stay healthy, right?" I added it as a joke, but I meant it. Whole heartedly.

Stella-

I got back to the dorm to find a note stuck to the freezer.

Going out tonight, probably won't be back, found a lovely boy at the club. Sorry, know that tonight's are Girl's Night In. Look in the freezer. Love Sal x

I opened the freezer. She had left me a huge tub of Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Therapy and a girly DVD from the rental shop down the road. I smiled, taking it out and wondering if freezing DVDs was bad for them.

I set down my bags and kicked off my shoes, and was just about to lie back on my bed when the phone rang. I picked it up.

"Hello?" I asked.

"Stella! It's good to hear your voice!"

"Damien!" I said. "Hi!"

"Guess what? I'll be there on Wednesday, I've even started packing, which is pretty impressive, isn't it?"

"For you? That's more than impressive. What's going on with you?"

"Not a lot. Mel's being boring. Classes are boring. Life's pretty boring. You?"

"Just weird. Like, I got this new girl in the room next door, Kestrel, she's nice, but she's blind, and pretty eerie, and then last night, I kept feeling like people were walking over my grave and then there was this noise... then this morning, when we came out, there were scorch marks all over the ground. Somebody said it was a car, but it was right outside our building, so surely I would've heard it?"

"I guess so."

"And then I went to find Kestrel to see if she was alright, and she was just sitting there with all these people around her, really shaken up, then when I asked what was wrong, nobody would answer me!"

"Stel, you're being paranoid," he teased me.

I went over to the freezer and took out the tub, locating a spoon. "That's just it, I'm not. Something's going on here Damien."

"We can play Ghostbusters when I get there."

"Shut up, I'm being serious!" I said, laughing a little.

"So am I, you're overreacting. Anyway, I'm just checking you're not dead, and that you can help me from the airport to wherever you are."

"Sure, I'll get us a taxi."

"Awesome. But I've got to go, this is costing loads, I'm on the mobile. I'll see you then."

"Love you, bye," I said and hung up.

I went over to my bed again and pulled out a magazine.

He might not believe me, but something was happening around me and I was determined to find out what.

(Let's skip to that night.)

Kai was in his room trying to finish up his homework for the night. After today’s events he would be lucky if he could even finish half of it before tomorrow morning.

Audra had wanted to stay with him, but Kai told her it would be better if she went to sleep in her own room tonight. He had promised her he would spend some time with her tomorrow.

As Kai finished his English homework and moved on to his character sketches he felt something. There was a soul nearby, it felt similar to the spirit that had been following Kestrel until it was taken to Hueco Mundo.

But, it felt different at the same time. It had the same spiritual energy patterns as the soul that was taken, but underneath it all was a wave of malice.

There was a knock at the door. Kai got up to answer it and saw Ichidan standing on the other side. "You feel it, don't you?" he asked.

Kai nodded. "You think it's her mother?"

"It feels like it but her reiatsu is different, changed somehow."

"You think she's turned into one of them?"

"Yes, and we have to stop her before she harms anyone."


Meanwhile...

Kestrel was asleep in her bed. She had been crying all afternoon about losing her mother a second time. Then, a knock on the door woke her up. Using her newfound ability she looked past the door to see who, or what, was on the other side.

There was a woman on the other side of the door. Her body was made of blue fire, not just white like a regular human. She hesitantly got out of bed and opened the door. "Who's there?" she asked.

"It's me, Kestrel."

Kestrel gasped as she recognized the voice of her own mother.

*I'm not really sure what's going on here, so I'm going to go with the flow, to try and get myself into the story. If this isn't okay, tell me and I'll edit myself out no bother.*

Stella-

Sally gave a huge snore and mumbled something in her sleep. I was still awake, texting Damien and making plans for what we were going to do on his stay. He had just gone to lunch with his girlfriend Mel though, so I was alone.

I got up and began to make myself a drink. I was thirsty. I opened the fridge and sighed, once again we had no milk.

I wondered if Kestrel had any. I very quietly snuck over to the door and slipped into the corridor. I knocked on her door. There was no reply, but I was sure I could hear voices. I very quietly pushed the door open. What I saw shocked me.

Sorry about the delay, kept getting interrupted every time I started a post...

Kestrel

"Mother!" I opened the door hurriedly as soon as I realised that it really was her and just as quickly, she closed it behind her. "Mother, you escaped!" I laughed in delight, a foolish grin plastered across my face. Oh how foolish I was! I realise that now. Too hopeful, too naive to notice how much brighter her aura shone or how she stepped towards me and took me in her arms in such a detached, mechanic manor, holding me loosely, no hand rubbing my back or fingers stroking my hair.

And the smell. A sickly, too sweet scent of perfume clung to her clothing but at the time, I didn't care. I nestled my head close against her chest and at last her arms moved across my back and she pulled me towards her and lifted me from the floor, carryin gme gently to the bed.

"It's time for you to go to sleep, my little one," Mother said softly, drawing my covers about me and tucking me in tightly, more tightly than ever before so that I felt warm and secure. She moved across the room and I thought I heard a smile in her voice as she spoke. I could certainly imagine one tugging at her lips:

"You left the spare pillow on the chair, how thoughtful but here, I'll watch over you tonight." With eyes half-closed, I watched as she stooped to pick something up and then she crossed the room and with a light, playful laugh she pushed the pillow down on my face. I laughed too, trying to raise my arms to push her lightly but the force of the covers and her body held them down: trapped. Mother, I can't breathe! I can't breathe, I can't breathe! I thought frantically, kicking the cover to try and catch her attention as the laughter rang on and rang on and then it stopped but still my heart thudded tremendously and my lungs burned with their desire for air.

"Foolish child," my Mother's voice said as I became vaguely aware of the door clicking open. "Your Mother no longer controls this shell, it is mine. And with you out of the way, she'll not struggle at all. You're all she has worth fighting for. How sad."

Ichidan had helped separate Kai's spirit from his body so he could fight. His physical body was back in his room, lying on his bed. As they ran across the courtyard in the middle of the night Ichidan said, "I sense the Hollow's reiatsu coming from Kestrel's room."

"I need more room to fight," Kai said.

"I don't know how we can lure it out into the open space without causing any damage to the surrounding property," Ichidan said. "You go on ahead, I'll set up barriers around the building so none of the students can leave their rooms."

Kai nodded. "Got it." They split up, Ichidan running off in one direction and Kai going another.


When Stella opened the door she saw Kestrel lying on her bed, gasping for air. Beside her bed stood a woman with a pillow in her hand. The woman buried Kestrel's face under the pillow and began to smother her.

"Kestrel!" Stella ran over to the woman and grabbed her wrist, trying to stop her from smothering Kestrel. "Get away from her, you bitch!"

"Foolish human!" With one arm, the woman threw Stella into the wall. The impact was so hard that she swore she felt the wall crack under her body. The woman dropped the pillow and began walking toward Stella. "I'll deal with this one first, then I'll come back for you." She grabbed Stella by the neck and lifted her so her feet dangled just above the ground. She tried to get free but her struggles were futile. Her vision began to fade as the woman held her windpipe closed.

Then the woman's face shifted, as if something invisible just hit her in the face, hard. It caused her to release her hold on Stella's neck. The woman turned with fury at whatever was or wasn't there. Whatever she was looking at, Stella couldn't see it. "A death god? I'll kill you, too!"

As Kestrel caught her breath she saw the red flame that was Kai's aura. It burned with such intensity that it almost hurt to look at.

Stella-

Why oh why did I go in there?

I spluttered, and everything around me began to go dark. I usually could defend myself, but I kicked and punched though nothing happened.

But then there was a flash of something, of redness, and she dropped me. I took only a moment to regain my senses before staring. I couldn't see what was going on at all.

"Kes, are you okay?" I asked, rushing over. She spluttered slightly as well, but she was staring at the woman who appeared to be fighting with mid air.

"Somebody's there, aren't they? They're invisible... Kes, who is she?"

"My mother," she said in a deathly whisper.

Audra

I had been laying down, but no sleep came. I was worried, anxious, unnerved...but by what?

Then I heard them. Kai and Ichidan rushing down the hall as a girl screamed in the distance. Something was happening to Stella!

I bolted upright, grabbed by blue kimono bathrobe, and slipped into my flipflops, and I was at the door, reaching to open it.

An electric field shocked my fingers before I touched the knob. I yelped, drawing away instantly. What the hell...

I eased my hand back towards the door, and a strange field appeared. It crackled and glowed...a barrier?

Ichidan! Damn you! I hissed. But then I realized. Is he trying to protect us? Can everyone see it? What it going on?!

It had to be a Hollow. It had to be.

Kestrel

I grabbed the covers in my hands and tore them away, not quite sure what I intended to do as Kai and Mother fought, each weaving in and out; a dance of war. Mother snarled as she was pushed against the wall and I gasped, on my feet without making the conscious action to stand up.

"What's happening?" Stella asked, catching hold of my hand and squeezing gently.

"He's going to kill her," I whispered, unable to look away but certain that I could not intervene. It's not your Mother. It's a hollow, I tried to convince myself. But then she spoke:

"Kestrel," she said, reaching out. "Help me. If you let him kill me, I'll be gone forever." The red aura moved closer and I steeled myself but it was so hard. Finish her, I pleaded silently. Please, please just do it. Don't wait for my confirmation because I can't manage that. Just kill her. But Kai appeared to be struggling and suddenly he was flung back and launched into the desk with an almighty thud! that echoed around the room.

"Come with me, Kestrel," Mother urged, the slightest touch of tenderness in her voice. Was it enough? Could she still be in there?

Stella-

Kestrel hesitated. I could no longer see the woman, but I could hear her voice [is that okay? I can't remember is she had gone into spirit form or not, I'm guessing she had]. To me, it sounded false, insincere, but Kestrel seemed entranced.

"Kestrel, she tried to kill you!" I reminded her. "Whoever, or whatever, that thing is, it most certainly is not your mother."

A bloodcurdling scream filled the air, whatever she was fighting had obviously just hurt her, hard. I wondered if I could see better if I turned the lights on. But she wasn't dead, because there was a snarl and the sounds of a battle still raged. If they weren't in my head. But by now, I was pretty sure they weren't.

(Actually, she was still in her physical form, but that's okay.)

Kai had gotten up from the desk and cut Kestrel's mother's arm with his big sword. He looked over his shoulder at Kestrel and yelled, "Don't listen to her! She's turned into one of them! If I don't slay her she can never be saved!"

"He's lying!" Kestrel's mother shouted. "He wants to kill your mother! He's a murderer! You wouldn't let him kill your own mother, would you!?"

Kestrel covered her ears and screamed, "STOP IT!!!"

Kestrel's mother took the opportunity to catch Kai off guard. She punched him in the side of the face. The force was powerful enough to make him smash into the wall and draw blood. Kai wiped the blood from his nose and winced. Dammit, it's too cramped in here. I need to get her outside.

"Destructive Art 22!"

A bolt of blue lightning struck Kestrel's mother from behind. She let out an agonizing scream as her body was thrust forward. She smashed through the side of the building and out into the courtyard.

Kai looked to see Ichidan standing at the door, his arm outstretched and his hand smoking. "Go after her," Ichidan said, "I'll stay and protect these two."

Kai nodded as he got to his feet. He ran to the hole in the wall and leaped out.

(Just so you know, Kestrel's mother is going to be in her Hollow form from this point on.)

Audra

A scream. Shouts. Thuds. Yelps. What was going on?

I jumped when I heard an explosion, and I ran to the window. A woman fell through the wall at the other end of the building, Kai in pursuit despite the fact he was bleeding.

I reached to open the window, but, once again, the barrier stopped me. I swore aloud as I paced, watching helplessly.

I began to pray, "God, just keep Kai safe. Keep him alive. Help him. Please."

Kai stopped in the middle of the courtyard. He looked around for the Hollow but couldn't see it. He could sense its presence, but he hasn't had a lot of practice sensing reiatsu so he couldn't pinpoint its location.

"Where are you?" he whispered.

An ear-piercing shriek filled the air as a human sized figure flew out of a nearby tree. Kai could see what it was as it hovered in the air. The Hollow was in the shape of a harpy, a human shaped creature with talons as feet and wings for arms. There was a hole in its chest and a mask on its face.

As it hovered it let out another shriek. "KESTREL IS MINE!!!"