The Monster Underneath Your Bed

Chapter One

Maybe by the next feeling of the moon,

I'll be over you.

Could you see that, too?

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- Moon Song (Cam Franklin) -

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Ichigo let out an indignant huff as he tightened his grasp on his zanpakuto. This hollow has interrupted his first good night sleep in weeks. What made it worse was that Rukia left him to fend for himself so that she could sleep more. If it weren't for the urgency of the hollow attack, he would have chewed her out before leaving.

"Souls, souls, souls! More souls! " the arachnid-like beast screeched. Ichigo growled in an irritated manner. It was taking too long to take care of one hollow. Rukia would definitely be hearing about this for the next day or so. It's times like these he wished he wasn't a Substitute Soul Reaper

"You're starting to piss me off," he spat before leaping into the air with his sword poised to slice open the hollow's mask. His lunge was dodged, forcing Ichigo to turn so that he would land on his feet. The frown he had been wearing since he was rudely woken up deepened into an angry scowl. "Why does it seem like I'm the only one who has to do anything around here?" the orange-haired boy hissed, ranting to nobody. The hollow let out another ear-piercing scream before winding back one of its many legs to try and swipe at him.

Surprisingly, it didn't even get to finish wailing before a strange blur flashed past its face. The creature went still for a moment, half of its mask suddenly gone. Despite itself, the giant spider monster was still trying to register what had just happened. To the left of where the hollow previously stood was a large black... creature? Ichigo wasn't completely sure what it was.

In its mouth was the other half of the hollow's mask, not yet disintegrated like the rest of its body. A soft breeze rustled the motionless being's fur, establishing its resemblance to dancing smoke. Its long tail almost seemed to fade at the ends like it wasn't completely there. It turned to the Substitute Soul Reaper, locking on to his chocolate-coloured eyes with its blood-red orbs. He felt his grip on his sword loosen for a moment, jaw dropped in awe.

"What...the hell...?" Ichigo blinked, paralyzed from the pure shock of what he had witnessed. For a moment, he wondered if this was another type of hollow because of the white, skull-like mask on its head but he hesitantly dismissed the thought. The creature didn't have that overbearing feeling of dread and gloom that usually came with all hollows.

It was majestic in a way; with its narrowed eyes shining like brilliant rubies. He swore its body was so see-through that if he got closer, he could see its bones phasing through its thick, pitch-black fur. Never before had he seen anything like it.

Breaking its visual connection with the carrot top, the mysterious figure bounded away. Ichigo simply stood there, watching its form recede into the evening like a shadow. Thousands of questions bounced around in his mind but he knew that there would be no answer for any of them. He ran over the encounter in his mind as he made his way home, making a mental note to inform Rukia of the strange creature.

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Elsewhere...

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A young girl with hair darker than night sat atop the roof of a condemned home. The distant chirping of crickets and chatter of other insects and nocturnal beings kept her ears busy. She tried to pinpoint each one but there was no point. There was no point in anything, really, yet she would try, anyway. She laid back with a sigh, closing her brightly-coloured eyes.