Black robes sway with every passing step. At the sides of two men, adorned with their hair tied back into neat buns, are sheathed katanas. Cold, crimson eyes glare through the darkness of the night sky. Rain pours down, washing away the blood that'd been spilled on the street earlier. The sight of an "exploding bird" caught the attention of only a few residents of Karakura Town.

"Exploding birds, huh?" The black-haired man speaks to his white-haired partner beside him. "Residuals are all over this place. There was a Hollow for sure. Judging from the energy I'm feeling from here, a Garganta must've opened in the middle of the road." He skillfully surmises the situation with only a few details at his disposal.

The white-haired man beside him grins, delighted by his partner's usual brilliance. "Your instincts have never let me down before, Kuroda. Maybe it's because of Captain Kurotsuchi's experimentation, but those eyes of yours are useful. I trust you." The black-haired man, Kuroda, chuckles at the kind words of his partner. They hadn't been truer.

Thanks to the eyes bestowed upon him by Captain Kurotsuchi, at the price of his sight in his right eye, his vision is superior to anyone else's in Division 12. Boasting such great eyes, Kuroda was allowed to patrol Karakura when small occurrences like this happened. It made investigations much smoother. 

There wasn't a powerful Hollow detected in this area, just a pesky rodent that they'd need to take time hunting for if it's even in this realm.

"We're bound to find one thing or another here, Mae. Just stay focused, otherwise, we'll get scolded for coming back with zero results." Based on the actions of the Hollow, Kuroda already had a good idea of what his opponent would be like. Inexperienced in hunting and handling their own strength, traces of Reishi were left in the most open part of the town for them to find. 

Offering the creature the benefit of the doubt, nothing as small as a misplaced Garganta would've been able to get past Kuroda's eyes. Even if Mae didn't see it, Kuroda would be able to. Yes, just from looking at it now, he has a good idea of what kind of Hollow they're looking for. "We're dealing with a small rodent, it's definitely consumed a few stray Pluses by now." 

Based on what he's assumed the Garganta looked like, it was roughly relative to the size of the Hollow that came through it. This would mean that the creature they're looking for might either be walking on all fours or is incredibly small. Nevertheless, it will be purified.

Meanwhile, the small Hollow lingers in a dark alley, lacking a presence. Droplets of rain pour down onto its body, leaving it to ponder on the nature of the falling water. It knew what it was naturally, something harmless to it. The feeling of the droplets hitting its body felt soothing. It wished for more of it after hunting all day long.

Growing used to leaping around, the small Hollow traverses up to a nearby rooftop.

The night sky was very familiar to it. It matched the constantly dark sky of Hueco Mundo. Something about it in this realm is far more beautiful. In Hueco Mundo, the scenery is still. The sky is lifeless, only brightened by the moon, so far that it is impossible to reach. 

There is a sun in this world; this Human World. Unlike the moon that stands still over Hueco Mundo, the sun is constantly moving. Day and night change to symbolize the passing of time. When the moon comes out, stars are littered throughout the sky. Humans become lesser in numbers when the moon is out. The number of them dwindles further once rain starts to pour from the sky.

The Hollow cannot understand why humans dwindle under these conditions. The rain is harmless, the same as the darkness that conquers the sky. The Hollow cannot fathom why humans disappear into their oddly crafted structures when it rains or when it becomes dark.

The setting now was nearly identical to the lonely Hueco Mundo, with the exception of a few humans walking with strange contraptions in their hands. They sprang out over their heads, connected to some kind of rods, much like the lance imbued into the small Hollow's arm. The contraptions created a shield over their heads, protecting them from the drizzling raindrops.

The small Hollow enjoyed the display very much. Even with the similarities to Hueco Mundo — the boundless white desert — the Human World felt different. It felt spacious, filled to the brim with life. Although, there was a sensation of loneliness that still resided within the small creature. No one could speak to it here, because no one could see it. The only ones who reacted to its existence were the ghosts that it hunted and consumed. The thought of communicating with them wasn't appealing to the small thing. No matter how much the ghosts screamed, spoke, or struggled—the small Hollow lacked feeling for them.

This lack of empathy was not concerning to it, as it did not understand what empathy was. Mercilessly, it has gone on a hunt for the unfortunate, lingering souls in this world. A hollow will always be a hollow, especially one that hasn't even achieved the growth of a Menos yet.

Something dispatches a metaphorical bolt across the small Hollow's chest as it basks in the rain. Much like when the massive centipede emerged from the sand earlier in the day, something of considerable danger is approaching its location. 

Quickly turning in the direction of the approaching danger, the small Hollow finds that the danger is much closer than it'd been led to believe. Across from it, a few rooftops down, two humans with blades in their hands stand, approaching its location casually.

From what it has gathered during its brief time in the Human World, they should not be able to see it. If it remains where it is now, then the humans will eventually walk by and continue on their way. The small Hollow also feels a sensation that makes it uneasy: fear. 

Just the idea that a human could strike fear into it to this degree generated doubts in the small creature's mind. It thought for a moment; are the creatures in front of it truly human? At its wit's end, the Hollow chooses to lean on its instincts again. They've led it this far without fail.

Acting on its instincts immediately, the Hollow draws its lance up in front of itself defensively. 

Right on time, it feels an unexpected weight get applied to itself and the floor below it. In front of it, one of the robed humans has appeared and swung their blade at it, aiming to split it in half from the torso. The lance of the Hollow trembles until the reality of the attack strikes true.

Thrown from its position, the Hollow is sent flying off of the roof, leaving a trail of dust behind it. The usually silent Hollow lets out a sound recognizable as a soft grunt once it crashes into the wall of a building across the street. 

"Woah, it blocked your attack, Mae." Raising its head, the Hollow looks back up to the roof to see the faces of its assailants. Crimson eyes break through the darkness and rain, shining with unsubtle bloodlust. The one that'd attacked it, a white-haired male, waves his weapon around. Practicing his swing, Mae turns his head to the black-haired male beside him. 

"I'm surprised I didn't cut the lance in half. Do you want to give it a shot, Kuroda?" Offering Kuroda a chance to attack the small Hollow, who slowly brings itself from its affixed position in the wall, Mae ceases his momentary practice.

Shaking his head, Kuroda stares at the Hollow below. "Don't treat this like it's a sport, Mae. That's definitely the Hollow that appeared on the road. Its Reiatsu is a bit greater than what I expected. It must've been eating Pluses until now." 

Much like when they'd arrived, Kuroda successfully deduces the actions of the Hollow in front of him. "Purify it now." 

Mae isn't one to question Kuroda too much. His instincts and knowledge surpass his own to a great extent. Among the Shinigami in Division 12, Mae personally believes Kuroda to be among the most promising. "Whatever ya' say, boss-man." Crouching down, Mae grips his weapon with both hands. The vice grip he wields alerts the small Hollow below immediately.

This time, it is prepared for an attack from the Shinigami. Mae launches himself from the rooftop, speeding down at the Hollow with the intent of splitting its head from its body.

Unexpectedly, instead of blocking the attack again, the small Hollow uses a more distinctive method. 

With its lance, the Hollow spins around and punctures the already damaged wall behind it. Having been indented into the structure from the previous swing, striking the wall again creates an opening that allows it to enter the building behind it. 

As the Hollow enters the building, Mae's swing misses its mark. His blade glides across the air, and before he can even make contact with the ground to catch him, the small Hollow is moving to counterattack. "W-Wait a second!" The Shinigami is utterly surprised by the action taken by the Hollow. It wouldn't have expected the small creature to attack him while he was in mid-air.

The lance of the Hollow moves in for the center of his head, set on killing him in one blow. A mindless Hollow wouldn't be able to perform this kind of attack without a bit of knowledge in battle. Mae was under the impression that he was faced with a weak, inexperienced Hollow. Granted, the Hollow is inexperienced, but the bit of battle experience that it acquired made a major difference in this scenario.

The sound of clashing weapons cannot conceal the image of blood that's thrown into the air, dropping down onto the Hollow's lance.

At the last second, Mae lifted his weapon up and used it to push the small Hollow's lance off course. Rather than piercing him through the head, pushing the Hollow and twisting his own body allowed him to get away with his right eye being slashed. 

Mae lets out a pain-stricken groan, slashing at the small creature in front of him. 

The Hollow is nimble enough to move away from the Shinigami without being caught by the weapon. Mae didn't have the intention of hitting it either way; he needed to create space with the Hollow to recover from the injury.

"Ha!~ Hell!~" Blood stains the white hair of the Shinigami. His tied hair comes undone, allowing his long hair to drop to his shoulders. While he is clearly in pain, Mae sounds more in ecstasy than hurt. "Nice move, little mouse!" After just a few seconds, Mae seemed unbothered by the lack of sight in his right eye.

Unexpectedly, the small Hollow speaks the first word that comes to its mind while looking at the depraved state of the foe before it. "Rodent..." Bothered by the unsightly showcase before it, toppled by the fact that the man called it a mouse, the small Hollow feels the familiar sensation of anger brewing within it.

"Aw!~ You sound adorable! Fine, I won't purify you yet! I'll bring you back to the Seireitei! You'll become a lab rat! Tell me, is this your first time meeting a Shinigami!? Ah, it doesn't matter! I'm thrilled to find something as exotic as you here! I'll cut your growth short here, you'll thank me later!" The nonsense being spat out of Mae's mouth almost overwhelmed the small Hollow. Even though it didn't communicate well with others, the fact that this Shinigami is speaking about capturing it with a blush on his face makes it feel more uneasy than it'd felt when they first approached it.

A maniacal smile spreads over Mae's face as he readies his blade in front of himself. "I'm coming, little mouse!"

Mae never gets the satisfaction of attacking. Their fight is rudely interrupted by the structure they stood within trembling. Outside, Mae hears Kuroda shouting something. It's difficult to make it out through the sound of pouring rain and the vibrating air. "—out!" 

Once the rumbling ceases, Kuroda can be properly heard. "Get out!" Turning around to the opening in the wall that they'd come in through, Mae's eyes widened at the sight of a massive hollow mask looking in through the opening. A large gorilla-faced Hollow stares through the opening, and the small Hollow immediately recognizes it.

This is one of the Gorilla Hollows it'd seen opening up Gargantas earlier. 

Plunging through the building, the large creature comes crashing into Mae, gripping him tightly with its large hands. Meanwhile, the small Hollow turns away, sprinting in the opposite direction of the conflict. The decision to flee was the correct one.

Right behind the Hollow, the second Gorilla Hollow comes crashing through the roof of the building, a blade plunged into its chest. Animalistic noises chime in from both of the Hollows. On top of the Gorilla Hollow that'd come through the ceiling is the second Shinigami, Kuroda.

"Eyes up, Mae!" Mae, who'd been grabbed only a moment ago, had utilized some kind of incantation to send a shock out at the Gorilla Hollow, loosening its grip enough for him to break free. 

In the middle of the chaos, the small Hollow sees an opportunity for it to intervene in the battle. Kuroda emitted the same haunting sensation it'd felt when it'd been gazed at upon their arrival. Mae, on the other hand, seemed even weaker than him. The loss of an eye must play some role in hindering his combative abilities now too.

Taking the role of an opportunist, the small Hollow decides what it will do here. It may not be a predator, but it doesn't need to be prey either!