I was 12 when I met him.

I loved the outdoors, and rarely spent time inside the family house. Sadly, going out meant being escorted everywhere, never let out of the guard's sight. My favorite place was the river outside our town, secluded by a large field and a forest.

Regardless of where I was, I always had to keep my guard up for hollows.

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Hollows are monsters. Dad told me that when people die, they become ghosts that soul reapers send to the soul society. But if those souls aren't found quick enough, or if the chains in their chest are pulled, they can turn into a creature of destruction and mass murder.

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I sat by the edge of the river and slipped my shoes off. I slowly dipped my feet into the water, and instantly recoiled at the feeling of the ice cold water on my toes.

My whole body went cold. Before I understood what was happening I was lifted off the ground and pulled away. I turned around to see the guard holding me by my underarms, running in a panic.

He didn't slow down when he heard my questions, and sped up instead.

I shuddered as another cold breeze passed through my body. I wasn't ready for what I was about to see.

Not too far from where I was, a murky green beast stood nearly 10 feet tall. It took the form of a minotaur-like creature, standing on two legs, a permanent toothy smile engraved into it's mask. It's eye sockets were empty, just like the gaping hole in its chest.

My breath hitched once my eyes landed on the three boys cowering before it. Two of them were brunet, and the other had glowing silver hair. My gaze instantly attached to his figure as one of the brown haired boys shoved him forward.

I flailed my legs around trying to get the guard's attention. He didn't slow down in the slightest, and replied.

But I was a persistent child. I threw my limbs around with even more aggression.

The guard stopped completely and looked me in the eyes.

My body went limp, and my mouth shut. The guard continued to run, only to double over in pain when I kicked him between his legs. I wiggled my way out of his grasp and ran to the silver haired boy.

Only then did I realize I had no idea what to do. My whole body trembled furiously as I looked up at the gigantic monstrosity in front of me. As much as I wanted to run away, I knew I'd brought this upon myself.

My eyes snapped to the boy who yelled. Within a second, they had sent the silver haired boy stumbling toward the hollow with a harsh shove. This seemed to pique the hollow's interest, but before it could take a step closer, I ran forward.

I exclaimed before freezing once again. I had gotten its attention, and its evil grin expanded.

From the corner of my eye I could see the boy backing up slowly, letting out loud and airy breaths, before tripping and falling back on his rear.

He turned to face me, tears streaming down his face. The hollow lifted it's arm up, preparing itself to swat me to the side like a fly. I forced my legs to move and wrapped my arms around him, knocking us both out of the hollows grasp. The hollow's arm smacked into a tall, old tree, knocking it over onto the field.

With no time to waste, I stood up and yanked him with me, pulling both of our bodies away from the hollow. I could hear small whimpers coming from behind me, and turned to see him wincing in pain.

There was a cut on his ankle, and it was bleeding a lot.

I dragged us to a secluded area by the river, right by the woods. I helped him sit down by the edge and looked at his ankle.

He spoke for the first time. Little whimpers of pain escaped his lips as I touched the area around his wound.

After a moment of silence, I exhaled and smiled.