Disclaimer: I don't own BLEACH

Warning: OOC-ness, Angst, Mystery, Slight Romance

A vase, lying still on the side street, was suddenly knocked down by a bunch of people playing rollerblading. And, as to why people would seemingly want to rollerblade in the middle of the street, one would never know. But, as the vase toppled, the contents spilled out, despite the contents being just a few drops of water and some flowers toppling down along with the vase as well. Those people who were previously rollerblading and knocking over the vase, stared at the vase in shock and looking at each other before bursting in laughter and were well on their way back to their house seeing it was sunset. But, as they were on their way back to their house, a figure walked towards them. Wearing high heels that could easily be mistaken for a 'Staircase', the figure elegantly walked towards the boys. Noticing the vase that was knocked over, she smiled and took out the handbag she was hanging off her shoulders and she raised her fingers slightly, as if massaging her shoulders but with a speed that nobody expected, a fist was sent to the right, knocking one of the boys off his feet, causing him to fall onto the street. The other boys looked shocked, they certainly wasn't expecting that. "You got a death wish, girl? Nobody jumps one of my boys for no reason and lives to tell about it."

She halted her steps and looked at the one that she had hit earlier before gazing at the one that had spoken to her. Not that the high heels was any indication of her being a girl, she held back her temper for the 'Girl' comment. Not that she didn't want to be seen as a 'Girl, mind you. At the very least, could she be seen as a 'Woman' instead? Apparently, that's too much to ask for. Oh well, back to the guy that she had 'Accidentally' injured. So, he's his lackey, huh? That's certainly not surprising. "Oh, did I? I apologize, that was a mistake. I was just exercising my muscles and it was just of convenience that he was in the way."

But, simply giving one look at the girl and how she did not look apologetic at all gave the guys the answer. And, one look at his face told her the answer that he wasn't satisfied with the answer. "Is that all you are gonna say? You little b-"

With the insult hurled towards the girl, a fist hurled towards the girl as well and she gazed calmly at the fists before sidestepping the boy who had wanted to punch her, making gravity act into place, causing him to fall onto the ground. Her eyes gazing at him, she walked forward, the very end of her heels stepping onto the guy's head, making him scream before removing her heels. She then gazed at the guys before her and knew that they were struggling mentally on whether to help their friend or not.

"Hey, Yama's down! We gotta go and help him!" Although one of the guys said that, he didn't even step forward from where he was standing.

The other guy stared at him as if he was crazy. "Are you crazy?!"

"No way I'm taking on that psycho!"

The girl smirked. Well, at least they were proving to be some entertainment for her. Psycho, huh...? That's interesting. The girl gazed at them and deciding that they weren't a threat, walked over to the vase and did nothing, only staring at it before facing the guys again. This time, she made an effort to avoid the guy's head who was probably hurting from all the pain her heels inflicted. "I'm sure all of you notice that, right?" The boys nodded, not knowing what to say to that. Showing the number '1', she asked. "First question, what do you think that is?" Seeing that no one dared to answer, she sighed mentally and pointed a guy who was standing in the middle before smiling. "Would you mind answering the question?"

"Wait, are you talking to me?" The girl didn't answer and the rest of the boys seemingly backed away as the girl was getting much more closer to them by now. "I guess... S-Somebody left those flowers for some kid who got killed here."

Well, he knew that much, she would give him that. Apparently deciding to spare the boys, she walked back to the vase and showed a number '2'. "Nice. Not bad. At least, you know what these flowers are for." Kneeling down to the vase, she faced them again. "Next question, why is it lying on its side then?"

"I guess... One of us knocked it over when we were rollerblading? We didn-"

She stood up. Before he had a chance to finish his statement, her gaze stayed on them. If looks could kill, all of them might be on their way to Soul Society by now. "I'm happy you are catching onto it that fast. But, I sincerely hope such an incident won't happen again. If not..." A glare was directed their way. "You will have me to deal with, are we clear on that?" Screaming and picking their comrades up from the ground, they ran and she went back to kneeling down on the ground, picking up the vase and straightening it. This time, with a soft smile on her face. "There. That's that, I doubt they would be bothering you anymore. When tomorrow comes around, I will buy you some new flowers. How's the sound of that?"

A girl appeared in thin air with 2 ponytails, approximately the age of 5 - 6 years old. Only difference between her and other girls were, she had a chain on her chest where a hole resided and she was a soul. "I like the sound of that very much. Thank you for coming to my defense. I think, now, I'll finally be able to rest peacefully."

She stood up, taking a last look at the soul before walking forward. "Don't think about it too much, would you? It's the least I could do." Raising up a hand, the soul disappeared. "Besides, you deserve to rest in peace."

A door creaked open and a figure was seen flying towards the newcomer but he sidestepped and without even gazing behind to look at the damage done, he walked towards the dining table. "That sidestep... I have taught you well, my son!"

Without even responding to his Dad, he gazed at his sisters who was still eating their dinner peacefully. Well... Might have to rephrase that. One was calmly eating her dinner while another was currently by her Father's side and caring about the 'Defeated Father's' injuries. He sighed. Was it a fortune or misfortune to be born into this family? He didn't know. "Come on, Ichi-Nii, you shouldn't be this affected by the old man's attacks by now." When said brother gazed at her, she just shrugged. "It isn't the first day you know of him anyway." After assuring her Brother, she gazed back to the door and shouted. "Come on, Yuzu! If you stop eating, your food will be cold! And, the old man will come back to eating dinner in a few moments' anyway!"

"Oh, my dear Karin! Why are you so mean to your lovable Father? Where's the love, Karin, where isssss the loooooove?" Her Father wailed.

"Love can be damned to hell when you are acting like that, Kurosaki Isshin." Karin muttered and calmly continued eating.

"Karin-chan, that is mean!" Yuzu pouted.

How can Karin remain so calm when such ruckus is continuing in front of her, Ichigo will never know. But, one fact rings true though. Why was it that he was more annoyed by his Father's antics today? Ichigo shrugged and picked up his bowl, continuing to eat. "I guess I'm more on edge today and I just couldn't tolerate his nonsense."

Karin gazed at Ichigo and before she could speak with Ichigo more about it, a hyper-active voice surrounded them. "Do not worry, my son! Come, let's have a family hug and be ready for tomorrow! Tomorrow will be a brand-" Before Isshin could finish his hyper-active speech, Ichigo decided dinner really wasn't an option for him today and opted to pick up the most nearest thing... That would be a glass bowl. And, flinging it towards his Father's forehead, causing it to bleed. "Good... Shot..." With that, Isshin promptly fainted on the ground and Ichigo, deciding that it was enough drama for a day, went back to his room.

"Oh, come on, Dad! I just tended to that!"

"Gotta learn that move one of those days."

"Karin-chan!"

Making sure that the Soul hadn't followed her, she took out her phone. Hesitating on calling the person she had intended to call, she gazed back at the position she had left the soul. If she left it for a day and allowed the resident Shinigami to do his damn job for once, would he let her down? But, wasn't it a Shinigami's job to send souls to the Soul Society? Yes, she knew all of this but it would mean death for her if she ever revealed her location. Staring at her phone for a whole full minute, she decided to delay it until there was absolutely no choice. Putting the phone back in her pockets, she walked back home.

Ichigo laid on his bed, unable to sleep. For some reason, tomorrow being a brand new semester terrified him. He had also been sure that somebody in the class had told him that would be a new teacher in the new semester. That, Ichigo had never really understood. It took a period of time for Ichigo's current teacher to accept all his flaws but also knowing that no matter how much of a delinquent he acted, he would always score well for his examinations. Not well but Top 50 is considered well for him though. Who knows how much time his new teacher would take to accept him. Well, that was to be expected since it's a new year after all. But still, was it really a necessity? Why couldn't they stay with the same teacher? Really, not that he cared, but... Turning on the side of his bed, a figure appeared and appeared to be floating. A tick appeared on Ichigo's forehead. Well, it seems that not only does he has to tolerate school's antics, he has to tolerate the 'Dearly Departed' as well. And, worst still, this soul has been following him for days, he had just chosen to turn a blind eye to it. "Do you mind, I'm trying to sleep here." The soul was silent to his demands and Ichigo took it as a silent 'Yes' before going back to sleep. But, it wasn't long once he heard sobbing coming from that particular soul. That's news. A soul can sob? Deciding that sleep also wasn't an option anymore, he sat up on the bed and faced the soul, annoyed and a big scowl was present on his face. "Am I gonna get to sleep anytime soon or am I finding out the reason why the hell are you sobbing?"

Using her spare key to open the door, she wasn't surprised when a kid, approximately 5 - 6 years old, came running up and attempted to hug her, knocking the wind out of her and making her stumble to the ground. Looking at the kid, Rukia let her gaze stay on the kid before smiling softly, a rare smile that she rarely showed anybody else. The kid, knowing what he has done to Rukia, stood up and scratched the back of his hair sheepishly. "I'm sorry, Mama." Rukia smiled at him before standing up herself. "But... But..." Rukia gazed at him. "I missed you so much, you were gone for soooooo loong~" As if to emphasize on the 'Long' part, Kaien stretched his hand out so that there would be a distance between both hands.

Continuing smiling softly, Rukia ruffled the kid's hair. "I apologize, Kaien. Mama had to do something, that's why I was delayed. I will try to be early next time, okay?"

Kaien's eyes shone brightly as he gazed at Rukia. "Promise?"

Rukia laughed. "I said that I will try, didn't I?" Which had caused Kaien to pout, grumbling about Mothers who had never kept their promises. As Kaien had his back turned on Rukia, her smile disappeared. Throughout all the ruckus she had in her life, Kaien was the only solace she had. If she lost Kaien... Shaking her head mentally, her mind failed to mentally remind her that she had indeed, lost Kaien once. Blinking her tears away, she gazed at Kaien before smiling as Kaien still was pouting and refused to face her. Knowing that this meant Kaien was angry with her, no matter how young or old he was, Rukia knelt down on the ground and touched his shoulders. "Come on, Kaien, don't be angry with Mama." With a stubborn shake of his head, Rukia giggled. "Alright, alright, how can Mama get Kaien to forgive her?"

Eyes shining bright once again, Kaien turned to gaze at Rukia. "Mama is teaching at a school, right?"

Rukia's eyes widened, just slightly. How did... She turned to gaze at the cat who was lying on the couch peacefully, innocently purring, as if it was none of her business. She knew it was a bad idea to tell every aspect of her life to a cat, didn't she? And, yes, this was karma. Facing Kaien again, she replied. "Yes, I'm teaching at a school, Kaien. Not far from here actually. You know KaraKura High?"

Kaien nodded, a little bit too eagerly for Rukia's tastes. In the past, whenever he took a stroll with Rukia, they would go through KaraKura High and Kaien would long to be in that high school. But... For some reason, Rukia had forbidden him to step out of their home, much less go to a school, any school. But, despite the restrictions, Kaien was still very close with Rukia, his Mother. Although there was one question he had always wondered. Why had he looked so different from his Mother? A cat's purring caught Kaien's attention as Kaien focused back to the topic at hand. "I wanna go to KaraKura High!"

It was inevitable, Rukia knew. She couldn't let him be cooped out in this house forever. He will die of boredom, if not for Hollows staying around this area, waiting to devour him. "For just a day?"

Kaien shook his head. "Nope! Everyday!"

His tone was lighthearted and even happy knowing that he would get to see his Mother everyday but Rukia's gaze hardened. Everyday? With his leaking spiritual pressure and with Rukia's position in Soul Society and KaraKura High, would visiting KaraKura High ever be allowed? Great, who put the idea in his head? Glaring at the cat, Rukia sighed mentally. What should she do? "Tell you what, Kaien, I will discuss with the principal tomorrow and I'm sure that he would think about it. Alright?"

Kaien seemed satisfied with the answer and bounced upstairs to his room, closing the door and Rukia sat on the couch with a sigh, causing the cat to jump onto her lap and Rukia stroking onto her fur. What now?

Sitting on the bed with a scowl, the soul continued to sob. "I'm sorry, I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to cry like this." Well, it doesn't help that she's still crying. Ichigo wasn't really good at these kind of things and could only sit there with a scowl, scaring the poor soul even further. "It's just that... I was separated with my friend..." Cue sappy stories. "The orphanage that we were in was burned down suddenly a few days ago..." Was there such a thing that occurred in the past few days? Ichigo never took note of the news unless it was related to him. Therefore, he really wasn't sure if there was ever an occurring like that that happened or not. Karin might know more of it though. "And, I have been trying to find her but to no avail..."

"Even if you tell me this, what the hell can I do?" Ichigo grumbled, annoyed the soul was asking him to listen to such a sappy story. And, worst still, he was talking to the soul.

"Help me find her, Mister..." The soul's voice was shaking now.

"Are you serious?" The soul was silent. "Do you know how big KaraKura is?" Silence. "Sure, not that I have been trying to avoid bullies, new teachers, annoying Keigo, womanizer Muzuiro but you are asking me to help you find a soul that died days ago, your friend? What the hell-" Before Ichigo could reject the soul though, the soul was suddenly bursting to tears as Ichigo rubbed his forehead. If there was one thing Ichigo Kurosaki fell prey towards girls, it was their crying. Staring at his ceiling, he glared at it, as if the ceiling was his arch nemesis. Sighing, he wondered what to do. Agreeing to the soul was a no-go since he was already worried about what the bullies would do to him but if he doesn't agree, this soul wouldn't leave in peace and he had always believed that souls should leave in peace. Great. What should he do?

"You were the one who put that idea into Kaien's head, weren't you?" Rukia might as well be talking to air.

"Kaien has been more prone to curiosity." A deep voice suddenly spoke up and Rukia didn't even gaze at the cat to know that the cat was the one talking. "He had whined and asked me what his Mother had been doing." This time, Rukia gazed at the cat. "Don't look at me like that, I didn't give him the answer straightaway." A sigh. "It was after he gave me the silent treatment that I gave him the answer you would be teaching at KaraKura High. And, he instantly decided that he wanted to be closer to you, no matter how much I convinced him out of it."

Silent treatment. Rukia sighed once more. When Rukia had first brought Kaien to Urahara and Yoruichi, both parties had stuck to them like glue and it wasn't oblivious to Rukia that Urahara and Youruichi loved Kaien and vice versa. She guessed she couldn't blame Yoruichi for that, could she? Just that, it made a lot of things more complicated than ever. "Trust me when I say I'm not really blaming you, Yoruichi. We all know how Kaien is."

"I know, Rukia." She had thought the conversation between her and Youruichi would end. "You know that you can't hide him forever. He's gonna go out someday."

Rukia knew that. No kid liked to be cooped up in the safety of their homes. Precisely because she knew that, it tended to make things difficult. "You know the risks, Yoruichi."

"I know."

A knock resounded while Ichigo gazed at the door as it creaked open, revealing that it was Karin. If there was any one person that can affect Ichigo's mood, it was his family, with the exception of Isshin, of course. Isshin could only worsen his mood. "Is something wrong, Karin?"

"I don't mean to be intruding, Ichi-Nii. Just so you know, even if Yuzu can't hear you and is sound asleep, I'm a light-sleeper and I can sense you shouting, you know." Ichigo went back to his scowl. Great, one more matter to trouble about. Throughout both of the sisters, Karin was the one who was very near Ichigo's level of spirit-seeing. "Not only did I hear you shouting like a banshee..."

"I did not shout like a banshee!" Ichigo defended.

"I also heard some sobbing. You didn't scare some girl off with your scowl, did you?" Ichigo glared at his sister.

Well, Karin was the only one who could irritate her while Yuzu was more of the caring 'Mother', to his understanding, who would take care of their meals and wellbeing, even if the only well-being she should be worried about was Isshin's, that is. "Haha. Very funny. Now, scram." Karin was about to do what Ichigo told her to do before she caught a soul, looking at her. She knew that Ichigo was seeing more of the spirits by now and Ichigo also knew that Karin could see spirits. Folding her arms, she leaned her body frame on the door while still staring at Ichigo, causing Ichigo to scowl even more at his sister. "I thought I told you to get out, Karin."

A smirk formed and suddenly, Ichigo hated what was on his sister's mind. "Do you believe in spirits, Ichi-Nii?"

Ichigo was certain that Karin had noticed the soul he had in his room and scowled at the question Karin was asking. "What kind of question is that? I thought you could see Spirits as well, Karin."

With that response, Karin faced Ichigo with a face made out of all seriousness. Ichigo was stunned at Karin's expression then. Such a serious face... What was Karin about to say? "Well, I don't believe in ghosts, Ichi-Nii." Eh? What? "Whether I see them or not, if I don't believe in them, they don't exist."

"So cooooold~" The soul whined.

Ichigo sweat dropped. What kind of logic is this? If you don't believe in them, they don't exist? He was stunned to silence before Karin casually raised a hand up. "Ah, seems like I was talking to the wrong person." Still silence. "I bet Yuzu would have more of a reaction if I told that to her."

"What's that supposed to mean?!"

Karin shrugged and stepped out of his room before she turned back. "Oh, before I forget, Ichi-Nii, if a soul comes asking for your help, it might be for a reason."

With that, Karin finally stepped out of Ichigo's room and closed the door behind her, the '15' sign on the door just bouncing against the doorframe, causing Ichigo to scowl. Well, what damn logic was that? Ichigo stared at the soul by now and sighed, getting ready for bed and pulling the covers over his head to block out the soul's sobbing. Well, she could cry for all she want. In the end, Ichigo never really gave her an answer.

"Something tells me that you are hiding something from me." The cat purred.

Rukia's mind went back to the soul that she had left behind. Right, she hadn't decided what she wanted to do with that particular soul. Kaien's request made her forget all about it, apparently. "I saw a soul." The cat was silent and Rukia took it as a cue to continue. "A soul that was bullied by some boys and I defended the soul and promised to buy some flowers for her when tomorrow comes. I doubt the boys that had bullied the soul dared to come back and harass the soul by now though."

The cat leaped off Rukia's lap and a feline voice asked. "Why didn't you perform a Soul Burial?"

She hugged her knees closer to herself before replying. "That would require me going into my Shinigami form, though."

"Is that bad?"

A sigh. "You know the consequences resulting to transforming to a Shinigami, Yoruichi."

"If it was the past 'Rukia Kuchiki', would you hesitate?"

It took Rukia a few moments to answer. She stood up, deciding the conversation was over. Starting to walk, she was face-to-face with a woman. "No, I wouldn't." Yoruichi gazed at Rukia's retreating back, thinking that Rukia had seen her point after all. But, as she had began to walk out of the house, she was halted by Rukia's voice. "But, the past 'Rukia Kuchiki' had died, since a long time ago, Yoruichi."

As Yoruichi turned and was about to say something, Rukia had already walked back to Kaien's room, without so much of a goodnight to Yoruichi. Yoruichi had known Rukia for a while now and she had originally doubted Urahara when Rukia was left in her care. But, Rukia was changing and to her, it wasn't a good change. She was becoming more and more of her Brother, Byakuya Kuchiki and that would be what she would detest the most. Originally, it was Byakuya who had refused to help her, after all. Yoruichi decided that she could leave the soul that Rukia mentioned alone for now. Rukia was right in certain extent that it would be bad revealing their Shinigami form right about now. Soul Society would catch wind of it and they wouldn't want that, would they? But, regardless of giving the soul a Soul Burial or not, Yoruichi had some calls to make.

A/N: First chapter, what do you think?