For days Ichigo had felt like something or someone rather was following him. He just couldn't shake the feeling. After first, he felt a very faint reiatsu and over the last week it had only gotten stronger. It wasn't one he was familiar with but it felt that way. And he couldn't figure out why.
As he walked home alone, he watched the sun go down. Rukia and Renji were in Soul Society handling some business and everyone else was at home. These lonely walks helped him clear his head. So much had happened to him in the last two years. It was surprising that he was even able to wrap his head around all of it.
When he reached his house, he felt the reiatsu again stronger than it had ever been. He looked on either side of him but no one was there. He looked up at the window to his bedroom. He sighed and walked inside.
Dinner that night was uneventful. Isshin went on about work and asked Karin and Yuzu how school was. Ichigo just kept to himself. He kept pondering who the reiatsu may belong to. Or if it was just someone toying with his mind. He has decided to let it go. No sense in driving himself crazy over something he has no control over. When they were ready to show themselves, he would be ready.
After dinner, Ichigo headed to his room to study. The reiatsu he had been feeling had only grown stronger. It was almost impossible for him to study. Either way, he sat at his desk and flipped open his text book. After about a half an hour went by before he could finally ignore it. And that's when he heard her voice.
'Hello, Ichigo.' He turned around to see a woman sitting in his window. She had one leg bent up and the other hanging off the window sill on his bed. She has shoulder length brown hair with a black ribbon tied through it like a head band. Dressed in jeans, a plain black shirt, jacket and tennis shoes, he was a small girl with pale skin and pink lips curved into a coy smile. But the first thing he noticed was her intense emerald eyes.
'Hhh- how do you know me,' Ichigo jumped back in his chair. He reiatsu was almost suffocating him as he could barely get the words out. She cocked her head at him noting the look on his face, 'Sorry about that,' she said as what he assumed was her reiatsu eased up, 'its a defense mechanism type thing.' Ichigo felt like he could breathe again. "You never answered my question. Who are-' She cut him off, 'Let's just say I'm a family friend,' she said as she hopped down off the window sill and on to Ichigo's bed making herself comfortable. 'A family friend,' Ichigo questioned as crossed his arms. 'Yeah, we can get into all that later. You see I need your help.'
'Help you? You been stalking me for a week and you think that's grounds to ask for my help?'
'I wasn't stalking,' the female stranger said with a giggle, 'I was... scoping you out.'
'Scoping me out,' he repeated unconvinced.
'Yeah. Look, I need your help. And its important. I can give you more details later,' she said as she stood up. She was much shorter than Ichigo but definitely taller than Rukia, 'just know, I'm on your side. Its why I had to check you out first.' She started climbing out the window. 'Wait,' Ichigo yelled before she got too far, 'can I at least get a name?'
'You can all me Kat.' And with that, she was gone.