?!MOM?!

Their savior jumped down from the building on Jericho's left. The figure dressed entirely in a white with blue lining tight fitting suit turned around and said as if Jericho were at school "Hi honey you forgot your lunch." All Jericho could do was gawp and say one word "mom?"

Jericho jerked up in the couch, and immediately slid back down. His chest hurt and he had a headache, correction he had a whole body ache. But he was alive, and in his living room on the couch with a blanket draped over him.

Jericho looked around and saw that guy in black lying on a mat on the floor. He looked pretty good for having been stabbed twice and thrown around as much as he had been. Come to think of it why wasn't Jericho dead he had been stabbed too, he pulled the blanket down to expose his bare chest there were two pink marks of sensitive skin and his inner chest hurt when he touched them but why wasn't he dead, not even the best doctor could have saved Jericho from those injuries, maybe that guy over there on the mat but definitely not Jericho.

Just then Jericho's mom walked in with a bowl of soup "I called in to your school your home sick for the day, now before you ask any questions I want you to eat your soup and let me heal you some more." Jericho noticed that she had bags under her eyes like she hadn't slept in a long time. Mom set the soup on the floor and placed her hands over Jericho's wounds and got an extremely focused look. Her hands began to glow with a pale blue light and when they did, instantly Jericho's chest began to feel better. As she was doing this Jericho herd her mutter "Haven't had a patient in more than 17 years and now all of a sudden I get two in critical condition."

When she was finished Jericho felt almost as good as new. She handed the bowl over to Jericho and told him to eat while she treated the "Death God". The healing of the death god took longer and Jericho noticed that the glow emanating from his moms hands seemed fainter. When Jericho was done with the soup he impatiently waited for his mom to finish healing the death god. As soon as she was done she sat down in a chair and Jericho immediately started to question her "what was that thing, how can you do those things, heck how can I do those things, what was that hollow thingy and who the hell is that guy who saved my life in that alley!?

"*sigh* ok for one thing I don't know that guys name however I do know what he is he is a death god more commonly known as a shinigami, that thing you fought is a hollow, different than any I have ever fought before but definitely a hollow. I can do these things because I am a Quincy, and by the looks of it you are too." Said mom. "Yeah but that doesn't explain anything at all to me mom." Responded Jericho.

"When a person dies they don't just go" said Jericho's mom "Their spirit remains. Several things can happen to these spirits, some will just float on to the next world the "soul society", but most remain because of some earthly tie like a living loved one. If left alone for an extended period of time one of two things will happen they will either be discovered by His lot (she motioned towards the shinigami) where they will be forcibly transferred to the Soul Society, or they will, given enough time, transform into hollows through one of three ways they are either consumed by feelings of anger, jealousy, or some other strong negative emotion. They could have their soul chain broken and when it is decayed they are forcefully transformed. And last they are devoured by other hollows. Hollows are the reasons that Quincy's exist in the first place, we … take care of the hollow problem, well we used to. In addition to releasing souls His lot also eliminates Hollows. If you have more questions ask that guy, when he wakes up, I need to sleep after almost 15 years of no use of rietsu at all I am completely tapped out and need sleep, so let me sleep for a few hours please honey." With that she left the room and left Jericho to mull over what she had said.

Kyo was just coming to at this time. The first thing he noticed was how well he felt, someone from Squad Four must have come over with the backup he had requested. He was probably back in the hospital again with all his seventh squad buddies laughing at him. Oh well time to face the world he thought and opened his eyes.

The first thing he noticed was that he was definitely NOT in the soul society but in … somebody's living room? The next thing he noticed was that there was another notable rietsu in the room. He looked over at it and saw that it was that kid that he had tried to save, but his rietsu was different, it was like walking through an aquarium tunnel, or a deep cave, you noticed that it was there, and then that there was a LOT of pressure being held back. It felt almost exactly like when the captains and vice captains came to the real world.

The only thing that Kyo could see that could do it was that necklace the kid was wearing, a cross with a ring through it. He also saw complete unknowing in the kids eyes, Kyo decided not to tip the kid off. "Oh man this is gonna make one helluva report" was the first thing that Kyo said.

"Huh, never mind, ok I have three questions for you no.1 what is your name, No.2 why can I see you now and not before. No.3 how is it even possible that, that sword of yours is still with you, I dropped it and I know that mom didn't lug it with her when she was carrying you and I back to my house" asked Jericho.

"Well probably because of the stress of the combat situation you were in with that powerful rietsu sort of jump-started yours, though that's rare for a first time, but it is the only explanation I can think of. This is my zanpakuto, basically its just an extension of my soul. When becoming a shinigami a student is given one of these to act as a surrogate until they learn their swords name then they get a real one with its own unique design. As it stands I haven't learned my swords name yet, as a matter of fact 95% of all shinigami never learn their swords name, and by the way my name is Kyo" responded Kyo.

"Ok I sort of get that but what is the soul society?" Should I tell him? Wondered Kyo, Ah well I'm most likely gonna have to wipe his memory any way, why not. So Kyo and Jericho talked for several hours telling about their own separate worlds, until Jericho's mom showed up looking much more refreshed "Hmm Mr. Shinigami can I talk to you in the kitchen." "Ok I, guess" said Kyo.

In the kitchen Mom wasted no time "Mr. Shinigami I know how your people work and I don't want you to erase my sons' memory" said Mom. "Well ma'am your son has recently been exposed to extreme contact and policy clearly states that we erase his memories so that he doesn't go to his friends and tell them about it, I won't erase your memory because you have obviously been exposed to this for many years and are used to it." "You obviously don't know much about Quinces do you?" asked mom *Kyo shakes his head* "Well that's off the subject anyway, *sigh* how about a compromise?" "I'm listening" responded Kyo. "How about you don't erase his memory until you go back to the soul society and write your report, In the meantime I will talk to him and convince him to not talk, when you come back if you think that he is gonna talk you can erase his memories, sound good?"

Kyo mulled it over for a while and finally decided "all right but I'm gonna add one more condition you have to train him so that he can control his spiritual pressure and if the need arises to fight and make sure he keeps that pendant on, sound good?" she agreed to it.

"All righty then I have to go back to the soul society before they think that I'm dead. See you in a few days" with that Kyo opened up a Senkai Gate and left.

The next day Jericho made it to the bus on time and was sitting in the front thinking about what his mom had told him "DO NOT under any circumstances tell anyone about the souls you can now see or anything that happened to you recently; you just had a 24hr. bug, ok it's for the safety of you and everyone around you and for the sake of your memory. Oh don't ever take your necklace off unless I give you permission it'll attract those hollows" She added in.

Jericho's friend Roger asked "Dude, you ok, are you still sick?" "Nah I'm all better now, I just got other things on my mind" said Jericho. "well you had better put them in the back of your mind, we've got an algebra test, today, and you promised to help me study for it last night but you were sick so now I am completely unprepared, and your gonna help me study, ok!"

School took up the rest of the day, occupying Jericho's thoughts the algebra test came and went (Roger failed abysmally). In sixth period the intercom came on and the principle said that it was time for the Friday pep assembly. Jericho hated those things and always wasted as much time as he could in getting to them. As a result he was always the last one to get into the auditorium where they were held.

Jericho sauntered down the hall with Mrs. Hollenday holding onto his arm lecturing him on how pep assemblies were mandatory and that everyone was required to attend even if you didn't care about them. He heard cries and screams coming from down the hall along with the sound of rumbling. "Well it sounds like it's fully underway" said Mrs. Hollenday, but to Jericho it sounded like the people weren't having fun it kinda sounded like they were crying for help rather than cheering for pep.

They finally get to the end of the hallway and reach the auditorium doors "Now go git in and if I catch you trying to get out of another assembly it will be detention and a call to your mother" Mrs. Hollenday warned. She opened the door and both she and Jericho froze.

END OF CHAPTER 3