A few nights later Rukia found it getting harder to control her gigai, so she decided to visit the one who could help her.

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Next morning, Ichigo found that Rukia wasn't in his closet like usual "The Hell? Where did she go?"

"Don't worry Ichigo, I know where she went." Kenshiro told him from the window "She went to see Urahara-san."

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Kenshiro was right.

At the same time, Rukia went to Urahara's shop to buy some maintenance material for her gigai, despite Urahara's warnings.

Then Ururu got some Soul Candy from the back, and Rukia left.

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Rukia showed up at school with her fake bright smile "Everyone, good morning!"

Keigo and Mizuiro started buying the act, but Kenshiro and Ichigo weren't convinced.

Then Rukia came up to them "Kurosaki-kun, Kamikaze-kun, may I see both of you for a moment?"

When Ichigo refused, Kenshiro slung him over his shoulder against his will and took him with him, with Rukia following.

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Rukia gave a dispenser to Kenshiro "Here."

"What is it?"

"Gikongan, Substitute Soul Pills, a capsule that will force a soul out of the body and put a substitute soul in its place. If there's ever a time when you're confronting a Hollow by yourself, you'll use this to protect your body while in your Soul or Dragon Reaper forms."

"Why does it say Soul Candy on it?"

"Because the Woman's Soul Reaper Association complained that Gikongan sounded bad, so they changed it."

Kenshiro groaned "Them again?"

"What's their deal?" asked Ichigo.

"They're the Soul Reaper equivalent of Feminists." Kenshiro then proceeded to ignore Rukia saying how she wanted a rabbit named Chappy instead of the duck, and popped one in, before he appeared in his Dragon Reaper form, outside of his body.

Then his body got up and saluted "Nice to meet you, my name is Kenshiro Kamikaze. My favorite phrase is Early to bed, early to rise."

Kenshiro sighed "First of all, I'm not that formal. Second of all, my favorite phrase is "To protect the woman I love, I won't lose to anyone or anything." Got it?"

The soul nodded "Of course."

Then Rukia got a call "Perfect timing, we've got a mission. Ichigo, you're in charge of keeping an eye on this thing."

Kenshiro looked at the Mod Soul warily "Remember, no skipping next class."

"Leave it to me, Master!" Mod called, then got a dangerous look in his eyes.

"Do whatever you want." Ichigo said quietly "Today's not the best day for me." and he walked away.

Mod was rather confused, but smirked "Works for me."

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At the shop, Urahara noticed that Ururu had accidentally gotten Rukia an item out of a box of defectives.

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At school, Mod was already causing trouble, kicking a fence and jumping over a gym teacher's head with ease, before making his way to the roof.

He had a lot of mischief to cause.

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Kagome was having lunch with Orihime, Tatsuki, and their lesbian classmate Chizuru who had a thing for both Orihime and Kagome, but couldn't decide between the two.

That was when Mod jumped up and landed on the window sill "This is 9th grade group 3, right?"

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Kenshiro made quick work of the Hollow and performed the Konso "Damn, I can't shake this bad feeling in my gut.

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Mod was getting a lot of stares.

"Y-You, how did you get up there?!" Tatsuki stammered angrily.

Mod grinned "You saw it yourself, I jumped. Righteous, everyone's eyes are on me! They must think I'm amazing, what a feeling! And all the girls in this class are so good-looking, every single one of them is above average! I've been cooped up for so long…' then he set his sights on Kagome and Orihime, whose assets definitely got his attention 'Super size!' then he got another look at Kagome 'Melons aren't everything. They're a lot, but they're not everything. This body definitely has good tastes.' he gently took her hand and stroked her hair "Hello beautiful, will you tell me your name?"

Kagome blushed, despite having no idea what was going on "Kagome Higurashi…"

Mod laid a delicate kiss upon her hand "A beautiful name for a beautiful woman."

Kagome blushed even deeper.

Even though it was a well known fact that they were a couple, several of the girls in the class were outraged.

It got even worse when he started flirting with Tatsuki.

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"Kenshiro, why rush back to the classroom?" asked Rukia "Even if you're worried about the Mod Soul, Ichigo can handle it."

Kenshiro shook his head "Considering what tomorrow is, I highly doubt it."

Then they heard screaming and saw a desk fly out the window, and Kenshiro rushed in even faster.

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Tatsuki grabbed another desk to throw "You son of a-! Die!" and she threw it.

Mod jumped out of the way "What's your problem? All I did was kiss your cheek, it's not like you're not in grade school anymore."

"Shut up!"

"Kurosaki-kun, can't you stop Tatsuki-chan?" asked Orihime.

Ichigo stared at her intently "Do I look insane?"

That was when Rukia showed up "Stop right there, it's over."

Mod tried to escape out the window, but Kenshiro caught him and kicked him in the face, sending him to the ground "Give up, there's nowhere to run."

Mod smirked and aimed a kick, which Kenshiro caught, despite using both hands "You better have a damn good reason for doing this." he blocked another kick "Is that all you've got? It may be my body, but not my spirit."

To everyone else, it looked like Kenshiro was kicking air, keeping in mind that they didn't know it was Mod in Kenshiro's body.

Mod leapt over a kick by Kenshiro, but got punched to the back of the room, leading everyone to think Kenshiro was getting his ass kicked by a poltergeist.

Kagome, however, knew different.

Mod stood up and grinned "So long!" and he jumped out the window, then hit the ground and started running.

Rukia had an idea what he was 'He can't be… There's no mistake, he's a Mod Soul.'

Kenshiro jumped out the window and took off after Mod, with Rukia following behind.

Mizuiro blinked "That was Kuchiki-san, right?"

"I didn't see… I didn't see anything." Keigo muttered.

"Who cares about that?!" Tatsuki snarled, a familiar angry fire surrounding her "But that Kenshiro, I'll never forgive him!"

"She's a demon." Chad muttered.

"Tatsuki." Kagome said quietly "I don't know what's going on, but that wasn't Kenshiro."

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The two had been tracking Mod and ended up in an abandoned warehouse.

Kenshiro was, for the lack of a better word, pissed "Dammit, we lost him!"

"It's a moratorium." Rukia noted.

"I don't have time for your crap, we have to catch that bastard!" Kenshiro snarled "You saw what he did in class, if I don't catch him then my relationship with Kagome might be damaged to the point where I can't fix it! Kissing Kagome is bad enough, but he had to do it to Tatsuki too?!"

Rukia scoffed "A kiss is like a greeting, it's no big deal. In the books I've read recently, even worse things have happened to-"

"I don't wanna hear about that, the point is that that deceitful bastard may have ruined the image I crafted so carefully for myself!" then he calmed down after a few minutes "You called him a Mod Soul, right? Just what is that exactly?"

"Once, a project called Spearhead was begun in Soul Society." explained Rukia "A soul that had been modified for combat was placed into a person who had died and whose soul had left its body. They were to be used to fight Hollows, it was a despicable plan. These souls that were transformed for this project, once placed into a body, they could make one part of the body super-human. An artificial soul made for fighting. That is a Kaizo Konpaku, or a Mod Soul." she showed him several poorly-done drawings depicting this "Do you understand so far?"

"I would if your drawings didn't erase all of the tension." he blocked her fist "Do I look like Ichigo?"

"Anyway, the Spearhead Project was cancelled because it would force corpses to fight. Furthermore, all the Mod Souls in the development stage were ordered to be destroyed, but to think some are still around."

"So you're saying that this guy was created by the Soul Society and rejected at their whim?"

"Exactly that."

"And you accept that?"

"It's not a matter of accepting or not, Mod Souls must be destroyed. That's the order of the Soul Society, don't forget. The laws of the Soul Society are made for the purpose of protecting human souls. Now let's go, don't you want to get your body back?"

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Kenshiro's mind was racing as he chased after Mod 'I wonder how he feels in my body. They were condemned as thoughtlessly as they were created, but he survived somehow and found a body, yet he has to keep running. So the question is, how does he feel about this?'

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Mod was actually having the time of his life, going on a rampage and trying to ruin Kenshiro's social image.

Eventually, Kenshiro found him trying to attack some elementary school students "Enough is enough, jackass."

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At the same time, Urahara's team was preparing to go reclaim the merchandise.

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Kenshiro dodged several strikes from the Mod "Your moves are predictable and easy to read, you damn imposter." he blocked another kick and threw Mod over his shoulder.

Mod then ran over a wall in an attempt to escape.

"Hold it Kenshiro, we've got an order." Rukia told him "A Hollow is about to appear."

Kenshiro got into a ready stance.

The sooner he killed the Hollow, the sooner he'd get his body back.

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At the same time, Mod was still running away when he sensed a Hollow, and wondered if it was attacking those kids.

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The students were completely unaware of the Hollow that was about to attack them.

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Rukia found that her Soul Pager (her version of a cell phone) couldn't track the Hollow.

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Mod kicked the Hollow out of the way before it could go after the kids and began battling it as he avoided the tentacles, but got slashed on the shoulder, scaring the kids into running away.

Mod lured the Hollow to the roof of the building.

The Hollow chuckled "You interfere with my meal, then you run all over the place. I don't know who you are, but you're not strong enough to be messing with me!"

Mod was about to be hit by a tentacle, but Kenshiro appeared and slashed it off.

Mod was stunned "You… why… are you helping me-"

"You're hurt, whose body do you think you're in?" Kenshiro pointed out "If a Hollow as pathetic as that one can hurt you so easily, don't even think about fighting."

"What do you mean? I had to fight it because you took so long to get here!"

"Shut up, you're supposed to be a battle-ready Mod Soul!"

"What's with you two?!" the Hollow roared as it lunged, but they both slashed and kicked it in the face, respectively "Shut up!"

The Hollow was almost instantly cleaved in two, and Mod finished it with a kick to the back.

Kenshiro caught him before he fell off of the roof "Don't forget, you're in my body. That was completely pointless though, the Hollow will disappear on its own once you crack its head." then he saw the students talking about their perspective of the incident "Didn't you hate them?"

"So what? If I didn't help them, they would've been killed, and I won't let anyone get killed. Soon after I was created, the Soul Society ordered all Mod Souls be destroyed. In other words, my date of death was determined the day after I was created. I… I trembled in fear every day inside that pill as I watched the others around me disappear, day by day. Even though I was able to slip out of the warehouse by hiding among other pills, I was always afraid that I would someday be discovered and destroyed. All the while, I wondered why others should determine my fate. Why? Why can't I decide for myself?! Isn't it up to me whether I live or die?! That's why… That's why I… won't kill anyone, and I don't want to see anyone killed."

"Oh my, here I finally found you and you're all battered up." Urahara made himself known, with Ichigo standing mutely beside him "It looks like all the equipment we prepared was for nothing." he then used his cane to push Mod out of Kenshiro's body and picked up the pill "Collection complete, let's go home everyone."

He walked away, but Kenshiro stopped him "Hold on Urahara, what do you plan on doing with that?"

"Destroy it."

Ichigo couldn't have been more confused "You can see him? Who the hell are you guys?"

"A greedy merchant." Kenshiro said dryly as he took the pill "What's the deal Urahara, do you really take back goods you've sold to customers without giving them a refund?" he pointed to Rukia.

Urahara blinked "Oh, well, I guess I'll refund her then."

"That's not necessary, we're satisfied with this item." Rukia told him "Besides, you guys work outside the laws of the Soul Society. You're not really obligated to collect these things, are you?"

"Don't blame me if you run into trouble, we're going to be hiding out."

"Don't worry, I've gotten used to trouble lately." she then held the pill out to Kenshiro "Here, now let's go home."

Throughout the whole thing, Ichigo didn't say a word.

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Having parted ways with Rukia and Ichigo, Kenshiro decided to take a detour on his way home.

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Kazuma was surprised to see Kenshiro show up at his door "Hey little bro, I thought you were back in Karakura."

"Ryu Scales. Listen, do you still have that lion plushy you gave Hiyori?"

"Yeah, why?"

"I need to borrow it."

"What for?"

"I've got another shtick to deal with."

"I don't wanna know."

"Is that a yes or no?"

"Go ahead."

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Kenshiro winced from the wound to his shoulder and glared at the pill "You little bastard, this will teach you not to mess with my body." and he stuffed the soul in the mouth "Too bad, I guess my theory was off." he started swinging it around.

Then it suddenly grabbed him "That hurts, you idiot!" he leapt to the ground "Kenshiro Kamikaze, I challenge you again!" then he realized something "You're huge! No, I'm small! What's going on?!"

"I stored your soul in this plushie I borrowed from my brother's fiancee." Kenshiro grabbed the plushie by the head "Just be ready, Ichigo's gonna take real good care of you!"

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Ichigo just shrugged it off, completely out of character, much to Rukia's confusion and Kenshiro's concern.

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Next morning, Kon started barking at him "Wake up Ichigo, it's morning! Morning!" he leapt on Ichigo and started punching him with plushy fists "How's that, give up! If you give up, then wake up and apologize! If you don't, I'll get in your schoolbag and follow him to school! The girls in your class will start mocking you because of me!"

Ichigo bluntly grabbed him by the head and threw him "Leave me alone, didn't I tell you to just shut up and act like a stuffed animal Kon?"

The newly named Kon got back up "Why the heck are you calling me Kon?!"

"It's hard to call you Kaizo Konpaku, Kon's good enough for you."

"That's no reason for you to call me Kon, doesn't it sound sort of silly? I know, why don't you call me Kai instead? I like Kai, call me Kai."

"No."

"Why not?!"

"Kai sounds a little bit cool, I wouldn't like it. Now leave me alone, I've got stuff to do." and he walked out of the room just as Kenshiro came in through the window.

Then Rukia came out of the closet "What's all this racket so early in the morning? I can't even take my time changing clothes." she hopped out and stepped on Kon.

Unfortunately, this gave him a great view up her skirt "N-Nice angle… I'm glad I'm a stuffed animal…"

She then proceeded to stomp the stuffing out of him.

After a few minutes, Kenshiro stopped her "Listen Rukia, you know how Ichigo's been kind of out of it for a few days?"

"He didn't even try to stop me, what's the deal?" asked Kon.

"What's today's date?"

"June 16." said Rukia "Why?"

Kenshiro sighed "Tomorrow is a very difficult day for him, so I'm filling in for him. That's okay, right?"

"I guess, why?"

"Because tomorrow is…"

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At school, Ichigo was in a disturbingly good mood.

Orihime was particularly surprised by this "Wow, that's not like him."

"Orihime, what's today's date?" asked Tatsuki.

"June 16."

"I see…"

"I take it you know." Kenshiro made himself known "He's not in a good mood, that's how he acts when he's tense."

"Why?" asked Orihime.

Kagome sighed "I'm not surprised that you don't know about this, he doesn't like to talk about it and it's not our place to say anything. Tomorrow, he's definitely gonna skip school."

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After tuning out Isshin's overly excited rant about the next day, Ichigo decided to go to bed.

"It looks like fun." Rukia commented "Look Ichigo, Kenshiro can take care of the Hollows for tomorrow, you don't have to worry."

"You know, don't you?"

"Kenshiro told me."

"Tomorrow's the anniversary of the day my mom died. No, that's not quite right. To be precise, it's not the day she died… it's the day she was killed."

Rukia's eyes widened slightly.

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At the same time, Orihime was busy thinking about Ichigo and what Kenshiro said 'If I were the rain, would I be able to connect with someone's heart the way the rain connects the never-intersecting sky and earth?'

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The next morning, Ichigo spent the trip reminiscing about the events that lead to the death of his mother '7 years already… It was raining that day, and the day before that, and even the day before that. The water level had risen significantly due to the rain, yet that girl stood there, swaying on the bank without an umbrella, as if she was ready to jump in any minute. I reached out to her, then everything went black. Next thing I knew, she was lying on top of me, but she was already gone.'

"This hill is tough." Yuzu panted.

That set off Isshin "Do your best Yuzu, don't lose Yuzu! Dad's behind you!" he started doing a handstand, but got no response "How naive, even if no one goes along with me I'll still get conceited automatically!" he then used his "Must Kill Technique: Deadly Dad Sliding!" which forced Yuzu to push down her dress.

"Get lost to the ends of the Earth!" Karin roared as she kicked him down the hill in a ball of fire, causing him to ram straight into a pack of boars "Well then, let's go while we still have time. Ichi-nii, you coming?"

Ichigo was about to respond, when he saw something "Oh f*ck."

It was Rukia waving at him.

"Onii-chan, is she a friend of yours?" asked Yuzu.

"Yeah, she's an old classmate from junior high." Ichigo lied, faking nostalgia "I'll go talk to her. You two go to mom's grave, I'll meet you there in a little bit." and he ran off, dragging Rukia with him.

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Kenshiro blinked "You wanna know about Ichigo?"

Orihime nodded "He's your best friend and the reason you and Kagome-chan are together, I wanna know what's going on."

"We've known each other since we were 3, our moms were great friends, and he always had this huge grin whenever she was around. He was always so weak, staggering and laughing frivolously. Seriously, the one time we wrestled when we were 5, one shove and he was in tears."

"That doesn't sound like you."

"I was pretty cocky and arrogant, but I've changed a lot since then. After my parents died in that car accident, I did a lot of growing up. Anyway, whenever his mom came to pick him up, he just gave this huge grin almost as fast as Inuyasha slurps down ramen."

"Who?"

"Just an old friend. He died awhile ago."

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Ichigo was, for the lack of a better word, pissed "Why the hell did you follow me?"

Rukia scoffed "What do you plan to do if a Hollow appears when I'm not around?"

Ichigo tried to suppress his fury "Look, if you're gonna follow me, the least you could do is try to be discreet about it."

"Sorry about that… I didn't notice."

"Why are you angry?"

"Nothing, I'm not angry or anything. "She was killed." you said last night, that your mother was…"

"I didn't say that."

"Who was she killed by?"

"I didn't say that, just forget it."

"You said that you've been able to see spirits for as long as you can remember. In that case, just answer one thing: Was your mother not killed by a Hollow?"

Ichigo froze.

"The possibility is there, if your spiritual connection is so dense that it allowed you to see spirits for the longest time, the Hollow that targeted you could've mistaken your mother for…"

"I can't take it, I CAN'T TAKE IT!" Ichigo suddenly exploded, taking Rukia by surprise. "By getting involved with you, anything and everything automatically becomes the Hollow's fault, is that it?" he then calmed down considerably and walked past her "It's already no joke that I've been forced to exterminate Hollows, as if I'll taking something like that lightly. Sorry, but it wasn't a Hollow."

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"After I lost my parents in a car accident when I was 8, the same one that killed Kagome's father, Ichigo was there to comfort me. When we were 9, Ichigo's mother died under unknown circumstances. After that, that frivolously laughing, clingy little kid that Ichigo was died as well." Kenshiro told her.

Orihime's eyes widened slightly.

"He didn't come to school after that. What do you think he was doing that day when I went with Tatsuki-san to look for him? He was at the riverbank where his mother died, shouldering his bag and wandering around. He squatted when he was tired, but after a while he stood back up and wandered around more. Day in and day out, from morning till night, as if he were searching for his mother. Tatsuki-san couldn't stand to look at him then, but I went down there and let him cry on my shoulder, just like he did for me only a year before."

Orihime smiled slightly.

Then Kenshiro sensed something 'Wait, is that-? Oh f*ck. Sorry Kagome, I've got something to take care of." he then quickly yet passionately kissed her "I've gotta go, Ichigo needs me." and he rushed out the door, leaving Kagome to wonder what was going on.

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Ichigo just continued running 'I was the one, I killed mom. It was nothing less than that.' he stopped running and fell to his knees, then stood after a few minutes, and his eyes widened at the figure in front of him "Mom…"

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Karin and Yuzu were caring for Masaki's grave, while Karin kicked Isshin out of consciousness due to his tomfoolery and then comforting a crying Yuzu.

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Rukia was overlooking the cemetery from a distance "I'm an idiot." then she detected something on her Soul Pager "It's near." then she detected it "Dammit!" then she tried contacting Kenshiro on her Soul Pager "Kenshiro!"

"I know, I'm on my way. I just picked up Kon from Ichigo's room, I'll be there in about 10 minutes."

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Despite not being able to see it, Karin and Yuzu were attacked by a Hollow, Karin was knocked out cold, and Yuzu was about to be devoured.

That is, until Rukia appeared and kicked the Hollow in the face, then set Yuzu and Karin aside in a safe place, then confronted the Hollow "Grand Fisher!"

The Hollow, now known as Grand Fisher, smirked "To think that you know my name, I take it you're a Soul Reaper then."

Rukai hesitantly got into a combat stance "What are you doing, Ichigo?"

Grand Fisher smirked "If you mean your friend, he won't be coming." and he attacked.

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Ichigo stared at the figure in front of him 'I really loved my mom, I've never seen her crying or angry even once. Because of that, no matter how bad things were, I'd forget everything when I was at her side. It wasn't just me. Yuzu, Karin, and even dad loved mom greatly. They said the cause was unknown, but it was clear that it turned out that way while she was trying to save me. In other words, the one who took mom away from the family is me! I don't like this… really…" he slowly walked towards the figure "I don't know who you are or where you're from, but you shouldn't be making a toy out of my mom!" he clocked back a fist and let it fly at the figure, who dodged and morphed, revealing another face.

Ichigo's blood went cold as he recognized the face "You're…"

"Just a little closer…" was all the figure said before it disappeared.

Then Ichigo heard a noise.

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Rukia was sent crashing to the ground by the Grand Fisher's attack.

"You're too weak." the Grand Fisher taunted "You call yourself a Soul Reaper? You look tasty."

"Is it that fun to eat women?!" she questioned.

Grand Fisher then went to attack Karin and Yuzu, but Ichigo appeared in front of him, and Rukia pushed him into his Soul Reaper form, allowing him to get Karin and Yuzu out of the way in time.

"That kind of mechanism… to think that you're a Soul Reaper…" Grand Fisher observed.

"I should be asking you about what you're doing." Ichigo snarled as he put the girls down and drew his Zanpakuto "Take care of them Rukia, I'll take him." he turned his attention back over to the Grand Fisher "I want to ask you about your friend, that kid."

The kid appeared in front of Grand Fisher "This one?"

"She was the one from that day, at the riverbank 7 years ago, and why is she with a Hollow? Why did she take on the form of my mom?"

"You're noisy. In that case, I'll tell you." and the skin peeled off, revealing a tentacle attached to the Grand Fisher's head "How is it? Do you understand?"

"Grand Fisher, that's his codename." said Rukia "He makes the quasi-bate that grows from his head take on a human form while he hides himself, humans with a dense spiritual concentration are lured by that and attacked by him. It's a method he uses frequently. This time, in order to eat your sisters, he used your mother's figure to stall you. He's a nasty piece of work, his favorite is women."

Ichigo felt his blood run cold "Then my mom was…"

Rukia said nothing.

Ichigo's blood ran hot with anger.

"Ichigo, don't get emotional." Rukia warned "Even if I say that, it would probably be useless. He's an opponent that has continuously avoided Soul Reapers for more than 50 years! Be calm!"

"You think… Do you think I can act calmly at a time like this?!" Ichigo roared as he leapt upwards and brought his Zanpakuto down.

The Grand Fisher dodged the strike and smirked "You're naive, boy." and he used his hair tentacle to slam Ichigo into a wall.

Ichigo recovered and found himself bound by hair.

Seeing this, Rukia started preparing a spell "Destroy yourself! The black dog of Rondanini! Read through, incinerate, and scratch away at your very own throat!"

"Stop it, Rukia!" Ichigo roared as he cut free "Stay back this time, I'll do this alone!"

"Don't be stupid, he's strong! I just explained, didn't I?"

"Shut up! Just please, don't interfere. This is my fight, no one else's!" and he charged, the battle leading them to the forest.

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Kon opened his eyes and found himself in Ichigo's body "Kenshiro?"

"There's a shrine not too far from here, take Ichigo's sisters there." Kenshiro told him "I'm counting on you Kon." and he ran off.

Then it started raining.

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As he ran through the forest, Ichigo's arm was caught by the Grand Fisher, but he slashed off the hair and broke free.

Then Grand Fisher appeared behind him "You're slow, boy."

Ichigo dodged the attack and kept running.

"You won't be able to hurt me if you keep running like that." he sent Ichigo tumbling backwards using his head tentacle "With that level of strength, you dare say such things as 'don't touch my friends' to me, boy?"

"Now's the time." Ichigo snarled 'I don't know how much pain Yuzu and Karin went through with mom's death, but I've decided to protect them. I will defeat him!'

He charged in, slashing at Grand Fisher, who eventually caught the blade "How careless, jumping into your enemy's range without a plan!" he then grew his nails long and sharp as he stabbed Ichigo, causing him to cough up blood.

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Rukia had been watching from the sidelines and tried to intervene, but Kenshiro stopped her from doing so "Don't, this is his fight."

"But you're his friend, you should be rushing out there to save him!" Rukia protested.

"Maybe so, but what would happen to his honor if I did?" he retorted, silencing her "If either of us help him, he'll live. But that would mean destroying his honor completely. My elemental master taught me a lot, but this definitely stood out. There are two types of battle, and as we fight, we have to know the difference between the two. There's the fight to protect one's life, and the fight to protect one's pride. This is the fight to protect Ichigo's pride, pride in himself."

Rukia slowly nodded and stood still 'Don't die, Ichigo!' XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

With a roar, Ichigo slashed at the Grand Fisher, who dodged the blade easily "How thoughtless, a fleeting emotion costs a friend's life. With a fleeting emotion, you rush into your enemy's range. This is how I toy with you, you will die without inflicting any wounds on me." he sent Ichigo reeling once more.

"Don't bullshit me." Ichigo snarled "I'm going to defeat you. Even if my arms are sliced into a thousand pieces, even if my legs fly from my body, I will defeat you!"

Grand Fisher smirked "That's why I said you'd die. You're young and anger easily, anger disrupts the mind. And since your mind is disrupted, your sword is blunt."

He revealed his head tentacle to have taken on the shape of Masaki "Ichigo…"

"What's wrong? You can't fight just because your name was called?"

"Do you know what you're doing right now?" Ichigo snarled quietly "Don't bring out mom's figure in a place like this!" and he charged, but stopped.

The figure of Masaki dangled in front of his eyes "Draw back your sword Ichigo, don't cut me!"

Then Grand Fisher then stabbed through both the fake and Ichigo "This is the end boy, you're the youngest, most thoughtless, and weakest Soul Reaper that I've ever met."

Ichigo smirked "I've finally… caught you." and he gripped the claw "Anger dulls the blade, you said? That might be true, but I said it before: No matter what happens to me, I will defeat you!" and he stabbed Grand Fisher in his side "This is the end Fisher, you're the oldest, filthiest, and most disgusting Hollow I've ever met!" and he stabbed through him even further as he ripped the claw out of his chest, sending Grand Fisher crashing to the ground with a gaping wound in his shoulder.

The Grand Fisher then transferred his being into his head tentacle, which took on the form of the girl "I've underestimated you, but you definitely couldn't cut your mother! Oh stupid Soul Reaper, we shall meet again!" and with that, he retreated.

Ichigo wanted to go after him, but more blood poured from his wound, causing him to collapse.

Kenshiro caught him before he hit the ground "It's alright buddy, I've got you."

"Not yet… He's not dead yet!" Ichigo got out before losing consciousness.

Kenshiro started carrying Ichigo gently on his back 'To still be alive with such a bad wound in his chest, he's definitely Ichigo.' he then started using his powers to heal Ichigo's wound.

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By nightfall, the rain had finally stopped.

Ichigo went to Masaki's grave 'I'm sorry, I couldn't avenge you mom.' then he looked and saw Isshin approaching him "Dad."

Isshin handed him an umbrella "Here."

"It's already stopped."

"I intentionally brought it for you." Isshin started poking him with it "Hey, use it."

Ichigo finally snatched it and kicked Isshin "That hurts!"

Isshin popped up behind him "The years go by so fast, ten years since your mother passed away."

"Seven years."

"How close."

"Not even remotely close. It's four years' difference, a grade schooler could become a high schooler in that time!"

"You say smart things."

"Don't be impressed, and more importantly, at least remember the year of your wife's death properly! Forget it, talking with you is just infuriating!"

Isshin smirked "Well to be able to see your cheerful form, your mother would be relieved on the other side."

Ichigo was surprised to see Isshin smoking "Didn't you quit?"

"She complimented me when we first started dating, that my hand looks cool holding a cigarette. When I think about it, that was the first and last time that I was praised by your mother about my looks. That's why I decided to smoke only on this day each year, in front of her." he noticed Ichigo's downcast look "Don't make such a rotten face, didn't I just tell you to cheer up?"

"I wonder…" Ichigo said quietly "How can you laugh? Why is it that no one blames me? I couldn't do anything, I couldn't! Not when my mom died, not even now… It's tough, it would be better if you were to blame me! Why?"

"Why should I blame you?" Isshin retorted "I don't know what you're worrying about, but if I were to blame you for Masaki's death, I'm sure she'd scold me. Masaki's death was nobody's fault, just know that the women I fell for was a woman willing to die to save her child. And don't forget, you're the guy the woman I fell in love with died saving."

"Dad…"

He started walking away after kneeing Ichigo in the back "Live long Ichigo. Live well, age well, balde well, and die after me. And if possible, die smiling. I'll be waiting down there." and he walked away, leaving Ichigo alone.

Ichigo could sense who was watching him, but didn't turn around "Are you listening Rukia, Kenshiro? Let me be a Soul Reaper for a little while longer. I want to become stronger, much stronger, to protect people who can't protect themselves, to become strong, and defeat him. If I don't, I won't be able to face my mom."

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A few nights later, Karakura had a big event coming: Don Kanonji, a celebrity spirit hunter with his own show, was coming to film another episode.

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Orihime found that Ichigo looked incredibly weirded out when she did the signature laugh Kanonji always did "There's almost no reaction, don't you know what this means?"

"Burarei…" Ichigo muttered.

"Correct! Isn't it a fun show? Then Kurosaki-kun, can you join-"

"Banzai." Tatsuki came and stopped her from doing the laugh "Come on, I'll join you on the Bohaha thing."

"Yo Ichigo, Kenshiro."

They looked and saw Keigo, Mizuiro, and even Chad doing the laugh.

Kenshiro looked at Ichigo, then at the guys, then he ran and jumped out an open window "Worth it!"

Ichigo sighed and proceeded to tune out Keigo whining, then walked out of the room "Nurse, he did it again!"

It was harder to tune out Rukia during the whole thing.

And Keigo did not help at all.

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And yet, somehow, both Kenshiro and Ichigo ended up at the sight of Kanonji's show.

Kanonji smirked "How are you all? I'll let you babies listen to the cries of the spirits tonight!"

"Well Kanonji-san, how is this place?" asked the reporter.

"This place reeks with the smell of spirits. This really…"

"Smells like bad spirits!" the audience chorused, then they copied Kanonji as he did his signature laugh.

Then the cameras cut, and the audience was re-directed to the next sight.

Yeah, both Kenshiro and Ichigo hated shows about spirits.

"So how'd you get dragged to this?" asked Kenshiro.

Ichigo sighed and pointed to where his family was doing the Kanonji laugh "Yuzu and my dad love this thing. Karin, not so much. What about you?"

"Two reasons. First, Kagome loves this show for some reason. Second, there's something I wanted to check on."

Ichigo looked around "Geez… All of these people, caught up in this."

"What's the matter you two?" they looked and saw Rukia doing the laugh "Now now, what's the serious look for you two? Take advantage of this and enjoy it."

"Shut up, we're always like this." Ichigo pointed out.

Rukia smirked "You both must be exhausted from school and Soul Reaper work. There will be hard battles ahead, use this opportunity to spread your wings. By the way, just what is this festival about?"

That got under Ichigo's skin "You came along without knowing?!"

"So are there really spirits in an abandoned hospital like this?" asked Kenshiro "If there were, wouldn't you or another Soul Reaper have helped it cross over by now?"

"Not exactly, spirits inhabit a place like this are usually Fixed-location jibaku spirits. Since these spirits assimilate into the Earth, they're rarely detected by the Soul Society or Soul Reapers. There's only one condition under which Fixed-location jibaku spirits show themselves, and that's when humans invade their territory." explained Rukia.

Then a cameraman did just that, and there was a roar from inside the hospital, and the spirit appeared, bound by chains.

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Among those who heard it were Chad, Kagome, Orihime, Tatsuki, Kagome, Karin, Kenshiro and Ichigo.

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"It's the cry of a Fixed-location jibaku spirit." Rukia told them "It seems there is one after all."

"Isn't that a Hollow's cry?" asked Ichigo.

"You two are aware that the occurrence of Hollows follows several patterns. One is when a Fixed-location jibaku spirit who feels a strong attachment to this world is left alone and ends up becoming a Hollow, such as this spirit. He's one of those known as a plus, one on the verge of becoming a Hollow, a Demi-Hollow."

"He feels like a Hollow to me, that's for sure. But he's not wearing a Hollow mask. Also, the hole in his chest isn't fully opened yet."

"The hole in a Hollow's chest signifies that the heart is lost and has become a mass of simple instincts, the skull-shaped white mask shields the bared instincts from the outside world. Neither of these is necessary if the heart is still intact." and she began ruining it with her poorly done drawings "When a human dies, the chain of fate is severed from the body. Usually the spirit waits for a Soul Reaper to guide it, but if they have regrets and cannot let go, their chains become bound to the object of their regret." she noticed the look he had and then proceeded to whack him "This Demi-Hollow's heart is being held by the hospital."

"The hospital is mine!" the spirit roared "I won't let anyone have it, you guys better not come in! I'm going to become a rich man here, and-"

"What a disgusting spirit." Ichigo muttered.

Then the commercial break ended.

Kanonji then did his signature laugh "Spirits are always with you!"

Everyone else did, including Rukia.

"Is this really okay?" asked Kenshiro.

"Don't get excited." Rukia waved them off "It usually takes several months to become a Hollow."

Then it was time for Kanonji to purify the spirit.

"We don't want the spirit to become agitated with this many people around, we can do the Konso after the festival. There is a frightening just before one becomes a Hollow, it will be in a lot of pain. Does that Demi-Hollow look to be suffering to you?" asked Rukia.

Ichigo looked on as the spirit taunted Kanonji "Doesn't look like it to me."

"See? Unless the partially closed hole in his chest is damaged in some way, it'll take another half a year to become a Hollow."

Kenshiro merely counted down "3… 2… 1…"

Then Kanonji stuck his Spirit Stick into the hole "I'll let you cross over peacefully, baby."

"That fool. I'm going in, Ichigo cover for me with Kagome." and he then used his Dragon Reaper cloaking ability, hiding his physical body from anyone without spiritual power, as well as entering his Dragon Reaper form in the process.

Ichigo attempted to charge in and help, but he got tackled by security guards.

Rukia tried to help him enter his Soul Reaper form, but she got tackled as well.

The spirit's cries of pain hit everyone who could hear it pretty hard, until the chains snapped.

Then a cane hit Ichigo in the back of the head, pushing him into his Soul Reaper form "Who did that?!"

"Hello." Urahara made himself known "Do you really believe that Kenshiro-san needs your help, Kurosaki-san?"

"Why are you here?" asked Rukia.

Urahara merely grinned.

Tessai apprehended Ichigo's body.

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"Enough!" Kenshiro got in between Kanonji and the spirit.

Kanonji was sent crashing to the ground "What's with you boy?!"

"You can see me?"

"Of course, I'm the charismatic medium of this new century. I see, you're dead and you're a fan, right boy?"

"I'm not a fan, but my girlfriend is."

Then the final chain snapped, and the spirit began transforming into a Hollow, before he disappeared in a flash of light.

Kanonji did his victory pose "Mission complete!"

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Rukia knew otherwise 'No…' she checked her Soul Pager 'In the instant a Demi-Hollow turns into a Hollow, it disperses then reforms in another location. Furthermore, if his heart was held by this place…' she looked and saw the Hollow re-materializing.

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Kenshiro grabbed Kanonji by the shoulder "Change of plans, you're having an extended episode tonight."

Then the Hollow reformed above them, with the white mask covering his face, and roared furiously.

Kanonji stared in disbelief "What is that?!"

Kenshiro sighed "That's called a Hollow, and…"

"I feel it, I feel it! It reeks of a super dangerous spirit." he looked up at the Hollow "I get it, you must be the evil boss come to avenge that soul!"

Kenshiro sweatdropped "You're half right."

"The pain… let me eat you!" the Hollow roared.

Kanonji pulled Kenshiro back "Run, boy!" he gripped his Spirit Stick "Come on bad spirit, I, Don Kanonji, the charismatic medium of the new century, will take you on!"

The Hollow leapt at Kanonji, but Kenshiro drew his Zanpakuto and blocked the Hollow's attack.

"Why didn't you run away, boy?".

Kenshiro scoffed "I should be asking you that, you should be running instead of me."

"Run?!" Kanonji stared at him like he was insane "What are you saying?!"

Kenshiro ignored him for the moment and charged at the Hollow.

"Just as I thought." Urahara mused "Wonderful! Although the conditions are the worst, so what will you do Kenshiro-san?"

Kenshiro kicked Kanonji out of the way just before the Hollow attack and stopped him from attacking by dragging him inside the abandoned hospital.

Urahara watched with interest "I see, so that's how you're going to fight." he stopped Ichigo and Rukia from charging after him "Don't worry you two, a Hollow of that level won't be a problem for Kenshiro-san. It's not good to create too much of a fuss. Besides, Kanonji seems to have a bit of power. Let's let them handle it."

Ichigo's eye twitched.

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Kenshiro dragged Kanonji through the halls of the hospital "You're the one who said to run!"

"I meant only for you to run, I cannot run away!" Kanonji said firmly.

Losing his cool, Kenshiro threw Kanonji into the wall at the end of the hallway "Why should I run while you stay behind? Answer me that!"

Kanonji slowly stood "Well, I am the hero, that's why! Are you aware of the ratings that my show pulls in?"

"I don't wanna answer that."

"Correct, 25%! One in every four citizens watches my show, and many of those viewers are children! The children watch my every move and become inspired, they. Do you understand, boy? I cannot run away when these children are watching!"

Kenshiro was rather awed 'So that's why Kagome likes his show…'

"Now let's go back and fight that monster."

Kenshiro grabbed him by the shoulder "Use your head you imbecile, we can't risk the audience getting caught in the crossfire! That spirit is going after people with high levels of spiritual energy, and for some reason it wants you as much as it wants me. It's going to come after us without a doubt, at least nobody will get caught in the crossfire if we fight here."

Kanonji stared at him "I'm amazed boy, you've thought it through that far?"

"It's what a hero does, but we've got other things to deal with right now. It's here."

Sure enough, the Hollow burst from the floor "Let me eat you!"

Kenshiro drew his Zanpakuto, but it got caught in the wall "Dammit, there's not enough room to do a Konso!"

The Hollow then spat out a green goo, binding Ichigo's hands, and attempted to devour him, but Kenshiro stabbed it in the shoulder with his Zanpakuto 'Dammit, I can't get the mask!'

The Hollow then smashed through the wall, leaving Kenshiro dangling, before he made his way to the roof.

Kenshiro dodged a pounce by the Hollow and readied his Zanpakuto, then sprouted a tic mark when he saw Kanonji burst through the door 'God, can't this guy take a hint?!'

The Hollow prepared to pounce at Kanonji, then slammed Kenshiro into the railing and bound him with his goo.

Kenshiro shut his eyes, waiting for the jaws to come down. But when they didn't he opened his eyes, and to his surprise, Kanonji had stopped the Hollow with his Spirit Stick "Are you hurt, boy?"

"You can't handle this guy, get out of here while you can." Kenshiro urged.

"Enough boy." Kanonji said firmly "I know my power, and I know the difference in power between the enemy and myself. But you have impressed me, you put the safety of others above all, a trait of a true hero. You are my comrade, let me call you friend." he gave a dashing grin.

Kenshiro sweatdropped "Thanks, I'm all right."

Kanonji started charging spiritual energy in his palm "Kanonji Style Ultimate Technique: Kanon Ball!" he unleashed a tiny ball of spiritual energy that was more than enough to free Kenshiro and destroy the Hollow's goo, just as his Spirit Cane gave out, which led to the Hollow swatting him aside "Even if this body is blown apart, if I can die as a shield for the kids of the future, I shall have no regrets in life." he gave Kenshiro a thumbs up "Friend."

Kenshiro slashed the Hollow "Don't touch him." he held up his Zanpakuto "Sorry, not really, but this is the end!" he slashed the Hollow down the middle, sending it crashing to the ground.

Kanonji was ecstatic "You did it! Great! Magnificent! Magnificent! Magnifi-"

"It's not over." Kenshiro cut him off and re-sheathed his Zanpakuto.

Kanonji was confused until he saw the Hollow crumbled away and revealed the ghost from earlier, much to his horror "No way, he's the one who… What's this?"

"That's a Hollow. When the chain that links his soul is broken and a hole opens up in his chest, the spirit becomes nothing more than a monster with no conscience, a Hollow."

Kanonji fell to his knees, tears swelling up in his eyes "No… What have I been doing all this time? I am ashamed of myself." he let his tears flow freely.

Kenshiro put a hand on his shoulder "Heroes shouldn't cry, and everyone is waiting for you down there."

Kanonji went over to the roof and saw everyone cheering for him.

Kenshiro grinned "Answer their cheers, isn't that a hero's duty?"

Kanonji wiped away his tears and addressed the audience "Mission complete!" and he did the laugh, with everyone else following. Then turned to Kenshiro "Boy, that was a magnificent battle. I admire your courage and power, lend me your strength from now on too." he held out his hand.

Kenshiro accepted the hand "I'd be more than happy too Kanonji-san, at least once in awhile."

"Thank you. The next time we meet, I would be more than honored to call you my comrade, my friend, and my equal."

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Rukia stared in amazement "Wow, he actually turned that bumbling idiot into a decent person."

Ichigo smiled "Kenshiro just has that sort of way with people, he changes them for the better."