A while has passed since the incident with the mod soul and today…well, today was a day I wished would never come. More specifically, tomorrow, because tomorrow was the day that my step-father died. It was the fourth year anniversary, but that didn't meant that I would cry about it. Even now, as I stood in my bathroom looking into the mirror, I could see the sadness hidden away in my eyes, begging to be let out. But I wouldn't let it. I would never let that out because his death was my fault. I was to be blamed and as much as he would probably deny it, I knew it was true.

Sighing, I made my way to the flower shop to grab some flowers, knowing that Ichigo's family was going to be going through a similar process as I was for the next couple of days. I just so happened to bump into Mizuiro on my way to Ichigo's house though and right now, we were waiting out in front of Ichigo's house and he'd just poked his head out of his window, in the process of unbuttoning his shirt.

"Mizuiro! Sorry! I just woke up!" He then spotted me as I gave him a lazy wave. "What are you doing here?!"

"Brought you flowers." I said, holding up the bouquet.

What can I say? I couldn't help it.

Ichigo turned beet red and leaned further out of the window in outrage. "What the hell?!"

Mizuiro chuckled and waved up at him. "We bumped into each other on the way here. Satoshi said he had some business to take care of here or something."

I nodded and Ichigo pulled back, brows scrunched up in confusion. "Well, do you two want to come in and wait?"

"Okay!~" Mizuiro chimed, and we both headed in, me handing the flowers over to Yuzu and making sure she knew to tell her father should he show up.

They were nice enough to give me some breakfast as I waited and once Ichigo came down, we headed off to school. Thing was, Ichigo was being awfully nice to me on the way to school, but I shrugged it off, figuring that it had to do with him realizing that the anniversary of his mother's death was coming up. The only reason I knew was because my step-father had been particularly quiet around this time of year and whenever I asked, he just smiled and said he lost a good friend and that he'd be off delivering flowers so I was to close up shop early. I only found out when he was on his death bed… I sighed as we walked into class, feeling particularly down after that depressing line of thought, though Orihime was as cheery as ever.

"Good morning, Kurosaki! Good morning, Satoshi!"

Oh, look. She got my name right. "Morning." I said, dully.

"Hey! Morning, Inoue!" Ichigo replied, cheerfully, which seemed to throw her off.

School went by pretty normally after that though. Ichigo was overly cheerful to people he knew and Rukia and Orihime kept sending him looks, while I just stayed my usual self in the hopes that no one would notice that I was quieter than usual. When I got home though, I let out a long sigh and sat down at my desk full of paperwork. So much work to do…but at least I'm off tomorrow…Ichigo's not the only person who lost someone and it gives me a chance to relax after everything that's happened… Shaking my head out of my thoughts, I leaned over and turned on a radio to distract me before picking up a set of reading glasses that I rarely used, and diving into my paperwork that needed to be done.

"Satoshi…"

"Y-Yeah?"

My step-father looked over at me with a small smile, lifting his thin, pale arm and wiping my face.

"You shouldn't cry. Everything will be alright."

I looked down at his other arm where it was holding his bleeding abdomen, struggling to do as he asked and hold back the tears.

"B-But dad-"

He chuckled. "That's the first time you actually called me your father."

My eyes widened in realization, before I bowed my head and bit my bottom lip, choking back a sob.

"You stupid old man. How can you be so happy about this? This…This is all my-"

"Now, don't you say that." He said sternly, making me flinch, before he placed his hand over my fisted one and spoke softer. "This isn't your fault and I don't want you to think that."

I lifted my head, unable to keep the tears from flowing any longer. "How can you say that?! Y-You're dying and it's all because I-"

"Satoshi, please."

I quieted down, wiping my face in frustration. I wasn't normally like this. I didn't do emotions, but him…he always seemed to pull them out somehow.

"Satoshi, I want you to do something for me. When I go."

"No. You won't go. Y-You can't! You can't leave me alone!"

"Come now, Satoshi. You know it's going to happen."

I grabbed his hand sloppily in mine, not even caring about the rain that now poured down.

"T-That doesn't mean I have to like it…"

He let out a chuckle again, but this one cut off with a cough, worrying me. "Now, Satoshi, I need you to listen, okay? You're going to take over my shop for me, alright? But with that comes that great responsibility to help those people's spirits, okay? Can I trust you to do that?"

I nodded, squeezing his cold hand in my warm one. "Y-Yeah. Promise."

"Now, no more fighting." He chided. "No midnight snacking or leaving your clothes lying all around the house."

I gave him another nod, chuckling a bit as I wiped my eyes. "O-Okay."

"And if you can…go back to school. You're a smart kid, Satoshi. So go out and prove that…Show all those people out there who pick fights with you, that you can do more than just give a good punch. And find some good friends."

He began coughing and I grew even more worried, calling out to him. "Dad? Dad?!"

"C-C-Calm down." He huffed out. "I'm not gone yet. There's still…one more thing."

"W-What?"

"I want you to make sure that you bring flowers to the Kurosaki clinic every year around this time, okay? The man living there, he's a good friend of mine and he lost his wife. I wanted to tell you sooner but…" He coughed some more. "This old man had to keep one secret from you, right?"

I nodded more, closing my eyes against the rain that dripped into them. "Y-You're right dad. I'll do that. I'll do it. A-And I'm sorry about everything. All the problems I caused you…so please…please don't leave me."

I opened my eyes, but his were closed and his hand was limp in mine, a small smile on his face.

"Dad? Dad?! N-No, dad! Dad! Please! P-Please…"

I woke up with a start, causing a few papers to fall off the desk I'd fallen asleep on. Pulling off my glasses and picking up the papers, I wiped at my eyes, feeling the remains of my tears and deciding that I best get a shower in before I left if I wanted to look even semi-decent. Once I finished that, I went into my closet and pulled out a nice pair of black pants and a white dress shirt as well as a black tie and black coat to wear. I even went into my step-father's room and just stood there for a moment before snatching his old fedora from off his bed post, dusting it off and plopping it on my head. I just wish I didn't turn around.

He always kept this full sized mirror on the ground, leaning up against the wall right by the door. He never put it up on the wall like he should have and never let me move it. And he always said the same thing when I asked about why he left it there.

"Why? Because I get to know if I look the way I want to feel before I leave the room."

"And if you don't?"

He smiled. "Then I have to wait here and act like a fool until I feel like smiling."

I frowned. "Why the heck would you want to smile all the time?"

He placed a hand on my head like I was a child and looked at me seriously. "Our business would be dead if we never smiled, Satoshi. I want you to always remember that. Okay?"

He ruffled my hair with a grin and I complained about it, before he pointed to the mirror, making me see the smile that had stretched across my own face.

"See? Even you can smile."

When I looked at the mirror now though, all I saw was a tall, tired old man who had given up on smiling long ago. Disappointing, isn't it, dad? I look like an old man and… I've forgotten how to smile… I sighed, tugging the fedora down further on my head before leaving the room and making my way to the flower store once more and then onwards to the cemetery where my step-father had been buried. It had taken a bit longer than I expected to get up the large hill to where his memorial stone was, but I reached it eventually and went through the process of cleaning it and putting in the flowers and lighting the incense. I didn't pray though. No, I just stood there and stared at it, pulling out a cigarette and holding it in my mouth. I couldn't light it. Not in front of him. He wouldn't want me to. But my peaceful remembering was cut short as some other people approached the area I was at. Low and behold, Ichigo and his family had a plot not a few stones down from my step-father's.

"What the-Are you freaking following me?!" Ichigo shouted, but Isshin stepped forward with a small smile.

"It's been a whole year already?"

I nodded, solemnly, putting my cigarette away for now. "Yeah."

Ichigo seemed to realize what was going on at this point and went quiet, his sisters doing the same. Isshin though, set a heavy hand on the fedora on my head, pushing it down to cover my eyes with a chuckle.

"Don't just stand there looking all mopey. Haruto would've wanted you to smile, right?"

I frowned up at him as I fixed my hat, but I silently knew he was right and looked back at the grave stone with the tiniest of smiles.

"Yeah, I guess he would've, huh?"

I heard sniffling off to my left and quickly dropped the smile upon seeing Yuzu's tearful face, going into a panic thinking that I was the one who upset her.

"U-Um, I'm sorry." I said, hurrying over and kneeling down, hands waving about. "D-Don't cry."

I'm really not good with crying kids. I thought with a sweat-drop, watching as she wiped her eyes, though the sniffling continued and Karin groaned.

"Come on, Yuzu. Enough waterworks. Look, you're making him panic."

Quickly trying to come up with something that would stop her from getting upset, I remembered something I'd picked up on the way here and reached into my coat pocket, pulling out the small daisy.

"Please, don't cry." I asked, handing it to her.

She saw the flower and took it, giving me a small smile in return as she finally stopped crying and suddenly wrapped her arms around my neck in a hug.

"I-I'm so sorry, Satoshi!"

I blinked, not really sure what to do or why she was telling me she was sorry, and I looked to Karin and Ichigo for help, but they shrugged; leaving me on my own.

"Um…thank you?" I hesitantly said, patting her on the back before she let go, allowing me to stand up.

I turned back to Isshin then and cleared my throat, pointing up the trail. "I'm going to head up the hill for a bit. Leave you guys to your mourning."

He nodded as well, still grinning. "Of course. And thank you for the flowers this morning too."

I nodded briefly and began my trek, waving back to Yuzu and the others, before sighing and stuffing my hands in my pockets; adopting my usual blank expression that I had lost in my panic a moment ago. I ended up getting lost in my thoughts as I roamed the cemetery, not actively looking for ghosts, but finding a few who were willing to have a nice chat and pass on. That's how a lot of the older people go. They just want a final chat with someone. Even if it's just a family member praying for them. But there's always those few who don't have a family member there for them, and those are the ones I talk to. The lonely ones.

It had been a while though and as I heard the sound of some ridiculous rooster whistle of some sort, I shook my head and began heading back to the entrance of the cemetery. I lit a cigarette on the way and enjoyed the nice view, though the heat could have been something I could do without, when I felt something odd. My head swiveled towards the source of the odd sensation and I paused, standing there and trying to get a better grip on what I was feeling. It didn't take long though, before the feeling grew and I suddenly realized that it wasn't a good thing. A hollow? Here? And that's…Karin! Yuzu! I cursed under my breath and quickly began heading towards the auras, pulling out my glove and loosening my tie as I focused my energy to my legs and easily jumping over the tombstones and walls.

I sent my senses out, checking for anyone else nearby and caught a hint of Ichigo's and Rukia's auras heading in the same direction, though they were closer than I. What Rukia is doing here though, I have no idea. Once I reached the area where the hollow was, I hid my presence and knelt over by a group of rocks where Yuzu and Karin were at, unconscious. But not hurt other than a couple of bruises, thanks to Ichigo, no doubt. I mused, healing them quickly as I felt Rukia approaching. I jumped up into the tree above them at that point and watched silently as Rukia left Ichigo's body there along with the mod soul from before-though he was in a stuffed lion for some reason-and she headed to Ichigo's side. As she spoke, I took mental notes, eyeing the hollow from my place in the trees and doing my best to come up with a plan should Ichigo not be experienced enough to handle this…Grand Fisher.

"He hides his body while his neck protrudes a lure that takes on a human shape. Humans who can see that…That is to say, he attacks and devours humans who have souls of high spiritual density. By doing this, he increases his own strength. For 54 long years, he has continued to elude us shinigami." Rukia said, ripping something and handing it to Ichigo. "That's him. He's highly infamous. Look. His name is so well known that the soul society's database has an extensive record on him."

"As you say, brat." The hollow hissed as I frowned. "Anyway, there are so many who can see my form. What a catch. Hehe. I'm happy. So happy. One, two, three…Oh man. I wonder if all of you will fit in my stomach. Hehehe!"

Suddenly, Ichigo charged and I flinched, wanting to stop him but just barely holding myself back. That idiot! What is he thinking, just charging in there?! I paused though, watching him as he attempted to fight the hollow. I know that look…Rage, anger, fury…I paused in my thoughts, watching as the hollow regenerated his arm and threw his fur at Ichigo. This hollow…Ichigo knows it. He hates it…This fight is personal.

"Stop Rukia!" He shouted, keeping Rukia from attacking it as he cut the fur off him. "Rukia! Stay back this time. I'll do this alone. You go with Kon and look after Karin and Yuzu."

"Don't talk nonsense! He's strong! I told you! For more than 50 years, he's eluded shiniga-"

"Shut up!" He shouted, before getting softer, just loud enough for me to hear him. "Please…don't interfere. This is my fight."

I shook my head a frown marring my features as I watched Rukia below me fighting with Kon about going into Ichigo's body.

"Hell no!"

"Don't make a racket. Don't struggle and don't complain! I'll set you on fire!"

"No!" He shouted in return, Rukia holding his over Ichigo's body's mouth. "Getting burnt is bad, but this is much worse! Why the hell do I have to kiss him?!"

"I didn't say kiss! I said get closer!"

"Even so, no way! Ah!" He screamed as she shoved him closer. "It stinks! It stinks! It stinks! He probably never brushes his teeth!"

I sweat dropped at his overreacting and Rukia simply gave his a tap on the back of his head with her gloved hand, knocking his pill into Ichigo's mouth.

"Nasty! Gya! Bleah! Ugh! Geh!" He gagged, scuttling off to the side to scrub his mouth off with his hand. "Dammit! T-This damn mouth…"

"Don't whine! It's unsightly, Kon!" Rukia replied. "Come on! Let's move the girls quickly!"

She paused for a moment before starting to walk off, her carrying Yuzu and Kon carrying Karin, but I let out a short sigh, jumping out of the tree silently behind them and hiding my glove for now. After all, Ichigo was fighting a battle that even I knew better than to interfere with.

"Need some help?" I asked, making Rukia turn around in shock as I stood there calmly with my hands in my pockets.

"Wha-Satoshi?"

I tilted my fedora up a bit and gave her a look. "I didn't expect you to be here."

"I-I…" She quickly grew serious. "I could say the same."

I raised a brow, before glancing at Yuzu in her arms. "Let me take her."

She hesitated, but handed her over and we began walking once more, though she was giving me suspicious looks the whole time.

"He'll be okay, you know." I said, not bothering to look at her as we walked.

"Huh?"

"Ichigo." I stated, sending her a glance before looking ahead once more. "He won't die so easily."

That seemed to have startled her, for she quickly began shouting.

"What?! Y-You could see that?!"

"There's a lot about me you don't know, Rukia." I said quietly as we approached a small building where Isshin was; him seeing the unconscious Yuzu and Karin, and ushering us inside with a laugh, saying that they were probably worn out.

Kon stayed with them for a while whereas Rukia and I stayed outside, her eyeing me as I chewed on the end of my cigarette until Kon came back out.

"Is that enough?"

"Good work." She replied, and Kon let out a sigh of relief.

"Whew! Keeping my eyebrows knit together all the time is exhausting! How does Ichigo keep this face all the time?!" Kon then looked at me. "You too! You have that same face!"

I let out the drag I had just taken and raised a brow his way, not really caring about what he was saying, though I didn't exactly like being compared to Ichigo. Rukia though, decided to ask her questions now, which was something I was actually glad for. Her looks were getting annoying.

"Satoshi. You said you could see Ichigo and the hollow…How?"

I tapped the cigarette, dropping ashes to the ground and lifting it back up to my lips as I shifted my gaze to her.

"You tell me. I've seen them since I could remember."

She frowned, obviously not liking my answer. "And what about Kon? You don't seem surprised."

I shrugged, putting my hands back into my pockets. "I remember him from class that one time. He acted different than Ichigo and I saw the real Ichigo in the window. Similar situation now, right?"

She continued to get more frustrated. "Well, what are you doing here?!"

I frowned slightly. "Same as them. Visiting my step-father."

Her anger suddenly lessened as her eyes widened, before they softened and she looked at the ground. "Sorry."

I lightened up as well, taking another drag. "You couldn't have known. It's fine…You're not going?"

She looked over, confused. "Go where?"

I nodded into the forest and Kon picked up the answer for me.

"Oh, he means to save Ichigo."

Rukia looked away again. "He said not to interfere."

"So…you're really going to leave this alone? It's a strong hollow this time. Didn't you say that?" He asked, and she stayed silent. "He's…not going to die, right?"

"I don't know…"

"Well, can I ask a favor? Please go and save Ichigo."

She seemed surprised, but Kon quickly fell to his knees and bowed.

"Please!"

"Q-Quit it, Kon! Men should now bow their heads so easily!"

"It's not easily!" He said, standing up and dusting off his hands. "For me, this is a big problem! Because, if that guy dies, I'll have to stay in this body forever. I'd have to keep living with that damn noisy family." He paused, seeming to realize what he was actually saying, and slapped a hand to his face in anguish. "Aw man! I definitely couldn't take that! I'd be dead! I'd die! Definitely die! For that reason, I'm begging you!"

He quickly went back to bowing and Rukia finally gave in.

"I-I understand! I understand, so quit it!"

"Really?! You'll go?!"

She turned to go, before giving him a serious look over her shoulder. "In return…you stay here to protect them!"

"Just leave it to me!" He said confidently and she took off, but Kon turned to me. "You're not going?"

I gave him a look. "Why would I go?"

He frowned, scratching the back of his head with a shrug. "I dunno. You just seem like the kind of person who would. Like you could do something. Make a difference, I guess."

I scoffed, putting out my cigarette under my foot. "I'm not a hero, Kon."

"Yeah, well…" He sat down on the steps as a light rain began to fall. "I hope Ichigo will be okay."

"He will."

Kon turned to me in confusion. "How do you know for sure?"

I felt myself smiling ever so slightly as I look up at the raining sky. "Because, Kon. He's not fighting for someone else. He's fighting for himself. Himself, and his pride."

Kon looked surprised and my smile slowly slipped off my face, before I sighed, turning away and starting to walk.

"Come on, Kon…Seems like they're done."

He nodded slowly and got up, following me as we walked over to where I felt Rukia's and Ichigo's aura. When we showed up, Rukia was just sitting there with Ichigo lying unconscious on her lap.

"Don't worry." She said quietly. "A shinigami life force is their amount of spiritual energy. To not die from these wounds, this idiot's strength is quite something. For being able to survive, Ichigo…thank you."

I shook my head with a sigh and headed over, surprising Rukia as I knelt down and placed a gloving hand over Ichigo's stomach.

"W-What are you-"

"As I said, Rukia…There's a lot about me you don't know."

"It hurts!" Ichigo shouted as he regained consciousness back in his own body.

"Don't make a big fuss!" Rukia scolded him. "Wounds received in your soul state will show up when you return to your body! You ought to know that already!"

"But up 'til now, you returned me to my body after healing all my wounds…"

"Sorry! I used most of my strength to heal your stomach wound, So I couldn't heal other places completely. And Satoshi-" Rukia stopped, remembering what Satoshi had told her before he headed back down the hill.

"Don't tell Ichigo about me. He doesn't need to know yet and…I'll leave the smaller wounds. He deserves a little pain for worrying people."

"What about Satoshi?" Ichigo questioned.

Rukia schooled her expression into a blank one. "He said you're an idiot for getting yourself hurt. I told him you fell."

"That little punk!" Ichigo complained, not liking Satoshi to begin with, so his comment only made Ichigo more frustrated with him. "I'll show him! Next time a hollow shows up, I hope it eats him!" He calmed down then, looking at his stomach and growing quiet. "Thanks."

"Well, the pain numbed in battle becomes fresh again when your soul returned to your body. You'll have to put up with the pain." Rukia said, brushing off her dress and heading over to Ichigo, before tossing him some bandages Satoshi had given her. "Here. Stick these on."

Ichigo did as he was told and stared out into the rain. "I…lost, didn't I?"

Rukia gave him a look. "What are you saying? He fled. No one died here. There's no mistaking that you won."

"But he isn't dead. I…" Ichigo stopped and stood up, not facing Rukia as he walked out into the rain.

"Ichigo…"

"Sorry. I'll be a little while."

"Damn. The air's so heavy I can't even get up. But that Satoshi kid was right on the dot, don't you think?" Kon said, sitting up.

Rukia frowned, remembering Satoshi's expression as he looked out into the rain earlier.

"He'll think it's a loss. He wasn't able to avenge his loved one's death. Doesn't matter to him if he saved other people, because…he blames himself." He looked over at her, eyes empty, hollow almost. "Just give him some time. If he doesn't come to terms with it, then he'll use it to grow stronger…After all…that's just how guys are, right?" He gave her the slightest of smiles, before heading out into the rain with a wave over his shoulder.

"A little too accurate, if you ask me." Rukia muttered, hoping that Ichigo would grow stronger because of this, but also wondering why Satoshi was doing things that she didn't understand.

Ichigo, meanwhile, had gone back to his mother's grave, defeated. "I'm sorry…I…wasn't able to avenge you...Mom…"

He grew quiet then, but then he heard humming coming from nearby and spotted a dark figure leaning up against a tombstone not a few plots down, a cigarette hanging from his lips though it wasn't lit. Ichigo immediately recognized him and scowled.

"Can't you go smoke elsewhere?"

Satoshi lifted his head a bit to face Ichigo, before looking away. "It's not lit."

Ichigo grew even more frustrated. "Like I care! Don't you have something better to do?!"

Satoshi was quiet, but spoke after a moment, speaking just loud enough to be heard over the rain. "My step-father always told me that fighting for revenge was a useless cause. 'Revenge only causes more sadness' he said. 'You take care of your revenge only to make someone else want their revenge. A never ending cycle of hatred and sorrow'."

Ichigo took those words in silently, not liking what Satoshi was saying, but knowing that the words he spoke of were wise and not something to be taken lightly. Both of them slowly drifted back into silence, the only noise being the sound of the rain, but someone else decided to interrupt them.

"Howdy!" Isshin said, having wandered over with an umbrella. "What's this? I was wondering where you'd gone and it turns out you were here…Ichigo, Satoshi." He smiled a little before swinging out another umbrella. "Here, an umbrella!"

"I don't need it." Ichigo grumbled. "I'm soaked like this. It's too late for an umbrella."

Isshin poked him in the head with it.

"Whether I have it or not…"

Isshin poked him a few more times, enough so that Ichigo grew fed up and grabbed the umbrella from him, using it to hit him upside the face, before popping it open and using it the way it should be used. Isshin recovered quickly and pulled another umbrella out of his suit, tossing it to Satoshi, who caught it and used it as well.

"…Thanks…"

Isshin smiled. "Of course!" Isshin then approached his wife's grave and grew solemn. "It sure goes by fast…already ten years since mom died…"

"Six years." Ichigo corrected.

"…So close!"

"That's not close! It's a four year difference! In four years, a primary school student becomes a high school student!" Ichigo shouted.

"You say smart things!"

"Don't be impressed! And at least remember the year your wife died! Geeze man, talking to you pisses me off!"

"Well, if you let her see your lively form like that, mom will rest easy on the other side." Isshin said, but Ichigo paused.

Oh yeah…dad doesn't know…mom's soul is already…

"Now if only I could get Satoshi to show that kind of energy!" Isshin chuckled as Satoshi headed over lazily. "I bet Haruto would be impressed."

"He'd be impressed just for me going to school again. Stupid old man could be impressed by the stupidest things." Satoshi grumbled as he handed Isshin a cigarette, lighting his own and Isshin's as well, surprising Ichigo.

"Didn't you quit smoking? Back when Yuzu and Karin were born?"

Isshin took a long drag. "She complimented me. Around the time we started dating, she said that my hand is cool when I'm smoking a cigarette. Now that I think about it, that was the only time your mom complimented me on my looks." Isshin said, rubbing the back of his neck before leaning close to the tombstone. "So every year, I smoke on this day only. In front of her. Haruto was the one who first got me smoking, though I doubt he'd be happy you're doing it, Satoshi."

Satoshi scoffed, taking a drag and letting it out slowly. "If he didn't want me smoking, he shouldn't have done it."

Isshin smiled a bit, before spotting Ichigo's solemn expression and patting him roughly on the back. "Hey, don't look so sad! Didn't I just tell you to cheer up?!"

Ichigo clenched his fists, umbrella pointing at the ground. "Why…Why are you smiling? Why…won't anyone blame me?! I couldn't do anything…not a thing…not when Mom died…not now either! Why is it?! Nobody blames me! It's so hard! It'd be easier if you guys all blamed me! Why…"

"Why blame you?" Isshin asked, confusing Ichigo.

"Huh?"

"If I were to blame Masaki's death on you, Masaki would get mad at me." Isshin explained. "It's not anyone's fault that Masaki died. It's just that the woman I fell in love with was a woman who could die protecting her son…and don't forget. You are the guy the woman that I loved gave her life to protect."

"Dad…"

"Ah, I hate it! Damn you!" Isshin shouted, ramming a knee into Ichigo's back as the rain started to let up. "Live well, Ichigo. Live well, age well, and go bald well. And die after me. And…if you can, die smiling. If you can't, I won't be able to face Masaki. Don't hesitate to act. Sadness is a cool thing to shoulder, but…you're still too young. That goes for you too, Satoshi."

Satoshi closed his umbrella and glanced over at Isshin as he smiled back over his shoulder.

"Haruto was a great friend of mine and, while I don't know what happened, I bet he did something similar to Masaki and protected you. So don't go letting his sacrifice go to waste. He was all about smiling and spreading happiness, So I expect you to cheer up a bit too. He'd kill me if I let his son grow up a brooding old man." Isshin chuckled with a wave. "I'll be waiting down below."

Satoshi sighed and followed after him, but Ichigo stayed back a moment. After all, he wasn't going to give up so easily. He had to get stronger.