I entered the house and noticed light coming from inside the kitchen. I saw Aunt Judy sitting at the table with a cup of coffee. She looked up at me and gave me a sharp look, "Why have you come home so late?"

I didn't expect Aunt Judy to be home tonight since she was normally at her job or going out. She usually wasn't home except for Sundays… which was why I was able to get away with missing school or coming home late sometimes.

I chewed my lip, "I… had a school project."

She rose an eyebrow, "Lucia, I know you're lying. You've been up to something lately." She took a sip of her coffee, "Just because I'm not here doesn't mean I don't notice."

I nervously fidgeted, "I'm telling the truth."

"Fine," she put down her cup on the table, "Just one thing; stay away from that boy. He'll bring you trouble. If not, I'll request for you to have a schedule change."

I frowned, "What boy?"

"The orange-haired one you've been with a lot."

My eyes widened, "You mean Ichigo? Why? There's nothing wrong with him... if you met him you'd know he's not what you'd expect-"

Judy's harsh voice cut in, "No."

My face fell, "What…?"

Her gaze was unwavering, "You will end your friendship with that boy."

Anger rose in my chest, "It's because he also has powers, isn't it?" Judy's eyes widened and her mouth fell open in shock.

"I know we're quincies. I don't know why you've been hiding this from me and Tera. You can't just hide this forever!" She averted her eyes, thinking of what to say. She looked up at me in confusion, "Who told you?"

"Urahara Kisuke," I answered.

She scoffed, "Figures…wait," she paused. "Why did he tell you? Can you see spirits?!"

I nodded, "He saw me defeat a hollow. Judy… I've been able to see spirits for a year now."

Judy pinched the bridge of her nose in an attempt to calm down, "You unlocked your powers...?"

"Something like that," I replied.

I took a seat at the table, "Why haven't you told us anything?"

Judy sighed, "Lucia…. I was going to tell you once you turned 18, and let you choose to tell Tera on your own. Your mother was a normal human, and of course, my brother was a Quincy. I didn't think your spiritual pressure would be this high so soon, even if at all."

I furrowed my eyebrows, "Can't you sense my spiritual pressure?"

She shook her head, "I'm not a Quincy anymore. A damned soul reaper stole my powers. I can't even see ghosts."

"I…" I wasn't sure what how to respond. "Is this why you don't like Ichigo? Because he's a soul reaper?"

"That's not the only reason." I rose an eyebrow. She continued, "Your parents kept it a secret for a reason. To protect you and our family. After my powers were stolen and I was almost killed, we no longer trusted soul reapers. The only ones that I trust are Kisuke and my best friend, Yoruichi. Your father completely abandoned his powers and tried to live a normal life." Her eyes started to glisten, "Then that same soul reaper killed them. I don't know why, but he's after our family."

I gasped in shock. "That's why I tried getting you here as soon as possible. So that I could keep a close eye on you and protect you," she finished.

"Do you…. Do you know who it is?" I questioned. Ever since that night, I haven't been able to fully recall what that man looked like. I knew his name, I knew he wasn't just a soul reaper. But I don't know his face. All I remember was his mask, his sword, and then my rage and urge to protect Tera. Everything happened so fast and was just blurred.

"No, I don't. I just know this from Kisuke," she responded. Am I the only one that knows?

"That's why you can't get involved with shinigami or your powers. Just pretend it doesn't exist and live a normal life."

I froze. Pretend? I couldn't just pretend everything I see is fake. I can't just abandon Ichigo and my classmates. "I can't do that. I won't."

"Lucia," she called firmly, "You have to do what's necessary."

I scoffed, "Necessary? Running away and hiding until we get killed? What if he tries to hurt us again? Hurt Tera?" Judy's face heated with anger and frustration. I continued, "I'm going to get stronger to protect Tera. I'm going to Urahara to be trained. I will stand by Ichigo."

Her voice rose, "You can't! You'll only make things worse for yourself and this family!"

I stood from my chair. "You can't stop me. I'm going to do this!" I argued.

She glared, "You have no idea what you're getting into. You will not do this."

"I will. It's my choice, not yours. I'm done. I'm going to bed." I quickly turned away and traveled up the stairs to my room.

Judy stared at Lucia's back in disbelief as she left the kitchen. She sighed. She stared down at her cup of coffee, eyes watering. What should I do?

A drop of water fell into the mug, and she finally noticed that she was crying. She sniffed. Her breath caught in her throat, "I only want them to be safe…"

She solemnly gazed off into space, "She's so much like you that it's scary, brother."

It was the next morning that I woke up late, for once. I checked the clock on my desk. My eyes widened, I'm twenties minutes behind! I rushed out of bed and quickly threw on my uniform and got ready. I ran into Tera's room to see her still asleep. My eyebrow twitched, "Tera." I shook her shoulder. No movement.

I went at the foot of her bed, grabbed her ankles, and I swiftly pulled. Her body dragged off onto the floor and she immediately woke up, surprised and confused. "What just happened..?" Tera mumbled.

I sighed, "Get up for school, Tera, otherwise you'll be late again."

I left her there, grabbed my bag and my shoes before running to leave outside the door. I checked the time on my phone, I'm only ten minutes late.

I made it to Ichigo's house, just in time to see him exit from his front gate. I sighed in relief. I waved to him, "Goodmorning, Ichigo."

He noticed me and oddly enough, he didn't seem like he was his usual self. He gave a pleased, strained smile, "Lucia, good morning."

We walked to school, the silence a bit too quiet. Why does he seem like he's forcing himself to be weirdly cheerful today? It's like he's using a façade to hide his stress… Was it because I kept a secret from him?

"Hey, Lucia?"

I replied, "Hm?"

Ichigo seemed to have a lot on his mind as he spoke, "I won't be coming to school tomorrow, so don't wait for me."

I nodded, "Alright, then."

We arrived at class, and I went to greet the girls. Orihime gave Ichigo an excited wave, "Goodmorning, Ichigo!" I was surprised to see that he gave back a just as enthusiastic response, "Oh, good morning, Inoue!"

I blinked. He's really off today… should I ask him?

I shook my head, Maybe if I ask Tatsuki? She would probably know.

"Michiru, what's the date today?" Tatsuki's voice caught my attention from my thoughts.

Michiru checked her watch, "Huh, it's June 16th."

"I see. He's not in a good mood. He acts like this when he's really tense."

Throughout the whole day, I had been distracted with worried thoughts about Ichigo. Everything seemed like it was familiar again, and I felt like something bad might happen soon. For the most part, I remembered when Ichigo had to save Rukia, all the way up to when Ichigo loses his powers…. I knew the characters better than the actual story, to be honest. But the beginning of the story was like a distant dream or a memory to me.

The reason why Ichigo was like this was right underneath the surface of my memories.

It was finally calligraphy class at the end of the day with Tatsuki.

I turned my head to her and caught her attention, "Tatsuki?"

She looked at me, "Yea?"

I bit my lip in distress, "Why is Ichigo not coming to school tomorrow?"

Her eyebrows rose in surprise, "He never told you?" I shook my head. Tatsuki sighed, "He probably didn't tell you because he didn't want to burden you. Otherwise, he would have."

"Nevermind. You don't have to tell me. I feel like I'm being intrusive, actually…"

Tatsuki frowned, "I think you should know. He's been acting weird because his mother passed away when he was a child, and tomorrow is her death date."

I had an epiphany, His mother…! She was killed by a hollow! A wave of depression washed over me at the newfound knowledge. Tatsuki smiled in an attempt to ease the dark mood. "He'll be fine, don't worry. As long as you're there to support him, right?" she gave me a knowing smile. I frowned, "I guess…"

I met up with Ichigo after class ended, and we started walking home. I should pay Urahara a visit…

"Ichigo, I remembered I have something to do, so I'm gonna go run some errands." He smiled, "Alright. See you later." I looked at the card in my hands as I walked away in the direction of the address. After a ten minute walk, I arrived at the Urahara Shop. The doors were closed, but I walked on the property and attempted to knock on the frame anyways.

The door suddenly slid open, and a tall, dark-skinned man with glasses stared down at me. Tessai. I sweatdropped, "Is Urahara Kisuke here?"

"Yes, you must be Kaufer-san. He's been expecting you." He made way for me to enter, and lead the way in the house to a dining room. Urahara was drinking tea at the table, and he smiled at me, "Kaufer-chan, why don't you have a seat?" I sat down at the table. "I figured to stop by since we never discussed when I'm supposed to be here to be trained." He nodded, "Well, when are you available?"

"I guess… anytime would be fine." He grinned, "Why, today seems like a good day. Why not start right now?" I was taken aback, surprised by the sudden offer. I don't have much to do today. And I really don't wanna go home and face Judy again… "Might as well."

"Good! Now, follow me." He revealed a hatch on the floor and opened the door. I stared down it in awe. "These are the training grounds we'll be using."

After we made it into the training grounds, I looked around in amazement at its realistic features. It was a wide terrain of sand and a bright blue sky. Urahara cleared his throat to catch my attention. "You're going to need a lot more stamina, and we're going to further improve your powers. As you are a Quincy, you should be able to materialize a bow and shoot arrows of spiritual pressure at your targets. This is a minor problem; I'm not a Quincy."

I frowned, "Then what does that make of the powers that I already have now?"

Urahara tsked, "It should be obvious. Your spiritual pressure is remarkably high, and you were determined enough to accomplish a goal. This resulted in you unlocking your own powers. The only link between you being a Quincy and your new powers is the high spiritual pressure that came from your lineage and lead you to power."

Then… my need to protect Tera unlocked this?

The sandy-haired man grinned, "However, I can allow you to improve on abilities that you already have, and teach you tricks I know as well. You've been able to materialize a katana and a gun, right?" I nodded. "If I'm able to materialize weapons of my choosing, then wouldn't I be able to materialize a Quincy bow?"

He pondered, "I guess it could be done. I'm not sure if it'd be the same or different, however. That pistol you summon is similar to reiatsu arrows, except in the form of bullets. We'd have to see how it goes."

"You should probably be able to learn how to materialize even more weapons. But first, we're going to train you physically and improve your fighting skills. Are you in for the challenge?"

I smiled in determination, "You bet!"

I groaned in pain, I was not anticipating a torture session.

Urahara put me through rigorous training methods, such as making me do a shit ton of pushups and chasing me around with his sword. I sweatdropped, Urahara is going to kill me before an actual hollow does.

It was almost 7:30 pm, and I was ready to just knock out as soon as I got home. I arrived home and greeted Tera who was playing video games in the living room. I yawned.

The next morning I went to school, and as Ichigo said, he wasn't here today. I sighed, It's finally Friday.

It was just an average day, and lunch quickly came around. I aimlessly scrolled through my phone when I felt a demonic presence nearby. I froze, A hollow? No… it seems way too strong to be a normal one…

I immediately ran out of the classroom and left the school campus. I made a right turn down the street and headed towards the direction of the hollow. I ran through what seemed like a cemetery site and ran up a hill where I felt the hollow.

I turned after running up the hill to see Karin and Yuzu held captive by a huge hollow. The hollow raised Yuzu, about to eat her. Grand Fisher?! I summoned a katana in my right hand and leaped forward, and I brought down my sword on its tentacle. The blade sliced through, and Yuzu was freed. She fell through the air and before I could attempt to catch her, Ichigo came just in time to catch Yuzu. I sighed in relief. Karin screamed as the hollow lifted her from the ground.

"Good. I still have my hostage. I've been waiting for you, Soul Reaper." Ichigo quickly set Yuzu down, and yelled, "Karin!" She merely gazed at us and muttered, "Ichi-ni…" before fainting. Rukia and another man dressed in black arrived, "That bastard…!" A stoic girl appeared below the hollow, and it laughed. Ichigo stared in shock, "What's going on?" It continued laughing, and Ichigo glared, "You're the one who was at the riverbank, aren't you? Six years ago! So what are you doing here?!"

Rukia furrowed her brows, "Six years ago? Ichigo, don't tell me…?"

"Yeah… I tried to help her back then. But when I realized it, she was gone." he answered, referring to the girl. "And my mom was…" Ichigo shook with anger, "My mom was…"

The hollow pondered, "Six years ago, huh? I don't remember things so long ago. I see… This is very interesting." The hollow cackled, and the figure of the girl started to form into something else. We all stared in shock. The figure turned into tassels and connected to its head.

"Grand Fisher! That's his code name," Rukia exclaimed. She explained, "He hides himself and gives the lure that grows out of its head a human appearance. And when he finds those who are able to see it… In other words, those who have high spiritual energy, he attacks them and increases his own power. For over fifty years, this hollow has defied soul reapers like us." I blanched.

"And his favorite… is women."

Ichigo pieced it together, "Which means… my mom was... " Rukia nodded. Ichigo scowled and grew furious. The hollow laughed again, "I see. You survived even after seeing me. What a lucky kid. Perhaps I intended to devour you for your high spiritual energy. However… women always seem more delicious. Eheheheheh…" Rukia cursed. I glared in disgust at the hollow.

The stranger commented, "I haven't seen a hollow so disgusting in a long time." Ichigo grew angry and snapped. He yelled as he ran forward to attack with his zanpakuto. He jumped, "Karin!" Just as he was about to strike, Grand Fisher dodged his attack by jumping out of the way. I gasped in shock as the hollow suddenly appeared right behind him. "Ichigo! Behind you!"

He looked back in surprise and quickly leaped out of the way before he could get hit. He was cornered and the hollow trapped him with its body. I screamed, "Ichigo!" I'm useless by just standing here!

"You're one bastard I'll never forgive!" he yelled. Rukia quickly casted a spell, "Disintegrate, you black dog of Rondanini! Look upon yourself and burn! Tear out your own throat! Bakudo 9: Geki!" The hollow glowed red, and yelled in anger, "Do not interfere!" It shot out a tentacle towards Rukia, and I instinctively ran in front of her before I was struck instead. I went flying and hit the back of my head against a gravestone. I groaned in pain. I felt wetness run down my forehead and looked down at my hand after I touched it. It's red… I'm bleeding. I looked to my right to see that it managed to at least send her flying as well and knocked her out cold.

"Now then, I'm going to devour this girl. What will you do?" It taunted. Ichigo yelled out, "Karin!" Grand Fisher laughed at his desperate state. "Stop!" he pleaded. Oh, no! "Then will you let me eat you instead?" The other shinigami beside me went to try to attack the hollow, but it noticed him and smacked him with its tentacle. "Shit!" I cursed. I ran forward, dodged its appendage and leaped forward before slashing across its hold around Karin. It struck me away again, and Ichigo slashed through his bindings. The hollow sent its appendages to kill Karin, but the shinigami got there in time and sacrificed himself instead.

Ichigo quickly slashed through them, "Hey, you…" The stranger breathed heavily and smiled. "Why would you go that far…?" Ichigo asked in shock. The man answered, "Soul reapers keep fighting hollows no matter what happens." He coughed up blood, "Soul reapers will never forgive hollows. When a hollow attacks indiscriminately, and you lose something precious to you, only an empty feeling remains. I can't let that happen!" He grinned, "You've gotta protect, Spikey… you understand?" He collapsed onto the ground. "Hey! No way… he can't have died if he's a soul reaper!" Ichigo exclaimed.

Rukia checked his injuries, "Soul reapers are not immortal. Even if the form is different, death is…" A snore from the unconscious shinigami interrupted her thoughts.

"This guy's asleep…" Ichigo stated. I sweatdropped, despite the heavy atmosphere. He should be fine, right? "Hey, get up! It's distracting!"

Ichigo's body came running to us, "Sis!" He stopped, "Woah... this looks pretty bad." I paused at the familiar voice. The mod soul? "Kon, take the sisters and run!" Kon quickly picked them up and asked, "What about you?" Rukia snapped, "Hurry!"

"Right!"

With the look Rukia had, I knew what she was thinking. "Rukia, stay back. You're not at full power yet, and I don't think either of us would stand a chance right now." She gave me a confused look, "How did you…?" I shook my head. "Ichigo! Back me up!" He ignored what she said and leaped ahead to face Grand Fisher. "Ichigo!"

"Rukia, get back. You too, Lucia."

"What?" she questioned.

Ichigo glared at the hollow, "Just stay back this time. I'll do it myself."

"Ichigo, he's strong! We'd only win if we worked together!"

Rukia added in, "I told you, he's been defying soul reapers for over fifty years-"

"Shut up!" he snapped. "Please… Don't interfere. This is… my fight!" He charged forward and screamed. All we could do was to follow them and just watch the fight… Damnit, Ichigo!

I didn't even realize until now that it was raining as we followed them into a grass field clearing. We came just in time to see the hollow dodge Ichigo's attack, "Didn't your friends tell you not to be careless, kid?" Ichigo blocked its claw with his sword. "Now how many times have you jumped right into the lion's den without any strategy? That's why they call you careless, kid!" It elongated its claws and struck them right into Ichigo. I gasped. Rukia looked on in shock, her mouth agape. He used his sword to balance himself from falling.

"You're too rash. Much too rash. You push away your comrade in the heat of the moment, and jump right into your enemy's lair. You'll just die while I toy with you."

"Ichigo!" I yelled. He gave me a wild look of warning, "Stay back, Lucia! I'm going to destroy him… Even if my arms are ripped off… even if my legs fly off. I'll beat him!" I hesitantly stopped myself.

"And that's why I say you'll die. Because you are young and fly off the handle easily. And that passion distracts your heart. And a distracted heart dulls your sword. It's over, kid! You're much too young to be fighting me!" The hollow clutched its lure, then released it in the form of a woman. A beautiful, orange-haired woman. No… Ichigo blanched.

Rukia asked, "Ichigo! That's…"

He growled, "Why you-!"

"Even the most cold-blooded shinigami has one person whom he can never kill. That is a certainty. By learning who that person is, I've been able to defy every shinigami until now. And for you, this person is the one," the hollow explained.

The woman finished, "Right… Ichigo?"

I stepped forward, and held out my right hand to summon my pistol until Rukia grabbed my wrist. I peered back at her in bewilderment, "Rukia, what are you doing?! He's in trouble!" She gave me a grim look.

"We can't help him like this. This isn't just a normal battle, it's a fight to protect his honor. This is his own personal battle." She had a conflicted expression of her own, also having a struggle to not help Ichigo. My eyes started watering. I watched with pain.

"Can you draw your sword against this woman?" the hollowed laughed. Ichigo swore in anger, "Do you realize what you're doing? Don't you dare… bring my mom's image out to a place like this!" He charged forward but stopped when the lure appeared in front of him, "You must not, Ichigo. Put down your sword. Don't hurt your mother." He looked on, startled.

"Please." The hollow impaled Ichigo in the shoulder. The hollow brought up another claw as it taunted him, and was about to strike. Just as it was about to harm Ichigo, the lure took the hit and electrified, shining a bright light.

Ichigo stared at the lure in surprise, "Mom…?"

I noticed the shinigami's presence once he explained, "His mother's thoughts are manifesting themselves."

"Does that mean the hollow recorded his mother's thoughts at the moment of her death?" Rukia questioned.

"Thoughts at the moment of her death?" Ichigo muttered.

"Ichigo," the woman gave him a warm look, "I'm so proud of you! Dad, Karin, Yuzu, and you, Ichigo. I'm so proud that I was able to meet you. Live, Ichigo. With strength, with kindness, and with a smile… Thank you, Ichigo." The lure faded away along with the bright light. Ichigo's expression winced in pain, "Anger dulls the sword. That may be true. However, you're wrong about one thing…" He grabbed the appendage in his shoulder, and glared at the hollow. "In order to beat a thing like you, a dull sword is more than enough!" He yanked out the tentacle and stabbed Grand Fisher all in one motion.

The hollow screamed in pain as it quickly ran away, "Damnit! Damnit! I won't forgive you! You're just a soul reaper!" The hollow disappeared. Ichigo screamed, "Wait!" He bled profusely.

Rukia let go of my wrist and I ran towards him, "Ichigo! Please, you both can't fight anymore." I held both of his shoulders, trying to keep him from moving. He yelled, "Not yet! He's still not dead! I still-" His body quickly fell forward, and I held onto him. I slowly brought him down and lied him down on my lap on the wet grass. I sniffed, heat rising to my cheeks and my heart tightened.

Rukia conversed with the shinigami, who left with a "Bye-bye!"

As much as I tried to contain it, I started to cry. My body trembled. "Lucia… are you okay?" I looked up at Rukia. I had hoped the rain pouring down my face disguised my sorrowful tears, but I didn't think Rukia was fooled. I nodded.

She gave me a look of pity, "I'll take care of Ichigo. It's best that you go to Kisuke to heal up and then go home. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

"Okay…" I got up and walked away. I strolled through the concrete steps to leave the cemetery. Ichigo… he must be in so much pain. I checked the time on my phone. It was already five o'clock.

I arrived at Urahara Shop, and called out, "Urahara-san? Are you here?" The door slid open, and a tired face looked down at me, "Oh? You're back again-" Urahara drifted off in sentence as he took my battered form. He winced, "You fought a hollow?" I gave a sheepish nod.

"Come on in, then. I'll heal you," he made way for me to enter. I walked inside as he closed the door behind me, and led me to the same dining room as last time. He lifted his hands and they glowed a bright green. In a way, it felt soothing as the cuts and bruises healed. "It's kido. It's one of many common shinigami casting spells," he explained, even though I already knew.

I smiled in gratitude, "Thanks."

A long pause followed. "Judy is quite upset that I'm training you," Urahara commented. I looked at him in surprise, "You know?"

"Of course, she called me and gave me an earful, after all." I grimaced in slight guilt. I apologized. He shook his head, "It's not your fault. She's only worried. Don't think too deeply about it, she'll come around."

It was already Sunday. I groaned, "I don't want to go to school tomorrow…" The other day I was fully healed, so when I got home Tera didn't really suspect a thing. Either way, I was in a disheartening mood and I think Tera knew better to just not ask about where I was.

I didn't really have anything to do. I was bored. It was already three o' clock, and all I did today was lay around in bed and watched videos on my phone. Tera was at her friend's house, and Judy was home today. I wasn't really in the mood to go interact with her since everything felt awkward and tense since our argument. This whole week felt like torture.

I spoke aloud to myself as I lied on my bed, staring at the ceiling, "Maybe I should go shopping… or see a movie…" I sweatdropped, By myself, like a loser.

I was bored, I didn't have much to do, so why not spend time by myself? There shouldn't be anything wrong with that… Maybe Ichigo would want to hang out? I erased that thought. I haven't talked to him ever since he collapsed. I don't think he'd be in the mood right now. I got up and sighed, "I guess it can't be helped."

I put on a regular purple and white baseball tee and some plain ripped jean shorts. I wore my purple vans and grabbed my shoulder bag that had my necessities inside. I nodded at myself in the mirror.

I left the house while I did my best to avoid an awkward confrontation with Judy. It was a nice, sunny day with a cool breeze. It was nice. I smiled to myself, Time to treat myself!

I wandered through the town, heading towards the Karakura Shopping Center that wasn't too far from here. When I arrived, I walked past the shops and browsed around merchandise through the store windows.

"Lucia-chan!"

I turned to my left to see Karin and Yuzu, followed by Ichigo. He was carrying their shopping bags. I smiled and waved as they came up to me. Ichigo waved. Yuzu smiled cutely and I internally melted, "What are you doing here?"

I felt embarrassed, "I'm just… browsing around. I didn't really have much to do so I decided to check this area out…"

Karin looked at me with a glint in her eye. Karin turned to Ichigo, "Ichi-ni, I just remembered Yuzu and I had something important to do! Don't we, Yuzu?" The blonde sister blinked in confusion, "Eh?" Karin quickly snatched the bags from Ichigo, who gave her a suspicious look.

Karin grinned, "Ichigo, you should show Lucia-chan around. We're heading off!" She quickly dragged a whining Yuzu away as she left in the opposite direction. I sweatdropped.

He looked down at me with an uncomfortable look, and I immediately felt self-conscious. "It's okay, you don't have to accompany me." His expression turned to surprise, "No, I'll hang with you. It's not a problem." Ichigo gave me a small smile to ease my worries. I felt relief rise in my chest. "Well, do you know where the book store is? There's a couple of books I want to get." He nodded.

When we arrived at the book store, I waltzed in and went straight for the fiction aisle of the store. I picked up two books from the horror section and grinned with joy. Ichigo gave me a peculiar look, "You like horror? I never thought you'd be the type." I laughed, "That's what a lot of people say. A lot of my friends assumed romantic or wholesome books were my favorite, but I love horror. Romance is too predictable sometimes." I almost jumped up and down with excitement, "I'm so happy! I haven't been able to buy any new books lately." Ichigo watched me in amusement as I gushed over books. We headed to the checkout, and when I was about to take out my wallet to pay for it, he gently pushed me over. "Huh?" He held out his money and gave it to the cashier. "Ichigo, you don't have to buy them for me. It's okay."

He received his change and handed the bag of books to me. I gave him an exasperated look. He chuckled, "You seemed really happy. I don't mind."

I sighed, "You're insufferable sometimes."

Ichigo shrugged it off, "Yeah, yeah."

We just walked through the shopping center, aimlessly going anywhere. A thought came up in my head, "Ichigo, when's your birthday?"

"Hm? July 15th. Why?" he asked.

I smiled, "Just curious. You're older than me. My birthday is September 17th."

Another pause. He stopped walking, and I gave him a questioning look. He had a pained expression, "Lucia, I'm sorry about the other day. I let you get hurt, and I made you worry. I didn't want to make you cry. I'm sorry." I looked up at him in surprise. I chewed my lip, "It's not your fault. I was weak and got carried away. It was my choice to get involved."

He blinked at me dumbly, "Your fault…? I was the weak one, I-" I gave Ichigo a stern look. He stopped. I sighed. "This could go on full circle, but just know that I don't blame you for anything. It's fine. Besides, isn't that what friends do? Try to support each other in any way possible?" I rhetorically asked. He gratefully smiled, "You're right."

"Now then, I'm assuming Rukia told you I cried?" He nodded. I groaned. "How embarrassing! She didn't need to share that detail!" I whined, flailing my arms. Ichigo chuckled at my dismay.

We decided to walk back home after strolling around. The sun was already starting to set, and I was dead tired. We stopped when we came up to my house. I smiled softly, "Thanks, Ichigo."

"For what?"

"For caring about me. Thank you." I answered.

His eyes widened, and I almost thought I saw red color his cheeks, but I was probably seeing things. He rubbed the back of his neck almost abashedly, "It's no problem, Lucia. See you tomorrow."

I grinned and said my goodbye before heading into the house.

Whew, what a chapter. I'm dead and tired rn. Guess who still has practice on their day off from school? I do~! *sobs*

All constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, please R&R!

Much love, Navi.