Chapter 9

By the time Rukia and I caught up to Ichigo and the Mod Soul at the park, the Mod Soul was already trying to attack Ichigo; but he Ichigo managed to dodge before the attack landed.

Ichigo smirked while saying, "If I keep calm I'll be able to predict every move you've got."

The Mod Soul decided then to attack Ichigo with a series of kicks aimed towards his head; but Ichigo was able to block all of his advances. The Mod Soul then decided to run away from the park.

"Wait You!"

Rukia stopped Ichigo from going after his body. "Ichigo hold it."

Then her Soul Society pager went off. "We have an order."

"What! You have got to be kidding!"

"We've got a hollow alert here, we have to leave now."

"Huh?! Right now?"

I spoke up. "Ichigo, go with Rukia and deal with the hollow; I'll catch up with the Mod Soul and make sure that he doesn't mess up your body."

Ichigo looked at me and nodded his head, and right before he left with Rukia he stopped me. "Akane."

I looked back at Ichigo.

"Be careful."

I smirked at him. "Don't worry Ichigo, I have a little help on my side. Open! Pandora!"

I was then decked out with my Soul Reaper uniform and my zanpaktou, then I took off after the Mod Soul.

Later

I finally caught up with the Mod Soul, just to see him stop a hollow from attacking a group of children.

Kid 1,"It's that guy again. Hey why'd you push us down?"

Kid 2, "It's that high school student from earlier!"

(Try to avoid this. Give the kids descriptions. Give them actions like "he shouted," "he said," "he inquired.")

Before anything else happened to the children I deactivated my Soul Reaper form, and ran to the kids and grabbed their attentions. "Come on! We've got to go!"

Kid 1, "Who are you?"

"Don't worry about that right now, just run!"

The kids got up and ran past me, away from the hollow. I saw the Mod Soul jump towards the hollow.

"Wait! Don't!"

But it was too late, because the Mod Soul tried to attack the spindly hollow, and was able to deflect 2 of its attacks. But the 3rd attack caught him on his right shoulder which caused Ichigo's body to start to bleed from the wound and fall to the ground.

"Shit!"

The hollow raced towards the Mod Soul for his next attack, but I intercepted him with my zanpaktou. As I was struggling to fend off the hollow, I made eye contact with the Mod Soul. "Move!"

While I waited for the Mod Soul to jump to the school roof, I became distracted and the hollow knew it. It attacked me with one of its legs, causing a gash to form across my side. I let out a shriek of pain, but was able to jump onto the same school roof as the Mod Soul. Once I landed, I fell to my knees, holding my side. The hollow apparently followed us up to the roof, because the next thing I saw was the hollow standing on the opposite side as me and the Mod Soul.

The hollow let out a raspy chuckle. "How rude, you disturbing my lunch and we haven't even been introduced. I don't know who you think you are but you're too weak to take me on!"

The hollow attacked the Mod Soul, who dodged by jumping, but was then hit in the back by another attack. When he landed, the hollow's attack was already heading towards him so he had no time to dodge.

But suddenly, Ichigo appeared and intercepted the attack by slicing it with his zanpaktou, the hollow shrieked out in pain.

" Hey..what the-..why are you- helping me?" the Mod Soul asked.

Ichigo then grabbed him. "Helping you? Do you have any idea what you just did to my shoulder?! It's my clothes and my body that you're messing up. Listen to me, if you can't take on a hollow without getting hurt than don't do it."

"What is your problem?! I had to fight him 'cause you were late. If I'd waited for you those kids would have been dead meat."

"Shut up! Aren't you supposed to be some badass Mod Soul?"

I looked over to see that the hollow was recovering from his injuries. "Uh, guys."

But the boys were still bickering, so I sighed to myself, ran as fast as I could, grabbed both Ichigo and the Mod Soul, and pulled them away from the hollow that was about to eat them.

The hollow was surprised. "Huh?!"

I smirked. "EAT THIS!"

I swung my zanpaktou and sliced through its mask, causing it to cry out in pain and fall away from us. The Mod Soul ran after the hollow and kicked it in its back, preventing the hollow from falling over the rails and onto the unsuspecting street. But after the kick, the Mod Soul himself almost fell over the edge if it hadn't been for Ichigo reaching him.

"Hold it!"

Ichigo grabbed onto his right leg, and the Mod Soul was hanging over the edge. "Dumbass. What were you thinking when you just did that? You see once you split a hollow's head that means you're finished. So there was no point in going and kicking him."

I started to hear voices coming from the side of the building, I looked over and saw the 3 kids and their teacher.

At least the kids are fine.

Suddenly there was a sharp shot of pain through my side. I rolled up my uniform to see the wound was still bleeding pretty heavily. I slowly stood up, and walked to the stairway on the side of the school.

Sorry Ichigo, but I don't want you to see me hurt.

I left without a word.

Later

I made it all the way back to the Kurosaki house, but before I could knock on the door, it was opened by Isshin.

"A-Akane?!"

"Hey, Isshin."

He took one look at my wound and grabbed my arm, pulling me inside as he called for Karin and Yuzu to help him heal me. The pain was too overpowering and I knew that I was about to lose consciousness, so right before I fell into the black abyss of unconsciousness I muttered, "Don't tell Ichigo."

3rd Person

Ichigio and the Mod Soul were still on the rooftop.

"Why did you save those 3? I thought you said you hated them."

The Mod Soul's face turned somber, "It's hard to explain, if I hadn't helped those kids they would have been killed. No one should have the right to kill anyone. Right after I was created, the Soul Society sent out an order; they made an announcement that all Mod Souls should be destroyed immediately. So the very day after I was born the Society gave me a death sentence. I waited. I trembled with fear inside that pill just waiting to die. Day after day I watched helplessly as the others were disposed of. Then I got lucky, I got shipped out with a load of goods by mistake, but I always expected to be discovered and destroyed. I was alone for what seemed like years, I had quite a while to think about how things should be. And you know what I feel: I decided that no one has the right to take someone's life away. I exist and I should have the right to live my life for as long as I want to. Like humans, I deserve that so I refuse to take a life. That's the reason why I will never kill any living creature."

"Well, look who we have here."

An unknown man was on the roof with the two, and he walked in between Ichigo and the Mod Soul.

"So finally we find you, and what a picture you're all beat up and worn out; all that trouble for nothing."

A cane was raised towards the Mod Soul's forehead.

"Huh?"

The man reared back and struck the cane through the Mod Soul's skull, causing a small pill to exit through the back of the head. Ichigo's body fell right beside the pill. The man went over and picked up it up. "Mission accomplished. We're done, let's go home."

Ichigo then noticed that the mysterious man had companions with him: an older, tall, muscular man, a small girl with pigtails, and a loud boy with red hair.

The boy cried out, "WHAT?! Come on, I came here to have a real fight and that's all I get?"

"Hey. Hold it. What are you gonna do with that Mod Soul now?"

The man answered, "No choice. I've got to destroy it."

"You see me, how can that be? Just who are you guys anyway?" (Indicate that this is Ichigo speaking)

"I'm not sure how to answer that question."

Rukia suddenly grabbed the pill from the man's hand. "I believe that's mine. Thanks."

"Ms. Kuchiki, you can't have that."

"Why can't I have it Kisuke? Are you saying that it's your policy to seize goods that your customers have already paid for?"

"Hey, I'll give you a full refund. How does that sound to you?"

"That's okay, I'm completely satisfied with my purchase. Besides I know and you know that you're operating outside the law. And I also know that it's not your job to recall this Mod Soul."

"I just hope that you know what you're getting involved in, so don't blame me if you get into trouble."

"I won't. I've already dealt with a lot of trouble since I've been here."

Rukia handed the Mod Soul to Ichigo. "Here Come on, let's go."

Ichigo was left in her wake, just as confused as he was at the start of the conversation.

Later

Ichigo and Rukia were walking down the sidewalk and Ichigo stopped to grab his shoulder.

"You're really feeling it."

"Sure am. That Mod Soul really took my body for a rough test drive." He stared down at the pill. "You tried to wreck me. HEY! Are you even listening to me?!"

"I must say, you look awfully silly yelling at a pill in public."

"I still want to tell him how I feel. Help me out here: is there a way I can give this damn Mod Soul what's coming to him?"

"You need to insert him into a body. A dead body or one that doesn't have a soul."

"I gotcha. I'm looking hard for a dead body and once I find it... BAM is he going to get it."

"Just be quiet."

Ichigo looked towards a pile of bags and saw a stuffed animal, a lion.

"What do we have here? So let me get this straight, you're saying a nonliving object could work for this right?"

"Hold on, that's not exactly how it works."

"Rukia?"

"There is a possibility that it could work, let's try it."

"You think? Alright so what do I do?"

"I would imagine you take the pill and put it in its mouth."

Ichigo placed the pill at the mouth of the stuffed lion, and pushed it in.

"You mean like this? There."

After a couple of seconds passed, Ichigo picked up the lion by the right arm and held it out towards Rukia.

"So you got any ideas that might work?"

"That should've worked."

Ichigo began to spin the lion around.

"That hurts nimrod, got it?!"

The lion punched Ichigo in the face, and then jumped to the ground.

"Ichigo Kurosaki, I hereby challenge you to a no holds barred duel."

Ichigo stood before the lion. "Count me in."

"Hey wait! When did you grow big, or did I somehow shrink? What happened? I'm in a super cute plush toy with soft paws and no muscle, this isn't fair!"

"Hey Mod Soul, relax. Time for some payback for what you were doing to my body earlier."

Ichigo grabbed the top of the head of the lion and slowly added pressure to the top of its head. "Your little field trip could've taken me out completely, I need to make you understand."

"I guess I'm gonna have to mop the floor with ya, just the way I am!"

The Next Morning (Akane POV)

I woke up looking at a familiar ceiling. I somehow got into my apartment and was lying in my bed.

What happened last night?

Then I got little flashbacks of the Mod Soul that had taken over Ichigo's body, and how I got into a battle with a hollow. I tried to sit up in my bed, but was limited due to the pain in my side. I rolled up my shirt and saw bandage over where I was injured yesterday. I felt the bandages and felt the small ridges that were under it.

I needed stiches? Must have been worse than I first thought.

From Ichigo's house I heard, "Hey Ichigo it's morning! Get up! Rise and shine!"

What is going on over there?

I slowly got out of bed, and was able to get dressed and made my way over to the Kurosaki house. I made it inside the front door of the Kurosaki house, when I was bombarded by 2 people.

Yuzu cried, "Akane! Are you OK?"

Isshin exclaimed worriedly, "Akane, you should still be in your room!"

I looked past them to see Karin at the breakfast table eating, and when we made eye-contact she just nodded her head, "Morning."

I sighed to myself and turned to Isshin and Yuzu. "I was attacked by a dog on the way home from school. I am fine Isshin so there is no reason to worry."

They both gave me wary looks, but stopped asking me questions. I slowly made my way to the breakfast table and Karin went upstairs to get Ichigo from his room. Ichigo finally came downstairs, only to be in a rush since he had overslept. When he saw me he was surprised.

"Akane! What are you still doing here, you hate to be late for school."

I gave smiled and laughed. "I am taking my two days off, don't you know what day it is?"

Realization crossed Ichigo's face, and he gave me a small smile. "Ok Akane. So I will see you after school then."

Ichigo turned and left the house.

Later that Night

Isshin stated proudly, "I put up a sign, saying that we'll be closed tomorrow and that we apologize for any loss of life our absence might cause. Time for our meeting. First order is to go over everyone's job for tomorrow, and as chairman I have final say in all decisions."

The Kurosaki family and I sat at their dining room table. I was tired of the same routines that we do on June 16.

Karin yelled, "As if, what kind of meeting is this? And who made you chairman?"

Isshin pointed at Yuzu, "Hey. Hey! You must raise your hand if you wish to speak, Chief of Staff!"

"Hold on, I'm Chief of Staff?"

"Yuzu you have been appointed to be Secretary of Lunch."

Yuzu chirped, "Aye, Aye Chairman."

Isshin said to Karin, "Karin, you will load our packs."

"I thought I was Chief of Staff."

"Did I say Chief of Staff?"

"Yeah."

"I meant Chief of Stuff."

Isshin and Karin kept on arguing with each other while Ichigo and I were sitting at the table smiling at our little dysfunctional family.

Hello Lovely Reader!
I want to thank you for the words of encouragement as well as reading Dark Hearts. I really appreciate it, and hope that you all enjoy the reading 3