The sun was setting in the classroom and Ichigo and Rukia continued to sit there with their foreheads resting against one another. They were completely calm. After a moment Rukia sighed. "I guess we should get going." She moved back and put her hands on her face.

Ichigo nodded and stood up. "It's kind of getting late." He put his hand out. She looked up at it. "Well, don't just sit there, take my hand." She smiled and took his hand, standing.

They both got their bags and walked out of the classroom. On their way home Rukia's soul pager started beeping. "There's a hollow. It's not too far from here."

Ichigo looked at the pager. "Well, I guess we should go, then."

Rukia nodded and took out her Chappy dispenser and popped a pill, changing into her Shinigami form. Ichigo let out a breath. "Okay, now I'll just-"

"Hewooow!" Chappy jumped on him.

"Dammit! I can't do this right now; I have to go kill a hollow!" He tried to get her off of him, but she was sitting on his back, holding his arms together. He turned his head and looked at her. "Please, I have to go! Get off of me!"

She smiled, big. "Why would you want me to get off you when I wuv you so much!" She leaned in and kissed him.

"Gah!" Ichigo looked away and stuck his tongue out.

"Hey!" Rukia walked up and stepped on his leg. "Ichigo, you don't have to make it look like it's gross to be kissing me, jerk!" She pushed down harder on his leg.

"Ow! It's kissing her!" He looked like he was in pain.

"You're name's Ichigo!" Chappy leaned in and hugged his neck. "Ichigo!" She nearly strangled him.

"I guess I'll just go kill the hollow." Rukia started walking away.

"No! Don't leave me alone with her!" Ichigo brought a hand out towards Rukia. "I'm begging you!"

Rukia turned back to him, with her arms crossed. She walked up to him and leaned forward. "Begging me?" She looked interested. "The great and powerful Kurosaki Ichigo is begging me?"

Chappy pushed Ichigo's face into the ground and laughed.

Ichigo yelled, "Yes! Yes, I am!"

"Well, then. If that's how it is then I guess I'll have to do something about it." She walked up to them. "Chappy." Chappy looked up at her. "I need you to stand over there."

Chappy saluted and stood up, walking over to the lamp post. "Anyfing you say!"

Ichigo stood up and brushed his clothes off. "Okay…" He took out his Substitute Shinigami Badge and changed into his Shinigami form. After a few moments of collecting himself, they both ran toward the hollow.

When they got there Rukia pointed to his Quincy Cross. "Have at it." She looked at the hollow. He let the cross drop and pulled back an arrow, letting it go. The hollow disappeared. "Good job." Rukia patted him on the shoulder. She smiled. Then her soul pager started beeping. She looked at it strangely. "Huh. Another one." She opened the pager. "It's farther away this time." They jumped in the air and began quickly making their way towards it.

When they got there Ichigo brought out his bow and let an arrow go. The hollow was killed. "It's gone. Hell yes." The bow disappeared.

Rukia smiled and put the pager away. Then it started beeping. "What the hell!" She opened it. "It's near here." They started running towards it.

Ishida sat in his room with the broken bait in his garbage can. He sighed. "I hope this new version really is easier to deal with than the first one. Otherwise…" He looked a little worried.

After killing about twenty hollows Ichigo's hand had begun to bleed. "Can I start using my katana!" He looked at Rukia.

"Are you a Quincy or aren't you!" She pointed at him. "Quincy's don't care about losing blood for the good of the cause!" He slumped over, defeated. "Quincy's don't slump over, looking defeated!" Rukia put a hand up in the air. "They're constantly looking prideful, like the prideful Quincy's that they are!"

Blood was dripping from his hand onto the ground. A hollow appeared in front of them. He raised his bow and hit it without looking up at it. The hollow disappeared. He looked at the sky. "Why are there so many damn hollows!"

"Indeed, I do not know. It's truly puzzling." She tapped the face of her soul pager. "Something has to be up, I've been trying to figure…it…out…" She slowly looked up.

Ichigo looked at her. "What?"

Rukia's eyes narrowed and she shut the pager, quickly, strangling it. "Ishida."

Ichigo looked around. "What about him? Is he here?" He turned around. Then he stopped. "No way." He looked at her. "He used bait? But the last time he used it it was much worse than this, this is nothing compared to then!"

She looked at him. "He could be using a better version this time. A new one." She put her pager away. "Where does that freak Quincy live?"

"Hey!" Ichigo pointed to himself. "I'm a Quincy over here."

"Yeah, but you're also a Shinigami so I can forgive you right now!" She closed her eyes. "Where does he live!" Her pager started beeping. She threw it on the ground. "Die!"

Ichigo looked at it. "I think…we're gonna need that."

She looked down at it. "Oh, yeah. I guess so." She picked it up. It was a little mangled, but it still worked. "I guess I'll have to get a new one later. But for now it will work." She opened it to see where the hollow was. "Wait…it's gone." She shook the pager. "Where did it go?" She narrowed her eyes again. "Ishida!!!"

Ishida hit the hollow and it disappeared. "They aren't killing these hollows nearly as fast as they should. Someone is going to be hurt." He moved his glasses up. Then he felt someone kick him in the back. He flew forward. "Aaa!" He looked back to see who had done it.

"We wouldn't have to if you wouldn't have used bait you idiot!" Ichigo leaned over and grabbed him by the collar. "What were you thinking!"

"Why didn't I sense you coming up!" Ishida looked confused.

"Because we were so angry we hid our reiatsu!" Rukia stood beside him, her arms crossed.

"Why did you use the bait!" Ichigo pulled him up a bit. "Why!"

"To get you guys to be friends again!" Ishida yelled.

Rukia and Ichigo looked at each other. "Huh?"

Ishida let out a breath. "If you had to spend time together killing hollows and doing what you've always done then I figured you would realize that you really were friends. That was…my reasoning." He coughed.

"And what if a Menos would have appeared!" Ichigo looked angry.

"You've killed plenty of them so far, Kurosaki, I think you can handle just one." Ishida shook his head. Rukia and Ichigo sighed. "So are you guys friends again, or what?" Rukia's soul pager went off. She looked at Ishida and kicked him in the side. "Damn!" He held his side.

"Yes!" She looked at him. "We are!" She turned to Ichigo. "Let's go." She looked at Ishida. "And you better help us clean up this mess!"

Two hours later Rukia's soul pager stopped going off. Ichigo and Rukia sat down on the ground on the side of the street and rested. Ichigo's hand was still bleeding. Rukia looked down to it. "Here." She picked it up. He looked at his hand in hers. She brought up some of the fabric from her kimono and started cleaning it off.

"You don't have to do that, it'll get dirty." He put his other hand out.

"It's fine, really." She shook her head. She kept wiping the blood off. He put his other hand back on the ground. "There." She held his hand up for him to see. "Much better."

He brought his hand up. "Thanks."

She let the fabric fall back down and looked forward.

Rukia sighed. "Which one do you think is more annoying: Chappy or Kon?" She looked at Ichigo, waiting for his answer.

He turned to her. He hadn't expected that. He thought about it. "I would have to say Chappy."

Rukia looked forward. "I bet she's really pretty nice once you get to know her. Life of the party and all that."

"No, she'll always be annoying." He shook his head. "Always."

Rukia let out a long breath and leaned her head against his shoulder. "I'm glad you're a Quincy, Ichigo." She got quiet. "It suits you…well."

"Thanks." He went to say something, but before he did he felt her head go limp and fall a little.

"Rukia?" He nudged her. "Rukia? Are you asleep?" He moved back and held her shoulders looking at her. Her head fell forward. "You are!" He shook his head and sighed. "Rukia?" He whispered. "Are you gonna wake up?" He took one finger and poked her forehead. No response. He sighed, again. "Guess I'll have to carry you." He picked her up and stood. "Sheesh. I suppose we have been hunting hollows for hours, now." He started walking back to his house. Then he remembered. "Chappy…" He sighed and began walking towards her.

Chappy was still standing by the lamppost. Ichigo walked up to her. "Ichigo!" She started running up to him with her arms out.

He shushed her. "She's asleep, be quiet!"

Chappy stopped running and cowered a little. "Oh."

"I just need you to let her be back in her body, alright?" Ichigo set Rukia on the ground.

Chappy smiled. "No probwem!" She laid on top of Rukia. Rukia was back in her gigai.

Ichigo looked over to his body laying on the ground. "Guess I'll need that, too." He walked over to it and returned to his human body. Then he let out a breath and picked her up again and started walking home.

When they got back he laid her on his bed. Then he sat down in his chair and laid his head on his desk. Before he knew it he was being nudged by Rukia. "Ichigo. Ichigo!" He looked up. "It's morning." She pointed to the window.

He looked at his alarm clock. "I slept at my desk!" He looked at his desk. "Man." He ran his hands through his hair. "I really was tired."

Rukia smiled. "Thank you for letting me sleep on your bed." She ruffled his hair. "Now get ready." She hit him over the head. "Or we'll be late."

"Ow!" He put his hand on his head. "Fine, I will." He stood up.

They walked toward the school. When they got in their classroom they sat down at their seats. Ishida and Orihime watched them. Rukia turned around. "So! A lot of hollows last night, eh, Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked at her. "Yeah, it was pretty amazing, don't you think?"

"Yeah. Been a while since I've seen that."

Ishida looked annoyed. "You two can just let it go, you know." He turned a page in his book.

"Must have been some mastermind behind it!" Rukia turned around and smiled. "Truly masterful."

Ichigo crossed his arms. "Masterful, indeed."

Orihime looked back and forth from everybody. "What?"