Twenty-One

'Rukia... you need to be honest with me... did you release the Hollow? Because they're considering you as a likely suspect.'

Rukia is standing in her captain's office having been called in for a special meeting. Ukitake is sitting at his desk, looking at her with quite a worried look on his face.

Rukia swallows nervously, considering her options. Her captain is good and kind, but if she tells him the truth, the chances are he will report this as he is loyal to the Soul Society. So lying must be the best option.

'No,' Rukia says, trying to sound as honest as possible. 'To tell the truth, I'm glad he escaped, but I swear it wasn't me, Captain.'

'Do you have any idea as to who might have done it? Ichigo having second thoughts, perhaps?'

''Ichigo having second thoughts'?' Rukia echoes sceptically. 'I doubt very much he would suddenly reconsider.'

'Yes... I suppose you're right... Well, in any case, Renji has told everyone that the culprit in question was wearing a cloak and a hood hiding their face, and he didn't recognise the spiritual pressure.'

Rukia feels relieved inside that Renji kept his word. She was up until now, holding on to a thin bit of hope that Renji would lie for her, terrified that it would not be so. The part about not recognising the spiritual pressure has also worked in her favour, because now, hopefully, the Soul Society won't be able to blame her.

'Rukia, I know you want the Hollow to live, but you need to remember that your loyalties lie with the Soul Society,' Ukitake says with a sad smile. 'So, if you know where the Hollow might be hiding, please tell me.'

'I'm sorry, I have no idea,' Rukia whispers.

'Perhaps the World of the Living? At Kisuke Urahara's shop or maybe even the Kurosaki residence?'

'No,' Rukia says quickly. 'He wouldn't go there. He hates Ichigo, remember? Besides, he wouldn't go to Kisuke's shop because he'd probably know that that would be the place where the Soul Society would look first.'

'Yes... Well, thank you for being honest, Rukia,' Ukitake says. 'You may leave now.'

Rukia feels terrible for lying to a man she trusts, but she knows she's done the right thing. 'Thank you, Sir.'

.

Ichigo is sitting at his desk when he hears a knock on the window. He turns to see Rukia there, in her gigai already, wanting to come in. He walks over and opens it up for her.

'Isn't it a bit dangerous, coming here?' he asks in a worried voice. 'The Soul Society'll think you're up to something.'

'No, I'll just say I was delivering the news of your Hollow's escape,' Rukia says simply. She sits down on the bed and says, 'So tell me: what finally snapped for you to realise what an idiot you've been?'

Ichigo makes a 'tsk' noise and mutters, 'I did what you told me to do in the note.'

'How did you get into the hide-away?' comes the Hollow's voice from somewhere behind Ichigo, on the desk. Rukia narrows her eyes, wondering what on earth's going on. One: he isn't supposed to be in his gigai and Two: where is he? She can't see him.

'I located the spiritual pressure,' says Ichigo, talking as if everything is normal.

'Yeah, but I thought you were crap at that-'

'Hey, I do have some talents, and you should know-'

'Talents at being completely obtuse-'

'Calling me obtuse is technically calling yourself obtuse-

'… Touché.'

'Hang on,' Rukia says. 'What...?'

'It's like having an argument with myself,' Ichigo mutters.

'You are having an argument with yourself,' the Hollow says with a laugh.

'Hey, where...?' Rukia says hopelessly

That's when she notices the small white cat plushie sitting on the desk.

'Oh, you've got to be kidding me,' Rukia says, staring at the plushie, who smiles at her.

'Surprise,' he says softly.

Rukia turns to Ichigo and says, 'Why have you put him in a plushie?'

'The alternative is leaving him in a draw as a gikon, and I thought that was a bit harsh,' Ichigo admits.

'But trying to kill me earlier wasn't harsh?' the Hollow says mildly.

'How many times have I told you, I'm sorry,' Ichigo mutters.

Rukia rolls her eyes and says, 'Well, as long as you don't let Yuzu find him, I think it should be okay. How's Kon taking this?'

'Er... I locked him in the cupboard right after he started screaming something about being replaced,' Ichigo says.

'Right.'

The Hollow snorts with laughter.

'Are you, um, going to let him out any time soon?' Rukia asks.

'Of course not,' Ichigo says with a grin.

'Wouldn't dream of it,' the Hollow says.

Rukia smiles and says, 'Well, what are we going to do about the Soul Society? On the bright side, I think I've managed to convince them I had nothing to with it but they're going to be searching for you and they believe that you'll probably be in the World of the Living.'

'Well, they shouldn't be able to sense his spiritual pressure while he's in a plushie,' Ichigo adds.

'What's Kisuke done with my gigai?' the Hollow demands.

'Hopefully he's hidden it, although you shouldn't use it any time soon,' Rukia answers.

'So what happens now?' Ichigo asks. 'Do we try to convince them there's no reason to kill him?'

'Well, obviously.'

'How?'

'Why do you two always look to me for answers?!' Rukia exclaims. 'Why don't you use your own brains to figure something out?!'

'We could just leave it,' Ichigo muses. 'You know, let a few weeks go by until they've forgotten the whole business and then... you know, nothing bad would have happened, so they'll just assume he posses no threat to the human race or anything, and they might just let him live.'

'Ichigo- maybe it hasn't occurred to you, but I'm a Hollow,' the cat plushie says. 'They don't let any Hollows live. According to them, not any single one can be trusted.'

'Well then, maybe you should go to Hueco Mundo,' Rukia says thoughtfully. 'They'd probably leave you alone there. Pretend you're an Arrancar or something.'

'I don't even know why I suggested that in the first place. I guess it just popped into my head and I blurted it out,' the Hollow says. 'I don't want to go there.'

'Well, Rukia's right, you probably would be safe there- you know, aside from possibly getting attacked by other Hollows-'

'No,' Hollow Ichigo says firmly. 'I don't want to.'

Ichigo continues to look confused but Rukia understands. The Hollow always wished to see his family and friends once again, and he has that now, but he still doesn't have his life back properly. Nevertheless, what he has right now seems much better than getting trapped in a desert where it is permanently night time and there are a group of dangerous creatures.

'Um,' Ichigo says, feeling awkward. 'Okay, then, you don't have to go there... so...?'

Beep beep, beep beep.

'So, we figure it out later- Hollow alert,' Rukia says, holding up her soul pager.

'Stay here, and stay hidden,' Ichigo instructs his Hollow as he presses his badge to his chest and he comes out in his Soul Reaper form. 'Come on, Rukia.'

Once the two of them are gone, the Hollow leaps off the desk and onto the floor. It's not too hard getting used to walking on four legs, and that's easily the least of his worries.

He knows he has been told to stay put but ever since coming back to the Kurosaki Clinic he hasn't once seen any member of his family. He knows it is a weekend, and so his family should be at home. Isshin will probably be working, Yuzu doing housework. Karin might be at a football match.

He decides he's going to go and find out.

The bedroom door is slightly ajar, so he has no problem getting out of the bedroom. This brings him to the landing, and he makes his way down the stairs towards the living room He's almost at the bottom when he hears Karin's voice, quite loudly, yelling at her father and calling him 'Goat-Chin'. He can also hear Isshin shouting in his usual over-enthusiastic, child-like voice. Yuzu can be heard too, scolding them for being so loud. Hollow Ichigo feels overjoyed, having thought he would never hear or see them again. He wonders if they have changed much... Karin and Yuzu will look a bit older, as he hasn't seen them for about three years or so... he imagines Goat-Chin will still be the same as ever. Just a few more steps and he'll get to see them...

He feels something ever so slightly bigger than himself knock into him, pressing him down onto the step in an effort to stop him from venturing any further

'What the hell do you think you're doing?!' Kon hisses in his ear. 'If you go any further, they'll see you!'

'I just want to see them!' Hollow Ichigo growls. 'Get off me, Kon!'

'Hey, how do you know my name? I don't remember being properly introduced! All I know is, I got replaced by you, newcomer!'

The Hollow sighs. 'Do you even know who I am? Did Ichigo mention the current situation we're all in or anything?'

'You're a Mod Soul, and just so you know, I'm the Alpha, you got that-?'

'Idiot,' Hollow Ichigo mutters, shoving the lion plushie off him with hardly any effort. 'I'm Ichigo's inner Hollow, dumbass. I got extracted from his inner world and now, yes, I am kind of a Mod Soul, and I'm here to make your life hell if you don't get out of my way.'

Kon's eyes widen in fear, then he says in a shaky voice, 'T-that's not t-t-true.'

'Oh yeah? Ask Ichigo and Rukia.'

'Well... what do you want with Ichigo's family? What are you going to do to them?'

'Nothing! I just want to see them, okay?'

'No, it's not okay,' Kon says angrily, attempting to grab the Hollow in an effort to stop him going any further 'If you're who you say you are, then I won't let you hurt this family!'

'Wha-? I'd never hurt them!' Hollow Ichigo protests, trying to push the other Mod Soul off him. 'Let me go, Kon!'

'No way! You're an evil Hollow!'

'Well, that kind of answers that question,' comes a voice from above them. They both turn to look up a few steps above them and see a familiar Soul Reaper.

'You are in so much trouble,' Renji says to Hollow Ichigo.

Heh heh. Poor Kon.