Alright! Another chapter up! Presenting to you... The Modsoul Incident! Anyways, just wondering, are you guys fine with me writing like this (taking up so much time and space to write the details of incidents such as this) or would you rather me skim through the general stuff? Cuz I realise that I'm taking quite a while to reach the rukia rescue arc. Hope I haven't made you guys impatient or anything...

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, so on with the story!

Chapter 26: Modsouls

"The first rule of holes: When you're in one, stop digging."

I have decided that Urahara is a good listener even though his advice are usually all 'wise' and 'roundabout' and 'cryptic-ish' that he might as well don't give any advice at all... But it wasn't like I really needed a listener until Rukia came along and created such a mess. Unfortunately, Urahara was the only one I could tell everything to, from Arrancar stuff to illegal shinigami stuff.

I told Rukia that I haven't told anyone about her and Ichigo... And that was true and still is true... And will continue to be true until someone asks me about it. After all, she should be returning to Soul Society by now, and I have heard one or two people discussing her lateness. So far, I've managed to either avoid such a discussion or feigned ignorance on the matter. But what if the day comes when Kuchiki or Renji comes and ask me about it? I could pretend I know nothing about it while no one asks me straight to the point "Have you seen Rukia in the human world?"

... And when that happens, lying would get me into serious trouble. I don't lie much... I try my best to tell the truth at all times, and when it can't be helped, half-truth or twisted truth. So, if someone asks me about Rukia, it'd be my responsibility to answer... Truthfully, and on top of that, if it's Renji or Kuchiki asking me (which will most probably happen), I can't possibly lie to them. Renji's a good friend... He probably won't forgive me if I lie to him about his childhood friend whom I'm very sure he cares about very much. And as I have probably mentioned before, I may have no idea what kind of relationship Kuchiki has with Rukia, but I'm sure he cares for her too, and I sure as hell don't wanna lose his trust or whatever strange student-teacher bond we have. And what would they do if they found out that I knew all along but chose to keep it secret? I was officially a shinigami lieutenant now, complete with a limiter (not that I needed the limiter anyway) that they gave me recently. I'd be in serious crap if I got caught, not just because I'm shinigami, but because I'm a freakin lieutenant too!

This is driving me crazy... And it's all Rukia's fault. As if I didn't already have problems keeping my 'A'-class secret from them (A stands for Aizen and Arrancar)... I'll probably get demoted (which sucks) or banished (then I'll have no excuse not to stand by Aizen) or killed (which is quite an easy solution if I were suicidal but I'm not). Urahara has it sooo easy... He doesn't have to avoid annoying suspicious shinigami, be it authentic, substitute or powerless ones that goes to my school!

The morning just after the parakeet in incident, I visited Urahara to continue the rant I had started the afternoon before. I was going to be late for school but I didn't care.

"It's actually quite interesting to watch you rant," Urahara commented that day. "Pity its such a rare occurrence."

I scowled at him, then in my still-irritable mood, I started searching around for something to throw at him. Then I poked my head out of the store (which was still closed as it was still early... And the only reason why Urahara was already awake at this hour was because I woke him up) and saw Ururu sweeping the floor and Jinta practicing 'baseball' with his broom. Then the two of them started arguing about housework and whether Jinta was scared of Tessai. It was hard to see what was really going on since Jinta insisted on swinging that broom around like a weapon.

"Hey, Jinta," I called out. "Since you're not using the broom to sweep the floor, could you lend it over for awhile? I need something to whack Urahara with."

I was afraid he didn't hear me when they stopped fighting and that was when I noticed Rukia standing there, stopping Jinta's wild broom. She glanced at me before commenting to Jinta, "You're the same as ever, shorty."

Then she came over. "Is the manager in?"

"Who? The green-and-white idiot? Urahara's sitting inside laughing his ass of at my misery," I told her, then turned Jinta. "Hey, are ya handing the broom over or not... Shorty?"

Jinta glared at me and handed me the broom. I led Rukia inside. We passed by Tessai who was handling some goods who started telling me it was too early for opening the store when he saw Rukia. Then Urahara came out, still chuckling, and I gave him a good whack on the head with Jinta's broom.

"Ow... Chizuki, that hurt!" Urahara muttered with a sheepish smile. I stared at him.

"It was supposed to hurt."

"Hey, g'morning, Tessai, Jinta, Ururu... And welcome, Kuchiki-san," Urahara greeted, ignoring my comment. "We've received new products from the other world just yesterday, so what would you like today?"

Then the two of them went and did their customer and shopkeeper stuff. I didn't pay them much attention, choosing to annoy Jinta instead, though my ears did prick up when I heard 'bounty rewards'.

"Bounty rewards?" I managed to keep from shrieking. "Urahara! Why didn't anyone tell me about that? I've been killing Hollows since... Oh. Whyyy?"

"What now?" Urahara sounded amused while Rukia merely stared at me blankly. I groaned.

"Yachiru must have been claiming all those bounty rewards without telling me about them! That pink-haired cheater," I complained. Yachiru has been borrowing my cell phone ever since I started my official Hollow-killing. I'm definitely asking her about this tonight.

"The lieutenant of the 11th Division and president of Shinigami's Association for Women?" asked Rukia. I nodded and conveniently forgot to enlighten her that Yachiru was no longer 'the' lieutenant of the 11th Division since there were two now.

"By the way, did my order arrive?" Rukia asked Urahara. He grinned.

"Yeah, it arrived! Ururu, go get it~!"

Then Ururu left to find whatever it was that Rukia had ordered. She returned to give Rukia an odd shaped package. I stared at it for awhile before I concluded that it must be soul candy. Rukia didn't seem very pleased.

"This was the only one available, huh?" she commented, sounding disappointed.

"Please don't say that. That one is the second most popular, so it was difficult to get," replied Urahara.

"... I understand," muttered Rukia. Second most popular? That means she must have wanted the bunny one. What was it called? Chappy, I think. Well, if my guess was correct, the soul candy would be for Ichigo. I doubt Ichigo would like a Chappy, though I have no idea what this one would be like. Can't be worse than a Chappy, right? Hmm...

"Rukia," I called after her as she was about to leave after a long awkward silence. "Are you obsessed over bunnies?"

She gave me a weird look, and said in a defensive tone, "I like bunnies."

Then she left. Good. She has yet to bring up the whole shinigami mess... On the other hand, maybe it'd be a better idea to get it done and over with. So I decided to confront her in school later that day.

...

When I reached school, Hanaha reprimanded me for being late (and Akirai insisted that my lack of punctuality was due to their prolonged absence), then I headed over to where Keigo, Chad and Mizuiro were crowded around the caged parakeet.

"It's vocabulary has gotten smaller," Mizuiro commented to me.

"Where's Ichigo and Rukia?" I asked them. Another classmate told me Rukia had come in, punched Ichigo and dragged him out of class on the excuse of bringing him to see the school nurse. Right.

I followed their reiatsu to a deserted area nearby, and as I approached them, I heard loud shouting. Hmm... Rukia must have shown Ichigo the gikongan. I wouldn't be surprised if Ichigo had started questioning the appearance of the candy dispenser. At least it wasn't the bunny one.

Then I rounded the corner to see Rukia, shinigami Ichigo, and a cheerful Ichigo-body.

"That is not cool! What is that?! It is nothing like me!" Ichigo was yelling, pointing a finger at his body which likely was currently containing an artificial soul. Rukia merely ignored him and glanced at her cell phone. "Hm? It's an order... Perfect! Let's leave it to him and get over to the scene!"

Ichigo started freaking out. "Are... Are you stupid?!"

"Hey!" I greeted cheerfully as I walked over to them. "Good morning~!"

Both Ichigo and Rukia stared at me for awhile, and the artificial soul in Ichigo's body simply greeted me just as cheerfully. Hmm... Not as bad as Chappy, but definitely bad enough...

"I'm coming with ya," I told them as I popped Perrito's candy into my mouth and came out of my body. I didn't have to tell Perrito to act normal. She put her acting skills to good use and automatically switched to Chappy mode, much to Rukia's envy.

"Wait a minute! We'll definitely be found out! There's no way-"

I interrupted Ichigo's protest. "Don't worry," I told him with a grin (that was meant to be reassuring) "My gikongan will take care of yours and show him the ropes if needed."

Well, Ichigo didn't look too reassured... Unsurprisingly, since my modsoul was currently acting like a normal Chappy soul. And I also had a feeling that Perrito would have more fun letting the Yuki soul create havoc in Ichigo's body than stopping him. I didn't tell him that of course.

Finally, Ichigo gave in. "Hey! Me! Get over to my next class!"

"Leave it to me, master!" the Yuki soul replied. And I found it slightly disconcerting to see Ichigo's face without his usual frown.

"Help me keep an eye on him," I told Perrito who gleefully agreed.

... Perrito's POV...

As soon as the shinigami left, I thought, now on top of studying... I need to babysit a stupid Yuki! Damn... I'd rather go to the cinema... Then I sub-consciously exclaimed aloud, "The newest Pirates of the Carribean movie just came out recently!"

"What are you talking about?" the Yuki soul asked. I stared at him for a moment and frowned. Something wasn't right.

"Well, you're new, aren't you? Pirates off the Carribean is a great movie series! ... You know what is a movie... Don't you?"

The Yuki soul stared at me blankly as he began to stretch his legs and went into a series of leg warm-ups. Strange..

"What are you doing?" I asked cheerfully, the way a Chappy soul would act... Though this isn't how a Yuki soul should act!

"Warm-ups," the soul said. "Say, you're a Chappy soul... Right?"

I glared at him, then realization struck. "Hmm? Yeah, I'm supposed to be a Chappy~ Why?" Well, not quite the truth... But not a lie either... I was supposed to be a Chappy soul.

"Never mind," the soul replied and stretched somemore. "Aah... This feels good. Damn those department bastards for locking me up for so long."

"What are you talking about? Say, can I call you K? Short for Kurosaki since you're not actually Ichigo," I said him to him as cheerfully and naively as I could. I was cautious though. I didn't tell him K could also stand for 'Kaizo Konpaku.' Not yet at least. This is bad... Really bad... Another illegal modsoul... Oh dear, and I couldn't even contact Chizuki!

K ignored me and kicked a nearby wall which got severely dented. So this modsoul has super leg-power and an attitude... And Chizuki expects me to look after this guy?

Just then, a teacher came by. He looked like he was from the Phys Ed department though I didn't recognize him. He wasn't pleased with the damaged wall, but K ignored him and leapt right over his head! Now I was pretty ninja myself, since I could train this body all I like without getting injured (I love my regeneration powers) and Chizuki didn't mind, cuz it's her body I was training... But at least I wasn't a disrespectful show-off!

"Hey, K! What are you doing?!" I demanded as I chased after him. The problem was, his leg-power was superior to mine. When we reached the block where our classroom was, the show-off leapt up three stories and entered the classroom through the window! I used parkour and scaled the wall and came up behind him.

The show-off was already basking in the attention our classmates were giving him. I think my appearance ruined his limelight, which was good.

"K, you should use the door!" I told him.

"Why use the door when I can use the window?" he said. "Besides, you're using the window too!"

Then his attention got diverted when Orihime said Ichigo's and Chizuki's names. He leapt away from the window sill, giving me space to enter the class properly, and descended on the table in front of Orihime. He took her hand and said in his most pleasant voice, "Pleasure to meet you, pretty lady. Would you please tell me your name?"

Then he kissed Orihime's hand! Everyone was shocked. Then Tatsuki hauled K away and started yelling at him for hitting on Orihime. Then he commented that Tatsuki looked kinda cute closeup too... Which brought me to the conclusion that he wasnt just a disrespectful show-off, he was a pervert too! I'm so sorry, Ichigo, Chizuki! You guys better have a good load of memory-replacers prepared!

... Normal POV...

The Hollow wasn't too hard to deal with, so I mostly watched on the sidelines while Ichigo did the job. Ichigo was very keen on going back to school as quickly as possible because he was so sure that something bad would happen if he were to leave that Yuki soul alone for too long, so the subject of me being a shinigami was put off for the time being.

When we returned to the school, we found that the window of class 1-3 was broken. Rukia ran into the building while Ichigo and I headed up to the classroom from the outside. Which shunpo, I reached the broken window first and when I looked in, I saw Tatsuki throwing desks at the Yuki-Ichigo and Perrito was trying to stop Tatsuki. Then Perrito spotted me and hurried over.

"Sorry. K turned out to be a modsoul and a disrespectful perverted show-off," she whispered so that no one would catch her seemingly talking to herself. K? Was that the name she gave the modsoul then? How troublesome.

Then Rukia burst into the classroom through the door, and K shot past Perrito and I. Ichigo tried to stop him but he still managed to jump out of the window and escape. Ichigo panicked when K jumped, and his panic turned into shock when K landed on the ground with no problem and started running.

"W-What's going on?!" Ichigo exclaimed. "What in the world is he?!"

"He's a modsoul!" I replied. And we chased after him.

...

"Aah! Damn it! We lost him! I lost myself!" Ichigo wailed. It was kinda amusing.

"That sounds like a paradox," Rukia replied.

"There's no time for complicated jokes!" Ichigo argued. "We have to hurry up and catch me... I mean, catch him..."

"You know how weird that is, right?" I commented.

"You heard that too... Right? The trouble in the classroom..." Ichigo struggled, sounding very mortified. "I... Uh... He used my body... And with Inoue and stupid Tatsuki... He ki... Ki... Ki..."

"Seemed like he kissed them," Rukia supplied bluntly.

"Aww! Don't say that, moron! It's embarrassing!" Ichigo protested loudly, to which Rukia merely replied that 'locking lips was nothing' and such. As hilarious as it was...

"Guys, maybe we should get a move on before the modsoul creates more havoc in your body?" I interrupted them.

"But we lost him!" Ichigo exclaimed. I sighed. Pathetic.

"No... You did. Come on, he seems to have gone that way," I said, and gestured in the direction that I sensed his strange reiatsu was coming from. I could have used shunpo and gone ahead of them of course, but I figured it maybe better to wait for Ichigo himself, since that's his body we're trying to hunt down. And their company was fun.

"What's a modsoul?" Ichigo asked along the way. Rukia did the explanation since I only knew the vague stuff. Apparently there was an operation in Soul Society called "Spearhead" and the aim was to insert souls created for combat into dead bodies that have lost their souls. Kinda creepy, if you ask me.

The operation was flawed and after the battle-type artificial souls were created, they were called modsouls. The operation was cancelled before it could take place and all the modsouls created were destroyed, though some seemed to have escaped and still exist.

"Hold on..." Ichigo said. "That means that he... was created for the convenience of your Soul Society... And he'll be killed for Soul Society's convenience too?"

Ichigo didn't look very pleased. Unfortunately, Rukia simply said, "That's the gist of it."

"And you're satisfied with that?!" he demanded.

"Satisfied or not... That's irrelevant. The modsouls must be destroyed! That is a rule of Soul Society!" Rukia said. "And don't forget, the rules of Soul Society are created to protect you human spirits."

I chose that moment to remind them of my presence. "Well, it so happens that I broke that rule then. Perrito, shouldn't you be in class?"

All three of us turned around to find my body following us. Perrito made a face. "There wasn't much damage control I could do. Michiru and Ryo convinced the teacher that came in that a stranger had came in through the window and that Tatsuki drove him away. Oh, and Orihime commented that K wasn't Ichigo in such a convincing manner, as if she really did know."

"Eh? That doesn't explain why you're here with us."

"Well, let's just say I don't like K and wish to give that show-off a good punching. How does that sound?" Perrito said. I think she's rubbing off me... I swear she's gotten more and more violent lately.

"Perrito?" Rukia questioned. She and Ichigo stared at Perrito, who took the opportunity to introduce herself properly.

"Hi! Chizuki named me Perrito! I'm a modsoul with super-regeneration abilities and I am a fan of pirates! Pleased to meet ya, shinigami Rukia and substitute-shinigami Ichigo!"

Rukia turned to me, seemingly lost of words. "She... She's..."

"I told you I've broken that stupid rule," I said to Rukia. "I didn't have the heart to get rid of her, and she's actually quite a fine person so I see no reason why I can't keep her. And if you guys don't want that other modsoul, I'm keeping him too."

Then we went on in silence, giving me lots of time to think about how shinigami weren't all that great. I mean, look at Aizen and all his scheming! I thought he was the only one who likes pawns. Turns out I was wrong. Sigh... Look's like another chat with my Division and another rant with Urahara was in order.

Then all of a sudden, two phones started beeping: mine and Rukia's. It was another Hollow alert. I sensed the Hollow nearby... In the direction of the modsoul's reiatsu... And the school that Ichigo's sisters go to.

We soon found the Hollow that resembled a giant millipede. It was making so much noise that even if I couldn't sense it's reiatsu, I'd be able to hear it from a mile away. Then we noticed that it was facing a flat open roof. Someone was on the roof, facing the Hollow... Someone with bright orange hair like the substitute shinigami beside me.

"That idiot!" Ichigo yelled and sprinted ahead. I dashed after him. When we neared the Hollow and K, I saw that he had gotten himself hurt... Or rather, gotten Ichigo's body hurt. There was a huge gash in his shoulder and it was bleeding.

"Hehe... Interfering with my meal... Running around..." the Hollow was saying as he shot out a claw to attack K. "I don't know who you are, but... Weaklings like you shouldn't be involved!"

"EXACTLY!" cried Ichigo and chopped off the attacking claw-limb-thingie before it could reach K. The hollow shrieked in pain and Ichigo turned to the stunned modsoul.

"You're injured! Whose body do you think this is?!" Ichigo yelled at K, gripping him by the front of his uniform.

"If you're gonna get hurt fighting trash like this, then don't jump in!" Ichigo continued ranting and swung his sword behind him, striking the Hollow again without even looking at the creature spurting blood. Well, I must say, with Ichigo around, I don't have to do much. I could just sit back and enjoy the show.

"What are you talking about?! I'm fighting because you took so long to arrive!" K yelled back. "If I hadn't fought... Those kids would have...!"

He didn't get to finish his sentence because the Hollow came to attack again, yelling, "You bastards...! I'll eat you both!"

"Shut up!" was their reply as they attacked the Hollow at the same time: Ichigo with his sword, K with his super-kick. The Hollow flew backwards as his body was sliced into half. Suddenly, K shot forwards, to the surprise of Ichigo and I. Upon reaching the Hollow, he promptly gave it another super-kick, sending the Hollow soaring elsewhere... And sending himself over the railings. Ichigo caught him in time.

"You idiot! What are you doing?! Hollows vanish on their own if you cut their heads! Why did you kick it upwards? What were you thinking?! It's as if you didn't want it to fall there..." Ichigo yelled as he pulled K over to safety, then we noticed the line of ants on the floor. Seriously?

"A line of ants...? It can't be... You aren't gonna talk like a saint and say you didn't want them crush, are you?" Ichigo asked.

"Y... Yeah? So what?! I won't kill anything!" K shot back. He was chosen to die the day after he was created, and so everyday he was in the form of a pill, he was afraid, especially when he watched his fellow modsouls disappear day by day. Even after he escaped the storage among the other pills, he still feared being discovered and killed.

"Life isn't something that should be taken by others," K said then he started yelling. "I was born like this! I should at least have the right to live and die freely! Whether it's humans or insects or even us... It's the same. That's why I won't kill... I won't kill anything!"

"My... My... We finally find you and you're all roughed up," came a familiar voice. Then Urahara swept in and approached K. "This makes all the equipment we brought totally useless..."

Then he raised his cane and struck K on the forehead with it. The modsoul shot out of Ichigo's body in his pill form. I glanced behind Urahara and saw Ururu, Jinta and Tessai all carrying weapons of some sort.

"Well, mission complete! Let's go home, guys!" Urahara said as he picked up K.

"Huh?! I thought we were gonna see some action for the first time in a while!" Jinta protested. Then he got whacked by a long pole that came flying out of nowhere. Well, not nowhere exactly. I had a good idea where it came from... Though how... Was another question altogether.

"Wait! What are you going to do with him?!" Ichigo exclaimed why Jinta started shrieking. Urahara ignored Jinta and turned around.

"... What? Dispose of it. Why?"

"You can see me... Who are you?" Ichigo asked.

"Oh... How should I answer that?" Urahara said with a comical blank face while tossing and catching K in his hand.

"He's a greedy salesman," Rukia and Perrito said at the same time as Rukia snatched K when he was tossed into the air and Perrito whacked Urahara on the head with another pole. Where did she get the poles from?

"Kuchiki-san! Don't take that!" Urahara cried in his annoying shopkeeper-voice.

"Why not?" Perrito and I asked in synchronization. Then Perrito glared at Urahara and from the experience I've had lately, I could now feel a rant coming when it comes.

"K is a modsoul. I am also a modsoul. You may have sold K to Rukia by accident, but you sold me to Chizuki knowing full well what I am! So don't you dare give the excuse of killing K because it's your responsibility... It's not! You're outside the law, aren't you? If it's anyone's responsibility, it's Chizuki's! And don't you dare pull your shopkeeper-selling-faulty-goods crap on us either!"

Urahara looked stunned for a moment, then he turned to me, with a perfectly serious face. "Well, in that case, when trouble comes, we'll play dumb."

"Sure. Though you can expect me to come round your place to whine about this whole mess tomorrow," I said to him. Hmm... I must say, I like his serious face... And don't like it at the same time. Ah well...

"Rukia, since we're on the topic of trouble, can I speak to you a bit?" I said when Urahara left and she had given K to Ichigo who thanked her. Then I glanced at Ichigo and felt the need to add, "In private."

So Ichigo went home first (apparently, Rukia was now living with Ichigo... In his closet) and Rukia stayed behind with Perrito and I.

"What is it?" she asked. I stared at her for awhile, considering how to say this.

"Well, the thing is, I go back to Soul Society every night. Which is to say, I live in Soul Society, but come to this world to study and be normal during the day," I said and waited for her to process this info before continuing. "You're probably gonna be missing from Soul Society for a while more, aren't you? Well, what should I do when the other shinigami ask me if I've met you?"

Rukia remained silent. We both knew how serious this thing was. If the others knew about this whole mess, we's get punished... And maybe even executed. I sighed. As much as it's all Rukia's fault that I got into this mess, it wasn't really entirely her fault either. And she was a victim too. At times like this, I wonder what Kuchiki would say if he finds out about this whole thing... Which is becoming more and more likely.

"Now, the question is, do you want me to tell them about you if they ask me, or not?" I said. "It's a simple question, really. Forget duty and everything. This is about what you really want."

"No," came her answer. I cocked my head.

"Hm?" Elaboration please.

"No. I'd rather if you don't tell them about this," Rukia finally said. I grinned.

"Alright. I'll lie to them for you... On one condition," I told her, feeling somewhat satisfied that I could finally stop worrying...

"What's your condition?" Rukia asked. I hummed a bit, and took my time answering, knowing that while I was feeling relieved, Rukia was still nervous. Oh shit. Bad habit! Bad bad habit! Why did I have to pick this up from Gin of all bloody things?!

"Well, if I lie for you... You must lie for me too," I said. "It won't do if I say I've never met you in Karakura... And you go ahead and tell them we were classmates... Assuming you get caught and they ask you, of course. So we've gotta pretend we don't know each other and that we've never met. All interactions will be conveniently forgotten... And if we meet in Soul Society, it will be our first time meeting each other. Deal?"

The relief on Rukia's face was almost funny. She smiled. "Deal."

...

Later on, I found out that K was named 'Kon' by Ichigo, derived from the word 'Kaizo Konpaku', the way 'K' was. Apparently, Ichigo didn't want to name the modsoul 'Kai' because 'Kai' sounded too cool and it pissed him off. Perrito and I still called Kon 'K' though, because she was used to it and she influenced me into saying it... Well, K seems pleased with it and I admit 'K' certainly sounds cooler than "Kon' but eh? Who cares?

In any case, K has taken a liking to us (Rukia, Perrito, Ichigo and I) for 'saving' him from the evil clutches of Urahara. I forbade him from calling me 'Nee-san' but he goes ahead and does it anyways (he calls Rukia that too...) so I had lots of fun torturing him whenever he does it. Honestly, I've had enough of nicknames already.

I'm currently having a one-week school hols so i'll be uploading another chapter by the end of this week. Expect another hiatus after that though. Besides, I think it's about time I start working on my other fanfic... Haven't updated that one in awhile. My thanks to all who are still following me. Your patience is greatly appreciated~ Oh, and reviews are welcome~