"Well!? What do you have to say for yourselves!?" The Physical Education teacher, Kogine-sensei was in the middle of scolding the pair of high school students.
Ichigo rolled his eyes.
Kogine's fury was ignited as he grabbed a fistful of Ichigo's shirt. "Think of how much shame you've brought to the school because of your thoughtless actions!"
Ichigo huffed. Thoughtless actions. If it weren't for me, all of the townsfolk would have been hollow-fodder.
To re-cap, The Kurosakis + Rukia had attended the "festival" as Rukia called it, to have the once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness Don Kanonji in action. Yuzu and Isshin were fans of the show, so naturally everyone in the Kurosaki household was expected to attend the spectacle. Ichigo and Karin were unamused and irritated as the signature tagline and move were performed by the crowd.
The screech of the demi-hollow was enough to break Yuzu's and Isshin's fanatics, Ichigo's and Karin's boredom, and Rukia's amusement. Karin was the most impulsive, and she had jumped the barricade to intervene. She was very quickly apprehended. Isshin, just as quickly, got into an almost comical argument with the security team over the release of his daughter. Yuzu had shouted for her brother's help, since he had been standing a bit further back in the crowd with Rukia. After seeing Karin get apprehended, Rukia and Ichigo were much stealthier about their approach.
With her red glove donned, Rukia released Ichigo's Shinigami form, and he sprang into action. He had successfully knocked Kanonji out of the way and performed the soul burial in the nick of time. With a breath of relief, Ichigo now had to tend to the more important issue at hand: his little sister having a very public dispute on national television. He returned to Rukia, and the two of them got into a heated argument with producers and security. Well, Ichigo did.
Ichigo only made matters worse with his hotheadedness and frustration at the near crisis of a hollow transforming in the presence of hundreds of spectators, many of whom included his classmates and neighbors. Several insults were thrown about how ridiculous the show was and that the medium was a hack. Karin only added more insults and accusations. Rukia tried to get Ichigo to calm down while Yuzu tried to do the same for her twin. All the while, Isshin, who had collected himself once his "precious and delicate daughter" was no longer being "man-handled by those big oafs" hung back with Don Kanonji and explained to him why things turned out the way they did and that it was for the best.
Don Kanonji was the one to mitigate the conflict, allowing the studio and Kurosaki household to return.
Still, it was a live broadcast, and the very public fight had gone viral. So now, Rukia and Ichigo were facing the consequences.
"Well!? What do you have to say for yourselves?"
Luckily, Rukia's acting ability had leveled up. Ichigo choked back the vomit building in his throat at her theatrics and fake tears. He had one leg in and one leg out of the faculty room when Rukia had devolved into sobs, wails, and supplications to God. With the art of distraction, the two were able to slip away from the faculty room with relative ease.
The pair met up by the equipment storage room. Rukia smirked at him in a way that infuriated him to no end now that they were out in the open. "And you said I couldn't act." She playfully smacked him in the chest as he glared down at her.
A well-pointed insult about how Rukia's mannerisms were barely passable for the century was on the tip of Ichigo's tongue, but before he could speak, Rukia's cell phone went off.
The sound changed the entire atmosphere, and without a word, Rukia retrieved Kon from her bag. Rather forcefully, she removed and tossed the soul pill at Ichigo. Ichigo's soul ejected from his body, and the two of them took off, running down the streets of Karakura town for their target.
"Hey, there actually is a hollow this time, right?"
Rukia elbowed Ichigo in the side as he nearly doubled over and tripped. "Fool! Soul Society's orders are absolute!"
Ichigo wheezed a bit, holding onto the rib that Rukia had mercilessly struck. "Yeah, but the last few times these 'absolute' orders have been wrong! Did you talk to Urahara-san about it?"
Rukia sighed in response, "That man speaks nothing but nonsense. 'Who knows, Kuchiki-san?' or 'Wow, how strange, isn't it, Kuchiki-san?'" Rukia imitated Urahara's voice irritatedly. The shopkeeper constantly hid what he was thinking by cryptically tilting his hat or by covering his mouth with his fan, all the while holding a bemused twinkle in his eyes.
With the two of them running at top speed, they reached their destination quickly. Both slid to a stop in front of an alley. A Plus was crouching behind the dumpster as they took a step closer. "Tch." Ichigo clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Again? What the hell is going on? How many times are we—"
"Perhaps I can explain."
Ichigo and Rukia both turned at the sound of a new voice behind them. A young boy, with dark hair parted down the middle of his forehead, was standing there, wearing the uniform from Karakura High. Rukia's eyes widened as she followed Ishida's eyeline to Ichigo's form.
"Who the hell are you?" Ichigo asked with a sneer. Unlike Rukia, Ichigo hadn't made the connection that he could be seen, despite being in his Shinigami form yet.
"Ishida Uryuu," Ishida pushed his glasses up. His expression remained stoic as he continued, "And you're Kurosaki Ichigo and Kuchiki Rukia: Shinigami."
Ichigo finally realized. "He can see me…"
"I've been watching you two for a while now. And I have to say, your performance in hollow hunting is… pitiful. I have reservations about leaving this town's safety in the hands of a wash out," Ishida eyed Rukia pointedly as she clenched her fist, "… and a boor with barely more brawn than brains." His gaze fixated upon Ichigo.
Enraged, Ichigo rolled up the sleeve of his shihakusho in a threatening manner, "Wanna run that by me again? You—"
Ishida's attention shifted to his right. "A hollow has appeared."
Sure enough, Rukia's cell phone began to chirp a moment after he said that. Ichigo and Rukia could only stare at Ishida, shocked. "How could he—"
Ishida huffed, "Child's play." He extended his right arm, a cross dangling from a silver chain wrapped around his wrist. Placing his left hand's fingertips at the cross, light blue reishi began to gather at his wrist. Ichigo and Rukia could only stare, awestruck as Ishida materialized a bow and arrow from reishi. He fired the arrow. A hollow in flight was hit, and it disintegrated as quickly as it appeared. Ichigo gaped as Rukia clenched her teeth.
"You're a quincy!" Rukia hissed as she pointed an accusing finger at him.
Ishida turned his attention back to her. "Indeed." He disappeared and reappeared much closer to the both of them suddenly. The two of them gasped when Ishida reached both his hands towards them. They stared as Ishida snatched two red ribbons each from in front of them. "Did you know, Kurosaki? Spirit threads of Shinigami are red. I've known about you two from the very beginning," Ishida turned his back on them, taking a few steps away. He craned his neck to look at them over his shoulder. "And I've hated you Shinigami ever since."
Ichigo curled his upper lip and raised an eyebrow. "Hated Shinigami?"
Rukia cut in. "Your hatred is unfounded. Soul Society had no choice. You quincies were destroying hollows. You would have brought about the end of the world. We Shinigami have to protect the balance, and—"
Ishida held a hand up, stopping Rukia from talking. "Please. I do not hate Shinigami for a petty reason like that. That was 200 years ago, and my obstinate ancestors were in the wrong." Rukia looked at Ishida with bewilderment. Ishida reached into his pocket. "Now that introductions are out of the way, I challenge you, Kurosaki Ichigo."
Ichigo grinned, "I accept!" It seemed that nothing gets Ichigo more geared up than a battle. Rukia attempted to silence him, but he ignored her. "I'd love to pound a punk like you into the ground," Ichigo punched his fist into his other hand. "So? What are the terms of this?"
"We'll use this," Ishida said, retrieving a small, coin-like object from his pocket. Before either of them could react, he crushed it in his fingers, scattering the dust in the air. He smirked, "Whoever kills more hollows, wins."
Ichigo looked confused.
Rukia was positively furious. "How dare you!?" Rukia ran up and closed the distance between her and Ishida. She grabbed a fistful of his collar, pulling his face down to her level. "You would endanger human lives for the sake of some game?"
Ishida shoved Rukia off of him. Ichigo dashed over, "What the hell is going on?"
"He just activated a hollow bait!" Rukia spat. "Hollows are going to flood Karakura Town!"
Now Ichigo was angry. He grabbed Ishida's shirt by the sleeve and shoved him into the brick wall. "What the hell is wrong with you!?"
"You won't have to worry. I will take down every hollow that dares to breathe in this town. No one will ever be in any danger." To prove his point, he gracefully moved out of his grip with ease. Drawing his bow, he fired another arrow, downing another hollow. Ishida eyed the fuming pair. "That's one. More importantly, you two should know already that hollows are more likely to attack those with high spiritual power."
Ichigo's eyes widened with fear. Without a word, he took off running toward Karakura elementary school.
Karin was strolling through the park, having just finished classes. She was on her way over to the soccer field, ready to blow off a little steam after a tiring day at school. What she wasn't ready for was the chill that ran down her spine.
"Ichi-nii can handle it," Karin muttered to herself as she climbed the stairs leading to the field.
But, there was something unsettling about the hollow presence this time. Karin looked up at the sky and found an eerie looking black line across it. She had a bad feeling about this. Now there was another hollow screech coming from behind her. Karin retrieved her cell phone and placed a call. She waited for an answer. "Hey. Donny. You guys are still at the burger place, right? Don't bother coming to the field. There are some maintenance guys here. Yeah. Tell everyone else too. Thanks."
She snapped her phone shut and then dropped her ball. "Okay. Let's dance."
Rukia knew that Ichigo's main concern would always be his sisters. So, she took it upon herself to make sure the rest of Ichigo's friends with spiritual sensitivity were safe. With that in mind, she dashed down the streets, hoping to run into Chad or Inoue.
A small fry hollow appeared before her. "Hadou #31: Red Flame Cannon!" The red ball of reishi took it down easily. Her kidou should be enough to take out the small hollows. But, for bigger ones, she would need Ichigo. Despite the gigai she was inhabiting, it felt like her powers weren't recovering at all. She cursed Urahara in her mind. Must be another defective product.
Rukia's attention shifted to a large crash she could hear in Karakura Square. She cursed. Not a small fry, but I can't just let all those people get hurt. So, she took off at top-speed, fighting through the crowds of people who were running in the opposite direction.
"What was that?"
"Another bomb?"
Rukia saw a larger hollow, hovering above. She gasped upon realizing who was also within the vicinity, staring down the hollow in the sky. "Chad!" Rukia called out to him.
He turned to look at her, "Transfer Student!"
Rukia bit back the urge to correct him regarding her name. She saw the hollow rear itself back, getting ready to swoop in for an attack. She knew she had to stop it.
She took her stance, pointed her elbow toward the hollow, and pulled her hand back as if she were about to throw a frisbee, "Bakudou #4: Crawling Rope!" A yellow rope of reishi emerged from Rukia's hand and wrapped around the hollow. It screeched, and Rukia could feel it starting to break free. She cursed and pointed her index finger at the hollow struggling against its binds. "Carriage of thunder, bridge of a spinning wheel. With light, divide this into six! Bakudou #61: Six Rod Prisons of Light!" The yellow reishi rope that wrapped itself around the hollow became six beams of light, effectively trapping the hollow.
Rukia smirked. Looks like she could still at least conjure more advanced Kidou spells, even in a gigai. The fact remains though. I can't eliminate a hollow of that level.
As if on cue, the hollow was blasted away right before Rukia's eyes, leaving her gawking. She looked over at Chad, who had his fist clenched, remnants of spirit energy dissipating from his arm. "Thanks, Transfer Student. I'm still getting used to this arm of mine. I was having trouble hitting it when it was flying around like that."
Rukia was no novice. Naturally, she could sense that Chad had heightened spiritual energy ever since the incident with the parakeet. But, she had never expected for it to manifest itself this way. Ichigo's influence is spreading. Rukia's cell phone started beeping within her pocket. Pulling it out, she realized that hollows were beginning to surround Karakura High School. "Come on, Chad! Let's go!"
Wordlessly, Chad followed Rukia, and they took off together toward the direction of Karakura High School.
Isshin was casually sitting at home, reading up on some of his medical texts when Ichigo rushed inside, fully decked out in shihakusho and a wild look in his eyes. He seemed to be looking for something as he started opening and slamming doors upstairs.
"Shit!" Ichigo yelled as he finished his search.
"Ichigo. What's going on?" Isshin asked. Indeed, ever since Masaki had passed, part of his powers had returned to him. He could sense that there was higher hollow activity than usual.
"Oyaji! Where are Karin and Yuzu?" Ichigo ignored his father. When his father only stared back at him, he cursed and started to pace the floor like a distressed animal. "Some lowlife just activated some hollow bait! There are hollows everywhere! They're in danger!"
Isshin stood up straighter. Although he had some of his spiritual power return, it seemed that he couldn't immediately sense the swarm that his son was talking about. "Karin usually plays soccer with her friends at this time. And Yuzu left a while ago to get groceries." Isshin started putting on his coat.
Ichigo looked at his father with a worried look in his eyes. "Are you planning to leave? I can handle finding Karin and Yuzu."
Isshin scoffed at his son. "Now my idiot, worry-wart of a son is concerned about me?" Isshin was pulling on his shoes now. He turned back to see the look of genuine concern in Ichigo's face. He sighed, "Relax. I'll leave the rescuing and hollow slaying to you," He had his foot out the door now. "I'll be handling the more diplomatic side."
Because Isshin could only think of two places that the Hollow Bait could have come from in Karakura Town: Urahara Shoten and Ishida Hospital.
Yuzu was skipping down the street, having just bought the groceries she needed for dinner that night. "Chicken karaage~ So delicious~ Yay!" She made a twirl and giggled.
Suddenly, she stopped in her merriment and froze in place. "Hollows…?" Yuzu whispered. She turned around and looked to the sky. She saw dozens of hollows appear suddenly. A gasp escaped from her. She had never seen so many appear at once. One took notice of her and screeched as it began its descent.
Dropping her bag of groceries, Yuzu began to run away at full speed.
"Ooh! Seems this one can see us!"
"How delicious!"
They started taunting her as she ran away. Yuzu shut her eyes, trying to drown them out and focus on running to safety. But, there were so many. Any time she took a turn toward the clinic, one would appear before her, blocking her path. Pretty soon, she would have nowhere left to run.
"And she can't even fight back!"
That particular taunt shook Yuzu to her core. They were right. Onii-chan could take hollows down easily. Karin-chan was getting stronger with her soccer ball. But what could she do? All she could do was run and scream for help.
Yuzu clenched her teeth. She refused to surrender to these monsters, and she kept running. She would survive.
That's right, Yuzu. Take pride. For you are a survivor.
The voice in the back of Yuzu's head was calling out to her again, encouraging her. Again, her left hand felt warm.
A bright blue beam of light whizzed past her head, and she let out a breath of relief. Karin-chan must be close by.
But, Yuzu didn't run into her twin as she had hoped. Standing before her was a bespectacled high school boy, wielding a bow that glowed with the same light Karin-chan's soccer balls did. One after another, the hollows dropped like flies as her rescuer eliminated each one.
She stared in awe at him. The boy brought his attention to her now that the threat was eliminated. "Are you all right?" He asked her. Yuzu started to move closer when the boy's expression of concern changed into one of surprise. "You… What is your name?" He continued asking her questions.
"Kurosaki Yuzu," she answered absently. Something was drawing Yuzu to this boy. She kept staring at the cross hanging from his wrist. She could feel the warmth in her left hand intensifying. Yuzu brought it in front of her. Finally, she noticed the orange light emanating it. Yuzu looked back at him. "Who… are you?"
"Ishida Uryuu. A quincy." Ishida answered. He looked past her and fired another arrow, eliminating another hollow. "Just like you."
Yuzu stared at her hand. She whispered softly, "I am…"
"Yuzu!" Ichigo was sprinting over towards Yuzu as she turned around and faced her brother. "What happened? Are you okay?" He knelt down and was grasping her shoulders, inspecting her for any injuries.
"Onii-chan, I'm fine…" Yuzu said quietly. "Ishida-san saved me," she gestured towards the bespectacled boy.
Ichigo finally took notice of him. He let out a noise akin to a growl and snarled at the quincy. Yuzu didn't understand the hostility that her brother had for the boy. He was her rescuer after all. And he seemed to be knowledgeable about the light glowing in her hand. So, she pushed her way past her brother. "What do you mean? What is a quincy?"
Ishida ignored her. "'Onii-chan?'" He repeated, flabbergasted. "Then, you two are—"
"Siblings," A new voice spoke up. It carried a great deal of gravitas. The three looked towards the source.
"Urahara-san." "Ryuuken." "Otou-san." The three of them said at the same time, each acknowledging different adults.
The man with silver hair that Yuzu vaguely recognized pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Foolish brat. What do you think you're doing?"
"Now, now, Ishida-san. He is about that age, you know." Urahara had an amused glint in his eye as he hit the closed fan into his hand. Ryuuken glared at the shopkeeper. He only smiled back in return, "Besides, your son's little stunt could prove beneficial to all parties in the end!"
Ichigo's expression turned sour. "What the hell are you talking about, Urahara-san? He endangered everyone! For a stupid bet! How can that be beneficial?"
Urahara cryptically pointed to the sky with his fan. Ichigo, Uryuu, and Yuzu all looked up at where he pointed. "It's a good opportunity for some teamwork exercise, Kurosaki-san!" Urahara was returned with incredulous and confused looks from all three. "Let's just say…" The crack in the sky was widening. Large, bony white hands were pulling the gap apart. "… that hollow will require more than just one of you."
Ichigo, without another word, returned his zanpakutou to its sheath, and took off at top speed toward the gigantic hollow that had emerged from the sky.
"Ah! Onii-chan!" Yuzu ran after her brother, leaving a dumbfounded Uryuu with the three men.
