Ichigo laid on the roof of his family's clinic, staring at the stars in the night sky. He was thankful that his neighborhood was quiet, much appreciating the silence after the day he's had. He knew this was inevitably going to happen. Maybe not in the way it had, sure, but he always had that feeling. Yet, despite everything, he wouldn't stop. He vowed to himself that he would protect as many people as he possibly could, even if it meant his life. It wasn't entirely self-sacrificing, of course. Ichigo was also hoping to one day run across the hollow that had killed his mother. The likelihood of it still being around was small, but that didn't stop him. His thoughts were drawn elsewhere, the sound of someone climbing out of his window distracting him. He glanced to the side, noting that it was Rukia who had joined him. Introductions had gone well between her and his sisters, even if she was a bit awkward at first. He could tell though, that Yuzu's innate ability to befriend everyone wore down the barrier Rukia had put up. He watched as she moved next to him, laying back as well to stare into the sky. They stayed silent like that for a few, watching the stars. It was Rukia who broke it first, turning to Ichigo.
"The stars are different here. And it's so much noisier and busier. And just different," Rukia said, grabbing the orange-haired reaper's attention. He realized she was referring to Soul Society, somewhat answering his earlier question.
"My dad said it's beautiful over there, if a bit outdated in comparison," Ichigo responded, not looking to the reaper. Rukia kept staring at the teen, intrigued.
"I guess he's right, in ways. The technology over here seems so foreign in comparison. I guess it would be considered more traditional, in Soul Society," Rukia responded, turning back to gaze at the stars. She sighed, thinking back to her home. Aside from Ukitake-taichou, Kiyone, and Sentaro, Ichigo's family was the warmest welcome she'd gotten in a long while. Even her adoptive older brother was cold and distant, not to mention that Renji and her had grown apart long ago. She missed that friendship, almost like he was an older brother to her. They'd been through thick and thin, after all. Sometimes it hurt, thinking about it.
"I'm supposed to meet up with some friends tomorrow. You can join, if you want to, and then we can patrol after, barring any surprise hollows, that is," Ichigo offered, catching Rukia by surprise once again. Despite his prickly exterior, he seemed nice and caring. She wondered, if this was what he was like to someone he just met, how was he to his friends? She was intrigued now. It was all odd, just how much he resembled Kaien, in more ways than one. The brashness, the compassion, not even mentioning the physical resemblance.
Kaien.. Rukia thought absently, saddening at the memories of her long passed friend. She felt a wave of guilt pass over her. She'd had no right to feel saddened. She was the one that killed him, after all. Ichigo sighed, bringing the reaper out of her thoughts.
"Listen, I'm sorry I got you dragged into this, Rukia. I know it may be tough for you to understand, but I just had to protect my family first and foremost, and when you tried to bind me, I sort of panicked," Ichigo said, refusing to look over to her.
"It's ok, I guess. This just means you have to teach me all about this time, and help me adjust, is all," Rukia responded, doing her best to shrug off the negative emotions. Ichigo simply made a noise Rukia took as an affirmative, as they went back to silently watching the stars once again. They weren't quite sure why, but the both of them seemed to have formed a sort of respect for one another in a short time.
"How did you get your powers?" Rukia asked, breaking the silence once again. Ichigo took pause, remembering back to that day that changed it all.
"Well, I could always see ghosts. Most were harmless enough, I guess. Sometimes I'd pass one on the street, and so I'd come back with some flowers and a makeshift memorial for them, and just kind of talk with them. I did this a lot, up until about two years ago. I'd never seen a hollow before. Well, maybe once.. but before that I'd never really seen seen one," Ichigo paused, looking over to the raven haired girl to find her raptly paying attention, before continuing.
"It was on a side street a couple blocks from here, this kid ghost was sitting there crying on the ground. I did my normal, grabbed some flowers and a vase as a memorial, and came back to sit with it. Well, while I was doing that, this portal like thing opened up just down the street from us, and this creature appeared out of it. I wasn't quite sure what was happening, so I told the kid to run the opposite direction, and I stood between it and him. I grabbed a brick from the ground and threw it at it, trying to get its attention. Well, it worked, and before I knew it, the thing had swatted me away and through a fence. I got up just in time to see Urahara slice the beast in two. From there on, I knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to protect as many people and spirits as I could. One thing led to another, and I started training with the shop, and here we are," Ichigo wrapped up, feeling like he'd been rambling. Rukia stared at the teen, putting the story together.
"You said your dad has been to Soul Society. Does that mean he's a reaper too?" Rukia asked, trying to connect that dot. Ichigo sighed at her attentiveness. Debating what to tell her.
"Yeah, I guess. I'm half reaper, half… human," Ichigo said, realizing it may not be the best thing to mention his mother was a quincy yet. Rukia hmmmed at that, even more intrigued. She almost wished she could talk to her captain about this, just because of the uniqueness of the situation.
"You seem pretty far along for only two years of training," Rukia commented, remembering their short bout earlier. She estimated he could probably match most seated members of her division if need be. That kind of skill in that short of time was nothing if not prodigous.
"Urahara has some.. unique training methods. I guess having naturally strong reiatsu and a soul reaper for a father made it even easier," Ichigo replied back, remembering the many grueling training sessions. Rukia looked to him for a moment, pondering something.
"You know, I don't feel much of anything from you at the moment. Are you suppressing it that much?" Rukia questioned, realizing she didn't feel his presence. Ichigo shook his head, letting out a short laugh.
"Nah, I can't suppress it that well. Urahara made me this special bracelet which helps me suppress it. I can control it, but I've got too much to suppress on my own,"Ichigo explained, showing the leather bracelet he had on his wrist. It seemed so simplistic, and nothing like something that could suppress the reiatsu. Then again, weirder things had happened today, so she guessed she could understand that. She was about to respond when her hollow indicator went off, just as a large crash shook the clinic. This brought Ichigo and Rukia to their feet, the former already reaching into his pocket for Kon's mod soul. Without hesitation, he swallowed it, leaving his body in Kon's care. Rukia did the same, leaving the mod soul in charge of her gigai as she followed Ichigo to the ground. What was once the front wall to the clinic was now more akin to an open floor plan, rubble strewn about. In the center stoof a rather large hollow, and in its hand it held Karin, who was seemingly unconscious. Without hesitation, Ichigo drew his zanpakuto and rushed in, bringing it down on the hollow's arm. The blade sliced cleanly through, the hand dropping with Karin in it. Rukia moved before thinking, diving to catch Karin before she hit the floor. The hollow screamed a gutteral scream, holding its now crippled arm. It disappeared into a portal that appeared behind it, leaving the scene oddly silent.
"Rukia, get Karin upstairs to my dad and make sure Yuzu is safe, too," Ichigo ordered, the raven haired reaper doing so with little hesitation. She disappeared up the stairs, just as the a portal appeared again, this time behind Ichigo. He barely had enough time to react, the hollow pouncing out through the portal and atop him, tackling him to the street outside the clinic. Ichigo held the sword up, blocking it from taking a chunk out of him as it snapped down at his pinned body. He focused his energy, trying best to keep his cool.
"Getsuga Tenshou!" he shouted, doing his best to swing his sword, the concentrated reishi catching the hollow off guard, slicing cleanly through its mask and body, it slowly disappearing. He groaned, pushing himself to his feet before brushing the dirt and rubble off of him. He looked up just as both Rukia and Isshin made their way down the stairs, the latter in his reaper form, captain's haori and all. They made their way over to him, looking over the area.
"Are Karin and Yuzu ok?" Ichigo asked, drawing the duo's attention to himself. They nodded, much to his relief.
"Yuzu was still in bed, thankfully, and Karin was just knocked out by it, no lasting effects," Isshin explained, the teen relaxing more at that. He reflected for a moment, about that hollow. It was unusual. Most of the hollows he had faced had been fairly straightforward, but this one wasn't. Rukia caught the thoughtful look on Ichigo's face, wondering what had happened. Surely Ichigo wouldn't just be standing here if it could come back.
"Come on, let's get this hole covered up and get to bed, we can talk about it more in the morning," Isshin stated, also picking up on his son's mood. Ichigo and Rukia nodded, following Isshin's lead as he grabbed tarps from the storage room. They made quick work of tying the tarps up over the whole, protecting the clinic from the outside for now. They made their way back upstairs in silence, Isshin seeing to his daughters while Ichigo and Rukia headed to his room, finding that the mod souls had the decency to bring their bodies back inside. Without a word, both took control back of their bodies, looking towards one another.
"Thanks, Rukia," Ichigo said, offering a small smile. He owed her that much, after she helped out with getting his sister out of there. Rukia offered a small smile back, before leaving him alone in his room, shutting the door behind her. He sighed, sprawling out ontop of his bed and staring at the ceiling. He reached over and shut the bedside lamp off, going over the day's events again. Had this all really happened in the span of one day? It seemed like a bit much to him. Then again, nothing in his life was ordinary. He let out another loud sigh, turning onto his side and closing his eyes, drifting into a dreamless sleep.