All of the things you chase,

Falling away behind you

Is something you can't replace.

Chained to the love that binds you.

Don't let the past remind you, she's the last of her kind.

- Alec Benjamin (Last of her kind)-

.

{- Chapter Three -}

.

The blood-curdling and unnerving scream of a child in pain-filled a small home in the Soul Society. Two mothers worriedly watched over their daughter, four-year-old Akino Zephyrine, as her shouts turned into crying. She was curled up in her bed with wet towels on her forehead and limbs.

"Sai, what are we going to do?" asked a beautiful woman with long, blonde hair as she bit her nails. The woman next to her shook her head as she ran a hand through her messy, raven-coloured tresses. Her scarlet eyes burned with an emotion that was a mix of fear, confusion and worry.

"I don't know, Annette..." Those same eyes travelled over to her daughter as she covered her frown with a single hand. "Sōsuke said she looked fine all day." Annette's expression softened.

Her evergreen eyes glistened as she spoke, "Sai, everything will be okay."

"How can you say that when she's sitting there burning up? Her fever is over one hundred, Anne," her wife, Saira, rebutted sternly, narrowing her scarlet eyes. Annette stopped biting her nails and glared at her partner instead. She furrowed her eyebrows and clenched her fist as the raven-haired woman next to her crossed her arms over her chest. With a sigh, she shook her head.

Before their bickering could advance, Rina called to them and began to stir in her sleep.

"Mommy..." Her hazy, ruby eyes cracked open ever so slightly. They were bloodshot from all the crying and her skin was concerningly pale as well as drenched in sweat.

"We're here, Rina," Saira gently stroked her head. She let out a pitiful whimper under her touch.

"Why is it...so hot?" the young child cried, cradling one of the bags of ice closer. Annette felt her eyes water as she examined her daughter.

"You're sick, dear," she muttered, voice failing her. A few seconds later, she let go of her strong facade and broke down on the floor next to Rina's bed. "So very sick."

"She'll be okay, Anne. Kisuke's making that medicine for her so it shouldn't be long until we don't have to worry about this anymore," Saira cradled the blonde's head in her lap as she dropped down to the floor. While she gently stroked her hair, her ruby eyes warily looked towards Rina's shaking figure.

"Please hurry, Kisuke…"

.

.

"W-Wait a second! How the hell did you get up here like that?!"

Rina shot up from her desk and went on red alert. She had been sleeping because of the headache she began to feel a few class periods ago but now she was wide awake. Scanning the room for the source of everyone's confusion, she found Ichigo standing on the windowsill.

"What do you mean, how? I jumped up here. You saw it with your own eyes, didn't you?" Ichigo shrugged nonchalantly. Rina hadn't known him but for a week and she could already tell that this wasn't how he usually acted. His eyes scanned the classroom, stopping right next to her. The noirette's scarlet eyes followed his gaze until they landed on Orihime.

Before she could do anything, Ichigo was right in front of the orange-haired girl. He muttered something along the lines of him not knowing her name, which struck her as odd. He didn't have that bad of memory, did he? She looked around the room, causing another question to arise.

"Where's Kuchiki-san?" she inquired. The carrot top seemed to grow pale at the interrogation. He cleared his throat and smirked before taking Rina's hand. A lot of girls in the classroom squealed as he put his other hand on the curve of her back.

"Why worry about her?" The way Ichigo's expression was conveyed made it clear to her. This wasn't Ichigo. He had no twin and she doubted that the universe would make two of him by accident.

"...Where's Ichigo?" she asked quietly so only he could hear. The imposter froze, jaw locked in shock.

"He's not here right now. Anything I can do for you, sweetheart~?" he whispered with a sly smile. Rina rolled her eyes at the imbecile's antics.

"If you're trying to become someone, maybe figure out how they act first. You're doing a terrible job." With some force, she managed to push the fake away from her. After dusting her hands of the weird encounter, she found the room to be silent. A sheepish sweat fell off her brow. Awkward...

It didn't take the fake carrot top long to move on to someone else. The raven-haired girl buried her urge to laugh when the boy kissed Orihime's hand. Everyone in the class had some sort of reaction to that. Especially Tatsuki.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she shouted, dragging Ichigo away from her friend. He stared at her, leaning his head back so they were face to face as she tried to strangle him.

"Hey...You're kinda cute now that I get a good look at ya," he mumbled before leaning forward and planting a quick peck on the tomboy's cheek. Rina closed her eyes and shook her head.

He's dead...

"You son of a...DIE!" Tatsuki let go of the tall teen and began to throw desks at him, shattering a few windows in the process.

"All I did was kiss your cheek...Why is it such a big deal? Not like you're in grade school, anymore," the imposter grumbled. Rina snorted in amusement as Tatsuki roared and threw another desk in his direction. He jumped out of the way, landing next to the scarlet-eyed girl.

"Yeah, you suck at this," Rina muttered quietly. Faux Ichigo glowered at her then quickly changed his expression to one of shock.

"Your eyes..." he mumbled.

"Oi, keep staring and Arisawa-san will be the least of your worries," Rina snapped. As if on cue, Tatsuki carried on her rampage, sending Ichigo flying across the room.

Unconsciously, Orihime hid behind Rina, latching on to her arm tightly. The dark-haired girl watched the fight with a bit of amusement. It was entertaining to see the orange-haired idiot get beat around a bit, despite it not really being him. The fun was spoiled, however, when the classroom door flew open.

"Stop right there."

Raising an eyebrow, Rina found the source of the voice. Kuchiki Rukia...

"It's over..." She was strangely intense when you take into consideration that she's usually radiating an all-too-friendly smile. Mock-Ichigo flinched as if he was scared of her, which Rina found interesting. Without hesitation, the orange-haired boy booked it towards the window Tatsuki had broken with a desk gone rogue.

"Ichigo, look out!" Rukia warned. Rina opened her mouth to ask what the hell was going on but froze whenever she saw another Ichigo enter the room.

"Stop," he snarled with a fearsome glare. Her eyes widened at the sight of Ichigo...er...the second one...? The new Ichigo, clad in black kosode and hakama, a white hakama-himo tied around the waist, similarly coloured waraji sandals and tabi socks.

Needless to say, this was a new look.

"There's nowhere to run," hissed the Ichigo that had just appeared. There was a slightly awkward moment of silence that ended in the imposter Ichigo kicking the other Ichigo in the face. Orihime loosened her grip on the scarlet-eyed girl in front of her.

"Why is he kicking the air?" a kid nearby asked. Rina paused before furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. She looked over to Orihime, genuine confusion in the innocent girl's face. She shook it off before facing forward. When she looked back towards the fight, the new Ichigo came flying towards her.

"Watch out," she narrowed her eyes as she pulled the orange-haired girl back by her arm. Ichigo slammed into where they had just been standing, creating a monstrous tower of desks over his own body. He slowly pushed a desk off him, prompting Orihime to stare at it then look towards Rina.

"Rina-chan, how did you...?" she mumbled, examining the girl's eyes as if they were precious rubies. The usual blood-red irises seemed to shimmer a bit while the girl glared at whatever caused the desks to collapse. Rina raised her shoulders to shrug but before they could fall back down, a pair of arms wrapped around her and snatched her up.

"H-Hey, put me down, idiot!" she protested. The fake Ichigo stood on the edge of the window with a smug smile. Rina was about to shout at him but was forced to close her mouth when they went flying through the air.

"Ichigo!" She could hear Rukia call from somewhere behind them. The imposter was moving at an alarming rate, meaning they were getting further away.

This is not how I remembered my public school days, she thought to herself as her hair nearly whipped her in the face.

As the noirette was carried away, she began to wonder what caused all of this. How could Ichigo's body be taken over by whatever this thing is? It was only after about five minutes that she thought to strike up a conversation.

"Hey, Not-Ichigo-kun? Where are we going?" she raised an eyebrow. The orange-haired boy planted his feet on the ground, skidding to a stop slowly. For a minute, he seemed to forget he was carrying her.

"Somewhere far away from here, my lovely hostage," he beamed. Rina rolled her eyes and scoffed. "And you're the only one who could actually tell I wasn't that carrot-topped idiot, so it makes sense that I would capture you."

"Everyone in there knew something was off. You're not a very good impersonator," Rina folded her arms over her chest as she leaned against the building they stood next to. "Speaking of...What should I call you?"

"Huh…?" The imposter scratched the back of his head confusedly, "I don't have a name." Rinas face morphed into a blank and empty stare.

"Well, I'm not calling you Ichigo and this whole thing is giving me a headache…" she deadpanned. The fake scoffed as he leaned against the building wall.

"Hey, it's not my fault Mod Souls aren't given identities," he shrugged. Rina raised a charcoal-coloured eyebrow with intrigue.

"What's a Mod Soul?" she asked bluntly.

The imposter pointed to his head with an incredulous stare, "Are you dumb or something? How can you see me but not know what a Mod Soul is?" Rina narrowed her eyes at his words.

"Just answer the question."

"It's an artificial spirit put into bodies to enhance their physical abilities. Jeez, you're dumb," the orange-haired boy grumbled the last bit under his breath.

"I'm gonna call you Kon and stop asking questions before I knock your teeth out, alright?"

There was a brief moment of silence, during which the fake Ichigo stared at the raven-haired girl with a blank yet calculating expression. Mere seconds later, his face lit up with childish enthusiasm.

"Now we're getting somewhere!" he practically bounced with joy.

"Well, Kon, I'm Zephyrine. Call me Rina, though," she offered the Ichigo look-alike a warm smile.

He instantly paused, lips dropping into a frown as he asked "What kind of name is that?"

"Are you always this annoying?" Rina hissed, a dull but noticeable pain forming inside her skull. With a sigh, she watched the Fake Ichigo, now named "Kon" dance around with gusto and talk to himself about what he would do with his new identity. Her ever-growing headache had yet to subside but just as she wondered if she should stop and get something for it, her head suddenly began pulsing in an agonizing wave of pain.

"Woah, are you okay? You don't look so good," Kon knit his eyebrows together in confusion when his hostage nearly collapsed. She waved her hand dismissively, shooing him away.

"It happens all the time...I'll be fine in a few minutes," she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. He watched her for a moment, unsure of what he was seeing—or rather, sensing.

"Your reiatsu is all over the place..." he mumbled so quietly that Rina couldn't hear it in her state.

"Not again…" she grumbled under her breath before crumpling onto her knees. Kon was quick to catch her.

"Hey! What the hell?! Are you humans always this broken?" he barked out in pure shock. Rina dug her nails into his forearms before she felt her chest tighten. It was hard to breathe and eventually, she just passed out, leaving Kon to carry her.

.

.

Rina woke up to white puffy clouds calmly rolling over a blue sky. She stared for a moment, wondering if she had died.

"About time!"

"Nope…not dead," the noirette sighed. She sat up and turned to see Kon, still in Ichigo's body, crouched down next to her. He threw a pebble into the pond they sat by, skipping once, then twice, then thrice.

What was most startling was the furry thing under her left hand. It didn't feel like the grass on her right, prompting her to look down. Much to her surprise, Zaiaku was lying right beside her with his head nuzzled under her hand.

"Zai!" she squeaked, wrapping her arms around the neck of her mutt. Kon scoffed

"Scared the shit out of me when he showed up. He saw me carrying you and went wild. Nearly tore this body apart…" he muttered the last bit.

"How did you find me, boy?" Rina held the dog's face in both her hands, causing his cheeks to squish and give him an innocent look.

"They're still looking for me. I don't think I should stay here long," Kon grumbled while helping the raven-haired girl to her feet. She shook her head instantly.

"You can't keep running," a sigh ghosted her lips, "Let me talk to Ichigo. I've known him forever. He'll listen to me and we can work something out."

"There's no way he and that Rukia chick would let me keep this body. I mean you let a mod soul run rampant after years of isolation and suddenly I'm the bad guy? Geez," Kon ranted while gesturing to his borrowed vessel. Rina grabbed one of his hands as he flailed them about, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Trust me, Kon. He's not heartless. Ichigo will listen or I'll make him," she briefly squeezed his hand to show her sincerity. Kon paused for a moment and stared into Rina's scarlet eyes. Sensing no deceit, he furrowed his brows and considered the possibility.

"Are you sure it will work?" he swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. The nearby snapping of a branch drew the attention of the new friends and Zaiaku, who was poised to protect Rina.

"We'll find out," she shrugged.

"Ha! We caught you, you son of a bitch!" Ichigo pointed to Kon with a crazed look in his eyes. Rina crossed her arms over her chest and let out an indignant huff.

"Ichigo, you're being a bit dramatic, don't you think?" she quipped. Ichigo shot her a mean glare.

"Butt out, Rina! I want my body back!" he snapped, aiming a massive blade at Kon.

"Just leave it, Akino-san. You don't know what you're getting into," Rukia added, dropping her normal goody-two-shoes act. This girl had seen stuff and had been hardened by it; that much was evident. Rina furrowed her dark brows, suppressing her surprise.

"No! You're going to sit here and listen," she took a few steps towards Ichigo.

"Kon, speak."

"I trembled with fear inside that pill, just waiting to die. Day after day, I watched helplessly as the others were disposed of. Then, I got lucky...I was shipped out with a load of goods by mistake but I always expected to be discovered and destroyed," the mod soul explained. The more he thought about his impending doom, the more his anger festered.

Noticing his white knuckles, Rina put a hand on his shoulder supportively. She couldn't say why but she had grown a strange appreciation for the spirit.

With a nod from her, Kon continued.

"I was alone for what seemed like years. I had quite a while to think about how things should be...and you know what I think?" His eyes hardened into a determined stare as he glared daggers into Ichigo's golden-brown irises. "No one has the right to take someone's life away. I exist, and I should have the right to live my life for as long as I want to. Humans think they deserve that so why shouldn't I?"

Rina looked towards the ground, blood-red eyes dimming with despair. Kon had it worse than she originally thought. He was just like every other person she knew—desperate for a fulfilling life. Zai nudged her hand as if he could sense herself being lost in her thoughts. She flinched slightly then gave the canine a smile that said she was fine.

"I refuse to take a life. That's why I would never hurt your friend here. She was just leverage and I planned on leaving her somewhere until she passed out," Kon motioned towards her, causing the noirette to frown unknowingly. Ichigo shot her a worried look and she opened her mouth to say something she hoped would calm his concerns, only for a familiar voice to come out instead.

"Well, look who we have here…"

Rina and Kon spun around in unison with wide eyes. Rukia furrowed her eyebrows and Ichigo simply gave them all confused stares. Kisuke, Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

"So we finally found you and what a picture! We've been looking for you for a long while and here you are; beat up and worn out," the blonde shopkeeper spoke with a somewhat taunting tone. His eyes drifted over to Rina as he took a few steps closer to the group. "I personally don't enjoy the fact that you kidnapped my niece, either."

"What on Earth are you doing here?" the scarlet-eyed teen hissed through her clenched teeth.

"Not now, sweetie. I'm working," Kisuke smiled innocently before pushing the end of his cane through Kon/Ichigo's forehead. Rina's jaw nearly dropped to the floor at what she had just witnessed.

A green orb fell from the back of Ichigo's head, rolling across the grass until it went past her feet. Zai carefully picked up the candy with his mouth and dropped it in her hand. She stared at it for a long while with a million thoughts running through her head.

"Mission completed. We're all done," Kisuke clapped his hands together happily, placing a hand on his niece's shoulder and leading her away.

"Aw, come on! I came here for a real fight, and that's all I get?" Jinta whined with furrowed brows. Not knowing what to think, Rina simply followed her uncle without question.

"Hey, hold it!" Ichigo began to chase after them, "What are you going to do with that Mod-Soul, anyway?"

"I've got no choice, I've got to destroy him," Kisuke shrugged while casually glancing over his shoulder. His words hit Rina like a knife to the chest. She instantly stopped her feet from moving under Kisuke's order. Her hands shook as she tightly clenched her fists around Kon's candy form and her eyes grew to the size of saucers.

"Destroy…?" she mumbled unconsciously. Zai let out a whine of concern for his mistress, drawing the girl back to reality.

"I don't have time for this, Rina. Give me the soul," Kisuke frowned. Rina shook her head and took two hesitant steps back.

"No! Kon's a soul and deserves a life he wants," her hands came up to her chest in a protective manner.

"Wait a second, Rina, didn't this guy say he was your uncle? Who even is he?" Ichigo asked, mind running a mile a minute. The raven-haired girl bit her lip nervously. She had always been told not to share information about her uncle but this time felt different. It was Ichigo, after all. The kid she had stood up for back in primary school then became best friends with.

After taking a moment to look back at Ichigo's shock-ridden face, she found her resolve and hardened her expression. Her narrowed eyes, scrunched brows, and tensed hands made her seem more menacing than she was mere seconds ago.

"No."

With a simple flick of her wrist, Rina let the Mod Soul fly back towards Rukia. She looked at Kisuke directly as she silently protested.

"Kuchiki-san, you can't have that," he gave up hope on trying to win over Rina, knowing just how stubborn she could be.

"And why can't I have it Kisuke? Are you saying it's your policy to take back goods that your customers have already paid for?" Rukia smirked in a conniving way. Rina couldn't help but think that she liked this version of the mysterious new girl more than the one she met on her first day back. Then again, wasn't she the mysterious new girl in her eyes?

"Hey, I'll give you a full refund. How does that sound?" Kisuke tried to bargain. Rukia's violet eyes gravitated towards Rina while she shot her classmate a friendly smile.

"Actually…" she allowed her voice to trail off, only for Rina to finish her sentence. "I think she's satisfied."

"Besides, I know that you're operating outside the law and it's not your job to recall Mod-Soul's."

These words earned Kisuke a wary glare from his niece. Oh, we are so having a chat when we get home, she seethed mentally. The blonde sighed and tilted his green and white hat until it shadowed his eyes.

"I just hope you know what you're getting into. Don't blame me if you get into trouble," he warned Rukia while his eyes never left his younger family member, unbeknownst to anyone else.

Rukia turned to face Ichigo and dropped Kon's green orb into his palms, "I've already dealt with a lot of trouble since I've been here."

"Besides, I think you've got your own problems for the time being."

It took less than five minutes for the duo to fade from Rina's view. As soon as they were gone, she exploded into a fit of anger and sadness while bombarding her comrades with a barrage of questions.

"What the hell was that? What is Ichigo and why does he need something called a Mod Soul? Why did Kon act like me being able to see him was unnatural? Why are you guys even here?" she kept going until she ran out of breath. Then, when she regained the air in her lungs, she turned to Zai with an accusatory glint in her eyes. "Don't even get me started on you!"

Kisuke sighed, "I know it's a lot, Rina, but I promise to answer all the questions you have once we get home. Just, try not to get all riled up. You know what happens."

"Don't lecture me!" Rina growled like a rabid dog. Even Zai seemed a bit startled. She widened her eyes with tears falling from her cheeks, "You almost killed an innocent soul! Now I may not know exactly what's going on here or how you're somehow illegal, but I think I should have a say in who you do or do not condemn to death!"

She took a step towards the group of Urahara Shop workers so she could hit them all with spontaneous questions, but found that her legs suddenly became shaky and unable to support her. A wave of nausea hit her like a train and her surroundings began to spin. Her hand came up and unconsciously grabbed onto Kisuke's forearm as her legs caved.

"K-Kisuke…"

With a short gasp, she fell.