A/N: Sorry I couldn't update sooner. I was at a funeral...

Disclaimer: blah blah... Idon'townBleach...

Chapter 3: Pretender!

"Morana, it's good to see you again."

Morana smiled and bowed, her hands firmly to the side.

"Miss Kuchiki, it has been far too long."

Rukia bowed back in the same manner and Ichigo scratched his head,

"Ichigo,"

He shook his head and looked into Rukia's eyes,

"Yeah?"

"This is Morana, she is a member of the soul society, she is a Osenko."

He looked at Morana and raised a brow at Rukia,

"... She's an insense stick?"

Morana laughed and Rukia huffed,

"No, you baffoon, she's a--"

Morana held up a hand to silence Rukia,

"Honest mistake, Kuchiki,"

She put her hand down and looked intently at Ichigo,

"Hm, well, I'm guessing Rukia trusts you..."

She glanced at Rukia, she nodded then she turned her attention back to Ichigo,

"I am a Osenko, and you know how all people, when they die, not all turn into ghosts or eventually into hollows. Some are ready to go on with death, this is where I come in. When someone dies, I am there to take them to the soul society, if they do not wish to go, or have unfinished buisness, I leave them here to let the soul reapers deal with."

"Why don't you just take them all? Unfinished buisness and all?"

"Would you be happy that way?"

"Well... no."

"No, you wouldn't."

Rukia cleared her throat,

"You forgot something about you, Morana..."

Morana narrowed her eyes and stared hard at Rukia, who returned her gaze. Morana sighed, and turned back to the doors,

"Class is starting... I'll talk to you this afternoon, Rukia."

She waved slightly smiled at Ichigo and walked calmly out the door. Ichigo looked at Rukia who had her arms crossed over her chest and her foot was tapping on the paved ground,

"What?"

"She failed to tell me why she was in a gigai."

"So?"

She glared at at Ichigo, then looked back at the door,

"Which means, she's not here for a good reason."

Walking from the school Ichigo and Rukia stood by the front gates waiting for Morana to come out, Ichigo leaned on the stone wall, while Rukia sat on top of it. Ichigo looked up at her, blushed then looked at the ground again,

"So.."

"So?"

"What didn't Morana tell me?"

Rukia sat there, staring out into the distance before anwsering,

"She takes their grief."

"What?"

Rukia finally looked down at him and sighed,

"The dead souls that she takes to the soul society, she takes their grief at their own death, takes their pain. She's in constant grief."

"And the one's she doesn't take?"

"She can't"

"Can't?"

"She can't take them. She can't help them, their so bound to the earth that she can do nothing but take little of their pain, the one's who have too much pain... well... they become hollows."

Ichigo rubbed his forehead,

"Why don't they make her stronger? Or more Osenko, then their would be no need for Soul Reapers and no hollows, right?"

Rukia stared hard at him,

"You know how hard it is? To take on the pain of the dead? All her brawn helps her slightly, absorbs some emotions, but her mental anguish is still huge."

"So?"

"So, no one wants to be an Osenko."

Ichigo put his hands behind him and looked forward to the setting sun skyline. He sighed and scratched the back of his head,

"So, why were you so insistant(Oh no, I don't know how to spell that!) that I stay with you when she was looking for you? She could have found me and I would have told her where you were."

Rukia's cheeks reddened slightly and she rubbed her upper arm nervously,

"Well... I'm supposed to be the stongest, and if she had known I lost my powers..."

"YOU WHAT?"

Rukia and Ichigo turned to look at a very angry Morana

"Uh.. oh..."

A/N: huggles reviewers Thanks for all the comments and corrections! I really appreciate(?) them! The more I get, the more desire I have to update!