"Are you better, Raphael-san?"

Raphael looked up at the young girl named Yuzu. Out of her siblings, her English was probably the poorest. Still, it was leagues better than his Japanese, and Yuzu seemed to be one of those girls who hated to make others go out of their way. "Yeah," he responded, breathing in the aromatic tea that she had given him and nestling in the warm blankets that Ichigo had gotten for him. "Feelin' a lot better now, kid. Thanks. Or, uh, arigato, right?" He smiled when he saw her nod cheerily.

They were all sitting in a circle on the thinly-carpeted floor of the main room of the siblings' suite. Raphael hadn't even known about the existence of this little motel just a couple of blocks off of Metropolitan Avenue. According to Ichigo, none of them had really wanted to stay in Manhattan since the main reason behind this vacation was just to calm down and spend some time together as a family, seeing the sights at their leisure. Raphael noticed Ichigo's distracted look when he mentioned that they were pointed towards this dinghy little place by a "friend of the family's… sort of." When Splinter asked if they had come with their parents, Ichigo replied that their father was a doctor and didn't like taking vacation time around this time of year, since the number of accidents is always ridiculous even for a little local clinic like theirs. No one said anything when Ichigo neglected to mention their mother.

"I met a shinigami a while ago," Ichigo told them after Raphael asked him to explain this "part-time death god" business. "My family was in danger of being killed by a Hollow, which are those evil spirits that you saw earlier. The shinigami was gravely injured, and so passed on her powers to me so that I could rescue them. After a long chain of events, it was decided by the Soul Society that I would be a substitute shinigami, should they ever need me. My family only recently discovered this, and I think that may be why my father didn't want to come along…."

"Ichi-nii," Karin broke in. "That's not true! He's proud of you… but then, he's proud of pretty much anyone he's ever met." Her voice dry, she remarked, "Our father's enthusiasm is enough to make you want to travel across the planet just to be away from him for a few days."

"Karin!" Yuzu scolded even as Ichigo and Raphael both snickered. "Don't. It is very… disrespect?" She looked to Splinter, as though for help with her vocabulary. He nodded gently. Encouraged by this, she turned back to Karin. "Very disrespect," she repeated a little more confidently.

"That still leaves us to ask," Splinter brought up, "about this thing that you called a Hollow. I have seen them several times in Japan, but I have long thought that they have ceased to exist. Indeed, calling them simply 'evil spirits' was a deliberate simplification on your part, Kurosaki-san, but I shall forgive you for it in the hopes that it will keep this as uncomplicated as such matters can be. I would like to know if that was the first Hollow you encountered since coming to this country, and if it differed at all from the ones you have fought in Japan."

"What I wanna know is," Raphael interrupted, "what the heck is that thing?" At that, he pointed towards the golden-brown lion who had been introduced as Kon. Kon, who had until then been eating some leftover holiday M&Ms from a plastic bag, stopped what he was doing and looked up at Raphael. Judging by his raised eyebrow, he didn't like being referred to as a "thing." Never one to be unnerved by a dirty look, Raphael added, "It wouldn't freak me out so much to see a livin' toy- since I've definitely seen weirder things than that- but what bugs me is that you was talkin' with his voice earlier and kept referrin' to yourself in the third-person, makin' me wonder…."

"Kon is a modified soul," Ichigo explained disinterestedly. "A soul without a body. His essence is balled inside a small pill. When that pill is put inside a body, that body's soul is forced out and Kon takes over, even if it is just a toy's body. My soul might have shinigami powers, but my body doesn't. I have a way to get my soul out when I need to fight, but that leaves my body as just an unconscious lump of flesh. When I'm worried that something might happen to it and need to transform in a hurry, I take Kon out of that lion and swallow the pill, so he can take my body to safety. Running seems to be what he does best."

"I would argue against that maligned logic," Kon said in what sounded to Raphael like an argumentative tone, "but it almost sounds as though you phrased it that way just to purposely goad me." Turning to Raphael now, he added, "And appearances shouldn't be enough to 'freak you out,' my green-skinned friend. I'd make a comment about looking in a mirror, but that would go against my job description as mascot." In a more forlorn voice, he murmured, "Not a very dignified job, no, but times have changed and I have learned long ago that even someone as powerful as I must succumb to-"

Even as Kon continued to lament, Ichigo began speaking about the serious topic that Splinter had brought up before Raphael's inquiry about the modified soul. "As for that Hollow, it's not only the first one I've seen here, but the first I've seen in a long time. Things have been quiet lately, which is why Urahara—the friend of the family's, so to speak—suggested that now was a good time to take a trip. I wouldn't put it past him, though, to know that something was going on in this side of the world, and just use this trip as a… as a pretense or something."

Seeing the contemplative look in Ichigo's eyes and the downcast eyes on both of the girls, and noting that even Kon had quieted down, Raphael asked, "Whaddaya mean by somethin' goin' on? I mean, this Ura-ura guy wouldn't send ya packin' on some shinigami mission with your two little sisters in tow, would he? I mean, that'd be kinda heartless."

"Good luck predicting anything Urahara might do," Ichigo scoffed. "Truth be told, there's no one I know that's more distrustful than him. Yet somehow, I find myself trusting him with my life more often than I like to admit."

"Such is what many people have to say about Urahara Kisuke," Splinter said quietly.

"Eh?" Ichigo asked, looking up at Splinter. "You know him?"

"I gathered that it was him," Splinter replied with a small knowing smile. "It would seem odd for there to be two mysterious Uraharas who are friendly with the shinigami. Does he still keep that cat of his, Yoruichi?"

With a nod, Ichigo said, "I guess the world is a lot smaller than we give it credit for. Don't tell me you used to be a shinigami?"

"No," was Splinter's response. "I was merely the pet of a man who kept many interesting acquaintances. I would be amazed if Urahara-sama remembers me, as I am quite changed from when we last met."

"Yeah," Ichigo brought up, somewhat uncomfortably. "I wasn't sure how to ask it but, uh… what are you? You're obviously not spirits of any kind, but you're not exactly human, either. Were you, once? Or were you… something else?"

Raphael finished his tea and was feeling much better by the time Splinter was about halfway done with their origin story. This was also about the time that a small beeping sound came from Ichigo's pocket. Ichigo jumped, not having expected it, but calmed down when he seemed to remember what it was. Reaching into his pocket, he withdrew a small silver cell phone. He glanced at the display screen and seemed to ponder whether or not he should answer. Finally, he stood and excused himself, walking into what Raphael assumed to be one of the bedrooms.

"Don't stop," Karin requested of Splinter, seeming genuinely interested. "We can fill Ichi-nii in later. What happened after your students got defeated by Oroku Saki? They met again, yes? They kicked butt, yes?"

"While we wait," Yuzu asked sheepishly, "what is 'ooze' and 'mutagen'?"

Raphael would have found the girls' interest cute, had it not been for the worried way Kon gazed at the door through which Ichigo had disappeared. Apparently, Splinter and at least Karin were able to see Ichigo in his shinigami form and see Hollows, but Raphael was somehow blind to it. Splinter mentioned something about him not having a high enough "spirit sense." Could Kon's spirit sense be high enough to know that something's wrong? Don't be stupid, Raphael told himself, attempting to reach over for Kon's discarded candy. Before ya thought he was just a stupid stuffed animal, and now ya know he's just a stupid pill inside of a stuffed animal. There ain't no way that-

"Kon!" Ichigo suddenly called from within the room. "Get in here!"

Kon quickly scrambled to his feet and scurried towards the door, pushing it shut once he was inside. Splinter's story was still on pause as he and Raphael looked towards the door in apprehension. Yuzu murmured something in Japanese, to which Karin nodded. When Raphael asked what she had said, Karin answered, "Ichi-nii's on a mission. He's probably going to ask Kon to pretend to be him for a while so we don't get worried. Ever since we found out about him, though, Kon's just stopped pretending. Either that, or he's a really bad actor."

As though he were a bad actor a little too early for his cue, Ichigo stepped out of the room, his face scrunched up as though trying to look as perpetually stern as he usually did. "Kon, uh, decided to take a nap," Ichigo proclaimed, moving to sit in his former spot besides Karin. "So, um… yes. Story. What comes next in the story?"

He flinched as Karin hit him hard in the back of the head. "Baka! We know it's you, Kon! Where'd Ichigo go this time?"

Rubbing his bruised head, Ichigo/Kon professed, "I don't know! He said he got a call about a Hollow alert and wanted me to watch you."

"A Hollow alert?" Splinter asked. "From whom? And where?"

"I don't know," Ichigo/Kon repeated. "My guess would be either Urahara or Rukia—that is, the shinigami who originally loaned him her powers. For him to be called despite being on a so-called vacation would imply that it was local."

"Local?" Raphael asked, sitting straight up. "As in, another one 'a those things here in the city?"

"Certainly," Ichigo/Kon replied. "They wouldn't exactly call him back to Karakura Town. His shinigami powers are amazing, but they rely mostly on his strength, not his speed. And even with his speed while he's in his bankai form, it would still be horribly inconvenient for him to travel across the continent and the ocean to get back home when Abarai-kun or-"

"And ya got no way of knowin' exactly where he's headed?" Raphael barked out, standing and approaching the modified soul in the spiky-haired teenager's body.

Not liking the advancement, Ichigo/Kon replied, "No. None whatsoever."

His hand going down to the handles of his sai, Raphael asked in a low voice, "Are ya sure of that?"

As though suddenly remembering, Ichigo/Kon said, "Now that you mention it, I suppose I could track his rietsu—that is, his spirit power—if I concentrate hard enough." He let out a rather worried cry when Raphael grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet, headed towards the door leading into the corridor.

"Raphael!" Splinter called. "Kurosaki-san can handle this. If those in charge of Soul Society saw him fit to be considered a substitute shinigami, then his skills are impressive. And besides, unless you get some rest, you are liable to fall gravely ill."

"Sensei," Raphael told him as he turned to look back at him, "this is my city. If there are some crazy evil spirits that go around eatin' souls runnin' loose, then it's more my responsibility than it is his to make sure that they go down."

"He's a shinigami!" Ichigo/Kon reminded him. "It's his job! He has the skills, the training, the power, and most importantly, the experience to get rid of a simple Hollow. With him invisible to the eyes of a city as spiritually blind as this one, this is a simple matter that will probably bring him back here before Splinter-sama's story is over! But with a giant turtle on the loose, it's liable to draw some unwanted attention that might just get you in trouble with Soul Society, which is having enough problems on its own. You don't want to become a burden to Soul Society; they deal with their burdens in a most unsympathetic way. And besides, on top of all of that, you can't even see spirits!"

Raphael brought Ichigo/Kon close to his face and lowly asked, "No. But you can, can't you?"

Ichigo/Kon blinked a few times in surprise before flailing his arms and crying out, "I will not be your bloodhound! You can't do this! I have been charged with watching over two damsels who may become distressed if something were to happen to their beloved mascot!"

"Meh," Karin piped up. "Splinter-san can stay with us. Go along with him." Ichigo/Kon's jaw nearly dropped to the ground at Karin's flippant attitude. Looking at Raphael now, Karin sincerely spoke, "Ichi-nii's strong, but even I know that he'd be nowhere if he didn't have his friends to help him. At the very least, they give him something to protect. And when you have something to protect, you become much stronger. So if Raphael-san wants to protect Ichi-nii, I don't think he'll get in the way or even get sick."

Almost reluctantly, she added, "Kon's right, though. If you can't see spirits, you'll have a hard time. Kon can fight, but Ichi-nii wants him to take care of his body. If you don't know anyone else with a stronger spirit sense than you do, maybe you should forget about it."

"If you truly want to help Kurosaki-san," Splinter said after a moment, "then you will do all you can, and nothing more. Just be aware that, in my experience, the shinigami are extremely proud. It is not often that they will accept the help of strangers without a good deal of argument. It is not likely that Kurosaki-san will differ from them in this respect."

"Right," Raphael remarked. "So all I gotta do is pull him away from the Hollow, chat with him for a bit about the Knicks or somethin', become his buddy, and then help him out. No problem. You're talkin' to somebody who's saved the world a few times in his day, Master Splinter." With that, he pulled the still-flailing Ichigo/Kon out the door.

Karin couldn't help wonder if all teenaged boys behaved that way, regardless of species.

"Okay Raph, this had better… whoa, who is this?"

Leonardo watched as Raphael held a Japanese boy with orange hair against a brick wall. "Leo, I'm gonna explain," Raphael said quickly, "but we don't got much time, so it might be confusin'. This is Ichigo. Except it's not really Ichigo in there, but Kon. Ichigo's soul is off fightin' some evil spirit called a Hollow that eats souls. Because I've apparently got no spirit sense whatsoever, I figured that you bein' a little teacher's pet might just come in handy. So Kon here has 'volunteered' to help us track down Ichigo so we can help him get rid 'a some big bad that's found its way to our city. Huh, maybe that wasn't so confusin' after all."

"No," Leonardo replied sarcastically, crossing his arms over his chest. "Not confusing in the least. I think it would've made more sense if you told me that you were holding some kid hostage for money to buy a late Christmas gift."

"For real, Leo," Raphael urged on, ignoring Ichigo/Kon's cry as he grabbed his arm and pulled him forwards. "We've seen too much crazy stuff together for ya to scoff me now. Splinter's takin' care 'a Ichigo's sisters while Kon and I look for Ichigo himself. The more I talk to Kon, the more I worry about what's goin' on. He said Ichigo was actin' weird before he left."

"Was that before or after they switched bodies?" Leonardo asked.

"Oh, how I wish Ichigo could live in that shell," Ichigo/Kon suddenly said. "Though I must admit that I've found the undeniably attractive features within it and have learned how to emphasize them, it's just far too limiting. The only time I truly get to shine is when I'm in Ichigo's body which, thankfully, is no uglier than your average moderately attractive human. And his female friends are so, so pretty, with lovely, gorgeous, soft-"

"Kon, what'd I tell ya about openin' your mouth?" Raphael growled.

Ichigo/Kon fell momentarily silent before stating, "Technically, it's Ichigo's mouth."

"Ho-kay," Leonardo breathed, his eyes widening at Ichigo/Kon's fast-paced speech. "I'm guessing that this is either a very elaborate hoax, or you really do need my help to fight an evil spirit before it eats anyone's soul. So, what exactly do I do?"

"I… don't know," Raphael confessed. "Kon said he could track Ichigo, so I figure that we'll follow him until we come across the fight. From what everyone's been sayin', it sounds like this 'spirit sense' stuff is somethin' you're born with, something you either have or don't have, and since you're all meditative-like, I figured… I dunno… that you'd be the guy to talk to."

"So what does that mean?" Leonardo asked.

"It means you can see 'em," Raphael told him.

Leonardo said nothing before he put a hand to his temple in exasperation. "Wait, wait, wait… somehow, you've gotten mixed up with a guy who can trade souls with someone and fight evil spirits… and you want to help fight the evil spirits… but you can't see them?"

"I can't," Raphael said defensively. "But Kon can, and I'm hopin' you can, too. And if ya can see the Hollows, then that means ya can see Ichigo when he's in his shinigami form, which makes things easier, too."

"Shini-?" Leonardo started. "Shinigami? Wait, this Ichigo kid's a death god? Wha… okay, I'm so beyond confused that I don't think I can handle any more alleged 'explanations.' You said we're on a time crunch, so just show me where we need to be and I'll do what I can."

"Rationality, discipline," Ichigo/Kon noted while looking at Leonardo. "Though you look almost exactly the same, your differences are fantastic. I suppose the color masks you wear symbolize your temperament. That would be the logical- gah!" Before he could go off on another monologue, Raphael pushed Ichigo/Kon in front of them.

"Just lead us towards Ichigo," Raphael snarled, "or he's gonna be pissed when he sees what I did to his body."