A Fluffy Truce
Chapter 2
The Solution
Ichigo's concentration was broken by a loud bang a few feet down the road. Standing up, he turned towards the source of the disturbance. There, a little ways from him, he could see a bunch of boxes had been knocked over, it's contents of papers and trash spilled onto the ground. From the other side of this mess came the sound of shouting, a voice calling out for someone, or something.
His curiosity getting the better of him, Ichigo jogged over to the mess, stepping over discarded junk and refuse and peered over the disturbed cartons. There, huddled over a smaller box against the wall, was a small boy. He looked a few years younger than Ichigo, with short, shaggy brown hair, and wearing plain white clothes. The boy seemed to be talking to something inside his little box, unaware of his audience.
"Hey, you. You okay back there?" Ichigo asked, trying to move some of the boxes to reach the boy.
The boy jumped at the sound of Ichigo's voice, almost dropping his box. Now that Ichigo could see his face, he saw the boy had wide, blue eyes, and his nose looked like it had been broken recently, a bandage wrapped over the bridge of it, and bruises very much apparent under his eyes. His showed his complete shock at Ichigo's presence.
"W-what? You can see me?" The boys eyes lit up, hope sparkling in their depths. He turned all the way around, still holding his only possession closely. As he turned, Ichigo caught a glint of silver from the boy's chest. Upon looking down, his suspicions were confirmed: a Soul Chain, severed a few feet from its source. This young boy was a Whole, a lost soul.
Ichigo couldn't help but smile. Seems the world was just messing with him today. He pushed the last of the boxes away and stepped closer to the boy, crouching down so he could look at him better.
"Yeah, I can see you. I'm probably one of the few people in this town who can. My name's Ichigo Kurosaki. What's yours?" he asked as nicely as he could.
The boy sniffed, the bandage on his nose crumpling for a minute. "Kaoru. Kaoru Kenta. I've been looking for someone to talk to forever, but no one seems to be able to hear or see me."
Ichigo frowned. This was one of the hardest parts of being a Soul Reaper: explaining the situation to a soul. Sometimes they knew they were dead, others refused to believe it. "Yeah, about that Kaoru, there's something you need to know. It's going to be hard to hear, but it's the truth."
Kaoru smiled, as if he knew something, a secret. "I already know I'm dead, Mr. Kurosaki."
Ichigo started, almost falling over. This was something different. "Y-you do?"
The young boy nodded, his hair bobbing. "Yeah. I figured it out awhile ago. When I found that no one could see me or hear me, I figured it out pretty quickly. It seemed like the only thing that could explain it." He looked down into his box, shifting his feet uneasily. For a second, Ichigo swore the box shifted on it's own.
The teenager smiled, reaching up and placing a hand on the boy's head gently. "You're a smart boy, Kaoru. I'm going to help you out. This place isn't safe for you anymore. There's a much better place waiting for you, and I want to help you get there." He stood again, looking behind the boxes for a place to change. "Hold on one minute."
After a quick change behind the boxes, with the help of his Substitute badge, he was back with the young boy, wearing his shihakusho, Zangetsu in hand. HE held out the large sword for the boy to see. "I'm going to help you pass to the Soul Society, a nice place, where you can meet new people, and rest peacefully." He turned the hilt of Zangetsu so it faced the boy, ready to perform konso.
"Wait!"
Ichigo stopped, the hilt inches from Kaoru's head. He pulled it back, looking at the young boy. "What's the matter?"
Kaoru looked into his box, reaching his hand inside. "You can send me wherever you want, but promise me one thing. Please, after I'm gone, please give Mr. Bunny a good home."
From the inside of the box, the boy withdrew a large white rabbit, who lazily chewed on a bit of lettuce. Kaoru looked into Ichigo's eyes, a pleading look stuck there.
"When I was alive, I lived on the streets, an orphan with no place to go. I had no one. No friends or family members. Even the other street kids didn't want me around, because I'm so small. I was alone, until I found Mr. Bunny. He became my best friend."
A small smile curled on the sad boy's lips. "But the streets was no place for a rabbit. So, I tried to get people to take him, give him a good home. But no one wanted the pet of a street urchin." The boy placed the rabbit back into the box, his eyes growing dark with sadness.
"One day, I asked a very important looking business man to please take him. I guess I bugged him too much, 'cause one of his goons came out and gave me this." The boy pointed to the bandage on his nose. "I guess the guy hit harder then he thought, because the next I knew, I was lying in the street blocks away, this chain on my chest, Mr. Bunny lying next to me. The guy had accidentally killed me, and then killed Mr. Bunny afterwards, then dumped our bodies."
By this point, Kaoru's little body was shaking, the box in his hands shaking a little with the motion. A fat tear rolled down his cheek. "So, before I go, I ask, just this one request. Please give him a home. It's my fault he's dead!" He thrust the box forward, towards Ichigo, not looking at anything.
Ichigo could do nothing but stand there, staring for a minute, ideas running through his mind. Finally, a smile cracked his blank expression, an idea forming. He reached out with his free hand, and took the box.
"Don't worry. I know just the person to take care of him. He will have a very good home.", swore the Soul Reaper.
A small gasp escaped Kaoru's lips. When he finally looked up, tears still filled his eyes, but they must have been of joy, as his face was split by a massive smile.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, Mr. Kurosaki!", he bowed a little. It was at this moment Ichigo took the opportunity to perform konso. The boy's form glowed, brighter and brighter, until eventually it was gone, and Kaoru Kenta along with it. All that was left of the boy's existence was a small rabbit in a box.