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*Just In Case You Didn't Know: Orihime lives alone in her apartment. She has distant relatives who support her but doesn't live with any of them.*
*Just In Case You Didn't Know 2: Isshin is Masaki's husband.*
Helpful note: The hollow that 'killed' Masaki is the Grand Fisher.
Reminder: When one letter in the beginning of a word is changed, the perspective has changed. Now read on! :)
When Ichigo Finds Out
Rangiku looked at the Hollow, uninterested.
"What do you want?" She asked.
The Grand Fisher growled. "Do you not remember me? I am the one that almost took your life!"
The orange-haired woman stepped forward and stuck out her tongue. "Well you didn't! And thanks to Isshin, no harm came to me. So HA!"
"You will not be as lucky, Masaki!" The Hollow shouted. "I will eat your soul, once and for all!" The Grand Fisher started to form the person that Rangiku loved most: This is how all the other Soul Reapers the hollow had faced lost.
But Rangiku was a 1st class Soul Reaper. She started attacking before The Grand Fisher could finish forming the person. Then the Hollow tried to attack her with its long, piercing hairs.
Rangiku smirked. "You are like a monster in a fairy tale." She dodged the Hollow's attack and cut off his arm. "And you know what happens at the end of a fairy tale with a monster in it?" As he wailed in pain, Rangiku jumped up high and sliced the Hollow in half. "The monster dies!"
"AAAAGH! I will get my revenge on you Masaki! I WILL!" And those were the Hollow's last words as he disintegrated into thin air.
"Yeah, as if you would ever come back to life," Rangiku/Masaki snickered.
Toshiro shook his head. "I still don't know how he got you, Masaki."
Rangiku pouted. "I wasn't in shinigami form! Plus, I had to protect my dear little Ichigo and—"
Ichigo stepped out of the shadows. "What did Toshiro just call you?"
*A few minutes before this…*
Ichigo had also sensed the Hollow. When he looked out his window, he saw that Toshiro and Rangiku were there, so he relaxed. They can destroy that Hollow easily. Then he remembered something that made him sit up straight. That's the Hollow that killed my mother! Ignoring the fact that he himself had almost got killed by this particular Hollow, Ichigo jumped out of bed and pressed his badge to his leg. Now in shinigami form, Ichigo leapt out of his window to the spot where the Hollow was. Then he realized that if he got involved with this, he might damage Rangiku's pride: Knowing her skill, she could easily kill the Grand Fisher. Deciding against going back to his room (He wanted to see this Hollow get killed up close), Ichigo hid behind some trash cans nearby, but what he heard almost made him reveal his hiding spot.
"AAAAGH! I will get my revenge on you Masaki! I WILL!" Ichigo heard the Hollow shout. He was shocked. Had he heard right? Wasn't his mom's soul…eaten? He tuned out for a moment and when he listened again, it was Toshiro speaking:
"I still don't know how he got you, Masaki."
Then Rangiku spoke. "I wasn't in shinigami form! Plus, I had to protect my dear little Ichigo and—"
Ichigo couldn't take it anymore. He had had enough and stepped out of his hiding place.
"What did Toshiro just call you?" He asked.
Rangiku and Toshiro exchanged panicked looks.
"How much did you hear?" Rangiku asked worriedly.
"From when the Hollow shouted 'I WILL GET YOU MASAKI!' and everything after that." Ichigo said. "Pretty much."
"Oh." Rangiku said.
"This is bad," Toshiro muttered.
"YES. YES IT IS!" Ichigo shouted. "What do you mean? My mom got eaten by that Hollow: the one that Rangiku just killed! But both the Hollow and you called Rangiku 'Masaki'! This is not making sense!"
Wow. Isshin was right: this boy is dense! Toshiro thought.
"We might as well tell him now," Rangiku sighed. "Even though it might be too early."
Ichigo was confused. "W-What?"
Orihime cheered to herself over and over.
"I can't believe I did that!" she squealed. "I just walked up to him! And gave him that box! And Ichigo said 'Thanks'! How did I do that!"
"I will admit, that was pretty bold for you," Tatsuki said. But she was thinking about something else. "Hey, Orihime…"
"—I was so brave and…Yeah, Tatsuki?" Orihime stopped skipping around her apartment to look at her friend.
"What did your aunt's sister-in-law look like?"
Orihime thought for a moment. "I don't know. Like I told Ichigo, I never met her. Well, even though she doesn't really know how to speak English that well, my aunt is still alive…Maybe we could call her and ask?"
"Yes…Let's do that." Tatsuki grabbed Orihime's phone and got ready to dial the number. "What's her number?"
As she told Tatsuki her aunt's number, Orihime wondered, what is Tatsuki getting at? Why is knowing what my aunt's sister-in-law looks like so important?
"Yes, and her hair color?" Tatsuki was talking with Orihime's aunt. Even Orihime could tell that her friend was tensing up more and more with each question. "And her eye color? How about her height? Where did she live?" After this particular question, Tatsuki was silent for a moment. Then she asked the question she had been waiting to hear: "What is her name?" Tatsuki's eyes widened after hearing the answer. "Thank you," she said and hung up. Then she looked at Orihime and said,
"You're related to Ichigo!"
*Before the phone call*
When Tatsuki heard that Orihime's aunt's sister-in-law died on the same day as Ichigo's mom, she couldn't help but wonder if they were the same person. Ichigo's and Orihime's hair was alike, for a start. Even though their personalities were completely different….
Tatsuki got curious and eventually called Orihime's aunt. She asked a lot of questions, and Orihime's aunt gave her the answers she suspected. She knew it. She knew it!
This was what Tatsuki had assumed all along.
Toshiro and Rangiku started telling Ichigo the truth. They explained it all from the very start:
"Even before you were born, your mother was a shinigami. She protected you and your sisters from any harm because all of you had high spiritual pressure (naturally). Then when the hollow came, she protected you. Now, this is where the story you know changes. After the first attack from the Hollow, you were knocked unconscious—"
After hearing this, despite his shock, Ichigo cringed.
"—you were only nine, Ichigo. She hid you under some bushes nearby. Anyway she would've fought, but she didn't want to harm you: any attack Masaki performed would harm you in the future. So she could only dodge the Hollow's attacks. Then Isshin showed up in shinigami form. But he was too late. Masaki was almost dead: The Grand Fisher had gotten a few lucky hits. The most he could do was save your mom's soul and memory of the past. Then he took you out of the secret place Masaki had hid you in and put you under her slightly. After a lot of crying, Isshin left, and not soon after that, you awoke. Meanwhile, Masaki was in Soul Society. Nobody remembers their past…usually. Everybody gets a new name. Masaki was known as Rangiku there and eventually became a shinigami. Only I know the truth in Soul Society, other than Masaki herself, of course."
Rangiku/Masaki glanced at Ichigo. "You okay, dear?"
Actually, Ichigo wasn't very okay at all. He almost fainted of shock. Rangiku was his mom. What about the time when she almost lifted up her skirt in order to stay at his house when some members from Soul Society came to help with the Hollow problem? She had even been a student at his school temporarily. I should've known, Ichigo thought. Right? My dad has a huge picture of Mom on the wall at our house. Now that I think about it, they do look alike…
"Um, yeah," Ichigo lied. Being his mom, Masaki/Rangiku saw through his fib and carried him to his room (through his window, of course).
"I can walk on my own," Ichigo said, though he wasn't very persistent. After all, his mom was back on earth (even if it was only temporarily). And she remembered her past! Ichigo had had quite a shocking night and found it much easier to fall asleep tonight.
Masaki watched Ichigo fall asleep. "Good night, my strawberry." She whispered.
Toshiro watched this. He really wanted to interrupt and say 'Let's go, Rangiku!' but a small part of him said to chill for once. She's been reunited with her son for the first time in a long time: come on! The voice said. Toshiro sighed inwardly and waited for the drama to end.
"What?" Orihime asked in surprise. This was good but bad: She had always wanted to have a bond with Ichigo, but she couldn't have a crush on someone related to her!
"Yeah, it's true," Tatsuki said. "Your aunt's sister-in-law is Ichigo's mom, Masaki Kurosaki."
"Should we tell him?" Orihime said to her friend. "I'm only going to if you come with me this time."
"Yeah we should tell him!" Tatsuki said. "Maybe you will have to live with him, since he's the nearest relative!"
"Maybe we shouldn't tell Ichigo after all," Orihime said with dismay. I don't want to force him to let me live with him!
"WE ARE TELLING HIM," Tatsuki said so forcefully that Orihime didn't dare disagree. "This is your chance to get closer to him than any other friend he has! You guys could become the world's closest relatives!"
Orihime thought about it. "That would be nice."
Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean it literally."
"Aw, I thought you were encouraging me!"
"Good night, Orihime."
"Good night!"
As Tatsuki walked out of Orihime's apartment door, Orihime thought about how to tell Ichigo the news. Quietly? Quickly? Both? Well, Tatsuki will be there with me, Orihime said to herself. There really isn't anything to worry about. But as she got into bed, the auburn haired girl was still nervous.
*The next day*
Ichigo was headed for school. Okay, it's been a full night, he thought. I can feel regular around Mom. He shuddered slightly. Though I will feel just a little bit strange around her… Ichigo took out the thing Orihime had given him and stared at it. It was well made and Ichigo appreciated that Orihime had given this to him, though he would always wear that scowl. I wish I had known that Rangiku was my mom before! Now Karin, Yuzu, and I will actually be able to live in the same house as dad! This helped brighten the carrot head as he walked into his classroom. Then, Orihime and Tatsuki walked up to him. Well, it was more like Tatsuki slightly dragged Orihime towards him. Orihime's cheeks were a little bit pink and Tatsuki's expression said 'Finally'. Then she nudged Orihime, and the auburn haired girl looked up at Ichigo.
"H-Hi Ichigo," She stuttered. "I have something to tell you…"
…
The reason I said that souls don't remember their past is because in Bleach Movie 1, Urahara said that 'It's exceedingly rare for souls to remember their past'. I know when in the episodes Chad's parakeet remembers him, but I listened to the movie. :D
I hoped you liked it! Please review! The next chapter is coming soon!
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