Chapter I

Silent Hill

Ascensions

Chapter I

Karakura Town

The sun shone brightly in through the window of the Kurosaki Clinic. Inside, a young boy slept peacefully, undisturbed by the intruding rays of light. Soft, slow breathing sound emitted from his lips as he slept. He tossed over underneath the covers, finding a much more comfortable spot to continue his rest. Although he could not hear them, the sounds of the new morning rang through his room. The birds chirped cheerfully, the cars rumbled through the streets, and even the kids were heard, yelling incomprehensible things to one another, ready for the new day.

Finally, a drawer on the boy's desk opened up from the inside. A small, orange plush toy slipped out. It resembled a lion, with a long plushy tail, with a patch of dark brown fur on the end. He had a plastic mane of the same brown color surrounding his flat head. He had three little white claws on his feet and hands, made entirely of cloth. As the toy scrambled up to the top of the desk, it exhaled deeply. It looked over to see the boy sleeping away on his bed. It noticed that the boy had bruises and scratches all over his face, with a few bandages as well. It noticed the rather large bandage on the boy's hand, which was stained red from dried blood.

Ignoring the signs of a recent fight, the toy jumped from the desk on to the boy's footboard of his bed. Mustering all the strength he could, the toy leapt from the footboard and on to the boy's chest. "Hey!" the toy yelled in a scratchy, annoying sort of voice. Pounding on the boy's chest, the toy screamed, "Get up, Ichigo! You can't just stay out for weeks on end, put me in your body, make me put up with your family for all that time, then just come home one night and take everything back over and stick me in that nasty, old, smelly drawer!"

Finally, the boy woke up, barely opening one eye. He groaned at the sight of the toy. "Kon," he began. "Leave me alone."

The toy, Kon, ignored the boy's plea. "Oh, no!" he replied. "See, you can't just boss me around like that! Who do you think you are?"

Ichigo grabbed Kon by the head, his entire palm covering the plush toy's face, and threw him across the room, slamming him into the closet door. "I'm not in the mood, Kon!" Ichigo growled fiercely.

The toy quickly sprang back up, laughing as he did so. "Come on, is that all you've got?" he taunted.

Ichigo merely sighed and sat up in his bed. He stared out the window in to the morning. He squinted his eyes as the warm rays of the sun, blinded his vision. Ichigo threw the covers off of him and got out of bed. Stretching and yawning, he said, "I just don't have time for you right now, Kon."

Kon could sense that Ichigo really was not in the mood for a fight. Sighing, the toy replied, "Fine, I see how it is. You finally realize that you can't beat me!"

Ichigo completely ignored Kon's boasting, and went to his closet. Opening the doors, he pulled out a fresh pair of jeans and a clean white shirt. He slipped the shirt over his head as it brushed over his bright orange hair. He glanced out the window again, thinking to himself.

Kon sensed Ichigo's depression. "I-Ichigo," he stuttered, trying to console his room mate.

But before he could say anything else, footsteps rushed up the stairs, causing Ichigo and Kon's eyes to glue themselves to the bedroom door. Sure enough, a knock banged on Ichigo's door and a shrill, young girl's voice entered the room. "Ichigo," it called out. "Hey, you've been asleep for a long time, are you ready for school?"

Ichigo stumbled over to Kon, tripping over his electric guitar that he left in the middle of the room. "J-just a minute, Yuzu!" Ichigo called out. He rushed Kon in to his desk drawer again.

"No!" Kon protested. "I don't want to go in there again!"

"What is that?" Yuzu asked, opening the door. As she peeked in, she saw Ichigo hunched over his desk, sweating furiously. "So, what are you doing?"

Nervously, Ichigo turned to face his twelve year old sister. She had mousey brown hair with large, caring eyes. She was wearing an apron, with a ladle in her hand. Ichigo fumbled around, trying to spit out words. "Well," he began. "I'm working on a project."

Skeptical, Yuzu pushed him further by asking, "A project? For what? What is it?" She reached for the drawer's handle, but was stopped by Ichigo's hand.

"No, Yuzu, don't open that!" Ichigo snapped. "It's a really delicate plant that can't handle a lot of sunlight!"

Yuzu withdrew her hand and sighed. "Whatever, Ichigo. I won't argue, but most plants aren't orange and brown." She pointed to Kon's fluffy tail that was still caught in the drawer. Yuzu walked out of the room. "By the way, breakfast is ready," she said as she walked down the stairs.

Ichigo stared as his doorway for a minute, with a cautious expression on his face, until he was sure no one was there. Quickly, he opened up the drawer, and as soon as there was enough room for his body to squeeze through, Kon sprang up, and crawled on to the desk.

Kon massaged and stroked his tail sympathetically, blowing on the part that was caught in the drawer, which was red and torn. He jumped to his feet, yelling, "That hurt, you moron!"

"I had no choice," Ichigo snapped back. "She was coming into the room! I had to hide you!"

"I'm just a plush toy, it's not like Rukia was here or anything!" Kon replied, getting in Ichigo's face. He turned away from Ichigo, sobbing. "Oh, poor Rukia! How did you ever put up with this careless jerk! Oh how I wish I could nuzzle beside you aga-"

Ichigo pushed Kon off the desk before he could finish his sentence. "Dammit, Kon, would you just be quiet? I don't need anyone hearing you! Besides, I know you're just a stuffed animal, but a sixteen year old kid should not have a stuffed animal in his room! You got that? So that's why I have to hide you!"

Kon folded his arms and sat on the floor, pouting. He closed his eyes, refusing to acknowledge Ichigo's presence.

Sighing, Ichigo said, "Fine, have it your way." And with that, he left the room, heading downstairs.

Ichigo walked into his kitchen, where his sister, Yuzu was looking inside the fridge. "Would do you want to drink, Ichigo?" she asked.

Ichigo scratched his head. "I'm fine, Yuzu. I don't think I'll be eating this morning."

Shocked, Yuzu asked, "But why? You need to eat breakfast before going to school, Ichigo."

"Please," Ichigo begged. "don't say anything insightful. He might hear."

Confused, Yuzu questioned, "Who?"

Suddenly, a loud crash was heard in the room next to the kitchen. Emerging from the doorway stood a rather tall man, with dark black hair, in a messy upwards style and a large white lab coat on. His face was beaming wildly. He had stubble underneath his widely grinning mouth. "Your sister is right, son!" he yelled, much louder than necessary.

Ichigo groaned loudly. "Dad, would you just be normal for once?"

Ignoring his son, the man put his hand on his son's shoulder. "Ichigo, a healthy day starts with a healthy breakfast!" Reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out a rather rotten looking apple. "You can start with this!" he said, his voice now very playful and cheery.

The man fell over, being kicked from behind. "No one would want to eat that, you dope!" said a short, black haired girl with a red cap on. She stood behind Ichigo's dad, seething with irritation.

"Oh," Ichigo said, noticing this girl's presence. "Karin, you're up."

The girl sighed, "Yeah. It's hard to hear with Dad being so hyper in the morning." She stepped over her father to get to the breakfast table.

"Yeah." Ichigo agreed, thinking about Kon, and the amount of hyperness he produces. He reached over his father for a piece of toast on the table.

"Isshin Kurosaki," Ichigo's dad said to himself. "You get no respect!" He laid on the floor a moment longer, then finally rose. Before he could say anything, the phone rang in his office. Rushing to the phone, he answered, "This Isshin Kurosaki, at the Kurosaki clinic, how may I help you?" His voice was serious and calm now.

"Another day begins," Ichigo sighed.

Karin sat down at the table and said to Ichigo, "Aren't you going to be late?" She pointed to the door.

"I don't know, what time is it?"

"It's about ten minutes after you were supposed to leave," Yuzu replied as she carried a basket of laundry down the hall.

Ichigo tensed up. "What?"

"Yeah," Karin replied. "In fact, I think I can see your dumb little friend peering in through the window." She sipped her juice, calm, yet clearly annoyed at the situation.

Ichigo glanced over at the window near the door. "Ah, it looks like Keigo." He walked over and opened the door. Two boys stood outside on the doorstep. The first had wavy brown hair and a skinny figure. The other was a very tall, dark skinned boy who had dark curly hair that covered his eyes. He had large lips, and a very large, muscular body. His white shirt barely could contain the body without ripping. Both boys were Ichigo's age and had the same outfit on. A white short sleeve shirt with a black belt and khaki dress pants. They both had a satchel that hung from their shoulders.

The first boy was practically dancing in anticipation on the doorstep. The other was looking the other way, barely noticing anything.

"It's about time, Ichigo!" the first boy exclaimed. "How long did you expect us to wait here?" He grabbed Ichigo by the shoulders and stared into his eyes.

Ichigo was less than thrilled. He shook the boy off of him and replied, "Yeah, sorry about that Keigo. I woke up late." Ichigo walked up to the second boy, who was still focused in the opposite direction. "Hey Chad." Ichigo greeted him. Chad simply nodded and grunted as a reply.

"You say hi to Chad," Keigo began. "but you practically ignore me?" His eyes began to well up with tears. "No, Ichigo!" He ran down the steps and out into the street, flailing his arms. "Why are you always ignoring me? I thought you my best friend!"

Annoyed, Ichigo turned to Chad. "You ready to go?" Chad nodded. Ichigo slung his own satchel over his shoulder and walked into the street. "And Keigo," Ichigo said to Keigo, who was now on the floor in the middle of the street, crying.

Wiping his eyes, Keigo looked up at Ichigo, hopeful. "Have you come to console me, your best friend?" He smiled faintly.

"Get up," Ichigo replied coldly. "You're scaring the neighbors more than my Dad does."

Ichigo and Chad walked on, leaving Keigo, who immediately stood up and chased after them. "Hey!" Keigo yelled. "You can't just leave me behind! I'm like, the center of our group!"

Eventually, Keigo caught up to them, and they walked down to their school. Many kids in the same uniforms were walking throughout the campus, laughing and talking with one another. The girls were dressed in the same shirt, but with a red bowtie on their collar, and a grey skirt that just about reached their knees. They had black stockings with a dark red pair of shoes to cover their feet. Everyone was preparing for the school day. A kid on a stone bench was eagerly gathering his schoolwork, while a young girl was getting a drink at the fountain.

Ichigo brushed past all the crowds of people and walked into the building. It was hot and sticky inside, due to all the students, crowding the halls. Keigo and Chad soon joined him.

"All right," Ichigo said. "I'll see you guys in class." Keigo and Chad walked off, dispersing throughout the halls. Ichigo walked down the hall to find his locker. After doing so, he quickly gathered his books for his morning classes and rushed off to rejoin his friends in class. After a few minutes of struggling through the clusters of students, Ichigo made it to class. He took his seat near the window, and sat down.

Keigo was talking with a group of guys, while Chad was quietly sitting at his own desk, almost too big for it. Ichigo just stared out the window, down to the courtyard below. His eyes narrowed as his thoughts deepened.

Suddenly, a loud bell rang throughout the building. Ichigo's eyes snapped open in surprise. He glanced over at the door, above which was the clock. "Seven fifteen," Ichigo said, mostly to himself. "I guess it's time to start."

"Talking to yourself just makes you seem unintelligent." A snobby, sly voice said to Ichigo.

Looking from the window, Ichigo saw a black haired, skinny boy with rectangular glasses. The boy had a thin neck and a skinny facial structure. He pushed up his glasses onto his face with his index and middle fingers.

"Uryū," Ichigo groaned. "What do you want?"

"Ah, so it is you," Uryū chirped.

Confused, Ichigo asked, "What are you talking about?"

"Ichigo," Uryū replied. "It wasn't that hard to figure out that Kon was in your body. When you use the mod soul to inhabit your body while your real soul roams free, your body will naturally have different spirit energies to it." Ichigo stared blankly. Uryū sighed, "What I mean is, when your soul leaves your body, your body is lifeless. So you use an artificial soul to make your body move so it doesn't look suspicious that your body is just lying around." Ichigo nodded slowly.

"Yeah," Ichigo replied. "That's why I use Kon. If I take the pill out of his body and swallow it, I can become a soul reaper. He's a mod soul."

"And you put him in a stuffed animal," Uryū paused. "Why?"

Ichigo looked around, just to make sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation. "I don't know. Why are we talking about this?"

"I'm just saying that when you put Kon's pill inside your body, Kon's spiritual pressure surrounds your body. Spirit energy follows the soul, not the body. So while you were gone for a few months, it was obvious you were using Kon to inhabit your body while you were away."

Ichigo nodded. "Oh," he replied.

The second bell rang and all of the students took their seats and prepared for class. Ichigo slowly took out a notebook and a pad of paper and prepared himself for the upcoming lesson.

After many grueling hours have passed, class was nearly over. Lunch was almost here, and Ichigo spent most of his time looking out the window. He was lost in thought, his elbow on the desk, his hand holding his face up, covering his mouth. He sighed in complete boredom.

Suddenly, a sharp pain smacked him right in the side of the head. The class burst out with laughter, and Ichigo's attention snapped to the front of the class where the teacher was staring at him. Ichigo's mouth was open in surprise.

The teacher was tossing a piece of chalk in her hand. "Ichigo," she said, her patience obviously low. "I've let you look out that window for most of the morning, because you usually score very high on tests, and you were one of the top kids in this class. But the last couple months, you've started slipping." She handed him a piece of paper. "I don't know what a Kon is, but it doesn't sound appropriate for school!"

Ichigo glanced over the paper. It was a past test, taken roughly a month ago. The words 'Kon Rules' was written all over the test. Ichigo stared, horrified. He clenched his fists. Dammit Kon, he thought. Letting you inhabit my body for more than a few days was a huge mistake!

"You'd better pick it up, young man."

"Yes, ma'am," Ichigo replied bitterly. His teacher walked back to the front of the class, while the rest of the students continued to laugh. All except for Chad who was patiently staring at the front of the class.

Ichigo leaned over his desk to see what his teacher had thrown. Spying a broken piece of chalk, Ichigo sat back in his chair, and continued to stare out the window.

Ichigo immediately sensed a dark and evil energy, which made his eyes snap wide open. His eyes went back and forth out the window, trying to find the source of this energy. Ichigo noticed that Chad and Uryū had both twitched, and are now both staring out the same window. They sense it too, Ichigo acknowledged. Ichigo stood up and proclaimed, "Mrs. Ochi, I need to use the bathroom!"

Surprised, the teacher stopped her lesson to stare at Ichigo. "Absolutely not," she replied.

Shut down, Ichigo yelled, "But I need to go!"

"Sit down, Ichigo."

Frustrated, Ichigo sat back down as Mrs. Ochi continued her lesson. He clenched his fists tighter and turned towards the window once more.

"Mrs. Ochi?" Uryū asked politely.

Groaning, the teacher stopped once more. "What is it now?" After a slight pause, she gasped, causing Ichigo to turn his attention back towards the classroom. He saw Uryū was dripping blood from his forearm.

"May I go to the infirmary?" Uryū asked, holding his arm. His arm had a thin cut, straight down his arm.

"Oh, of course!" Mrs. Ochi exclaimed. She quickly rushed him out of the classroom. As Uryū passed Ichigo's desk, Ichigo noticed that Uryū was holding a thin sewing needle, which was dripping with blood. Uryū smirked at Ichigo, triumphantly.

"Huh?" Ichigo exclaimed. "He did that to himself!"

"Oh yeah right," a kid who sits behind Ichigo retorted. "Uryū is anything but emo. He doesn't cut himself, Ichigo."

Ichigo turned to face the window once more. Sure enough, after a few seconds, Uryū rushed out into the courtyard, and ran right across it. Soon, Ichigo saw a large creature appear, with a white mask covering its face. It had two hind legs and short, stubby arms. It had a gaping hole in its chest. A Hollow! Ichigo exclaimed in his mind. He watched as Uryū attacked with a flurry of speed and strategy. After a few short attacks from the Hollow, Uryū manifested a light blue energy around his hand, which resembled a bow and arrow. Quite quickly, a series of arrows of the same energy substance and color emitted from the bow, and easily pierced the Hollow's hide. Blood splattered everywhere as the Hollow dispersed in a large black flame, defeated.

Ichigo sighed in relief. After waiting a few more minutes, Uryū came back into the classroom, sweat on his brow. "How is your arm?" Mrs. Ochi asked, concerned, as Uryū took his seat.

"It's fine, Uryū replied, holding up his bandaged arm. He pushed his glasses back onto his face.

"When did he have time to put that bandage on?" Ichigo wondered out loud. Ichigo turned back to his desk where he saw his blank notebook. He sighed, leaned back in his chair and patiently waited for lunch.

A few minutes later, the bell rang, signaling that lunch period had begun. Ichigo gathered up his belongings and began to move towards the door. He was stopped by Keigo, who was as enthusiastic as ever.

"Hey," Keigo exclaimed. "Let's go eat lunch together Ichigo!"

Ichigo brushed past Keigo. "Sure, why not?"

Flailing his arms wildly, Keigo asked, "What's that supposed to mean?" He ran to catch up with Ichigo, who had already begun his walk to the cafeteria.

Arriving in the cafeteria, Ichigo saw clusters of people gathering around each serving station, trying to grab the last bit of food before it ran out. Some people were shoving, others just sat in the back of the line, not wanting to get in to the mix of irritated students. Ichigo calmly walked over to a lonely booth, which held the vegetables and salads.

Keigo proceeded to enter the crowd of people, and he too soon began pushing and shoving for the food he wanted. Ichigo sighed as he gathered the food he wanted quite easily. After getting a full plate, he went to the lunch lady, as she calculated his payment. Ichigo happily paid, then began walking towards the stairs, which led to the upper classes and the roof.

Opening the door that led to the roof, Ichigo saw that Chad had already gotten his lunch and was eating peacefully. Ichigo sat next to his and started eating his own lunch. Without saying a word, they were enjoying each other's company.

They ate in silence for a little while until Ichigo finally broke the ice. "How do you always get here before me?" he asked.

"I bring my lunch," Chad answered, very nonchalantly.

Sipping a juice box, Ichigo replied, "From, where?"

"Home."

Suddenly, the door opened up again, and a small looking boy with a childish face and jet black hair that curved outwards at the bottom walked out onto the roof, also carrying a lunch tray.

Ichigo and Chad turned to face him. "Hey, Mizuiro," Ichigo greeted.

Cheerfully, the boy answered as he sat down next to them, "Hey guys." He opened his juice box and began happily sucking it down.

They sat in silence for a little while longer, not saying much, but still enjoying it. Ichigo munched happily on his salad while Chad was enjoying a large piece of sweetened bread. Mizuiro was content sipping his juice, when the door opened yet again, and Keigo, panting, limped and sat down with the others. His face was strained and weary, and he begrudgingly took out a pair of chopsticks to begin eating his rice.

"What happened to you?" Mizuiro asked casually.

Keigo gave him a blank stare before answering, "The lines," he paused to take a breath. "are so unforgiving!"

"That's why Chad brings his lunch," Mizuiro replied.

"Well," Keigo snapped. "Why does Ichigo get a salad? Are you watching your weight, Ichigo? Trying to go on a diet?" Keigo was increasingly getting closer to Ichigo until he was completely in his face.

Clearly annoyed, Ichigo put his hand on Keigo's face, his palm covering from his brow to his mouth, and Ichigo pushed forward, throwing Keigo to the ground. "What have I told you about getting in my face?" Ichigo yelled in frustration.

"Why do you always get a salad lately?" Mizuiro asked politely.

Sighing, Ichigo sat back down and replied, "Because ever since we got that new shipment of food, people like that new food so much that they all clump together like morons and try to buy some before it's all sold out for the day." He sipped his juice. "And if you fight for that food, you end up like Keigo over here."

"Thanks," Keigo replied weakly, who was on his back after being thrown by Ichigo. "for the motivating compliment."

Ignoring Keigo, Ichigo continued, "So if I get the stuff no one wants, then I don't have to wait in line. Besides, salad isn't that bad, but no one wants it, so I never have to wait in a line."

"I guess that does make sense," Mizuiro said.

"Yeah well," Keigo snapped, back on his feet, pointing at Mizuiro. "You have all the good food, but you still got here before me! What's your secret, huh?"

Smiling cheerfully, Mizuiro replied, "Well, I don't know. Whenever I go to the line there's always some girls I know who let me cut in front of them."

This only frustrated Keigo more as he clenched his fists together and growled, "You get to cut in line, and be next to a bunch of girls, and you didn't help me?"

Sensing Keigo's anger, Mizuiro inched away slowly, still eating his lunch. Keigo took a step forward, Mizuiro moved an inch back. Eventually, Mizuiro started to run, as Keigo chased after him, yelling and screaming. They ran in circles on the roof, circling Ichigo and Chad, who were quietly eating their lunch, trying hard to ignore this event that was happening right in front of them.

Annoyed, Ichigo stood up and walked casually over to the railing, which hung above the courtyard of the school. He rested his elbows on it, sipping his juice, and stared out over the edge. Ichigo watched the birds fly by, unsure of where they were going. But he knew they had a destination. Soon, Chad joined Ichigo, hands in his pockets.

"Strawberry," Chad began, calling Ichigo by his nickname, due to his berry colored hair.

Turning to face Chad, Ichigo replied casually, "Huh? What's up, Chad?"

With his always serious face, Chad replied, "Where have you been?"

Shocked, Ichigo replied, "Oh, so you knew it was Kon in my body all along, huh?" He paused. Just like Uryū, he thought to himself.

Chad nodded. "It really wasn't that hard to figure out."

Ichigo stared off into the sky. "I've been training," he answered. Facing Chad again, Ichigo said, "Hey weren't you training yourself?"

Chad nodded. "I'm taking a break."

"That isn't like you."

"If I miss much more school," Chad replied. "I might start to lose some credit."

"Oh," Ichigo replied, understanding. "That is a problem."

"How about you?"

"What?"

"How many absences do you have?" Chad asked.

"Not too many," Ichigo replied. "because Kon filled in for me."

Finally realizing it was way too quiet, Ichigo turned around to see what Keigo and Mizuiro were doing. The two of them were panting on the ground, Keigo sweating horribly and Mizuiro still inching away.

"Looks like they got that out of their system," Ichigo said.

Chad grunted an inaudible reply.

The day was finally almost over. Ichigo sat back in his classroom, waiting for the final bell that would allow him to go home. Ichigo gathered his books and belongings and stared at the clock that hung just above the door. The second hand seemed to moved at half its normal pace. But Ichigo watched intently, waiting for the bell to finally ring. At the last few seconds, Ichigo tried to pay attention to what the teacher was saying, but his mind was on fifty different things at once, going a mile a minute. Finally, the bell rang and Ichigo sprang up and began walking out the door.

"Ichigo!" called out a rough voice from the classroom as Ichigo walked out into the hallway. Turning around, Ichigo faced a young, tough looking girl. Her black spiky hair shone in the day light, as she held her satchel around her waist.

"Hey, Tatsuki," Ichigo greeted.

"What's wrong with you?" Tatsuki asked. "You've been spacing out all morning!"

"Eh," Ichigo replied. "It's nothing you need to worry about. Just some family issues."

Crinkling her nose, Tatsuki replied, "Well I always thought I almost was family. Guess not."

Getting defensive, Ichigo said, "No, it's nothing like that. It's just some issues I have to deal with on my own."

Crossing her arms, Tatsuki answered, "Fine, Ichigo. But I'm really starting to get annoyed with you. I mean, you don't even come to the dojo anymore to help me train for the nationals."

"I know," Ichigo said. "And I'm sorry. I've been real busy."

"Yeah, you've said that before."

"It's because it's true." Ichigo turned away from her. "But look, I've got to go now. I'll see you in school tomorrow."

"It's Friday."

"Yeah." Ichigo replied, unaware.

Ichigo walked home by himself in silence, without waiting for Chad, or Keigo. He got home quickly, stopping occasionally to stare at a specific cloud or to look around and observe where he was. The whole time, he was deep in thought. An occasional passerby would notice how deep in thought he was, but no one would say anything, realizing it isn't their business.

Arriving home, Ichigo went through the mailbox, grabbing the envelopes of mail inside, and opened the door. He tossed the mail on the dining room table and walked upstairs. There wasn't a sound in the house. Ichigo barely noticed as he entered through the doorway into his room. Immediately, Ichigo was hit with an overpowering aroma of flowery perfume. He gasped and covered his nose as his eyes watered.

Dropping his bag, Ichigo called out, "What the hell is that smell?" He looked from side to side. "It smells like Yuzu's perfume!" He walked deeper into his room as he saw Kon, dressed in this frilly red dress, coated with blue flowers all over it. Ichigo slowly picked him up by the tail.

Waking up abruptly, Kon yelled out, "Ichigo, it's you!" He lunged towards Ichigo, crashing into his chest. Sobbing, he cried out, "Oh, it was horrible, Ichigo! Your sister, she found me!"

"Yeah, I can tell," Ichigo replied through his covered mouth.

"It isn't funny!" Kon snapped. "She wanted to see what you were hiding so she opened the drawer and saw me!"

"You didn't speak, did you?"

"Of course not!" Kon snapped. "But she took me to her room where she put on this stupid dress and covered me from head to tail in this horrible perfume!" He was still sobbing, tears sinking into Ichigo's shirt.

Unsure to console him, or throw him, Ichigo placed Kon on the desk and replied, "Well take the dress off then."

"Don't you think I've tried?" Kon yelled. "She stitched it on to me!"

Sighing, Ichigo grabbed his scissors. Horrified, Kon yelled, "Wait, what're you gonna do with those?" He screamed as loud as he could in protest.

"Fine! Keep the dress on, you look better with it!" Ichigo taunted in frustration.

Kon sobbed, realizing this was the only way to get the dress off.

About an hour later, Kon was stripped of the dress, and bathed to get the perfume out of his cloth.

Sniffing himself to make sure it was all gone, Kon stood on the sink in the bathroom. "I can't believe you actually bathed me," Kon said, astonished.

Ichigo, sitting on the rim of his bathtub, answered, "I didn't want that smell in my room. I was going to put you in the washing machine, but there was already a load in there."

"You were going to put me where?" Kon called out, scared.

Ignoring him, Ichigo went back to his room as Kon followed. Ichigo lay on his bed while Kon climbed onto the desk.

The rest of the night was peaceful, the rest of the family coming home a little later. Yuzu made dinner and shortly after that, Ichigo went to sleep.

Yuzu and Karin were sitting at the table downstairs, a little while after Ichigo had retired to his bed. "Don't you think it's strange?" Karin asked, clearing her plate from dinner.

Confused, Yuzu replied, "What is?"

"Ichigo. It's barely nine at night and he's already sleeping."

"Lot's of boys need a lot of rest at this age," Yuzu answered.

"I think it's something else," Karin said, rubbing her chin.

"Like what?"

"Well, for one, he spends all his time in his room, only comes out to eat, and goes to bed really early. He must be dealing with something big."

"And what does that mean, Karin?" Yuzu asked, becoming defensive.

"I'm saying I think Ichigo is having some girl troubles."

"No!" Yuzu cried out.

"Oh, get over it, Yuzu, our little Ichigo has to grow up at some point. It's completely normal."

"Good job!" A manly voice called out. Isshin sprang up from under the table, smiling wildly. "Your woman's intuition is already growing, my dear daughter! You are on the path to womanhood, and you're only twelve! My, how they grow!" His voice was full of energy as he stood straight up.

"Shut up, Dad!" Karin yelled in frustration. "You are so annoying!" She shoved him away. "What were you even doing under there the whole time?"

"I was looking for any crumbs that I could clean up and feed to the mice that live in our walls!"

Yuzu gasped. "There are mice in our walls?"

Laughing, Isshin replied, "No, but that would be so cool! It's like pets that aren't really your pets!"

Scowling, Karin snapped, "Mice aren't pets, Dad! They're just nasty little rodents!"

Ichigo was fully awake now, listening to the racket downstairs. He attempted to ignore it, tossing and turning, covering his ears, putting his pillow over his head, but eventually, he fell back asleep, waiting for the next day to come. Kon slept peacefully at the end of his bed, tail tucked in, snoring lightly.

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