Chapter 2:

The following morning, Ichigo went to school as he normally did. Students were still arriving so he knew he had plenty of time.

In fact, there seemed to be so much time, several of the students stood by the open gate and chatted. When Ichigo got closer, he realized the students were talking in hushed tones and peering across the street. After whispering and glancing over their shoulders, they quickly went inside. Whatever was across the street had them unnerved. It was important enough to make sure other students saw it too before heading in but creepy enough to drive them onto school grounds as soon as the oddity was shared.

Ichigo looked across the street and saw a young man with red hair standing on the sidewalk talking with another man. The other man was young too, and carried a doll in his arms. The doll was dressed in a flowery kimono and had short light brown hair.

Any man holding a doll in such a loving way was sure to get some stares but that wasn't the reason for the student's uneasiness. The man holding the doll wasn't human. At least, not anymore. He wasn't a ghost because he didn't have a chain but Ichigo could tell he was not a normal person. He must have been from the Soul Society.

At first, Ichigo was baffled, knowing that his schoolmates, save for a selected few, could not see people from the Soul Society. Then he realized the students weren't looking at the man with the doll but the one next to him. That one they could see.

Now he understood why they were whispering and rushed inside to get away from him. From their perspective, the man must have looked like he was talking to himself. If they couldn't see the second man, watching the first one carry on a seemingly one-sided conversation was a bit strange.

Ichigo had not seen the first man before. He must have been human if everyone could see him. He must have been able to see ghosts just as Ichigo could from the look of things. Did this man not realize the doll-holder wasn't a normal person? Either that or he didn't care.

It shouldn't have been any of his business, but Ichigo felt the need to go over there and talk to the both of them. If he didn't let the man know that the second one wasn't human, then at the very least he could tell them to take their conversation elsewhere.

"Hey."

The men looked up.

"Listen, you guys are kind of scaring some of the students at the school. Would you mind heading out or face the other way or something?"

"Why's that?" asked the red-haired man.

"Because they can't see this guy so they probably think you're nuts." Ichigo pointed an indiscreet thumb at the man with the doll.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't aware. No one told me they couldn't see him." The man blinked. "But you can."

"Yeah, I can."

"Well, it's nice to know I'm not alone." The man thrust a hand out at his chest. "It's a pleasure. You can call me Miku."

"Yeah, hi." Ichigo reluctantly shook his hand. "So do you mind?"

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Yeah, we'll clear out. No problem."

The man with the doll said nothing.

Ichigo looked at the man's face. He wore a sorrowful expression, as if he didn't want to be here or told to move from this spot. He had dark hair which fell across his pale face and sad eyes.

Just about everything about this man seemed depressing. His eyes and hair were dark and so were his clothes. Unlike a kimono like most people wore in the Soul Society, this man wore long pants and a long-sleeved shirt and boots. His pale compaction only made the darkness that surrounded him even more prominent.

With such sad features, Ichigo couldn't help but feel a twinge of pity. Pity for what, he didn't know. The man's sad eyes just made him feel sad, too. Maybe it was just empathy.

"Sorry," he said without thinking. "I just didn't think you guys wanted to be stared at. That and the students were uncomfortable."

"Well, I can't blame them for that," said Miku. "It must look like I'm talking to an invisible man, am I right?"

"Well, you're not wrong…"

Miku looked at the man with the doll. "Ready to head out, big guy?"

The man nodded but his expression remained the same.

Seeing the look Ichigo was giving them, Miku said, "Oh, don't worry. It's not you. He always looks this way. I don't think he knows how to smile."

Ichigo didn't know if he was being serious or not. In any case, he was glad to see those two leave before anyone else started pointing and staring.

When he went inside, he heard several students still talking about the man outside. Some even checked the windows to make sure he was gone. Miku was officially labeled 'the creepy guy who talks to himself' among the students and staff. A few speculated that the man was drunk or crazy. No one wanted to go near a man with mental problems. Even with him gone, the students still whispered about him. Once class began and they took their seats, no one spoke about him again.

Even during lunch, no one spoke about him, desiring new topics of conversation. However, once the school day ended, some started to talk about him again, wondering if it was safe to travel home alone. Girls left the building in groups of five or so and quickly dashed out of the gate, staying close to one another. The boys were a bit braver about leaving the school. Either that or the 'creepy guy' didn't frighten them as much as it did the girls.

Most of Ichigo's friends hadn't seen him, but some of their classmates did and were organizing travel groups.

"Tatsuki, you're pretty tough. Want to walk home with us? If that guy's still out there, you can scare him off."

"What are you so worried about?" she asked the girls. "So the guy talked to himself. Big deal."

"But he was having a conversation with no one."

"That's right. It was creepy."

"There's talking to yourself and then there's talking to yourself. What if the guy's crazy?"

"Yeah, he could have a knife."

Tatsuki rolled her eyes. "You're being ridiculous."

"Easy for you to say."

"Yeah! You're scary."

"I bet you wouldn't let Orihime walk home alone."

"But she has Ichigo and Chad to protect her. What have we got?"

"That's why we need Tatsuki."

"Fine!" Tatsuki said, throwing her arms into the air. "I'll walk you home." She knew Orihime was walking home with Ichigo anyway which meant she would be traveling alone which left her open for ridicule. The last thing she wanted was for the girls to point out that she could have walked with them since she had no prior engagements.

"See you guys later."

Orihime walked closer to Ichigo. "Was this person really all that frightening?"

"Nah." He looked over his shoulder to make sure the girls had left. "It was a guy talking to someone from the Soul Society. The other students couldn't see him so they thought he was talking to himself."

"Oh, that explains it. Then there's nothing to worry about after all."

"Were you worried?" asked Chad.

"Well, I never saw the guy so I had no idea. From the way everyone was talking…"

Ichigo slung his bag over his shoulder. "Let's head out. I'm starving."

"Ok!"

"I'm home!"

"Welcome back, Ichigo!" Yuzu came to greet him. "Check it out. I got a perfect score on my report."

"Nice." Ichigo wasn't as enthusiastic as his sister. When he praised her, it was more often than not very nonchalant. Which was expected from him. If he praised her with a huge smile on his face and made a big fuss about it, she knew something was wrong. Usually it meant he was disguising a distraught mood.

Pleased by his response, Yuzu beamed at him and put the paper away. "How was your day?"

"Same old." Ichigo went upstairs to drop off his school bag. He came back downstairs and picked up the remote. "Where's Karin?"

"She's at the store. They released a new video game she wants."

"She'll be in line for a while, then. I heard about that. They say the line's out the door, the game is so popular."

Yuzu sighed. "I bet she'll be too busy playing it to come down for dinner."

"She has to eat sometime." Ichigo changed the channel on the TV. "If the line's as long as they say it is, she might not be back until dinner away. If that's the case, then just tell her she can play after she eats. It's not like she'll be wasting any time if she comes home right as we're starting. She can't complain then."

"That's true." Yuzu frowned again. "Unless she's too excited to eat."

"Again, just tell her to wait until she eats dinner. What's one more half hour? Besides, she'll need energy to play. Tell her that."

"Ok."

There was nothing good on television so Ichigo turned it off. He got off the couch and went to get a bag of chips from the kitchen.

"Don't spoil your dinner," Yuzu lectured him.

"It's just a snack. I'm not going to eat the whole bag."

KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.

"Who's that?" Yuzu asked, looking towards the front door.

"I'll get it." Ichigo put the bag of chips on the counter and went to answer the door.

He opened it and found a small group of men gathered on the front step. One of them was the man from this morning and he was still holding the doll in his arms. The other two Ichigo did not recognize.

"Hello, Ichigo," said the man closest to the door. He leaned his arm against the threshold and grinned at him. It was a smug, mischievous grin which left Ichigo feeling threatened.

The man beside him peered inside the house from where he stood. He had brown eyes and dark scraggly hair and a torn T-shirt and jeans. He looked only a few years older than Ichigo. Despite his seniority, he seemed to be taking orders from the younger man leaning against the door frame. Ichigo could tell from his submissive posture.

"May we come in?" asked the apparent leader.

How did this man know his name? Who were they? What did they want?

The only thing Ichigo knew for certain was that they were a threat.

"No." Ichigo started to close the door but the leader stuck his foot between the door and the wall, preventing him from closing it.

"Come now, don't be that way." The man pushed against the door with his left hand. "Let us in."

"No!" Ichigo pushed against the door, using all his strength. It started to slide, pushing the man's arm back. If he kept this up, he could close it. The man would have to either move his foot or have it slammed and possibly broken.

"Ichigo?" Yuzu called from inside.

The man looked in the direction of the voice.

"A human," said the man with scraggly hair.

The man with the doll let his eyes widen slightly, giving him a less miserable look. Now he looked intrigued and hopeful.

Ichigo didn't like it.

The man pushed against the door again and Ichigo's feet started to slide back. "So… you're not home alone, are you?"

"Yuzu!" Ichigo shouted. "Run!"

Rather than do as he said, Yuzu came closer. Drawn by the muffled commotion, Yuzu stepped into view to see what was going on.

As soon as they saw her, the lead man rammed the door into Ichigo and forced his way into the house. Ichigo tried to close the door on him, but he pushed in the opposite direction. While he held the door open, the other men moved in.

"Yuzu! Run!" Ichigo shouted again.

Seeing the men move towards her, she turned and ran into the house.

The man stepped aside and the door Ichigo was still pushing against swung the other way, causing the teen to fall forward. The man followed the others into the kitchen.

Ichigo got up and chased after them. He grabbed the man from behind and pulled him back. He heard Yuzu scream and shoved the man aside to get to her. "Yuzu!"

The man with scraggly hair was trying to grab her, but Ichigo prevented him from touching her. He grabbed the man's arm and roughly pulled him away. He kicked him and pushed him into the leader who stood directly behind him.

"Yuzu, get out of here. Run!"

The scraggly man tried again to grab her but Ichigo once again prevented him. He twisted the man's arm back and kicked him in the ribs. There was a loud crack and Ichigo released him. The man looked at his arm which was now pointed in an unnatural position. With a broken arm, there wasn't much more he could do in this fight. With one good arm, he wouldn't be able to restrain anyone very well.

Apparently knowing this, the man stepped back.

The side of Ichigo's face stung and staggered. The leader had punched him while he was looking at the other intruder. Ichigo punched him back. The leader grabbed the front of Ichigo's shirt with one hand and forced Ichigo's right arm down with the other. Ichigo tried to use his other arm to punch, but he couldn't get a clean shot with their arms tangled like this.

The man pushed Ichigo into the wall, knocking over a stack of books on a side table. Ichigo pushed back but the man was stronger than he anticipated. He lifted both legs at the same time and kicked the man in the stomach. He fell backwards and Ichigo landed on top of him. The man rolled and sat on Ichigo's chest. Ichigo punched him and they rolled again.

"Ichigo!" Yuzu shrieked.

"Yuzu, get out of here! Go!" He had to protect her. If she ran, she would be safe. If she stayed here, she would be in danger. She could get hit with a stray attack or grabbed while he was busy fighting his current opponent.

It was three against one. He was in his human form. Normally, it wouldn't have been a problem. He had taken on several guys at once before, but they were of average human strength. These men were stronger. The one he was fighting now had the physical strength Ichigo possessed in his Soul Reaper form. At least, that's how it felt to him. In actuality, they might have just been on equal ground but the situation made it feel a lot worse.

The man with the doll stood beside Yuzu and stared at her. Yuzu could not see him so she wasn't aware of the danger.

But Ichigo was.

"Yuzu! Run! Go! Go now!"

She didn't move. She was too concerned for her brother's safety to leave him.

"Yu-" The leader punched him and got to his feet. As he moved closer to Yuzu, Ichigo grabbed his ankle and dragged him back. The man kicked Ichigo in the face. Ichigo stood up and punching him in the jaw. The man pushed against Ichigo's shoulder and Ichigo pushed against his.

They pushed and pulled and spun each other around in a violent dance. The man moved one hand off Ichigo's shoulder and over his neck. He began to squeeze. Ichigo moved his arm under his and knocked it aside. The man kicked him in the shin. Then he punched him, drawing blood from Ichigo's nose. Ichigo hit him back and the man slammed his skull into Ichigo's face.

Worried and desperate to help, Yuzu grabbed the man's right arm and pulled it down with both hands. "Stop! Stop it!" No matter how much she pleaded, the fight continued as if she weren't there. "Leave him alone!"

"Yuzu! Get out of here! Don't!"

She didn't listen. He pulled the man's arm, jerking it away from her brother. "Stop it!" she cried.

The man looked away from Ichigo and down at Yuzu. Ichigo could feel the man lose strength in his right arm and let it get pulled down by the small girl. Then just as quickly, the man, wrapping his hand around Ichigo's left wrist, swung his arm outward and into Yuzu's face. The combination of Ichigo's wrist and the man's strong arm was like being hit with a club. Yuzu lost her grip and spun halfway around. She was thrown backwards and slammed her head on the kitchen counter as she spun. She slid onto the floor and did not move.

"Yuzu!" Ichigo fought violently to get to her. "Yuzu!"

The man with the doll bent down and looked at her.

"No! Yuzu! Yuzu!" He didn't know what this man was trying to do but he perceived him as a threat and tried to stop him. If only the one in his arms hadn't been holding him back, he would have gotten there by now. He had to stop him. He had to stop all of them.

The man he had been fighting shoved him into the wall behind him and rammed his head into it before finally letting him go.

Ichigo felt dizzy and his ears were ringing. His skull left a small dent in the wall, but he didn't care about that. He didn't even care what a hard hit like that would do to him. He just cared about getting to his sister and stopping these men.

With the room still spinning, Ichigo made a grab for the leader's back but ended up grabbing his shoulder instead. It didn't matter as long as he had a hold of him. He took a swing at the man's face and hit his jaw. The man turned and punched Ichigo so hard in the stomach, his feet left the ground.

"Uugh!"

The man hit him over the head and let Ichigo drop to the floor.

Ichigo lay on his stomach in the middle of the floor. He could hear their voices but they were muffled by the ringing in his ears. He couldn't understand a word of it. His side-ward view of their legs and floor began to blur.

"Yu…zu…"

His vision faded to black and the ringing stopped.

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