• • •

Breathing in and out through my mouth, I felt horrible. I was too congested to breath normally though my nose and my head was pounding. I could feel my pulse pounding in my clogged ears, keeping me awake. Raising my hand to my temple, I gently massaged the side of my forehead; the pressure was killing me.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

I wearily reached over to my alarm clock, surprised that it had actually gone off for once. Normally, because I couldn't sleep, I'd always turn it off before it went off. I opened my eyes, blinking away the blurriness as I sat up and stretched. My body felt stiff, and I was cold.

Yeah, it was definitely going to rain soon.

If not, then I guess I had actually caught a cold or something.

I sneezed, falling back on my bed from the force of the sneeze. I groaned, hitting my head against my pillow before sighing.

Maybe I really shouldn't go to school today..?

Kurosaki was skipping, that was a known fact after I heard that story yesterday. If he skipped, that probably meant that Rukia would skip as well. It really would be boring without them there. Besides, Tatsuki and Orihime knew that I wasn't feeling too well last night; I had progressively gotten worse before I decided to leave Orihime's apartment earlier than usual.

I rolled out of bed, deciding that it was better to try and move around then just lay down all day long. I flipped on the TV as I made myself some breakfast, just opting out on a piece of toast and a large glass of orange juice.

But, what should I do today?

I really had no clue, and I didn't like the idea of being pent up in my apartment all day long. That would be worse than actually going to school not feeling well.

Well… I could go and visit my parent's graves.

After all, after hearing Tatsuki's story about Kurosaki's Mom last night, I've wanted to go and visit my parent's graves. It's been years since I last visited them and so many things had changed. I just hope that I remembered how to find their graves…

I sighed, knowing that I wasn't a very good daughter.

Shoving the rest of the toast in my mouth, I decided that it would be a good idea to shower first. So, that's what I did. Since I was still a little cold, even after taking a scalding hot shower, I dressed in some of my heavier clothes. I opted for a sweater dress that was thick and heavy; it felt nice and warm against my cool skin. It was black, with deep red colored horizontal stripes going across it. It was short sleeved, but it had a wide collar that hung down, exposing the tops of my shoulders. I put on a pair of black long leggings, along with a pair of black UGG boots.

I decided just to straighten my hair today and not tease it, just leaving it flat. I had inherited my Mom's vision, even if I had my Dad's eye color, so I didn't put my contacts in this morning. Instead, I decided to wear my glasses; they were black and oval shaped, with thick rims. When I was in my Shinigami form, I adjusted my vision with my reiatsu because I had enough to spare and a constant flow of it. When I was in my body, I didn't have the power to do that, so I always wore contacts or glasses.

I still rimmed my eyes in dark black eyeliner, while I used deep gray shadow to give my eyes a smoky effect; it had the desired effect, my bright icy blue eyes popped from behind my black glasses.

Studying my reflection, I nodded. I was presentable enough to go and visit a graveyard, but I wasn't too dressy. It was just right. Turning around from my reflection, I flew around my apartment packing things that I deemed necessary; extra tissues, a bento box, my sketchbook, some incense for the graves…

A soft hit to the back of my leg distracted me, getting my attention.

"Huh?" I asked, turning around to look and see what I'd run into. I saw nothing at my level, so my eyes traveled down. I found the culprit; a small stuffed panda plushie. I bent down and picked it up, smiling.

"What about me, Jun-Kun?" Paku's voice came from within the plushie, causing me to smile. Yes, after finding out that placing a Mod-Soul within an inanimate object would work, I decided to give it a try to my gikongan; it was a success. Paku was able to walk and talk just like Kon.

"I'm sorry, I keep forgetting that you're mobile now." I said, lightly laughing as I hugged the cute little plush. I had asked Ururu if she had any spare stuffed animals, and she gave me this. Of course, I didn't complain. Pandas were my favorite animals.

"Don't worry..! I'm sure it is much harder for you to remember me now! You even had trouble when I was in pill form..! However, I am so thankful that you gave me a cute plush body!" Paku exclaimed, hugging me back.

Paku was the sweetest gikongan ever.

I opened up my bag, seeing if there was enough room in there for her. I nodded, turning it towards the plushie. "Jump in; I'll take you with me."

Paku jumped into the bag, snuggling into the extra jacket that I had folded in there in case I got colder. I smiled down at her, before double checking to make sure that I had everything.

"Well, let's go..!"

• • •

[Ichigo's Point of View..!]

"Yuzu..! Karin..! Hurry up so we can go!" Dad yelled up the stairs, urging us to hurry up. I could faintly hear Yuzu and Karin scrambling to get ready.

Today was the anniversary of my Mom's death.

Because it was tradition, we were all skipping school today to visit her grave.

"We're coming!" Yuzu yelled, as her and Karin began to run down the stairs. Not too long after that, they came into the kitchen which is where everyone was supposed to gather.

"Everyone ready?" Dad asked, looking around to make sure that everyone was packed and ready to go. Nodding, he reached down and picked up his bag, which contained everyone's lunch.

"Yep, everything's set..!" Yuzu chirped, placing her purse over her shoulder like a messenger bag. Karin nodded as well, readjusting her cap on her head.

"Okay, then! Family, march~!" Dad commanded, wildly gesturing towards the front door. Great, that's just what I needed: Dad to act all hyper today. I really didn't want to have to deal with it.

After we were all gathered out front, Dad locked the door to the clinic. He made sure that sign he left was visible.

Sorry, We're Closed.

We Apologize for Any Loss of Life

At Our Absence..!

I sighed, shaking my head. How could he get around by posting a sign like that? That just didn't seem like something to post on a professional small clinic…

"Hey, who's that?" Karin asked, catching everyone's attention. "They look like they're skipping school, too."

"I dunno. They don't look any older than a high school student, though." Dad answered, catching my attention.

High school student?

Someone who was close by enough to get noticed by Karin?

Oh, god. Was it Rukia or Jun..?!

I turned my gaze in the direction that Karin had mentioned, and spotted the back of a familiar head. After all, not that many people had multicolored red and black dyed hair. She was just walking out of her apartment complex, messing around with something in her bag.

"Jun..?" I asked, trying to catch her attention before my family could do anything too embarrassing.

"Kurosaki?" She asked, her eyes widening behind a pair of thick black glasses.

She looked great, I reluctantly had to admit. I never knew that she wore glasses, so that was something new. It was also new for her to dress up; whenever I was around her, she usually just dressed in casual street clothes. So, her in a short dress was a bit of a shocker for me. However, it all looked so thick and heavy; definitely not proper summer clothes.

"Wait, you mean you know Ichi-Nii?" Karin asked, her eyes scanning over Jun with a calculating look. Her eyes flickered between us, before finally scanning over Jun once more. I felt my eye begin to twitch; knowing Karin, she'd probably speak way too bluntly and embarrass me.

"Yeah, I do." Jun answered, nodding her head and slightly smiling. "We're in the same classes at school. I just wasn't expecting to see him out here."

"We're going to visit a grave today." Yuzu explained, taking a liking once she heard that we were friends. Jun was a girl, but not just any girl, a girl that I was friends with. I could see where this was about to head. "What about you? Why are you skipping school?"

"Well, I wasn't feeling too good this morning. I think I caught a cold or something. I didn't want to be cooped up in my apartment, so I decided that I was going to go out and visit my parent's graves. It's been a long time since I had the opportunity to do so, so I thought that now would be a great time." Jun explained, her words sounding heavy to my ears.

Both of her parents were dead.

That would explain why she lives alone. That also explains why she was able to train as a Shinigami at such a young age and go to the Soul Society. She had little attachment to the Living World.

"Hm, are you sure that you're friends with Ichi-Nii? I'm surprised that he knows someone like you." Karin spoke up, raising her eyebrows in skepticism.

"Is it really that shocking..?" Jun asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion as she blinked.

"I never knew that Ichi-Nii was friends with such a pretty girl. He usually only talks about his guy friends at home. I was beginning to worry about him." Karin explained, lightly shrugging her small shoulders.

Jun began to laugh as I felt my eyes bug out and my cheeks heat up.

"Shut up, Karin!" I snapped, narrowing my eyes towards my little sister, which only managed to make Jun laugh even harder. Then she…squeaked?

"Are you…squeaking?" I asked, looking at Jun strangely.

"I c-can't h-help it!" She spoke though her mixture of laughs and squeaks, trying to breathe normally. "I-It happens e-e-e-every t-time I l-laugh t-t-too hard..!"

Damn. That was such a cute laugh.

"So, are you going to be heading our way?" Dad asked, jumping into the conversation for the first time.

"Yes, I think so." She answered, lightly wiping away the tears that had accumulated at the corners of her eyes.

"Then, why don't you walk with us?" Yuzu asked, happily skipping over to Jun and linking arms with her. She stared up at her with a genuine smile.

"I wouldn't want to impose." Jun replied, gently smiling down at Yuzu. "This seems like such a nice little family outing. I wouldn't want to disrupt it."

"Nonsense..!" Dad exclaimed, getting into his regular disruptive personality. "You're a friend of Ichigo's, so you're welcome to come with us!"

"Do you even know the way to the gravesite?" I asked, catching everyone's attention.

"Um, not really…" Jun trailed off, lightly blushing from embarrassment. "I don't remember how to get there, but I do remember where their graves should be. I figured that I'd eventually find my way there."

"How do you not know how to get there? If your parent's are buried here, aren't you from here as well?" Karin asked.

"After their death, I got moved around a bunch. I even went overseas for a few years. I haven't been in Karakura since their death over ten years ago. I was only four when they died, so I don't really remember my way around town. But, so far, I've been able to find my way everywhere. Even if it does take a while." Jun explained, managing to actually sound convincing. I'm pretty sure my family believes that she was a normal teenager and not a Shinigami. She was a pretty smooth talker…

"Well, we have to go up this really big hill." Yuzu announced, pointing with her free arm towards the hill. She was still attached to Jun like glue. "It leads the way to the cemetery."

"Ehehe," Jun sheepishly chuckled. "I can honestly say that I wouldn't have taken the hill first."

• • •

[Back to Jun's Point of View..!]

Kurosaki's family was really nice… and hilarious, too!

Karin was a bit like me, if I was able to sum up her personality correctly. She seems like the sarcastic type, with a strange sense of humor. Just like me.

Yuzu was too cute, clinging to my arm like she did. Normally, I'm not good around younger people, so it was a surprise when I hit it off with her. I get the feeling that she doesn't get to spend time around that many older girls, which is why she clung to me.

Kurosaki's Dad, Isshin, was a crazy guy. He would spontaneously yell and act crazy. But, he was able to hold his family together after his wife's death, so he had to have been a great Dad.

"Huh, there's someone there..?" Yuzu questioned, squinting into the distance.

There was another person there, so I guessed that it was unusual for them to meet other people during their trek to the graveyard. I bet they're usually alone, year after year, on this day.

"You're right." Karin answered, squinting her eyes as well.

"Is that person visiting a grave, too?" Yuzu asked, clutching my hand a little bit tighter.

"I'm not sure, but look..! They're turning this way." I told them, not even having to squint. I had great vision with my glasses.

My jaw dropped as the figure turned around, waving and grinning at us like an idiot. It was Rukia..! Dressed in a sun-dress and a straw hat, she looked like she was going out to a picnic instead of visiting a grave, if that's what her story was supposed to be.

"They're waving. Do you guys know her?" Yuzu asked, looking up at her bother before turning her gaze to me.

I exhaled, closing my eyes. "Yes, I know her. I met her when I moved around and went overseas not too long ago. We transferred back here together."

"Jun..!" Rukia called out, feigning surprise.

"Hello, Rukia. I wasn't expecting to see you here." I said, lightly waving with my free hand.

"E-Excuse us..!" Kurosaki exclaimed, grabbing my small hand within his big one, dragging me away. Yuzu was forced to let go of my arm, pouting. "We're going to have a little talk!"

I was drug away from Kurosaki's family, towards Rukia. Once he approached Rukia he grabbed her wrist, dragging her along as well. I blinked, feeling like a rag doll being drug around like this.

Once we seemed to be a safe distance away, hidden in from view in the forest, Kurosaki finally slowed down and decided to hound us.

"Why did you follow me?!" He exclaimed, pointing at Rukia who looked highly offended.

"Fool," She replied, crossing her arms. "What would you do if a Hollow attacks and I'm not nearby? Granted, I didn't know that Jun would be tagging along with you, or I wouldn't have bothered in the first place."

"Hey, I didn't know any of this was happening. I wasn't feeling well so I decided to skip school. I realized that it's been forever since I visited my parent's graves, so I thought I'd go and do that. Then I ran into his family and they suggested that I tag along." I explained, crossing my arms over my chest and staring at Rukia from over the rim of my glasses. Was it just me, or did she seem kind of angry..?

Kurosaki turned to Rukia again, "At least her story was passable! You! If you were going to follow, then you should have been more covert!"

"Sorry about that; I wasn't aware." Rukia replied, her tone somewhat icy as her glare hardened.

"What…are you so angry about?" Kurosaki questioned, surprised by Rukia's sudden shift in personality.

"Nothing," She replied, offhandedly. "I'm not angry."

I couldn't believe her with that tone of voice.

It was quiet as the wind began to blow, and Rukia decided to speak up. "Killed. That's what you told me. Your Mother…"

"…I didn't say that…" Kurosaki muttered, stuffing his hands into his jean pockets.

What, where they talking about the day his Mom died? That's probably it; the atmosphere was so tense all of a sudden.

"Who killed her?" Rukia asked, pressing the issue further.

Apparently Rukia didn't know when to drop a subject. It was so clear, as plain as day, that Kurosaki didn't want to talk about this. Even I wouldn't want to talk to Rukia about my past if she was going to be this stern about it.

"I didn't say that," Kurosaki tensely said. "Forget it."

"You told me that you could see ghosts for as long as you could remember. If that's so, answer just one question for me." Rukia spoke, looking down at the ground because Kurosaki wouldn't meet her gaze. "Wasn't the thing that killed your Mother…a Hollow?"

Kurosaki's face was wiped clean of emotion.

I exhaled a breath that I wasn't aware that I had been holding in; I had thought that Kurosaki would blow up after she asked that question. Stupid Rukia, you don't be that insensitive by associating his Mom's name with Hollows…

However, his silence seemed to be worse than if he had shouted.

"It's possible!" Rukia defended herself. "You've seen spirits for as long as you could remember, so if your reiatsu was that high, Hollows could have targeted you…and mistaken your Mother for…"

Rukia froze at the sight of Kurosaki's scowl deepening.

"You've got to be kidding me!" He bellowed, causing Rukia and I to jump in surprise. He slouched over, somewhat hiding his face. "This isn't a joke. When it comes to you, anything and everything becomes the handiwork of Hollows. It was already something serious… You don't need…to find reasons like that!" His hands in his pockets balled into fists. "It wasn't a Hollow! Sorry, but you guessed wrong…"

Kurosaki froze, his cinnamon colored eyes widening in surprise.

"Kurosaki..?" I asked in a hesitant voice, lightly extending my hand towards him, my eyes darkening in concern.

"It… It can't be… Why here..?" Kurosaki murmured, considerably paling.

"Ichigo, what's wrong?" Rukia asked, looking concerned for the strawberry as well.

In a flash, the strawberry turned around and took off running.

"Kurosaki..!" I yelled, watching as he ran. The direction that he was going… it was opposite to the direction of the thing that had spooked him earlier. I turned my head, looking to see if I could see whatever he had seen.

There was nothing there. I narrowed my eyes, looking closer. However, just because it wasn't there now didn't mean that it wasn't there earlier.

"Come on, let's follow him." Rukia instructed, and I nodded in understanding. But, I made a mental note of where we were now. As we ran after Kurosaki, I tagged a tree with a taste of my reiatsu; just enough so that I would be able to find my way back here. I would find whatever it was that scared him so bad.

It only took a minute or two of heavy running to catch up with Kurosaki. Rukia reached forward and grabbed onto his shirt, making him fall to the ground in a heap. He collapsed onto his hands and knees, breathing heavily.

"W-Why did you run?" I asked, wheezing a little bit. It wasn't easy to run when you were congested and had a cold. I hunched over, placing my hands on my knees as I took in gulps of fresh air.

"…It was not!" He murmured, still looking at the ground. "It was not a Hollow or anything! The one who killed Mom… Was me..!"

My eyes widened at his confession.

How did he think that he was responsible for her death..?

Tatsuki couldn't have left something that major out of the story…

I shook my head, bending down so that I was level with him. Gently, I placed my small hands on his broad shoulders, causing him to look up at me with agonized eyes. It literally tore my heart apart. "You can't be serious… Come on, let's get you back to your family so you can visit your Mom's grave. I'm sure they're wondering where we ran off to."

• • •

Hello..?

Kaa-San, Tou-San… It's been a while. It's me, Jun.

I prayed, as I knelt in front of their joint graves. My eyes ran over their names carved into the marble headstone, resting on the now burning incense, before sliding shut once more.

It's been a long time, and I'm really sorry for that. It's just… I've been really busy lately. I-I have become a Shinigami, if you guys didn't already know. There were a few complications, but nothing that a few good years of training couldn't fix. I'm doing fine here; I just hope that you two are happy and together wherever you are. I know I'm probably not what you expected out of a daughter, involved in all of these dangerous messes, but I promise that I'll try my hardest to stay safe. After all, you both died protecting me. After your deaths, I promised that I would protect those close to me. I don't intend to go back on my words, because that's how you two raised me.

I felt another's presence, so I quickly finished up my prayer.

I'll try and visit you two soon, but I don't know how long I'll be able to stay here. I hope it's a while, because I'm growing quite attached to this town. Every day, I find myself wondering how different my life would have been if that Hollow didn't attack that day. But, I don't take your sacrifices for granted. Thank you, for everything. Keep on watching after me, I want to make you both proud.

"You can go ahead and come out now." I spoke, my voice loud as it echoed off all of the other surrounding tombstones. "I know that you're there."

I stood up from my kneeling position in front of my parent's graves, watching as a familiar head of bright orange hair appeared.

"Have you finished praying as well?" I asked, sadly smiling.

"I guess," The strawberry responded, shoving his hands in his pockets once more.

I softly sighed, hoping that he didn't hear it.

I knew of a way to make him feel better, but it was going to be painful to myself. However, my heart just wouldn't stop wrenching whenever I saw that depressed face. It just wasn't natural; I found myself missing that usual scowl and furrowed eyebrows.

"It was a beautiful day, that one." I spoke, contemplating on the right words to choose. "I was off visiting my Grandfather for the first time a majority of that day. So, it was late when I got home. Even though I was young, I could still see ghosts so clearly that I wasn't able to determine the living from the departed. I could also see Hollows, too. They haunted my nightmares almost every night… Tou-San was a Shinigami. I wasn't aware of that fact until I became a Shinigami, and found out what the significance of the black kimono and sword meant. Tou-San… He promised that he'd protect me from the 'monsters' that I would see. I believed his words with all of my heart." I explained, placing my hands over my heart and dropping my gaze back to the tombstone as I continued.

"I still had trouble sleeping at nights because I always felt uneasy; that night was no different. The spiritual pressure in the air was unbearable, pressing down so much that I had trouble breathing… I ran to my parent's room, only to find them both gone. They were outside fighting off the Hollow. It went from a beautiful day to a stormy night; it was so dark it was hard to see. I ran outside to find Tou-San in his Shinigami attire, fighting off the Hollow. Kaa-San was there, too, and she was already injured. I saw the Hollow attack them in front of my own eyes. It went after Tou-San first, then Kaa-San. Then, it came for me… But, Tou-San had enough reiatsu left to kill it. Although, that last attack used up all of his reiatsu and killed him. He fulfilled his promise to me, so… I'll fulfill my promise to them." I blubbered, hanging my head and wiping my tears away. It didn't feel right to break down in front of anyone. "I promised that I'd protect those precious to me with all of my heart, even if I have to risk my life in the process too."

I bravely looked up, meeting Ichigo's warm cinnamon eyes. They were soft for once, not hardened into a scowl.

"Why… Why did you tell me that?" Ichigo questioned, his stare so intense that I found myself looking away as my cheeks heated up.

"Because… I trust you." I said, not daring to meet his eyes now. "I needed to get it off of my chest, anyways. Not even Rukia knows about my past."

It was silent for a few moments, before Ichigo placed a hand on my shoulder. "Okay, follow me."

Curious, I decided to follow him. We walked side by side for once, not one slightly in front of the other; we were finally equal in each other's eyes. We walked for quite a bit in silence, making me wonder if he had an actual destination in mind or not. That was, until he stopped and looked at the grave in front of him.

Kurosaki Masaki

It clicked in my brain that this was his Mother's grave; that's where he was leading me. His family must have already been here and prayed and they had probably gone off to eat or do other traditional activities, based on who knows what.

"I can remember that day like it was yesterday…" Ichigo spoke, closing his eyes, not being able to speak and view the grave at once. "It was raining that day, just like the days before that, too. Kaa-San was walking me home from the dojo that day. Since it had rained for more than three days in a row, the rivers were flooded. On my way home, I remember seeing a girl by the bridge, overlooking the river. It looked like she was fixing to jump in." He explained, tightening his hands into closed fists. "I ran over to her to try and help her. Then I remember my name being called, then blacking out. When I woke up, Kaa-San was lying on top of me; dead. I don't know what happened. Maybe… she got cut somewhere, or hit somewhere. But… It was clear that she did it to save me. After that, the girl disappeared." His tone had grown harsh when speaking about the girl, but then it mellowed out once more. "We all loved Kaa-San. She filled up the center that our family revolved around. From that center, I stole Kaa-San from them!"

Ichigo clenched his eyes shut, totally blaming himself for the situation.

Well, that was his view on the situation. Tatsuki's story had left quite a few gaps, but that was only to be expected; she wasn't there, so she didn't experience it first-hand. And I doubt that Ichigo had told everyone his side of the story.

However, from his story… It did kind of sound like a Hollow attack. Maybe Rukia deserved more credit than I gave her.

"I'm sorry; I never knew." I softly spoke, grabbing on my arm to hold myself back. I wanted to lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, but I didn't know how well he'd take it. "I didn't mean to force that out of you. I was a bit curious, but I didn't want you to say anything until you were ready."

"You told me your story. I knew that must have been hard. You trusted me enough to tell me about it, so I figured that I'd return the favor." He explained, slowing piecing himself back together again.

"Thanks." I whispered, serenely smiling.

A horrible screeching noise filled the air, causing me to wince and plug my ears. Strawberry had done the same, wincing as well.

"That's got to be Tou-San…" Ichigo muttered darkly.

"You can go on. I'll go see if I can find Rukia around here. I'll see you later!" I said, waving to him as I urged him to go on. I waited until he was out of sight before I kneeled in front of his Mom's tombstone to pray.

Kurosaki-San, you might not know me, but I'm one of Ichigo's friends. Well, I wouldn't consider myself to be too close to him; I only got past just calling him by his last name today. I haven't even called him by his name to his face yet… But, I wanted to tell you that you've got a great son. He's grown up more than you could possibly imagine. He has so much responsibility on his shoulders now, and I'm partly to blame for that. I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry for getting your son dragged into all of this. I wish that I could have met you; everyone speaks so highly of you. I hope I'll be able to speak to you again someday. So, take care until then.

I smiled, standing up. I had always found that praying made me feel better, closer connected to the dead.

I stretched, feeling a little tired. Maybe that meant that I'd actually get a good night's rest for once..? I could only hope.

Making my way towards where I sensed Rukia's faint reiatsu, I froze mid-step.

That spiritual pressure…

It was way too high for any normal Hollow..!

Just what in the world did it belong to?