Author's Note: A few typos were fixed in Ch10. In the future, I might extend Rukia and Ichigo's dialogue at places.

Karakura Cemetery was atop a tall hill on the southern outskirts of town close to rural farmlands. Close enough that Yuzu Kurosaki counted sheep while she walked a steep path under a sweltering June sun. She couldn't imagine how they could survive under pounds of wool when she was only in a loose-fitting black dress. Black for the occasion.

Today was Ichigo's memorial gathering.

Four whole days had come and gone since that night. Four unforgettable mornings, Yuzu had woken up to the sight of his blood-covered body and lifeless eyes. Four days, and he was already buried and entombed, written off as a car accident when there had been no car crash, and Yuzu knew this beyond any doubt. With her own eyes, she had seen that white-masked monster from the underworld. It had murdered her brother when it should have been her instead. It had been after her in the first place, not him.

A few steps behind, Karin groaned in discomfort. "Dad, hurry up! We're going to be late because of you!" On the surface, she was annoyed and disappointed. Under her facade, she was grieving. Irritability was her way of venting.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Dad called, focused on his tie and jacket. "Arhhh! This darn suit is melting!" And he was similar in that way, venting.

Yuzu, however, liked to distract herself with meaningless, unimportant things. Like those sheep. Like those blooming flowers. Like those couple of ghosts here to haunt their relatives. Like that big black butterfly with ruby-tipped wings fluttering toward her—a pretty little thing. The butterfly landed on her nose. It tickled.

Dad was suddenly there, swatting the butterfly away. "How many times have I told you?"

"Told me what?"

"Never touch black butterflies that seemingly appear out of nowhere!"

Yuzu's head tilted, and her mind wandered. "I don't think you've ever told me that."

"Well I'm telling you now!"

Yuzu's gaze meandered rightward, to where that butterfly had went, but it was long gone. "What's wrong with them?"

"They could be dangerous! Did you even see those red flecks on its wings?!"

Karin gave a melodramatic eye-rolling sigh. "Dad, stop overreacting. It's just a butterfly."

Dad hopped over to Karin. "Overreacting you say? What if it transforms into a giant beast and slaughters us where we stand? What's if it's poisonous? What then?!"

Yuzu was giggling. "It's alright, Dad. I've been around them lots of times for months now, and I'm still fine and alive."

"Second time I've seen one," Karin said.

"What did you say, Yuzu?!" Dad jumped back to Yuzu. His face was comically berserk. "You've seen them for months?! Why haven't you told me this before?! We need to get you to the hospital as soon as possible! It might already be too late!"

Yuzu genuinely couldn't tell this was more of her father's usual funny antics. It seemed that way, so she wrote it off as his way of venting stress and grief before the memorial. And he could be right. Those butterflies had only recently appeared around town; they could be an invasive, poisonous species. They could be carrying parasites. There was a possibility that worm eggs were incubating inside her brain.

"Did you hear me?!" Dad was still making a scene, flailing arms and everything. "Don't touch weird insects! That includes centipedes and black butterflies! And don't just stand there laughing. Listen to me, I'm a doctor, I know I'm talking about. Yuzu! This is serious!"

"Okay, Okay, Okay, Dad. I hear you."

"Then stop laughing! This is very serious!" Dad was still madly waving his arms like one of those inflatable plastic balloon men at malls.

"Okay, sheesh. Let's just go." Yuzu stifled her giggles by swallowing spit and standing straighter. She noticed she was a bit taller than a week or a month ago, her nose now reaching a bit higher up Dad's chest. Soon she would be as tall as Ichigo. Well, probably not that tall. She was a girl, after all. She would have to be really lucky in the genes department to grow that tall.

Further up the path, Karin interrupted chirping birds, "Dad, you know exactly what that monster was, don't you?"

"I told you I couldn't see it," Dad said in his serious voice that he rarely used.

"But I described it to you," Karin pressed. "I know you know what it is, and I bet you could see it now. That black butterfly was a ghost just like that monster, because last week one flew right by your face and you didn't react. Now you're making a massive deal out of it."

Yuzu looked back. "I remember that. We were shopping for clothes, right?"

Karin nodded.

And Dad was rubbing his chin, losing composure one stroke at a time. He started laughing. He started crying fake tears. "My little girls are so observant and smart. Oh, Masaki, I wish you were here to see how much they've grown!"

"Don't dodge the question," Karin said.

"Is it true, Dad?" Yuzu asked. "Are those butterflies also ghosts? Are they really dangerous?"

Dad sniffed, wiped his eyes on his sleeve, and sighed. "Alright, you two, I suppose you've earned some answers. That monster, with the white mask and hole in its chest, was a Hollow. They come from a separate dimension called Hueco Mundo. They're here to eat our souls so they can grow stronger. And don't worry, Ichigo's soul wasn't eaten."

"How do you know?" Yuzu asked, her belly churning in worry.

"Trust me," Dad said, "we would know, and not in the good way."

Karin was frowning. "What do you mean by that?"

"Ichigo's soul held an unusually high level of spiritual power. You probably felt it when he thought he was training in secret in the basement. When a Hollow eats a soul as powerful as his, it will surely evolve directly to its final form. If that happened, the entire town would've been in danger." Dad made a grandiose gesture with his fist. "Fortunately, there are forces on the side of good from Soul Society here to protect us!"

Karin scoffed. "I was believing you, but as soon as you starting talking about final forms, I knew you were talking hot air."

Dad laughed. "Believe it or not, it is the truth."

Karin scowled at him. "And how do you know? Who told you all this?"

"It does sound a little ridiculous," Yuzu admitted in a small voice.

"Reality is a ridiculous place," Dad said.

"And what about the butterflies?" Karin asked. "Are they baby Hollows?"

In the flip of a switch, Dad was back to goofy mode. "Let's not talk about that right now, girls! We're late to Ichigo's memorial! Those butterflies can wait for at least a decade or two or ten!"

They were late.

Yuzu quickened her springy steps uphill, soon arriving atop a steep flight of stairs where gravestones were lined in terraced rows. A cloud drifted in front of the sun, casting a cool shadow on the cemetery, as they neared Mother's gravestone. A small crowd was already gathered, all friends of the Kurosakis. No family. Most of them were Ichigo's classmates. One by one they left bouquets. While Mother's gravestone resembled a beautiful flower, Ichigo's was a towering pillar. A shield.

Yuzu couldn't even cry. She had shed all her tears on the second day. Now, she could only glumly stare.

But one of Ichigo's friends was crying. Weeping. Her hair was orange like his. She was a very pretty girl. Maybe a secret girlfriend? Had to be.

Tatsuki rubbed the girl's shoulder, saying, "Orihime. Don't cry."

"He's gone. He's gone. Ichigo." Orihime's weeping only worsened. "Ichigo. Ichigo. Ichi—" Her voice broke. Her body swayed.

Tatsuki braced her. "He wouldn't have wanted to see you cry over him."

"I know, but—" Orihime started wailing at the top of her lungs like a five-year-old child.

Yuzu wished she had brought ear-plugs, as heartless as that was. Everyone else here was polite enough to maintain composure, but nope, Orihime had to turn this into a teary fiesta, which was affecting Yuzu, her own tears blurring the gathering into a smudge of gray and black and green in the background. Karin passed a pack of tissues, and Yuzu breathed in the tissue's lavender aroma as she dabbed her eyes. Lavender had been Mother's favorite.

Another one of Ichigo's friends, a skinny black-haired boy with glasses, approached the gravestone and left a metal five-pointed star cross. A religious symbol? His fingers curled into fists, tightening until his knuckles were white and shaking.

"Um, I don't mean to be rude," Tatsuki said, "but why are you here, Uryu? You barely knew Ichigo."

"He was my classmate," Uryu said, "and by my honor… It would be insulting if I didn't attend. May the afterlife have mercy for you, Kurosaki. I know they wouldn't have any for me."

Yuzu nodded to herself. Definitely religious. An obscure religion at that.

"What— What do you— Mean by that?" Orihime asked in between sniffles.

"Let's just say the afterlife isn't a merciful place."

Tatsuki blew a tired breath. "You repeated what you already said."

"I know I did," Uryu mumbled. "I just don't have any other way to put it. It's not merciful. How else can I say that?"

A tall well-built darker-skinned boy, whom Yuzu recognized as Chad, stepped forward. "You can start by explaining why you think it isn't merciful."

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe I'm obligated to do so." Uryu pushed up his glasses, then walked away, past Yuzu, toward a tall white-haired man, his father. His father was looking at Mother's gravestone, and Dad joined him, exchanged a couple of hushed words.

"Don't bother eavesdropping," Karin said. "They're probably talking all cryptically."

"How do you think they know each other?" Yuzu asked.

"Beats me."

"Mister Ishida runs the hospital," a black-haired boy said. He was shorter than Chad, and his face was a lot more boyish. He looked nerdy. "I'm Mizuiro, by the way. He's Keigo."

"Nice to meet you," Keigo said. His dark-brown hair was messy at best and in need of a stylist at worst. He was kind of cute in a scruffy way.

Yuzu put on a friendly smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Nice to meet you too, I'm Yuzu."

"I'm Karin. You said he runs the hospital? I guess that makes sense. Dad always calls the receptionists there as if he's someone important, and it seems to work. He usually gets his way."

"Maybe your father used to work for Mister Ishida," Mizuiro said.

Karin half-shrugged. "It doesn't matter."

Yuzu was of similar mind, already uncaring of the adults. "Were you two and Ichigo close?"

"We met on the first day of high school," Mizuiro said in a bashful, sad tone. "Long story short, Ichigo and Chad saved us from getting beat up by some hoodlums. We've been friends ever since, hanging out every day at school."

"Pretty much," Keigo said.

"Fascinating," Karin said. "Two punks and two weaklings."

"Hey, I'm not weak," Keigo said, pouting like a girl.

"Then challenge Chad to an arm wrestle," Karin said.

Keigo cut a sideways-glance at Chad, nervously grinning. "Ah, no need for that. I'm pretty exhausted from working out at the gym."

Yuzu glanced at Keigo's arms and legs. There was very little muscle if any at all. She giggled. "I can see that. You both must work out all the time to look the way you do."

"You're not fooling anyone," Karin said.

Their cheeks took on shades of pink. Mizuiro coughed and mumbled, "My dad did actually buy me weights. I've been thinking to use them."

"Maybe you should." Yuzu poked his elbow with a straight pinky finger. "I like fit boys."

Mizuiro's face became bright red. "Yeah, maybe I should."

"I do sit-ups sometimes," Keigo said, likely honest with that one. "I could add in push-ups and pull-ups."

Yuzu glanced around, and seeing everyone else was distracted, she whispered, "If you can do fifty push-ups and pull-ups, I'll let you kiss me in a closet."

"Yuzu," Karin scoffed. "Too much."

Keigo looked like he just had a stroke while Mizuiro was a mute tomato-head.

Seeing these two trip over their words was quite a pleasant surprise for Yuzu. They were at least two or three years older than her, and she was barely a teenager herself. Sure, she was one of the prettier girls in her class, but she hadn't expected anything like this. She had their total undivided attention. Nearly undivided. They did look at Karin as well, but their eyes were for the most part on Yuzu alone. This attention was invigorating.

Sadly, it ended all too soon.

Dad was suddenly here, all animated, all goofy and berserk again. "You two!"

"Mister Kurosaki," Keigo yelped in a high-pitch voice.

Mizuiro made a frightened squealing sound.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Dad roared. "Don't answer! Because it's obvious that you're chatting up my daughters! At my son's memorial! And they're not even close to your age! What the hell is wrong with you?! Back away twenty steps, now!"

Like robots, they did as commanded.

"Dad," Yuzu whined. "It's not like that. We were just talking."

"Trust me," Dad said, "the way they were looking at you, they were thinking of more than just talking."

Now Yuzu was blushing. "Come on, Dad. You're being silly."

Karin, for once, backed her up: "We just introduced ourselves and talked about Ichigo and school. I don't know what you're talking about, Dad. They seem nice."

Yuzu scribbled a mental note to make Karin her favorite dinner tonight. Chicken bolognese pasta with a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese and chives and cracked peppers. It was a time-consuming dish to prepare but absolutely worth it, especially as a thank you for covering.

Dad, however, wasn't convinced in the slightest, scowling at the boys exactly like Ichigo would. "I'll pretend nothing happened just this once, but don't try anything like that again, got it?"

"Yes, Mister Kurosaki," they said in tandem.

"Dad," Yuzu sighed. "They didn't do anything." Guilty worms nestled into her belly. Lying like this wasn't something she would do normally. But this was something that she had to do. She didn't know why. She didn't understand herself. It was a need, more than a want.

In a macho voice, Dad said, "Alright, folks, I'm sure Ichigo's having a magnificent time in the afterlife! I bet he's long forgotten about us, so let's all wish him the best and forget about him!" He started marching. "Let's go, girls!"

Karin scratched her head and followed.

Yuzu's posture sagged as she sauntered down the steps. She didn't look back; that could only get the boys into more trouble, and Dad sometimes had eyes in the back on his head. From now on, she would have to be a lot more stealthy when it came to boys. A sad reality. If only Dad understood. Too bad he didn't.

On the bright side, that black butterfly was back. Her black butterfly. It was friendly. It wasn't a baby Hollow. It settled onto her nose and sat there. A friend.

Yuzu felt her body warming, not because of the sun. Her heart thrummed echoing beats. She had never felt so alive, so good. She felt as though she could take off on her two feet, soar through the sky like her butterfly, and conquer all in her wake.

"Yuzu," Karin whispered, "your eyes are glowing red."

Yuzu giggled. "It's fine, don't worry."

Karin shouted, "Dad, the butterfly is doing something to Yuzu!"

Dad twisted around. His eyes bulged.

Uh oh.

Author's Note: Next chapter is back to Ichigo!

Review Responses

- IchiRuki is the main romantic pairing, but given the world as it is, we can probably expect him to be tempted by other women.

- In canon, Squad 11 does look down on Kido in general. For this story, it is the same.

- Rukia's face and body looks pretty much the same as in canon. But as for her outfit, which is the standard Shihakusho for females, it's like what Yuyu Yayahara is wearing in the recent Hell arc chapter except more revealing. Yuyu herself is wearing even less in this story.