Katsuko ripped off her glasses from her face and dropped them without a care on her desk. It made a brief clacking sound. She rubbed her eyes and looked ahead with a dazed look. All the other students around her were hunched on their desks, working on the math problems the teacher gave. She blinked slowly.
Even though she got good grades, it didn't mean that she was the best example of a studious student. No, she was a student that crammed everything and did everything at the last minute yet was still able to be the best in her class. It was amusing to hear how teachers praised her when they knew nothing about her.
The girl lifted her head to grab her glasses and fold them before closing them into her case. Her eyesight wasn't good. The first signs of her bad eyesight appeared when she was in her fourth year in elementary school. It was from the time spent in front of the computer screen. Despite knowing that she needed to wear lenses, she hated wearing them unless it was necessary. She only wore them in class to see the blackboard, that's it. There was a difference between seeing a car coming her way and reading a blackboard.
She put her head back on the desk and just pushed her chair back a little to rest more comfortably. Ichigo, who was looking down and writing on his work behind her, rose his eyebrows and looked upwards when he saw get close to his desk. But then he went back to his work without thinking about it.
"Hiragi-san, don't tell me you're done with the work already again." that was her teacher's voice. "I gave you fifteen problems to do."
Katsuko just silently picked up her work book and held it up without looking up.
All the calculations were written neatly on her paper for each complicated problem. Keigo was barely able to steal one of her answers since she just plopped it back down without another word.
If you give me any more work to keep me busy, I'm throwing my chair at you.
"Ah, well. You can do what you want since you're done."
"Friggin' math wiz." Haruki muttered sourly, making a few students including Jun snort when he was heard.
Misato Ochi. Her first year teacher in high school was rather laid back. She wasn't too strict compared to the other teachers she had during the last two years in middle school.
Ochi only lectured her once. At first, she was suspicious when caught Katsuko drawing on a piece of paper for eight minutes after she assigned the class some problems to do. She started lecturing her about not taking her studies seriously and that she should not be slacking off. The whole classroom was watching her run her mouth while Katsuko just stared at her indifferently. When she finished her whole discourse, Katsuko just stared at her and wordlessly flipped her book open, revealing all the work she finished in record time. While Ochi was looking over her work, Katsuko looked behind and just gave Ichigo an exasperated look while lightly shaking her head.
After that incident, Ochi never really bothered her about it again.
Katsuko didn't sleep a lot the previous night since she ended up sleeping late. So, she chose to sleep for the rest of the period. She once jerked in her seat from some random spasm, but she fell asleep soundly until the bell rang.
When class was over, Ichigo glanced to his side while putting away his things and saw how Rukia went off on her own again. It wasn't an issue with him since she knew where he ate lunch anyway if she needed him. He was usually up on the roof with his friends. Speaking of friends, he looked in front of him and found Katsuko still in her hunched sleeping position. He got up from his seat with a small sigh and nudged her shoulder with his hand.
"Katsuko. It's lunch time."
Katsuko's head lifted and she squinted her eyes. She looked up at him, "Mmh what?"
Her long black bangs were hanging in her face. He wondered if she ever found them annoying.
"Lunch." He repeated.
"Oh." Katsuko sat up and started stretching in her seat, limbs stretched out like some type of cat. "I'm going to the bathroom first." She said with a little yawn. "Oh, wait don't go yet." she grabbed his wrist to stop him. The girl went into her bag and grabbed a small tied plastic bag that had her lunch in it. "Can you take this with you? I don't want to come back in here to get it." she got up and held it out to him.
"Seriously?" Ichigo gave her a look but still took it anyway.
"Thanks." Katsuko grinned before waving her hand and walking away from her desk.
On her way to the bathroom, she patted her school jacket's pocket to make sure her phone was still in there. When she turned around the corner, she ran into a familiar student. Her soles felt glued to the ground since she didn't take another step once she came face to face with them. The other student yelped in surprise and stumbled a few steps away, nearly tripping.
"Oh! Hiragi-san! I'm sorry." Orihime laughed sheepishly while rubbing the back of her head.
"Hm. It's fine." Katsuko looked disinterested since she literally just woke up from a good nap. She gave Orihime and quick nod before going around her. Katsuko noted how they were practically the same height when she passed her by.
"U-Um, Hiragi-san!"
Katsuko looked over her shoulder.
"Do you want to have lunch with me and the other girls today?" The burnt orange haired girl asked hopefully.
… yeah, not happening. I don't really know you guys…
Plus, I'm surprised she's still asking me this after I've turned her down like five times already.
"Sorry, I'm eating with my friends for lunch." Katsuko said awkwardly. "But thanks anyway." she lifted her hand as a sign of apology before continuing on.
The other girl pouted a little before letting out a sigh.
"And then, I was like 'Hey! You took my bag!'. Then that guy played the fool and offered me some random bag that looked like mine!" Keigo whined.
"So what, did you just take it?" Haruki laughed.
"… Well yeah… when he wasn't looking. It took me fifteen minutes to get it back."
On the roof, under the shade, Katsuko, Ichigo, Jun, Haruki, Chad, Mizuiro and Keigo were eating together in their own circle. Katsuko had found her plastic bag right next to Ichigo who was just eating from his bento while listening to Keigo's little story. So she plopped down next to him and silently started eating.
Katsuko was chewing her sandwich that she held with her right hand while her left swiped the screen of her phone that rested on her knee while she sat criss-crossed. The shorts she wore under her skirt allowed her to sit in whatever position she comfortable with instead of sitting like the typical 'high school girl sitting on the back of her legs' type.
Ichigo glanced at the girl sitting by his right, specifically her right hand. From where he sat, he could catch sight of the black marking on inside of her hand near the start of her index finger, it was relatively small. It looked like a mole or something. He narrowed his eyes at it and frowned.
He remembered the previous day when they had physical education.
…
…
…
"What?!" He half-yelled and half-whispered.
"I'm not mistaken." Rukia told him seriously.
"Are you serious…" Ichigo rubbed his hand on his face. He looked for Katsuko and found her getting teased by Haruki.
He really didn't want Katsuko getting involved in trouble. He knew she was the type to avoid conflict whenever she could. She didn't want to get involved into complicated things.
"Has anyone close to her passed away recently?" Rukia asked while watching her.
"Huh, no."
"Then that rules out that possibility." she mumbled to herself, "Perhaps she's been targeted at random or it's because she actually posses more spiritual power than the average human, just like you. I've seen her look at the mark, something a normal human would not be able to see."
"No way. She's not like me. She can't even see spirits…"
Ichigo stopped. No. Maybe Rukia was right. He remembered that one time he was giving flowers to that one spirit in middle school. Katsuko happened to see him while she was running to catch the bus. The spirit thought that Katsuko could see her even though it didn't seem like it.
Could it be that…?
"Ichigo."
The orange haired teen blinked and looked at Rukia. "What?"
"Follow her home after school in your Soul Reaper form."
"Say what! You want me to stalk her?!"
…
…
…
In the end, he gave in to Rukia's order and followed Katsuko home out of concern. After parting ways with Jun, Haruki and Katsuko, Rukia somehow popped up from around the corner and knocked him out of his body nearby a park. He tailed after the three at his own pace like Rukia asked until it was just Katsuko.
When he got a bit closer to her from behind, he could hear her mumbling the lyrics of some song.
"I never ever ever ever hurry up, I'm never ever ever giving up~"
It made him snort since he didn't think she'd be the type to sing on the way home. After that little snort of his, Katsuko froze and whipped her head around in fright. Then, when she looked directly behind her, Ichigo felt like he was a deer in headlights.
He was sweating.
Katsuko clicked her tongue in annoyance and started speed walking away.
…
…
…
In the end, no Hollow ever appeared around her. It made Ichigo a bit frustrated since he knew her life was still in danger by a Hollow that refused to show itself. It should just try and appear already so he could take it out. According to Rukia, It was very strange since most Hollows would normally track down its prey the moment it got its chance. Something wasn't right.
What was even more confusing was how Rukia told him that the mark had been radiating off weird spiritual pressure. In the morning, it was faint but it gradually grew stronger with every hour until it was time to head home.
Sensing eyes on her, Katsuko stopped chewing and then looked at Ichigo. "What?"
"Um, nothing. Hey, uh, what's that thing on your hand?"
Katsuko seemed to know exactly what he was talking about. "This?" she lifted her other hand and touched it with her finger. "Yeah, it's weird. There was black smudge on my finger a few days ago from using ink. I cleaned it off but now there's this weird dot." she scratched it. "I'm thinking it's a mole or something."
She wouldn't be surprised if it was. When she thought having to see two moles on her face everyday was enough (one on the left side of her mouth and on the right side of her chin), she grew a little mole in the palm of her right hand that she desperately tried scratching of, thinking it was some sort of dirt. That was until her mother had told her that moles could still develop while she was still growing.
Ichigo grabbed her wrist and lowered her hand. "Don't try to scratch it off." He eyed the mark.
Because we don't know what that might do.
"Oh come on. It's not like I'll get hurt by scratching it." Katsuko waved it off.
You don't know that.
He supposed that he should be glad that she was blissfully ignorant about the whole thing. She could get pretty stressed about stuff which eventually led to some unwanted anxiety. She didn't need monsters stressing her out.
Katsuko finished her lunch and started digging in her bag for something she packed. She pulled out a bar of chocolate and held it up. She looked at Ichigo and raised an eyebrow while showing it to him.
"Yeah, sure. I'll finish my lunch first."
Katsuko grinned. She started unwrapping the chocolate. One of Ichigo's favorite things was chocolate. She should have known when he brought that chocolate in his room back when she got caught in the rain. She learned about his love for chocolate when she noticed it was that one small treat he liked bringing to school every now and then.
"Ohh! Chocolate! Can I have some?!" Keigo asked. Jun and Keigo flocked around her like birds asking for pieces of bread. Haruki looked at her from the side and silently asked her for some with his eyes. He was probably using non-existent telepathy due to their same date of birth.
"Yeah, I'll give you 0.3% of it." Katsuko deadpanned at Keigo, making him deflate.
"What about me?" Jun smiled.
"-1%."
Jun gave her a look. "Is our friendship worth nothing to you?"
"I'm kidding." Katsuko giggled a little.
It happened again.
Katsuko watched as Ichigo excused himself and ran off with Rukia tailing after him. She was left standing there with Mizuiro and Keigo.
The black haired girl sighed in before rolling her eyes in annoyance. Just when she thought Rukia wouldn't drag him off somewhere after school, she was wrong. Chad had left the school with some friends he made from another class. Jun and Haruki were at basketball practice, leaving the three with Ichigo who now left in a mad dash.
"Again?" Keigo frowned. "Man, Rukia-chan and Ichigo must really be up to something together…"
"I'm sure it's nothing we should be concerned about." Mizuiro shrugged before looking at Katsuko and smiling at her. "Come on, let's go Katsuko."
"Hm, sure."
"Eh?! What about me?!"
She walked in between the two boys. This was pretty much her first time walking home with just the two boys. Usually, it was just the four of them. Katsuko didn't really feel awkward around them since she spend relatively enough time to get to know them. She already went to the arcade with them as well as fast food restaurants to get something small to eat or drink. Even though she was usually the quieter one even when Chad was there, she still formed a good enough bond with the two to not feel awkward during silence.
Katsuko looked up at the sky.
Why does Rukia keep dragging Ichigo off… It's really weird. She's weird.
As someone who spent a lot of time alone during middle school, she valued the presence of her friends and always did her best to preserve her friendships as long as it was reciprocated. She learned the hard way that friendships couldn't be a one-way street with her constantly trying to keep in touch with old friends from elementary school. She tried. But many of her old friends ended up drifting away from her. The only ones she had left were Tenma, Jun and Haruki. Even though Tenma wasn't someone she constantly spoke to, she was still able to communicate with them without feeling like a wall was between them.
She realized the reason why she didn't like how Rukia kept dragging him off. It made her feel like Rukia was stealing Ichigo away, stealing a friend she cherished. It was like Rukia was threatening her happy illusion.
However, she would never say that out loud due to the fear of being ostracized or something.
Again, she could only passively watch and just hope that things would stay the same.
… Or maybe that was just her being selfish with her friend.
Katsuko looked in front of her.
"Hey, Katsuko." Keigo piped up next to her, causing her to look at him curiously. "Has Ichigo ever run off like that before when you were in middle school?"
She put a finger on her chin. "Hm… Yeah, he used to run off whenever he got an order from Boss Man Miyadate of the Yakuza. Y'know? Killing for money." Katsuko said nonchalantly. Keigo stiffened and looked at her like she revealed to be part of a murder.
"Are you serious?!" Keigo shrieked. "Then is Rukia-chan part of the Yakuza?! Ichigo was really hiding the truth about himself this whole time?! The rumors were true! I bet he's been taking out people left and right without us knowing!" he grabbed his head in horror as he imagined all the scenarios.
"No." Katsuko scoffed. "How dumb can you get?"
"Stop doing this to me!" Keigo cried and immediately grabbed her arm and shook it. She didn't push him off and just smirked.
"You have a wild imagination, Asano-san." The other boy said while looking at his phone.
"Stop calling me that."
Instead of heading straight home, they went to grab bottled drinks from a convenience store and hung out a little. When they reached Matsukura Hospital, they parted ways. Mizuiro and Keigo lived in Naruki city so they always left the group first.
She wasn't really worried about being late though. Her parents weren't going to be home anyway.
Katsuko hummed to the beat of her music while she put away her new water bottle in her bag. She passed by her middle school and observed the students who were part of the soccer club. She even caught a glimpse of her spot where she used to eat. She could literally see herself sitting there by herself with just her music and sandwich.
"It almost feels like a month ago since I was attending this school for the first time." She mumbled to herself before turning around the corner of the street.
While she kept humming to the rhythm of her music, she suddenly felt like she was being watched. Out of caution, she bit her lip and removed her earbuds and tucked them away in her pocket while unplugging it from her pocket. She needed keep her ears open.
If it was one of Ichigo or Chad's usual bullies looking for some advantage, she'd probably need to make a run for it or call the police or something.
She speed-walked into an empty park.
A bad idea.
The sensation of eyes still on her remained.
"Fucking hell, I'm an idiot." She cursed herself for being alone.
All of a sudden, she heard a loud shout that sounded inhuman.
What?!
With a gasp, she turned around once she felt a presence behind her.
"What the hell-?!"
...
...
...
"Good. But next time the Hollow comes after you like that, try swinging your sword instead of guarding against it. You can easily chop off its limb if it moves that slow."
Ichigo huffed. "Fine, fine." he walked over to his body that just laid there in an awkward position.
While Rukia's powers remained with him, she took it upon herself to train him in several ways. One of her training sessions included making him hit some pepper-filled balls. Albeit he didn't train the way she wanted him to, he was still getting some useful training.
While Ichigo was trying to find a way to get back into his body, Rukia's soul pager did its usual beeping noise that indicated the presence of a Hollow. With focused eyes, she eyed the map and scowled. It was pretty far.
"Hey! How the hell do I get back in here again?!" Ichigo yelled in frustration.
"Forget that! There's another Hollow in town."
"Again?! Where?"
"Somewhere in Mashiba… Come on, let's get going!"
Near his middle school?
While was Rukia riding on his back, he jumped over the buildings with haste, leaving his unfortunate physical body behind.
"The signal is close to Mashiba and Kasazaki."
Ichigo picked up the pace.
…
…
…
One minute she was standing, the next she was rolling the ground. Her bag had flung away and her had phone slid away from her across the concrete floor. Her body stopped moving and she ended up on her stomach.
What just happened to me…?
The girl shifted her head to look at whatever hit her. There was something there… it was standing a few feet away. It didn't look like a truck or anything like that. It looked like some type of monster's silhouette. It was not human. She shook her head to move her messy hair out of her face.
It moved.
Then she heard the same eerie shout from a few seconds ago.
Her body started shaking.
What is going on…?! What is that?!
What was really terrifying her is that she couldn't see what was in front of her. She could make out the shape but she couldn't really see it. It was like those cloudy figures that she had been seeing and ignoring for the past few years.
She turned her head and pressed her forehead on the ground, shutting her eyes tightly. "I want go home…" her nails scratched the ground.
I wanna hide.
I wanna go home!
Home was where security was. She wanted to go back there and forget everything that just happened. She wanted to ignore it all and go back to her peaceful life. She never asked for any of this.
Due to that desperate desire, she pushed herself up and snatched her phone off the ground. Then she started running away, she grabbed her bag on the way and never stopped running.
"Mom… Mom…" she muttered as she dashed away further into the park to take a shortcut. Her shaking never hindered her run.
It's five o'clock...
She was at least an hour late.
Just once. If she could just hear her voice just one more time, she was sure it would bring her more courage. Her mother would give her more strength to keep going.
There was a loud shout followed by a loud thump which made the ground beneath her feet shake. That didn't stop her. But something knocked her down. Some type of shock wave made her fall forward. With a groan, she rolled a few times but forced herself to stop and sit up. She whipped around and looked straight behind her.
Her eyes widened.
She could see it clearly now.
The cloudiness was all gone.
She could see it all.
Every detail.
Standing a few feet away from her was a big four-legged monster. It had big hands, a long sharp tail, a hole in the middle of its body, and a scary looking white mask on its face.
Katsuko had stilled at the sight. It honestly felt like something out of a movie. She stiffened when it got closer, it was reaching out to her.
No way... what the fuck. This has to be a dream... monsters aren't real!
Katsuko snapped out of it and forced herself to move with the help of her adrenaline. She moved a bit too late. The moment she tried to dive away and out of its reach, the monster's hand caught her. Katsuko's voice died in her throat when she saw her body move away from the ground. Breathing heavily, she trembled in its grasp before slowly turning her head to stare at the monster in its face.
She didn't know what to think. Her mind was blank.
Her eyes darted to its pitch black holes where its eyes were. Her eyes flickered to the swishing sharp tail that could impale her at any moment. She jolted and looked at the monster's face when its mouth moved.
No... this is all real.
Those cloudy figures I've seeing been this whole time... they were real too.
I just never wanted to admit it since no one could see them like I do...
I wanted to pretend that they never existed.
It's all real, damn it!
"Let me go!" Katsuko screeched while desperately trying to push her arms outwards in an attempt to loosen the monster's hold around her body.
It just laughed at her pathetic attempt. "Finally. It took some time... but I finally found you." the monster moved its face closer to her, making her reel her head away in fright.
Katsuko groaned in pain when it held her body tighter, stopping her futile attempts. "Fuck!"
"No more playing hide-and-seek. It's time to eat!"
She froze when she heard it say that. Immense fear overwhelmed her body when saw the pitch-black interior of its mouth.
"No...!"
Katsuko tried to move away while still trapped.
"NO! GET AWAY!" she closed her eyes tightly.
…
…
…
But you know exactly what to do.
Her eyes shot open.
I could feel it.
My soul… knows exactly what to do.
Her fingers twitched.
It's all familiar to you.
Katsuko closed her eyes again.
I need to get out!
What happened the next second could only be described as if a huge gust of wind pushed her back. That feeling rushed into her, making her suddenly fall down on the ground. When she reopened her eyes, she felt her feet touch the ground. Instinctively, she quickly leaped away from the threat and landed at least ten feet away. That huge distance instantly struck Katsuko as strange.
She looked at the ground.
"... what?"
What she expected to see where the clear shape of her legs along with her school shoes. Instead, she found her legs hidden away underneath a black hakama and her feet covered in white shocks that were wearing those old straw rope sandals. Her eyes widened. She noticed she was wearing a white obi sash around her. She was in a black kimono. What was even stranger was the blue colored grip of a sword that was attached to her left hip, hidden away in a dark blue sheath.
"... what's up the the edo-period look...?"
"What's this? You were a Soul Reaper?"
Katsuko whipped her head back up and found the monster looking at her with what looked like… her body in its hand! If she wasn't shocked before, then she sure was right now. The monster just tossed her body to the side without a single care in the world. She watched it just flop on the ground, it made her wince.
What is... going on?!
"Soul Reaper…?"
Her attention was instantly brought back to the monster when she heard the slightest movement. Her senses were heightened unlike before.
Watch its movements carefully!
She saw it leaping towards her with its mouth open. She jumped away and watched it crashed into a tree that broke in half due to the sudden impact.
This…
Her right hand's fingers twitched when she saw the monster groan and turn to look at her.
I need to draw my sword…
"Let me eat you!"
Katsuko's eyes narrowed with immense focus. Any hesitation or confusion was immediately put aside. Her right hand reached for the sword at her hip and she drew it out from its sheath. When it came after her again, she moved aside without taking her eyes off the monster. It stayed in the same spot. It just stood there without looking back. But this time, its tail shot towards her, pointing the sharp end at her.
The girl saw its tail coming and she side-stepped prior to swinging the blade down on it, cutting off the dangerous part. The monster yowled in pain before shooting his hand towards her to try and stop her.
Katsuko grabbed the grip of the sword tightly and sliced vertically to the upper left. Another scream of pain. Its hand fell on the ground harmlessly. The girl took that as her cue and jumped on the hand to stand on it to deliver a fatal blow. With a shout, she swung the sword downwards, she could feel the blade tearing half of the monster's head.
With an anguished shout, the monster began to dissipate before her eyes. She stumbled off the hand when she felt it disappearing. She kept watching it fade away just in case it might come at her with a second wave of attacks. It didn't. It vanished before her eyes.
She was safe now.
Huh?
Like as if she had been released from a mind controlling spell, her body relaxed before she dropped on her knees and fell forward.
Her body, or whatever she was in right now, felt as heavy as lead. Her eyes were barely able to stay open. The only thing she was able to do was lift her right hand to gaze at the sword before finally losing consciousness.
What's happening to me…?
…
…
…
Honestly! What a baby… losing your strength just like that.
That can't be helped though.
Give her a break.
…
…
…
Ichigo and Rukia arrived at the pinpointed location a minute after the Hollow disappeared. Even though it was gone, Rukia insisted they keep going since she thought it was odd to see that the Hollow had been marked as defeated when she should be the only Soul Reaper in the area. With Rukia by his side, he ran to where the entrance of the park was, and then he found his friend's body laying there, immobile. Her long hair hid her face as she laid flat on the her stomach.
With immense dread, Ichigo rushed over to her with widened eyes. "Katsuko!" he yelled.
He dropped on his knees and picked her up to hold her and checked for injuries. She wasn't bleeding at all. She just had a few scratches.
He shook her lightly. "Katsuko! Hey!"
There was no response.
"Rukia!" Ichigo looked at her, silently asking her for Katsuko's state.
Rukia narrowed her eyes and then lowered her head a little. "… I don't sense her soul within her body."
He stiffened. "What?!" he looked at Katsuko. "Is she dead?! No way..." he gripped her shoulder.
But that had to be the only reason why her soul wasn't in her body.
Maybe if her soul was still around, then maybe Rukia could find a way to put her soul back in her body. Did the Hollow really eat her soul?
"Damn it…" he gritted his teeth. "No…!"
Rukia scanned the area for any trace of the Hollow nor the one responsible for its defeat. She needed to find some sort of clear explanation about Katsuko's current state. However, it could be possible that the Hollow ate her soul before getting killed by something else.
She did a double take when she saw something poking out from behind a singular bush next to a fallen tree. It was the sight of the usual black hakama that any Soul Reaper would have worn. Knowing that Ichigo was distraught over the loss of his friend's soul, she quickly went to go check on unknown Soul Reaper on her own. He didn't even turn his attention away from his friend when Rukia left.
When Rukia reached them, she stopped in her tracks and stared at the sight before her. Her eyes widened in shock.
"… Ichigo… you might want to come here and see this."
…
…
…
Katsuko slowly opened her eyes. Her eyes squinted a little when they were exposed to the brightness. Above her was a big tree's leaves, providing her shade. She could feel the breeze of spring. It looked and felt like she was laying on one of the benches on the park.
She breathed in deeply and turned her head to look at her surroundings. All of a sudden, she saw a face appear above her. It was Rukia. She resisted the urge to scowl in front of her face.
The hell… what are you doing here?
The shorter black haired girl looked up when she saw something. "You're just in time." She pointed at Katsuko. "She's awake now."
The next thing she heard was shoes running against the concrete. Then a familiar voice called her name. Hearing that, she slowly sat up and looked at Ichigo curiously. He was panting.
"Why are you all sweaty?" Katsuko asked in a slight daze.
"I ran here. How are you feeling?" he wiped the sweat off his brow. He seriously had to run all the way back to get back inside his body.
"… Good." Katsuko answered slowly. "I guess. Why?"
"Are you serious?" Ichigo gaped. "You're telling me you don't remember? You got attacked by a Hollow— er… a monster with a mask."
…
…
…
"Ah, so it wasn't a dream."
The orange haired teen face palmed "Damn it, Katsuko."
Rukia crossed her arms and came around the bench to stand next to Ichigo. "Alright, out with it, how do you have Soul Reaper powers?"
Ichigo sweat dropped. "You're gonna ask her like that?"
Rukia really wanted to know what was going on. According to her knowledge, there had never been a recent Substitute Soul Reaper aside from Ichigo. There was something wrong here.
Katsuko noted how Rukia's character dramatically changed from her usual goody-two-shoes act. Seeing her true self actually made her feel more at ease. She seriously hated that overly polite smile of hers.
"… That monster said the same thing…" Katsuko mumbled. "I really have no idea how to answer that question. That monster grabbed me and was about to chomp on me until I literally fell out of my body. Next thing I knew, I was slashing off bits of its body until I sliced its head while looking like I was part of the edo-period. Then I passed out."
Rukia put her hand under her chin. She passed out? It sounded similar to how Ichigo ended up that night when Rukia passed her powers onto him. It was probably her first time fighting as a Soul Reaper. Then that would have meant that it was her first time as one.
"Did you like stab yourself with a sword once?" Ichigo wondered while doing a stabbing motion. He was thinking maybe something similar happened to her.
"What? No!" Katsuko looked at him like he was crazy. "I'm not trying to commit seppuku over here."
"Okay, so she really has no idea." Ichigo deadpanned as he dropped his hands. "Do Hollows have the power to give humans Soul Reaper powers?"
"No. That's impossible." Rukia quickly rejected his theory.
"Still… it's weird." Katsuko gaze at her right hand, remembering the sensation of holding the grip. "At that moment… it felt like I knew what to do, like the scenario wasn't a first for me. It felt familiar."
"Familiar…?" Rukia mumbled. That weird feeling she got from Katsuko when she first saw her came rushing back to her.
"Anyway," Katsuko lowered her hand and gave Ichigo and Rukia a look that demanded to have her questions answered. "Mind explaining what the hell is going on? Why the hell have I been seeing weird figures these past few years, why is there a monster coming after my ass and why am I swinging a sword after seeing a second me? Answers please."
The short haired girl sighed. The Kikanshiki would probably not work with Katsuko since she wasn't just a regular human at this point, much like her orange haired friend.
Compared to Ichigo, Katsuko didn't have a hard time believing her since she had seen enough proof already. Rukia told her about Pluses and Hollows and how Soul Reapers were sent from the Soul Society with the task of exterminating Hollows. Rukia told her that those cloudy figures she usually saw were most likely Pluses which was the proper term for 'ghost'. Pluses are normally sent to the Soul Society through a Konso.
Rukia was a Soul Reaper that came from the Soul Society to take care of Hollows in Karakura Town. Ichigo was saved by her the night before she transferred to their school and he took her powers when they were in a dire situation, which explained the whole mystery of why the two kept running off together. Ichigo had to do her job. She also explained that a Hollow had marked her. The thing she mistook as a mole on her hand was gone.
"I guess I don't have to worry about where I'll go when I die… I was worried about that lately." Katsuko mumbled. "Can't believe you stole all her powers you thief." She snickered at Ichigo, already making the situation lighter.
"Hey! It's not my fault, how am I supposed to control how much power I take?!" Ichigo argued.
"I dunno? By not being greedy?"
"I just said-!"
"You can die a second time as a soul in the Soul Society." Rukia interjected. "When that happens, the soul is newly reborn into the human world as a regular human. Then it repeats. We call that the Cycle of Transmigration."
While Katsuko was sitting properly on the bench, Rukia squatted down in front of Katsuko and observed her thoughtfully. Katsuko didn't like how she was being analyzed so closely.
"The way you say that it all felt familiar… I'm hypothesizing that your soul was once that of a Soul Reaper that died, but was somehow able to retain their Soul Reaper abilities. If that's so, then it would be an unforeseen error in the cycle…"
"So, in my past life, I was a Soul Reaper that died?" Katsuko summarized.
"Probably." Rukia nodded. "I've never heard of a case like yours. But it's the only thing I can think of right now."
Ichigo crossed his arms. "So?" he looked down at Rukia. "What's going to happen to her?"
Rukia could not ask the Soul Society about this. It would most likely end up with them sending someone from the Research and Development to investigate this strange phenomenon. When that happens, Rukia wasn't sure if she could hide her secret since they might sense that she did not have any power. That would also put Ichigo in danger of getting killed since he wasn't supposed to have her powers to begin with.
"Nothing." Rukia got up and started walking away. "For now, we leave things as they are."
Katsuko quirked an eyebrow.
So… I get to keep this weird power? What the heck?
Not that it matters. I don't really know how to use it.
She didn't really want to spend her days slaying Hollows left and right.
"Seriously?" Ichigo lowered his arms in disbelief. "And where are you going?!"
"Somewhere." she waved her hand dismissively.
The orange haired boy clicked his tongue at her response. It wasn't any of his business anyway so he didn't dwell on it. He looked at Katsuko and found her staring at him with furrowed brows.
"What?" he said bluntly.
Katsuko blinked. "Hm? Oh nothing. Just wondering what you looked during your part time job as a Soul Reaper."
"Rukia said that all Soul Reapers wear the same thing. It's not that different from you."
Katsuko scoffed. "Aside from our difference in sizes you mean, you frigging tree." She got up from the bench and stretched her limbs. She didn't feel like she broke anything, that was good.
"I'll walk you home." He motioned his head toward the path and then started walking. He wanted to make sure she got home safe after everything that just happened.
This made her gather her things and quickly hurry to catch up to him. "Thanks."
…
…
…
"So, how long have you been able to see spirits?" Ichigo asked as he stuffed one hand into pocket. Katsuko hopped on one foot while she looked at her left knee.
"Hm… I guess since I was nine since it was sometime around the fourth grade. How about you?" she traced the scratch with frown before walking properly.
So she really did see that spirit back then.
Ichigo breathed out through his nose audibly before looking up. "For as long as I can remember. I used to mistake ghosts as real people."
"Yeesh, a real weirdo. You probably looked like you were talking to an imaginary friend."
Ichigo just sighed tiredly. No matter what the situation she was in, she still found away to throw some joking comment. She still pretended that everything was alright despite the near-death experience she went through. That just showed how much she cared more about having simplicity in her life than something that almost killed her. Even though she knew that she could potentially get targeted again, she still paid no mind to it. She probably didn't want to stress herself out over it.
"By the way, what happened when you found me?" she looked at him curiously while they waited for the light to turn green.
Ichigo scowled. "Well, I thought you were dead."
"Oof." Katsuko grimaced. "And how'd you react?"
"What do you think?" he counter-questioned.
"You celebrated?" Katsuko grinned.
He gave her an exasperated look, making her laugh sheepishly. They started walking when the light turned green.
"Don't even joke about that."
"My bad. Anyway, I'm guessing Rukia was the one who put me back in my body?"
Ichigo nodded. "She did some type of Soul Reaper magic trick to put you back inside. After that we just put you on the bench and waited for you to wake up."
Katsuko hummed. She reached for her pocket and checked for her phone just in case she left it in the park. She wasn't foolish enough to start running her mouth to Jun and Haruki about her experience even though she wanted to. She was always the type to tell her friends and her mother about things that happened around her. She wondered if she could keep her mouth shut about it.
Ah, I'm probably not good at keeping secrets since I like talking about stuff. I want to tell someoneeee.
On the way home, Katsuko clearly saw her first Plus. Like a kid, she started tugging Ichigo's arm and started pointing at it like if it was some seventh wonder. This wasn't the reaction he was expecting her to have towards ghosts.
Pluses were no longer just set aside like some background image, Katsuko was looking at them properly now that her eyes had opened.
Katsuko was interacting with a young girl's soul who seemed glad to be able to talk to somebody.
As Ichigo stood on the side next to her, he silently watched his friend while feeling a bit frustrated with himself.
His friend could have died right there if it were not for that soul error thing. Her future would have been stolen away. He would have been too late to save her from a Hollow that no doubt frightened her greatly. He wouldn't have been able to protect her.
He clenched his fist tightly.
But he was glad that she was still alive. For that, he had to make sure to do better on his Hollow hunting jobs.
…
…
…
"An error in the Cycle of Transmigration?" a man repeated.
After leaving Ichigo with Katsuko, Rukia went straight to the area of Mitsumiya where a certain shop was located. It looked like a typical shop on the outside, but it was also a place where Soul Reapers can seek aid from the shop's owner. She was currently speaking to him as he sat on the genkan.
His eyes were shadowed due to the bucket he was wearing. He rubbed his stubbly chin thoughtfully. "While it is a plausible theory, there's also the possibility that this Hiragi had developed her own powers due to her higher concentration of spiritual power. That's what you said right, you could sense that she had more than the average human. It could be that her powers are simply an imitation of a Soul Reaper's?"
"Is it really?" Rukia frowned as she stared at the ground. She still didn't get the straight answer she desired. She thought that asking the founder of the Research and Development might provide her with some clear answers, but it seems like that wasn't going to be the case.
"There is still much we don't know about when it comes to humans obtaining their own powers except that it's possible." he said, providing a more rational explanation. The man whipped out his fan and started fanned himself. "But anyway, I wouldn't dwell too much on the subject. After all, you already have your hands full keeping your little secret."
This made Rukia uncross her arms and sigh. He was right. There wouldn't be any point in discussing about it right now. She wanted to ask one more thing but she figured it would be best to let it go for now. It wasn't like she'd be able to confirm with the Soul Society since it might raise suspicion.
"By the way, how long until my order arrives?"
"I'd say just a few days. Don't worry, I'll call you~"
With that, Rukia left the shop.
Urahara, who kept the lower half of his face hidden behind his fan, just sighed heavily. He closed his fan and scratched his neck with a little frown.
"Error, huh?"
My dummy self thought I could fit the things planned for this chapter along with the stuff I cut out from the last one. Nah. Stuff got cut out again.
Katsuko's a living mistake lmao. To be honest, when I was writing Katsuko slashing that Hollow... the first thing that popped into my mind was little Mikasa with a knife.
SO anyway, now we finally got something interesting that happened! All will be explained in time. Also, Katsuko's encounter with the Hollow takes place before Orihime's. She is the first person in the group who gets involved with a Hollow. The reason for that is because of when Katsuko had a reaction to Ichigo right after he came back from killing a Hollow the day Rukia showed up at school. I thought that the event had to follow right after instead of following the canon plot.
A few more chapters until we get to the Soul Society Arc. UGGHHhhh
Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I look forward to reading your reviews!