It was the middle of the lunch period and Katsuko was sitting at a table under some shade in an isolated place on campus with Haruki and Jun. The roof where she usually ate lunch was somewhere behind her getting roasted by the sun. Earlier she took one glance at the rooftop after she reached the top of the stairs and was immediately turned off by the idea of eating there. There was no shade big enough to hide her and all her friends. Keigo and Mizuiro were the only ones up there so far. When Keigo saw her, he waved his hand cheerfully only to have a response of Katsuko shutting the door and going back down. On the way down, she bumped into her two friends and decided to eat with them.
Haruki scooted closer to her and showed her a picture of a store.
Katsuko tipped her head curiously to get a better look.
"Do you want to come along?" Jun asked while drinking his juice box.
"Why? What's so special about that place?"
Haruki tapped and scrolled his phone to show her a new picture. "They sell a bunch of snacks and food, like food, food. They even have bubble tea."
Immediately, a light orange drink with black pearls popped in her head. Yeah, that sounded nice.
"Sure, I don't mind." Katsuko scrolled the phone curiously. "When do you want to go?"
"After our finals?" he shrugged.
She blinked several times. "We gotta wait that long?"
"Think of it as a reward for after we finish our exams." Jun grinned and drank from his soda can. "We can finally take it easy with a nice cool drink."
"I guess." Katsuko sighed and stretched her arms with a yawn.
Hanging out with Haru and Jun was definitely one of her favorite pass times. It must be rooted from all the times they came over her house to hang out.
…
…
…
TWO WEEKS LATER
After cramming for her tests and doing everything at the last minute, the freshmen's first semester exam scores were put up on the wall for everyone to see. They were all talking and about it.
As Katsuko looked up at the paper, she felt her eye twitch.
"Third place? You always do so well." She heard Tatsuki.
"Wow! Orihime, you're that smart?"
"Wonderful!" Chizuru squealed. "You are my Hime, after all!"
Katsuko clicked her tongue in annoyance at the sound of her voice. Chizuru's volume wasn't helping her mood right now.
Why the hell…?!
"Well," Keigo stepped forward. "besides the girls doing well, no one betrayed us by getting into the 50." He said proudly.
Mizuiro pointed at a number. "Look carefully." He tapped the paper with his finger which showed that Ichigo was ranked number 23 for the test scores.
"WH-WHAT?! 23RD PLACE?!"
"Ugh, be quiet number 82." Katsuko scowled and moved away from him as he kept on whining to Ichigo about his ranking.
"Katsuko!" Haruki exclaimed happily.
"Ah?" Katsuko scowled as the boy bounced over to her, wrapped an arm around her shoulders and then ruffled her hair excitedly. "You got freaking first place?! You damn smartass!"
"I'm not surprised actually." Jun patted her head.
Orihime clapped her hands together. "Wow! That's amazing!"
"You're really smart." Tatsuki praised with an impressed look, nodding her head.
Keigo made a dying sound and gaped at her. "WH-WHAT?! YOU RANKED F-F-FIRST?! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!"
Ichigo and Katsuko stared at him apathetically.
"I do well on tests because I study for them." Ichigo simply said.
"Yeah, and I don't sit on my ass and pray for a good grade." Katsuko narrowed her eyes at him. "I couldn't rank 82 even if I tried." She eyed him up and down.
"And besides, it should have been obvious by now that Katsuko was the smart one." Ichigo deadpanned while pointing his chin at the girl who stared at Keigo blankly, "I don't see why you're so surprised."
Horrified about the reality of being surrounded by people who were smarter than him, he sought out Chad, Haruki and Jun in an attempt to maintain balance within their group. Unfortunately for him, they were ranked 5th, 35th and 39th. It made Keigo and Mizuiro run away from them.
"What an idiot." Katsuko spat in irritation, causing Haruki to look at her oddly.
"What's wrong with you? Why the attitude?"
Katsuko huffed and nudged her chin at the paper. "Freaking second place was right behind me."
She scored 897 on her exam while a guy named Ishida Uryuu had scored 896. If he had scored a point higher, she might have had to share her throne with some other guy. A displeasing thought indeed.
She felt threatened.
"Aren't you happy that you ranked first?" Chad wondered.
Katsuko scratched the back of her neck, "Of course… I just don't want any damn competition." She admitted sourly.
"Ishida… Ametatsu…" Ichigo said slowly as he read the name. "No… that's not it."
Katsuko quirked a brow. "You dummy. It's Uryuu. At least get the names of your classmates right."
Ichigo jolted and snapped his head towards her. "He's in our class?!" he exclaimed. He whipped his head back in front and stared in disbelief. He couldn't believe that guy was ranked that high.
"No way…"
Oirhime smiled with her hands behind her back. "Well, Ishida-kun doesn't really talk much and he definitely doesn't stand out like Kurosaki-kun's group, so he might be hard to remember."
Katsuko put her hand on her hip and inwardly sighed. Of course, someone like him would never be etched in Ichigo's memory. I remember where that guy sits in class though. That's better than him.
…
…
…
When school was over, Katsuko and her elementary school friends left together since they could finally get on with their little trip with Mayuka. Finally.
They met her somewhere around the corner of her school where she was waiting with her school bag. Upon seeing the three approach her, she broke into a huge smile.
Mayuka practically glomped Katsuko, hugging her tightly against her.
"M-Mayuka—!" Katsuko wheezed and patted her back. Mayuka was a girl that was slightly taller than her with long brown hair. She wore glasses like Katsuko, but unlike her, she wore them constantly.
Mayuka pulled away and grinned at her. "Just feels like forever since I saw you."
"And it was worth almost breaking my back?" Katsuko gave her a look.
"Yes." Mayuka nudged her side with her elbow.
Haru waved his hand from behind the black haired girl. "Yo, I'm here too?"
"Oh. Hey, Haru."
"Gee, okay. Good to see you too."
"Hi." Jun smiled at her with a simple wave.
"Hey, Jun. You doing okay?" Mayuka grinned amicably at him and casually fell into step next to him.
"Just a little hungry. You?"
Behind them, Haru and Katsuko exchanged childish looks with each other when they saw the two next to each other. Haru made a heart with his hands and jutted his lip. Katsuko snickered and nudged him with his elbow.
"So, do you guys want to stop by anywhere before we go?" Mayuka wondered, glancing over her shoulder to look at all the members in the group (Haru quickly dropped his hands and feigned innocent).
The three of them answered negatively since they just wanted to grab something to eat and drink from this store that Mayuka spoke highly about. They had been craving for something to eat midway through their last period of the day. It didn't help that the teacher went off on a tangent and started talking about food, the devil. She could probably hear Jun or Haru's stomach growling a little.
On the way there, they took the liberty to catch up on each other's lives so far. Aside from Jun, Haru and Katsuko didn't see Mayuka very often since she was attending another school and had her own things to deal with.
Katsuko was enjoying the sudden thrill of a group outing after school.
…
…
…
"My little sister is such a liar." Haru sighed. "She tells everyone 'oh I have no friends at school' but then I see her facetiming a friend and laughing."
"Did she want attention?" Mayuka guessed while chewing on a fry.
Haru did an exaggerated shrug. "I don't freaking know. But when I confronted her about it by saying 'Oh? You don't have friends, huh? Sure'. She just gave me a nasty look and said 'Don't talk to me'."
Jun sputtered a laugh with Katsuko.
"I'm like what the hell?!" Haru raised his hands. "I was like 'Okay! Fine be like that! Don't come to me when you need help!'"
"What, are you going to tell her not to talk to you when she needs your help?" Katsuko smirked.
"Yes!" Haru huffed.
"So petty." Mayuka giggled.
"I don't care."
They were sitting in a small park with their drinks and food that they bought earlier and simply enjoying their time together when Katsuko had felt something off.
Katsuko's eyes widened. She raised her head like a dog perking its head up suddenly. Her friends who were sitting at her table all gave her confused looks. They all looked in the direction where she was staring at, thinking that she heard or saw something unusual. But, no. There was nothing.
It's just like last time.
Haru nudged her side with his arm, startling her a little and making her look at him. "H-Huh?"
"What's wrong?"
She stared at him dumbly, not quite sure what to say. Mayuka and Jun were chewing on their food and staring at her as well.
She needed to leave.
NOW.
It was the spiritual pressure of a Hollow.
She became familiar with the different types of spiritual pressures of supernatural beings that appeared around her. It would help her decide whether or not she should be alarmed or composed whenever she sensed it. Also, when she asked Rukia about what she should do in case a Hollow appeared around her friends, she was told to run away. Apparently, Hollows liked to seek out prey with high spiritual pressure to feast on.
Katsuko wasn't the average human being so hers was considerably high compared to her friends around her.
Katsuko blinked several times. Then she groaned and slapped her hand on her forehead before slumping in her seat. "Damn, I forgot I was supposed to go straight home today!"
"Why?" Jun lowered his drink. "Did something happen?"
"I have an appointment at the dentist today. I was supposed to use this time to rest and wait for my mom to get home!" Katsuko instantly started gathering her things together. "Sorry, I have to go before she gets back." She pulled out her phone and checked the time. She grimaced. "She's going to be home in at least 10 minutes!"
Haru burst out laughing. "Oh shit, you better hurry up then." He patted her back and as she snatched her drink from the table.
"We'll hang out next time again, sorry guys!" Katsuko grinned sheepishly and started running out of the park.
"Sure! Just hurry up!" Mayuka yelled.
"Take care! Don't run in the streets!" Jun hollered after her as she continued running.
Katsuko didn't look back as she ran into the streets looking for another empty area. She needed to get away from other people for the time being. Hopefully, Rukia and Ichigo would show up and take out the Hollow once it flashed on her their radar.
"Stupid freaking Hollow…" Katsuko muttered under her breath and pitched her watermelon flavored bubble tea in the nearest trashcan. "Wasted money on something good. DAMN!"
She was somewhere in the Mistumiya area when the Hollow finally showed itself. It jumped down before her and let out a roar. Katsuko groaned and staggered away from the Hollow. No matter how many times she saw them, she felt slightly afraid at her helplessness. But unlike the first time, she wasn't totally afraid since she was counting on the possibility of Ichigo and Rukia showing up any second now.
"Such high spiritual pressure." The Hollow laughed eerily.
"Ah, fuck off." Katsuko bolted the other way.
"Foolish, human! You really thing you can outrun me?!" She could feel the pounding off its feet running up behind her. The girl looked over her shoulder and saw its tongue darting towards her. With a shriek, she slipped into an alleyway and ran down the path until she made it to the other side.
She kept at it.
"Seriously, the only thing I can do right now is run from it?!" Katsuko whined as she recovered from a stumble. "This sucks!" she grabbed her shirt over her chest and lightly knocked her chest. "Hey! Soul Reaper power, wake the hell up! I don't want to die!"
It was stupid. She knew that, but what choice did she have?!
The Hollow was hot on her trail. It was following her from above.
Right as she exited the alleyway, she turned her head when she sensed something next to her. She was on high alert. She thought it was the Hollow or something. Instead, there was a man dressed in dark green holding the end of his cane near her head. It was all happening in slow motion.
"Wha…?"
"Need a hand?" was all he said before she felt the familiar rush of wind down her back as the cane pushed her out of her body. He was able to easily touch her with his cane since she got so startled that she skidded to a stop.
Katsuko sat up in shock in her Soul Reaper form and gaped at the man that was now holding her limp body.
Wait. This stranger was holding her body.
Hands off.
"Um, that's mine…" Katsuko said awkwardly as she got up.
Then, Katsuko quickly yelped and leaped away from her spot just in time to avoid getting crushed by the Hollow's weight. Yeah, her senses were heightened again. It felt like she had another eye.
Without hesitation, she grabbed the sword at her hip and held it in both hands while glaring at the Hollow. Compared to the first Hollow she fought, this one didn't seem to surprised by her revelation. Maybe Hollows could sense the difference like Soul Reapers?
Her mistake was letting her mind wander off since she didn't react in time to avoid a sharp tongue that cut her shoulder.
That was a first.
With a cry of pain, she gritted her teeth and took a look at her bleeding shoulder. She inhaled sharply at the sight of the wound. It wasn't bad but it wasn't something she liked seeing.
Holy crap! That shit just cut me! How the hell am I going to heal that?!
Realizing that she wasn't focusing on the Hollow, she quickly brought her attention back and saw how it leaped towards her with its mouth open, thinking that its first attack gave it the opening it needed. With whatever innate reflex that her soul had, she rolled over (and knocked her head on the concrete harder than she should have) and ended up behind it.
With a shout, she swung her blade and sliced one of its legs off. It wailed and tried to keep its balance on one while Katsuko quickly got back up on her feet.
The Hollow fell forward and looked back, "You wench—!" She didn't hesitate to plunge her sword in the middle of its forehead after flipping it, she looked at it straight in the eyes as it cried out. She shifted her hands to properly grip the sword before she turned and sliced upwards.
The girl peeked over her shoulder and saw how the Hollow disappeared.
With a hiss, she dropped her sword and reached for her shoulder. It seriously hurt. When she pulled her hand away, she could see her fresh blood. It made her grimace.
My god... This injury is straight out of an action movie or something...
The man that had caught her body earlier stepped in front of her and picked up her sword and tutted. She blinked at him. He was carrying her body on his shoulder with ease.
"Now is not a good time to just drop your sword." He told her seriously. "There are Hollows appearing everywhere in Karakura Town, you can feel it, can't you?"
…
…
He's right… I'm sensing a bunch of Hollows… I wonder why… It also feels like there's way too many for just one person to handle.
And wait…
Katsuko eyed the man suspiciously.
Who was this guy with the striped bucket hat? Was he human? If he was, then he's not just some normal human.
"Yeah. So, I'll just get back in my body and hide somewhere until the problem is dealt with. It's not my job." She sheathed her sword and pointed at her body. "How do I get back in there?"
"You want to turn away?"
"Huh?"
He breathed through his nose and looked up at the sky. "The Hollows attracted to this town are low-level and weak, but they certainly pose a threat to any normal human living here. Any human with even the slightest amount of higher spiritual pressure can be targeted as a result since Hollows crave it. Soul Reapers are obviously also targeted."
Katsuko flinched when she heard a familiar eerie cry echoing somewhere behind her.
The stranger looked away from the sky and back at her.
Unlike with Yasutora Sado and Inoue Orihime, Hiragi Katsuko was aware of what kind of enemies she would be facing in the future if she chose to use her powers. He knew about her from Kuchiki. Her problem was that she didn't clearly look at the picture in front of her. She simply went along with the flow of things. Passivity. He could see it from the way she killed that Hollow and want to return back in her body.
A hollow? Kill it. When the job is done? Get back inside the body and resume normalcy. Don't think too much. That was her mindset.
Never gave a serious thought about the powers she wields.
She needed realize the importance of her power and what it could truly mean for her.
"A-And?" Katsuko spoke, cautious about her surroundings.
"I'm just trying to make you aware of the fact that you already have one foot through the door that was accessible to you. You can do something about the Hollows because you have the power to do it. The choice to act is up to you."
A foot through the door?
The power to do it?
The power that lets Ichigo and Rukia do what they do?
…
…
…
"Yeah… okay, but I'd like to get back inside my body…" Katsuko scratched the back of her head. "This isn't something I can do. I'd rather not." she said without hesitation.
The stranger blinked. He tipped his head a little, "I see."
Abandoning total blissful ignorance in exchange for something more complex did seem a bit intimidating. He could not blame her for rejecting the door that was opened to her. She was only human after all.
As the stranger began to put down her body on the ground, Katsuko simply watched with a straight face and waited patiently.
There was no way someone like her could do it. She wasn't the type to go out and just slay a Hollow whenever one popped up. It never even crossed her mind.
Ichigo and Rukia were there to get rid of them anyway.
...
...
...
Yes, but what happens when they aren't there?
Katsuko blinked.
Hollows go after humans with noticeable spiritual pressure.
One day, it might come after her while she's just eating dinner at home. It could just barge in a kill her family.
What happens when I'm with my friends?
A Hollow might just kill them all.
One Hollow might as well have done that today if she didn't leave them.
The horrifying scenarios of death about the people she cared about began to plague her mind. It was terrifying.
It was the fear of loosing the things she deeply cared about that contributed to her happy illusion. She didn't want to go through another reality shattering moment that dispelled her happy illusion. That pain. She didn't want to feel the pain and cruelty that the world always had to offer.
It doesn't take much for that illusion of happiness to be destroyed since it was always so fragile to begin with.
The stranger looked up at her. "Could you come closer to your body?"
Katsuko never answered him.
The man watched the pensive look on her face as she stared at her body.
She hated that feeling of being so helpless when she saw her happy illusion's shattered pieces. Once it breaks, it never goes back to the way it was.
Helpless and passive.
…
…
…
Katsuko could only listen from her seat in the living room as her mother talked on the phone in the kitchen. She called one of her employers that treated her more like family. She cried on the phone. Katsuko winced she she heard her mother's voice crack from the emotional pain. It was gut wrenching and terrifying. It made Katsuko grip her sweater's sleeve silently.
Katsuko's heart was beating so fast. She was like a child who couldn't do anything but watch her mother cry. She didn't know what to do. She felt so helpless while her heart broke for her mother who was heartbroken by his constant betrayals and lies. She wanted to cry too.
She was silent on the outside but her inner self was crying, screaming and trashing around. Everything was so out of her control.
…
…
…
That day when her mother cried on the phone.
She didn't know what to do that day and so she sat back and left her alone. It was only a natural for a child to feel helpless and at a loss when they heard their mother cry. It was confusing and heartbreaking.
But even still, after much time had passed from the incident, she sometimes would reflect back on that moment and feel regret. It made her think about how if she could have somehow given her mother comfort, anything at all, to just ease her pain even a little. She wasn't sure if it could have helped but she certainly knew that she would never know since she never tried to do anything in the first place.
She forever missed that chance to try.
Am I really going to do that?
I'll be sitting back and watching a Hollow commit evil to the people I care about while knowing full well that I could have done something about it in the first place.
Katsuko clenched her fists.
But I can't do what Ichigo and Rukia does…
I'm not like that…
...
...
...
Then she realized that it was precisely this type of thought that would lead her to taking a step back.
She wasn't going to even try.
She never even stopped to think about the benefits.
The rare chance that's presented in front of her was what she could be seizing to preserve her current life. It was presented right in front of her eyes.
The chance to selfishly preserve what was hers was in her hands.
And the sword at her hip would be the key to preserving it.
It was all there in front of her.
She just needed act and seize the chance while it was there.
If she didn't, then she would be living with another regret that would come back to haunt her.
I have to try...
"Um…" Katsuko finally spoke. The man in the hat had actually been watching her for a bit since she seemed quite conflicted and lost in her own thoughts. "Hollows will come after Soul Reapers… right?"
The man in the hat stared at her. "Yes. That's right."
"Ah, right." Katsuko nodded dumbly. "So…"
… If I can sort of attract their attention somewhere and deal with them… maybe I can help Ichigo get rid of these things. I'm sure he must be out there trying to thin the numbers.
This guy said that they're weak Hollows… I don't think I should worry too much.
Rukia told me I might have the soul of a Soul Reaper that died. That should be plausible theory since I shouldn't be fighting Hollows like the way I do.
Something within drives me to act against a Hollow like an instinct.
With that information… I can at least believe that I'll be able to do something.
Reduce the chances of those people getting hurt.
Just then, she felt the ground shake followed by the eerie roar of a Hollow. The black haired girl whipped her head back and saw the Hollow racing towards her from afar. She looked back at the strange man and pointed at her body.
"I'll just leave this with you for now… I'll come back here later!" Katsuko quickly said before dashing off without looking back. When she turned around a corner, the Hollow skidded to a stop and jumped into the air to track her down from above.
Urahara sighed and then shook his head a little. He picked up the body and heaved it back on his shoulder.
...
...
...
She lost count of how many Hollows she had slain while running throughout the town. She was attracting them and they were attracting her to kill them. It was exhausting. But something inside her was always pushing her forward to keep going, she wasn't sure if it was her desire to feel no regret or her soul.
She was on a high and it helped lessen the pain in her shoulder.
With her soul sensing abilities, she ended up in a park where she found a bigger number of Hollows just sitting around in a circle.
Okay. Endure it. There's still more!
She ran towards them and quickly killed two that looked back. When they dissipated together, she was met with a clear view of two people standing in the middle of the little circle.
Ichigo was standing there in his Soul Reaper attire with some other guy. That other guy was standing back to back with him while holding him a glowing blue bow.
She recognized him.
"Ichigo…? And… Ishida?"
"Katsuko?" Ichigo lowered his sword a little in surprise but he quickly hardened his focus when he saw a Hollow lunging at him. "What are you doing here?!" he slashed the Hollow with his sword.
Katsuko side stepped and killed another. "Taking a stroll in the park! What does it look like?!" she killed two more. "I was having a fun time with my friends until a Hollow stalked me! Why the hell is there so many?!"
Ichigo scoffed and nudged his head towards Ishida. "You can blame this guy! He wanted to have this Hollow killing competition."
After shooting a couple of Hollows, Ishida shuddered when he felt her staring at him apathetically. Her face gave nothing away but he could feel the spiritual pressure radiating off her, it was growing stronger. It was most likely converted from her irritation.
Did this guy cause all these Hollows to show up? What the fuck!
She clicked her tongue.
"Um… about that—" Ishida sweat dropped. He blinked when he caught something in his peripheral vision. The Hollows were acting a bit strange.
Katsuko looked up at the sky and gasped in horror. There was some freaky monster poking its head out of a crack in the sky! What the heck?!
"Okay, now what?!" Katsuko stepped a few feet away as if it would help create more distance. She moved closer to Ishida and Ichigo to somehow increase her chances of safety. Yeah, she was a little scared. Who wouldn't be after seeing such a thing?!
"We can't fight that thing while taking out the Hollows around us!" Ishida exclaimed when he looked at Ichigo.
"I know that!" Ichigo glanced around when the Hollows moved in closer.
All of a sudden, the Hollows were blasted with something and it made Katsuko flinch in shock. It sounded like bullets. When the smoke cleared, they found a meek young girl greeting them with a bow of her head. She was carrying a large weapon that had smoke coming from it.
This little girl did that?
Katsuko flinched again when she heard a boyish voice yell followed by a loud smash. She looked behind her and found a red haired boy pounding away some Hollows with a large weapon that basically reminded her of a baseball bat. Then there was a large man wearing an apron killing Hollows with his bare hands.
Katsuko gaped when more of the smoke cleared. It was that man she met minutes ago! He was waving his fan cheerfully as he greeted Ichigo.
Yeah, he's not you're average man living in this town!
The number of Hollows were decreasing significantly.
The stranger in the hat stood in front of the group of three and waved his fan lightly. "We'll take care of the small fry. So that you, Kurosaki-san, can concentrate on fighting that one." He pointed a finger at the sky. "Look, this isn't the time for idle chatter."
The three of them watched at the Hollow in the sky poked its fingers between the gap and began to rip the sky, allowing it to appear further into the town.
It looked at them.
Katsuko didn't like it.
"Look at the size of that thing!" Ishida narrowed his eyes.
Ichigo just smirked and gripped his sword tighter. "No sense in thinking about how to fight such a giant."
"What?" Ishida glanced at him.
"Ichigo. No." Katsuko patted his shoulder with a panicked look. "NO!"
The orange haired teen raised his sword in the air. "A thing like that has to be cut again and again with all our might to take him down! There's no other way!" He shouted before running towards it. "Let's go, you guys!"
"Ichigo! What the fu— HEY!"
"Hold it, Kurosaki!"
Ishida and Katsuko ran after him in disbelief.
"Is he usually reckless like this?!"
"Unfortunately, yes!"
It ended up with Ishida coming up with a plan after his and Ichigo's attempts to harm the giant Hollow failed. He touched the back of Ichigo's blade and his bow suddenly grew maybe twice its original size. He tried to use Ichigo's spiritual pressure along with hers to create a bigger bow to kill that giant Hollow.
Sadly, Ichigo and Katsuko were no experts at using spiritual pressure. They received no lesson on the matter so whatever Ishida was telling them to do was absolute gibberish.
Ishida didn't have time to give them a lesson even if he wanted to since they heard something coming from the giant Hollow. The three looked up together and saw something red forming in front of its mouth. A small red orb was growing in size while the Hollow looked down at them… like as if it was pointing something at them.
Her friend didn't waste another second and started running at it with his sword in his hand. Ishida and Katsuko put up a hand in front of their face to shield it when they stumbled back from the powerful force of the blast that the Hollow caused when it fired its attack on them. Meanwhile, Ichigo used his sword to block it and push it back with everything he had.
The hair on the back of Katsuko's neck rose when she heard Ichigo roar out with a sudden burst of spiritual pressure. It felt strong, very strong.
I don't know much about this but… I wonder whose power does this really belong to? Ichigo or Rukia?
The Hollow's attack got reflected back and it sliced its body. However, they couldn't relax just yet since the slice wasn't enough to kill it. It still stood tall.
Ichigo, Ishida and Katsuko stilled when the Hollow didn't move for a second.
Then it began to pull at the skies to drape itself away back and return where it came from. It looked like it got scared away.
"… So, it really went home?" Katsuko finally spoke.
"Yes, it seems like it." Ishida replied.
Hm... I'm not really satisfied with how I wrote this chapter near the end but I guess it'll have to do.
Her first interaction with Ishida was supposed to happen in school during some school work but I crossed it out since it felt like it would just drag the story for no reason.
Beck: I wanted to make Katsuko a Soul Reaper but not in the same way as Ichigo. So, I tried finding a canon way to somehow make it possible. I'm surprised you never saw any reincarnation Soul Reaper fanfics. I guess the Cycle of Transmigration slips the mind.
Hope you guys liked this chapter! I look forward to reading your reviews!