Bleach is owned by Tito Kubo, however my OC's are my own.

Apricot Parfait

Ch.3 Hesitate and You Die

(1 week after Anju's graduation)

With ragged breath the indigo-eyed soul reaper tried to make herself more comfortable in her sitting position beneath the lamp post. "Ngh". "The pain is almost unbearable… I… I have to do… something", she thought wincing with each breath. Composing herself as best she could, she looked up at the orange haired human with one eye half closed as she clutched her stomach to try to relieve the pain. "Do you want to save your family?".

Fear. That's what the boy felt at the moment, but he couldn't just stand by and do nothing if his family could possibly be eaten by these hollow creatures as the soul reaper had called them. The words that came out of his mouth were panicked, but he wouldn't run away. "Of course, I do. Show me how".

Looking down the soul reaper took another shaky breath before speaking. "It will only be temporary, but you must impale yourself through your center with my zanpakuto and become a soul reaper. If it works you will take on my power". She held her blade out to the boy waiting for him to make a decision. Hoping it was quick as the Hollow was bound to attack again at any moment.

The teenager felt his pupils dilate at hearing what the soul reaper told him. Repeating, "If it works…" to himself as the harsh reality that whatever decision he made would result in death, or close to slim, a possible solution, set in.

The hollow's roar was deafening. Vibrating the air with its sheer power as animalistic instincts made it sniff the air in search of the soul reapers he just attacked.

"If it doesn't work it won't matter because we'll die anyway, but-"

Steeling himself the boy took hold of the soul reapers blade as he prepared to impale himself.

"My name is Rukia Kuchiki", Rukia said with a small smile as she helped Ichigo position her sword.

Grabbing the blade firmer, "My name's Ichigo Kurosaki".

As the hollow closed in, Rukia pushed the blade forward and Ichigo impaled himself.

Rukia's power transferred to Ichigo causing bright light to erupt from the reaction. The light engulfed the hollow wounding it as blood splattered from its arm onto the pavement below. The light disappeared and as the dust settled, Ichigo stood firm. Donning a standard shinigami shihakusho he held his blade ready to attack. Rukia noted Ichigo's change in demeanor. Where there was once a scared child. Stood a determined boy who would do anything to protect his family. Rukia looked down at herself seeing that her shihakusho turned completely white. Momentarily confused, she realized that more power than she intended had transferred over to Ichigo.

Looking back up with a jerk of her head, Rukia saw Ichigo deliver a finishing blow to the hollow. "This boy is…". Rukia taking a sharp inhale of breath couldn't finish her thought as the hollow burst into oblivion. "something".

The boy could prove to be more capable than she thought.

(Present day)

Taking the slip that was freshly pressed with the customer's hanko. Anju handed him his package.

"There you go , I hope you find your order to your satisfaction".

"Why of course dear, thank you for bringing it to me… safe…" Mr. Akiyama smiled like he was secretly thinking something perverse. He was standing directly under the threshold of his doorway as he conversed with the delivery girl.

Anju laughed lightly, "It's my pleasure to deliver, sir". "This guy always gives me the creeps". Anju internally shuddered.

"You're telling me. I'm so glad I live in your head, and don't have to deal with these weirdos like you do. Remember that guy in your class that would stare at your ass every time you were in front of him? Pig". admonished the voice in Anju's head with disgust. "I mean could you imagine someone as hot as me being in your shoes? I'd never make it in the human world. Such is the foley of the young and beautiful" dramatically stated the voice as if the thought of it all were too much.

Anju internally giggled at how melodramatic her zanpakuto could be. He was quite the character.

Unaware of Anju's internal conversation, Mr. Akiyama chanced a glance down at her breasts when he thought she wasn't looking before looking up to Anju's face as if he hadn't just done anything unsavory. Anju, fully aware of what he just did continued to smile as if nothing happened.

"You know Miss Mitsukoji. I've been divorced for over five years now. My wife took our son because she thought I was an incompetent father and husband, but you don't think that do you"?

"I can't say for sure, sir as I don't know you that well". Anju giggled lightly to make it seem like she was shy instead of fully aware of what kind of man Mr. Akiyama really was.

Thinking that Anju's words were a sign that he had a chance, the balding man with a short stalky build and prominent beer belly light up with renewed vigor as he continued conversing with the young woman.

(Flashback)

Mr. Akiyama had been out drinking with some work colleagues, but instead of staying out late like he normally would, he decided to turn in earlier than normal. Stopping in front of a shop he read the words "Urahara Shoten". Not thinking about it, he decided to go into the shop to see if the had any snacks that he could later munch on when his hang over woke him up in the early morning. Looking at his watch, the time said 8:07 as he entered the shop.

"Welcome", said a man wearing a stripped bucket hat. "Let me know if you have any questions or need help with anything". He sat on the ledge lightly fanning himself. It was summer time, and unlike the other day the shop had not been blessed with relief. There was no breeze that night.

Not saying anything, Mr. Akiyama looked at the various goods as he picked a few packages of assorted salted snacks and a handful of candy. Taking the items to the register, Mr. Akiyama rubbed his eyes as he lightly swayed from side to side.

"Alright, that'll be $1,732.38 yen, Sir".

reached into his pocket to pull out some wadded up cash when she came in.

"Kisuke, I'm back!"

Kisuke looked up from the register and smiled at the woman. "Welcome back, Anju. I hope you had a good time".

"I did". The woman had just come back from a class party celebrating the end of their second to last semester.

Kisuke fanned himself as he took Mr. Akiyama's cash and gave him change. "Have a good night, sir".

just nodded as he turned. His pupils went wide when he saw who was in front of him. His eyes automatically taking note of her full breasts before he caught himself and looked up at her face. He was buzzed, but he could still control himself more than if he were totally drunk".

"Hello, sir. I hope you found what you were looking for", said the woman with a smile.

Still dazed, Mr. Akiyama could only let out a low "yeah" as he dragged out the "ah" sound.

Walking forward was half way out the store when Kisuke spoke. "Anju look at this. Tessai and I got the sign we talked about laminated". Kisuke pulled out said sign from under the stand that the register was on. It was orange with red trim and had "Urahara Delivery Service" in big bold letters with a picture of a cartoon man riding a moped with a package attached to the back of it.

"It looks great. I'll hang it up right now". Heading towards the storage area, Anju grabbed a stand so that she could put the sign outside the shoten. The delivery service was born out of a brain storming session as the shoten inhabitants tried to come up with more ways to make money during this time of declining customers. Surprisingly, it had led to the shoten maintaining a roster of customers of different ages and lifestyles who were in need of the service.

Mr. Akiyama stood outside the shoten as he put his purchases in his brief case.

Anju was on the opposite side of the entrance setting up the sign. When she finished she went inside.

Mr. Akiyama walked up to the sign. "Delivery, huh".

(Flashback end)

For the past five minutes Mr. Akiyama had been telling her about how he was sure to get a big promotion at work and other stuff to make himself seem more impressive than he was. Anju knew it was a lie. Mr. Akiyama's boss occasionally requested the delivery service and all though he never named names, he would occasionally tell Anju how he had a lazy employee with a huge beer belly that he couldn't stand, but couldn't fire because said employee's older sister was married to the director's son. Mr. Akiyama would end his rants by telling her to stay in school and finish getting her degrees so that she didn't end up like him.

"Damn, does he ever stop talking"?

"Well, I must get going. See you on the next one, Mr. Akiyama".

Before Anju could turn to leave, Mr. Akiyama reached out a hand to her and shouted, "wait!". Anju made it a few steps before she turned to look at him.

"Oh here we go, he's gonna ask you out again. Lets see how he does it this time".

Putting his outstretched hand on his head to comb his hair back thinking it would make him look suave, Mr. Akiyama leaned his arm on the side of his threshold and crossed his legs. "Say, have you eaten yet, how about I take you out to lunch. My treat". He gave Anju one of his, at least what he thought was his, signature smiles, but he looked more like a bulldog that was getting ready to growl.

With a light chuckle Anju turned to face him fully, "I must decline. I already ate, and I have more delivery runs to make. If you'll excuse me, I must get going". Anju descended the steps as she remembered an incident that had occurred nearly three months ago.

Despite the occasional creepiness that Anju felt from Mr. Akiyama, the man proved to be entertaining on occasion like that one time Anju made a delivery to a housewife on the floor above. Anju headed towards the eastern stairwell, but stopped when she heard commotion behind her. Mr. Akiyama was fast walking behind a college aged woman who lived three doors down from him. "Miss, you dropped your-". "Stay away from me", the young woman said as she got closer to the steps. Mr. Akiyama was holding an EpiPen. The woman had dropped it without noticing as she left her apartment. "I said stay away from me", the woman was descending the stairs now.

Before Mr. Akiyama could catch up, he slipped on a patch of water. It had been raining lately due to inclement weather, but instead of stopping himself from slipping, the rail he tried to grab on to was also slippery, and due to the angle that Mr. Akiyama had grabbed it from his momentum launched him the foot or so to the railing that let to the western stairwell and Mr. Akiyama fell over. Landing on his back as he fell from the second floor. Still clutching the EpiPen in his left hand.

A woman, Anju delivered packages to twice before, was walking her toy poodle in the same area and had a great big fright when the man landed three feet from her. She immediately called the ambulance while Anju watched discreetly from the western stair rail on the third floor. Several paramedics shifted Mr. Akiyama to a gurney and took him straight to the hospital.

Mr. Akiyama miraculously survived the ordeal only having to wear a neck brace, cast on his right arm, and bandages on his ankle when he got out of the hospital. Anju suspected that his beer belly absorbed the impact of the fall which Jinta and Ururu laughed at when she recounted the story to them as Kisuke balanced the register. The rest of them were taking care of the shop's monthly deep cleaning. Even Tessai, who was taking inventory snorted, and he wasn't one for laughing at such things. Kisuke, wrote some notes down in the ledger as he gave his own input, "Well, you know what they say about fools. The can survive anything".

Putting on her helmet, Anju got on her bike about to start it.

"You felt that didn't you? As soon as you got off your bike it was like someone was watching, and now they left".

"Yeah, I did. They must've been wearing a reiatsu concealing cloak and were staying as far away as possible. I'm sure it's the same person from graduation". Taking a breath to shake off the feeling, Anju turned on her bike and headed towards the next address on her list.

"Orihime!"

Ichigo rushed to Orihime before Rukia stopped him. Glancing back at her, he immediately turned to look at the hollow they just fought as his mask cracked revealing the face of a man in his mid to late twenties. Sora. Bending his body down, Sora looked at his beloved sister trying to comfort the girl as best he could.

It was dark, around 8:30 in Karakura town. Ichigo could only watch as Rukia was crouched down by an unconscious Orihime assessing her condition.

"Don't worry Ichigo, so long as her chain of fate is attached, she will not die". Rukia began focusing her reiatsu into her palm. "I need to treat her. The power of my kido should be able to heal her. Putting her hand on Oirhime's chest it glowed repairing what ever injuries she sustained during the fight with the hollow.

"Those hair pins she wears were a present from you weren't they Sora? Orihime told me once about how she wears them everyday in your memory", stated Ichigo as he spoke wanting to comfort the distraught Sora.

Sora's pupils dilated as he realized that the alter Orihime prayed to was not the one in her apartment. Eyes beginning to water, Sora turned from Orihime and slithered towards Ichigo's zanpakuto.

"What are you doing", questioned Ichigo. Having a haunch what Sora was planning to do with his sword.

With a sad look, Sora cast his head down, his hair covering his face as he lifted the large blade. "I've caused a lot of trouble haven't I"? Taking a breath to prepare himself, he continued. "I only have a short while before the hollow emerges and changes me back into a monster".

Ichigo stared not sure what to say.

Sora prepared to impale his chest, but Ichigo protested. "Wait".

"It's ok Ichigo. Once you become a hollow you can never go back to what you were. Passing on is the best option. Stated Rukia as she continued to heal Orihime

"But Rukia".

"It's ok, you'll see that exorcising a hollow is not the same as killing it. You're cleansing its soul and allowing it to enter the Soul Society". Turning towards Ichigo, Rukia gave him a firm look. "That's why soul reapers exist. To help souls move on and rest in peace".

Turning back to Sora, Ichigo was met with an understanding look.

"W-wait, I have to… t-tell you something". A weakened Orihime turned towards Sora with the little strength she regained from Rukia's healing kido. "Remember this hair pin… and the argument we had about it… I said I didn't like it because I thought it was childish". Sora was trembling as Orhime spoke. "I know I hurt your feelings, and you left without saying anything else as you left for work" Orihime closed her eyes as an overwhelming sense of sadness washed over her as she prepared to say her next words. Memories of that day flitting through her mind. "It was the last time I saw you alive" Orihime began sniffling quietly, "but now I want to say what I should've told you when you went to work that day". Rukia helped Orihime sit up. "Big brother… Have a good day". Tears flowed from Orihime's eyes as she looked at her big brother.

Sora's eyes widened before they softened, and he smiled at Orihime. Realizing that his beloved little sister never forgot about him, he took Ichigo's blade and exorcising himself with, Sora's final words to Orihime were, "thanks" as his soul departed for soul society.

The air was filled with Orihime's sobs as Rukia comforted her, and Ichigo tried to comprehend what it meant to be a soul reaper.

A Hanko is a small stick shaped stamp that is used in place of or in addition to a signature when receiving a package.