Hello and Welcome to chapter 17. Last time, Ichigo turned 16 and became a man with the help of Rangiku and Orihime. I hope you all enjoyed that. But prior to that, Ichigo unlocked his Shikai and Rangiku recieved a second Zanpakuto blade. Now some of you might be asking, "What is the purpose of that second blade?". Well, this chapter will not only answer that question, but it will also introduce a certain character. I'm sure most of you have already guessed who that is from the title of this chapter, but for those who are clueless, You'll find out.

Author's Note: Before I begin this chapter, I think I should clear up some missinformation in regards to my last chapter. When I said that Rangiku, Haineko, Haruko, and Adult Nel's cleavages were proportionally as big as Tsunade's, I was comparing their bust size to their body size. Yes, I'm well aware that characters like Boa Hancock from One Piece have larger busts compared to Tsunade, with Boa's beening 111 cm vs Tsunade's 106 cm, but Boa is much taller than her, at about 1.91 meters vs Tsunade's 1.631 meters, and that makes Boa bust size proportionally smaller than Tsunade's. If her bust was as proportionally as big as Tsunade's, it'd be about 124 cm. So just to reiterate, for this fanfic, Rangiku, Haineko, Haruko, and Adult Nel all have a bust proportionally as big as Tsunade's, making Rangiku's bust about 112 cm compared to her 1.72 m. body and Adult Nel's bust about 114 cm compared to her 1.76 m. body. If you want to know more about the definition of proportions, look it up.

Chapter 17

Casual Soul Realm Assault Trip!

The Day Ichigo unlocked his Shikai:

Something strange happened to Haineko. Rangiku picked it up with her right hand as it glowed for some reason. Next thing she knew, a second Zanpakuto blade appeared in her left hand and the glow in Haineko disappeared.

"An Asahuchi?"

Haruko then showed up. "I'm back!"

"Haruko?!" several voices said at once

"Where have you been?" Rangiku raised an eyebrow at Haruko.

"I've been improving my Quincy skills." Haruko told her. "So, did I miss anything?"

Rangiku explained, "Well, Ichigo just unlocked his Shikai and this Asahuchi emerged from my Zanpakuto."

Next thing everyone knew, something strange happened to Ichigo's Shikai. Rather than maintaining its dual bladed form, the two blades disappeared.

"What, what happened to my swords?" Ichigo was annoyed. Stick-in-the-mud though he could be, he was still a male, and males didn't like it when their tools were taken away.

"Apparently, Ms. Matsumoto left out one crucial detail." Kisuke closed his fan. "You may have unlocked your Soul Reaper powers and you may have just unlocked your Shikai, but apparently, your Zanpakuto has deemed you unworthy of using its true power. To do that, you need an Asahuchi."

"An Asahuchi?"

"He means a blade like this Ichigo!" Rangiku showed Ichigo the Asahuchi she mysteriously received. "This is an Asahuchi. And don't worry, it's sheathed. Here, catch!"

Rangiku threw the Asahuchi towards Ichigo, who caught it easily.

"It looks like an ordinary sword." Ichigo's eyes suddenly widened. "Hey, wait a minute! Does this mean I have to go through all of that training all over again?!"

Yoruichi crossed her arms and smirked. "Why don't you draw that Zanpakuto and find out?"

Ichigo did just that and drew the sword from its sheath. It was unremarkable: a typical sword with a silvered blade about the length of Ichigo's arm, with a cord-wrapped hilt and a round tsuba to protect the hands. At first nothing happened, but once Ichigo poured his own spirit energy into the Asahuchi, the sword took on a different form. The Asahuchi's shape changed from daitō into a nodachi, its blade half as long as Ichigo was tall, consisting of a white blade, a black crossguard, and a red handle wrapped in black cord. The square tsuba had four prongs bent out to form the shape of the manji, the kanji for "ban" (meaning "full"), and a short chain with a broken link at the end dangled from the base of the hilt. The sheath itself also turned black.

"Wow Ichigo," Yoruichi smiled, "you achieved what normally takes others weeks, months, or even years."

Ichigo was still confused. "What exactly did I do?"

Rangiku explained, "Normally, a Soul Reaper must spend every waking moment with their own Asauchi, and as they progress in their training, they slowly and methodically imprint the essence of their soul into their Asauchi, allowing them to guide and mold their own unique Zanpakutō. You did it in just a few moments."

Ichigo inspected the blade. "Okay, but what do I do now? How do I activate my Shikai?"

"You'll have to use a Release Command." Yoruichi placed her right hand on her hip. "Every Zanpakutō has a Release Command in order to release their Shikai."

Ichigo nodded his head. "Okay, so what's mine?"

Rangiku giggled at her student's innocent naivety. "You'll have to figure that out for yourself."

Time and again, Ichigo tried different commands such as "Come out", "Come forth", "Growl", "Rise", and "Set", but nothing worked. But rather than have him spend who knows how long on just trying to figure out Zangetsu's Release Command, Rangiku decided to teach Ichigo Kido techniques along with further swordsmanship training. That being said, she wasn't above activating her Shikai every now and then, further cementing the fact that their opponents would not play fair and that Ichigo would need to be prepared for anything.

In Hueco Mundo, Gillians were walking around the Forest of Menos randomly, but there were a few that were cannibalizing the others. One of those Gillians in particular was undergoing a transformation as its mask changed from that of the standard Gillian mask with an elongated nose to that of a certain hamster-like Hollow. A pair of lures popped out of the top of its head.

It was Grand Fisher. "At last, I have gained control of this body."

Present:

The day after his birthday, Ichigo was waking up in his bed, still in his birthday suit after last night's threesome with Orihime and Rangiku. Looking at Rangiku and Orihime's nude bodies, he couldn't help but stare at them. But right in the middle of his stare…

"Like what you're seeing Ichigo?"

Ichigo flinched as he noticed Rangiku opening up her eyes. Then he heard a second voice.

"It's okay, Ichigo, you can stare as much as you want."

Ichigo turned the other way and saw Orihime opening up her eyes.

Both girls giggled as Ichigo's face flushed bright red. Orihime reached up and pulled Ichigo's face close, kissing him chastely on the lips before tucking her forehead under his jaw, nuzzling him to her neck.

"I always imagined you'd do that," she said, stroking his hair.

"Hey, if we're cuddling, then we're all cuddling." Rangiku reached over and turned the couple sideways, pressing her breasts to Ichigo's back and her forehead to the back of his neck. "Mmmm, this is nice… But don't think I'll ease up your training now that we've slept together."

At Kisuke's training ground later that day, Ichigo and Rangiku were having a sparring match. Both had their Zanpakuto in hand.

"Take this!"

Ichigo jumped into the air and attempted to slash down on the busty lieutenant, but Rangiku crossed her sword sideways and blade locked with him. Ichigo drew back his sword and swung sideways, but Rangiku turned her sword vertical and blade locked again with her student. Ichigo then attempted to strike Rangiku at a rapid pace, but his busty teacher blocked him at every turn.

"GROWL HAINEKO…!"

"NEKO RINBU…!"

Before Ichigo knew it, Rangiku activated her Shikai to dissolve her sword into ash and trapped him in a sphere of ash again. Ichigo tried to slice through it like he did when he achieved his Shikai, but to no avail, much to his dismay. Then, as if to add insult to injury, Rangiku pulled the ash away, releasing Ichigo

"Damn it!" Ichigo landed feet first, and stabbed his blade into the ground. "Why do I have to do this!"

Rangiku rolled her eyes. "So you can figure out your Shikai's release command. Now try again."

"ROAR: ZANGETSU…!"

Nothing happened. Ichigo tried several other release commands such as "screech", "howl", "growl", "bulk up", even "get over here", but nothing worked.

Nearby, Tatsuki was having a sparring match with Mashiro. Unfortunately, it was a one-sided match in Mashiro's favor. The greenette landed strike after strike on the black haired teenager. Tatsuki tried to fight back, but Mashiro was too much for her. Yoruichi watched from the sidelines.

"MASHIRO KICK!"

Mashiro aimed a flying kick at Tatsuki, striking her in the gut. She then followed up with multiple immediate kicks, not giving her sparring partner room to breathe, knocking her to the floor. Tatsuki was flattened.

Mashiro was disappointed. "Hmm, that was a blow out."

Tatsuki tried to get back up, but it was clear that she was struggling. "Damn, you hit hard."

"Oh, I didn't hit you that hard! I only ran you over."

Tatsuki's eyes widened upon hearing this. "You were holding back?"

"She's not the only one who's been holding back, Tatsuki." Yoruichi drank a glass of milk. "Honestly, I would have killed you a lot faster than Mashiro could if I was going all-out against you."

Tatsuki pointed her face to the floor as the realization sank in on just how powerful Yoruichi was and how much her own strength paled in comparison. It was one thing that she already knew the werecat was holding back, but it was only now after her match with Mashiro that she realized just how much Yoruichi had been holding back. On top of that, the pain and exhaustion of the match finally took its toll on her and she collapsed again onto the floor.

Yoruichi let out a sigh. "I think that's enough training for today."

While reluctant to admit it, Tatsuki closed her eyes and nodded her head, realizing that she was outmatched and couldn't continue.

"Don't worry, Nel can heal you back up."

Nel was about to give Tatsuki her Nel Shower, until…

"No, no, it's okay, Nel." Orihime popped up and took Nel's arm before she could get her hand to the back of her oversized mouth. "I'll take it from here."

As Orihime used her Sōten Kisshun to heal Tatsuki's injuries, Nel was disappointed that her saliva wasn't needed. On the one hand, it was nice to see her friends could heal if something bad were to happen, like… Well, Nel couldn't think of what, besides Hollows (which her friends could handle), but she knew there was something to watch out for, something that might've happened to Nel, in fact. But on the other hand, Nel was starting to feel a little useless. What did they need her for, as long as Orihime was around? She couldn't think of anything. She didn't even bother holding back a few tears of feeling useless.

At the same time, Yoruichi was paying particular attention to how Orihime was "healing" Tatsuki. She first saw this from a distance during the battle with Grand Fisher, but now with a close-up view, she saw that what was happening was, in fact, not healing.

Interesting. Orihime's Sōten Kisshun doesn't heal injuries. If it did, we'd be seeing a sped-up version of the body's healing process. Instead, it seems like the damage is reversing itself. That cut on Tatsuki's forehead isn't forming a scab, it's closing up. Even the blood's going back in. I wonder… Maybe that could be used to fix Nel's mask. But for now, let's wait and see what Nel does and let her revert back to her true form on her own.

Once Tatsuki was healed, they were joined by Ichigo and Rangiku and the group left the training ground. But as they left, Mashiro stayed behind and was joined by Hacchi, who'd been helping out Orihime with her training.

"Ms. Mashiro, when you said that you were holding back, you were referring to your mask, weren't you?"

"Of course I was referring to my mask, Hacchi." Mashiro pouted. "If I was using my mask, I would have killed Tatsuki instantly. I wasn't holding back from how hard I was hitting her, though."

"Yes, but it doesn't change the fact that she stood no chance against you in the end."

Mashiro placed her hands on the back of her head. "Anyway, I see Orihime's training is going well. I honestly wish I was in her place so I could sleep with Ichiberry."

Hacchi chuckled, not entirely sure how to take that sudden declaration. "Anyway, we'd better get back to Shinji and the others."

At Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo was relaxing on his bed. He was approached by Orihime as she cheerfully crossed both of her arms over her chest and laughed boisterously and deeply.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!"

Ichigo however was surprised and disappointed by this instead of reciprocating it.

Orihime was confused. "Hm? Ichigo, you barely reacted at all. Don't you even know where it's from?"

Ichigo guessed correctly, "Ah… Spirit Hunter?"

"Yeah, isn't that show just the best?" Orihime clapped her hands. "Come on Ichigo, join in with me."

Orihime tried it again, but was stopped at the last minute by Tatsuki. "Oh, Tatsuki… What's the matter?"

"Let's go." Tatsuki took Orihime away, leaving an irritated Ichigo in the room alone.

In the living room, Tatsuki explained everything to Orihime.

"What, Ichigo doesn't like shows like Spirit Hunter?"

"Yeah, that's right." Tatsuki nodded her head. "I guess it's because of his ability to see spirits, but he just can't stand Spirit Hunter. And I'll bet that the fact that he's a Substitute Soul Reaper now doesn't help."

"Oh…" Orihime dipped her head down.

Haruko entered the clinic. "Hi guys. Orihime, what's with the glum look?"

"I just found out that Ichigo doesn't like Spirit Hunter."

"Oh, I see." Haruko dipped her own head. "Well, if I can be honest, I don't like that show much myself."

Orihime was surprised. "You don't?"

"Don't get me wrong, I don't hate it, it's just not my cup of tea." Haruko waved her hands defensively. "But I do know enough about the show and its star, Don Kanonji. When I was with Ken, he would often take a break from playing video games and watch the show."

Tatsuki was intrigued. "Did you ever watch it with him?"

Haruko confirmed this. "I'll go talk to Ichigo."

Back in his room, Ichigo was thinking about what his release command might be when Nel approached him.

"Itsygo, check out what Nel can do."

Ichigo looked at Nel, only to be disappointed when she did Don Kanonji's pose and signature laugh.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!"

Ichigo looked away and groaned.

"What's the matter, Itsygo?"

"Sorry, Nel, but I don't…"

Ichigo got cut off guard when Yoruichi turned from her cat form to her human form and did the pose and signature laugh as well.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!"

Ichigo bolted upright. "WHAT THE HELL, YORUICHI! PUT SOME CLOTHES ON!"

But then things went from bad to worse when Rangiku joined in.

"BWAHAHAHAHA!"

At that point, Ichigo's blood reached its boiling point. "KNOCK IT OFF! WHAT'S WITH EVERYONE DOING THAT STUPID POSE ALL OF THE SUDDEN?!"

Rangiku and Yoruichi both laughed.

"Sorry, Ichigo."

"We just couldn't resist." Yoruichi smirked. "Besides, it got you up, didn't it?"

Ichigo shook his head. "Yeah, sure, you two succeeded at that. But do me a favor and don't do that again! And Yoruichi, either get dressed or go back to your cat form!"

Choosing the latter, Yoruichi then said, "You do realize I could turn back to my human form and tease you with my hot body at any time, don't you Ichigo?"

"Fair enough, but please, not in front of Nel." Ichigo pulled Nel in close. "Do you want to be a bad influence on her?"

Yoruichi giggled and shook her head. "Oh Ichigo, I think you'll find that my cat form isn't the only disguise around here."

Before Ichigo could ask, Haruko entered the room. "Hey guys."

"Haruko?"

"I just finished another day of Quincy training."

"I see." Ichigo sighed. "Well, I hope your training is going well."

Haruko folded her arms under her bosom. "How about your training, Ichigo? Did you figure out your release command?"

Ichigo sighed and laid down on the bed.

Haruko looked towards the others. "Um, how about you girls go down and join Orihime and Tatsuki."

Seeing where this was going, Rangiku nodded and picked up both Nel and Yoruichi and walked out of the room, closing the door.

Haruko sat next to Ichigo. "Let me guess, everyone's going nuts about Spirit Hunter?"

"I guess Orihime and Tatsuki tipped you off on that." Ichigo sighed in admission. "I just don't get why everyone's suddenly a bunch of superfans. First it was my sisters and my father when we got home, then it was Orihime, now it's Nel, Yoruichi, and Rangiku. Wait let me guess, you're going to do that pose, too?"

"Nah, not my thing."

This surprised Ichigo. "You don't like Spirit Hunter either?"

Haruko repeated what she said to Orihime and Tatsuki earlier.

"That so?" Ichigo nodded. "Did you ever watch it with Ken?"

Haruko nodded. "I was kind enough to put my distastes aside for him, at least every once in a while. And I heard that Spirit Hunter was going to be broadcasting live from Karakura."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that," Ichigo admitted. "Dad, Yuzu and Karin did tell me about that this morning before we left for training."

"Then they'll probably want to go." Haruko smiled. "Maybe you should go too, for them, or perhaps for Tatsuki, as a birthday present."

Ichigo's face was dumbfounded by this reminder. With all of the training lately, not to mention the action during his birthday yesterday, he completely forgot that tomorrow was Tatsuki's birthday. Not wanting Tatsuki to be disappointed, he swallowed his pride.

"Fine, I'll go."

Ichigo made his way down to the others where Orihime walked up to him and bowed her head to him.

"Ichigo."

"Orihime?"

"I'm sorry for earlier."

"What do you mean?"

"It's just that Tatsuki was telling me you really can't stand TV shows like Spirit Hunter and I had no idea."

Ichigo shook his head. "It's cool, no big deal. Besides, I'm going to the live show anyway."

Orihime's eyes widened in surprise. "You are?"

"Yeah." Ichigo placed his hands on the back of his head. "My dad and my sister, Yuzu, go out of their minds for this. Besides, tomorrow's Tatsuki's birthday and I'd be an ass if I didn't go after everything you guys did for my birthday."

Overtaken by joy, Orihime jumped Ichigo, wrapping her arms and legs around him, forcing him to wrap his arms around her and unknowingly pressing her boobs against his chest. "Hooray! You're the best, Ichigo!"

Ichigo turned as red as his namesake as he felt Orihime's ample bosom against his toned chest. Perhaps on impulse, Ichigo moved his hands from her back and groped her boobs, causing her to moan.

"AH!"

Ichigo let go of her. "Sorry, Orihime."

Orihime shook her head. "No, it's okay Ichigo. After all, we're a couple now, and you have a thing for big boobs anyway, considering how often you groped Rangiku's chest during our threesome. Can I ask you for something, please?"

Ichigo gulped. "What's that?"

Orihime put her mouth towards Ichigo's ear and whispered, "On my birthday, I want you to make love to me again, but just the two of us alone this time."

Realizing what Orihime was asking, Ichigo's face really turned strawberry red. Sure, her getting a little horny after what they did last night was likely a given, but this was still a bit much.

Outside the room, Rangiku was listening in, feeling conflicted on the idea that Haruko and Orihime were able to have an effect on Ichigo, with Haruko convincing him to go to the live show and Orihime asking him to have sex with her on her birthday. Sure it wasn't the first time and she knew it wouldn't be the last, but part of her felt jealous of them and wished she had been able to do those herself.

The following night, Ichigo, the girls, and his family all gathered at an abandoned hospital, from which the show would be broadcasted. Isshin was carrying Nel on his back. Yoruichi was in her cat form; Orihime had brought clothes for her to wear just in case she turned into her human form. Also inside the bag were Kon and Momone, inhabiting their plush toy bodies. Ichigo wore a purple t-shirt with white letters on the front that spelled out "Nice Vibe" with a red shirt underneath and dark jeans. Rangiku wore a yellow sweater with a black belt and dark blue jeans. Orihime wore a light blue long sleeve collared shirt with a red "N" on the front left and a light lavender skirt that reached halfway between her knees and her ankles with at least 7 stitches on the left. Tatsuki wore a red and white long sleeve t-shirt with letters in front that spelled "Coffee and More" and black jeans, and Haruko wore a light blue shirt with a dark indigo button shirt on top and a black skirt that went all the way to her knees.

Joining them in the crowd were Keigo, Chad, Mizuiro, Kisuke, Tessai, Jinta, Ururu, and Uryū, though Ichigo took no notice of the last one. As everyone gathered, Yoruichi made her way to Kisuke while Ichigo and the others stayed close together.

Keigo, Chad, and Mizuiro approached Ichigo, with Keigo and Mizuiro doing the trademark Don Kanonji pose.

"Yo, Ichigo, Keigo here."

"And Mizuiro!"

"BWAHAHAHAHA!"

Chad did the pose too, but did not use the laugh.

Ichigo looked away from them in annoyance.

Mizuiro then took notice of the girls, including Haruko. "Hey, Ms. McAllon! I didn't know you were here!"

"Oh, Mr. Asano, Mr. Kojima, what a pleasant surprise."

"Honestly, Ms. McAllon, I'm glad to see you here, but why are you standing so close to Ichigo?"

"Well, I would have thought that was obvious, I'm living with Ichigo and his family."

Both Keigo and Mizuiro's jaws dropped.

Keigo was the most outspoken about this. "What, even you!?"

"Shhh! Not so loud!" Haruko quickly quieted Keigo. "I will admit, though, living with Ichigo and the others is no easy task."

Keigo dropped to his knees and sobbed. "This is so not fair! How come Ichigo is getting so many hot chicks living with him!? I want a harem of hot girls of my own!"

Chad simply nodded. "I will admit, it is unexpected."

"Well, at least he's here to see the show with us," Mizuiro pointed out. "I guess that means he likes Spirit Hunter, too."

Ichigo nonchalantly chimed in. "Actually, no, I don't."

Keigo got back up on his feet and walked up to Ichigo. "What do you mean you don't like Spirit Hunter? It's the best TV show in Japan."

"It's no big deal, Mr. Asano." Haruko waved her hand. "To be honest, I don't really like the show either."

"Are you serious? You'd have to be dead to not like the show."

"I guess that makes us zombies." Ichigo motioned for Keigo to back off. "Get lost."

"Oh, come on, you guys!"

"Okay, okay, that's enough!" Haruko put her hands in between the two of them. "Look, it's perfectly normal for different people to like or dislike certain things. Now knock it off before I give both of you bad grades."

Mizuiro interjected. "No offense, Ms. McAllon, but you're only an assistant teacher right now and that's against school policy."

Haruko turned to Keigo and Mizuiro, an unusually serious look on her face. "Does this look like a face that cares?"

"NO MA'AM!"

Mizuiro then asked, "But honestly, Ichigo, if you don't like Spirit Hunter, then why are you here?"

"It's not my idea, but my dad and my sisters get into this stuff." Ichigo pointed to Isshin, Yuzu, and Karin, with Isshin and Yuzu during the trademark pose while Karin stood there in annoyance. "Besides, today's Tatsuki's birthday so I decided to come for her sake."

"Oh, I see."

Keigo spotted Tatsuki and waved at her. "Hey, Tatsuki, happy birthday!"

Tatsuki then slapped Keigo across the face, knocking him to the ground.

"Hey what was that for!?"

"Say it, don't spray it!"

Everyone except Ichigo and Chad laughed.

Keigo got back up upon seeing Rangiku. "Anyway, Rangiku, would you be willing to watch the show with me?"

"Thanks for the offer, Keigo, but no thanks." Rangiku smiled. "I'll be watching this with Ichigo, thank you very much."

"Ah…"

While Ichigo and the others were talking to each other, Yoruichi was speaking with Kisuke. "I'm surprised you decided to show up."

"Well, Jinta and Ururu like the show." Kisuke covered his mouth with his fan. "But also, there's Jibakurei here and I wanted to see what Ichigo would do now that he has his real Zanpakuto."

Yoruichi looked at the abandoned hospital. "So, you noticed too?"

Just then, the announcers, a man and a woman, spoke.

"Good evening, everyone!" announced the first announcer. "This week's episode of Spirit Hunter is brought to you live from an abandoned hospital in the town of Karakura, where the tortured screams of the dead can be heard echoing through the hall."

The other announcer waggled her fingers in a spooky manner. "Who knows what horrifying sights we'll witness here this evening."

"And now, folks, let's give a warm welcome. Here he comes: this century's premier spiritualist and messenger from Hell, Mr. Don Kanonj!"

From a helicopter above, a tall, thin man with a mustache and deep-set eyes jumped out and announced, "The spirits are always with you!"

Parachuting down, he landed on the stage as nearly everyone in the audience chanted his name over and over again. Wearing glasses and a flashy outfit and hat, as well as a cape, it was obvious he was Don Kanonji. The only ones in the audience who weren't chanting his name were Ichigo, Rangiku, Yoruichi, Kisuke, Haruko, and Uryū.

"And how is everyone tonight?" Don Kanonji went through his routine. "Hold on to your seats, my babies. It's time again to hear the spirits cry."

The crowd applauded.

"So tell us, what do you think of this place," said the female announcer. "Well?"

Don Kanonji put his index finger to his mouth. "The stench of the spirit world hangs in the air around us. I'd have to say that. BWAHAHAHA!"

With that, smoke covered the stage as the show cut to commercial, giving Ichigo and the others room to breathe. The guards guided the crowd towards the spirit purification location so that they could enjoy the show.

Ichigo shook his head. Man, I hate stupid shows about spirits. Still, this is for Tatsuki, I can't disappoint her, especially after all the trouble she and the others went through during my birthday.

Rangiku noticed Ichigo's frown and attempted to lighten up the mood. "Hey, what's with the serious look? As long as you're here, you might as well have fun."

"Shut up," Ichigo looked away. "You know I'm always like this."

"That's not what I saw on your birthday night," Rangiku reminded him, nudging him with her bust. "Besides, between all of your school work, your training, and your duties as a Soul Reaper, you must be exhausted. And trust me, there will be hard battles on the road ahead."

Haruko joined in. "She's right Ichigo, use tonight to enjoy yourself a little."

Yoruichi rejoined the group in her human form, fully clothed. "In any case, there's something you should know, if you haven't noticed already."

Ichigo looked at Yoruichi as she explained the situation to him and the others.

"Seriously, you think there'd really be spirits in an old deserted hospital like this one?"

Rangiku pouted. "And just what are you getting at, Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked at the abandoned hospital. "I mean, if they had been here, you Soul Reapers would have helped them cross over already, right?"

"Not necessarily, no." Rangiku crossed her arms underneath her bosom. "This is a Jibakurei or bound spirit. They're often tied to places like this."

Orihime interjected. "Excuse me, but what's a Jibaku spirit?"

Yoruichi elaborated. "Jibaku spirits are ghosts that dwell within the Earth, so it's very rare for soul reapers to pinpoint their location." Yoruichi continued the explanation. "There's only one reason a bound spirit would reveal itself."

Tatsuki raised an eyebrow. "And that would be?"

Rangiku finished the explanation. "When it notices humans are invading its territory."

Little Nel crossed her arms. "Well, Nel won't invade its territory. Nel would ask first."

The six chuckled at Nel's innocence.

Just then, a crew member approached the hospital with a large spotlight on a tripod and stepped onto the area in front of the steps to the front door, causing a Hollow-like howl to emanate from within the hospital.

Chad was startled by this.

Mizuiro noticed. "What's the matter, Chad?"

"Do you guys hear anything?"

Keigo turned to Chad. "Come on, Chad, cut it out. You're giving me the creeps."

Mizuiro rubbed it off as Chad's imagination, but Chad had his doubts.

The eerie sound was giving Orihime the creeps, too. "What is that?"

"That, Tatsuki, is the cry of a Jibaku." Yoruichi bluntly answered.

Haruko pushed her glasses back. "So, there is one here."

But Ichigo couldn't tell the difference. "Wait a second, how do you know that sound isn't a Hollow?"

"Come on, Itsygo, Nel's a Hollow and Nel knows the difference between a Hollow's sound and a Jibiki's sound."

Haruko giggled, "That's Jibaku."

"But that's still not a Hollow," Nel asserted.

"There are certain paths along which Hollows come into being," Rangiku explained. "One path is when a Jibaku spirit, with its fierce attachment to the world, is left alone and becomes a Hollow, much like this spirit here."

Haruko added, "And you already saw the other way with Orihime's brother, Sora, who was devoured by a Hollow."

It dawned on Ichigo. "So then, he's a…"

Rangiku finished that sentence. "A Whole on the verge of becoming a Hollow, yes."

"A demi-Hollow, if you will." Yoruichi added.

"That's insane."

"I agree with Tatsuki on that." Orihime nodded.

The Demi-Hollow showed itself and screamed. The Chain of Fate anchoring him to the hospital was wrapped around him.

"Like the ghost of Jacob Marley," Haruko remarked.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes. "Well, it sure feels like a Hollow to me."

"Yeah," Tatsuki nodded, "except that he's not wearing one of those white masks."

"And the hole in his chest hasn't opened all the way." Orihime noted.

"Well, the hole in a Hollow's chest shows that the heart has been lost, leaving nothing but raw instinct." Haruko explained. "The white skull-shaped mask is all that shields those bared instincts from the outside world."

"Of course, neither are necessary if the heart is still intact." Yoruichi added. "But upon death, the Chain of Fate is severed from the body."

"Usually, the spirit waits for a Soul Reaper's guidance." Rangiku crossed her arms again. "However, if they have regrets in this world, they become bound to the source of their pain."

Orihime's eyes widened upon hearing this. "Is that what happened to my brother?"

Rangiku shook her head. "No, that was a different situation. Your brother was a Tsukirei or a possessive spirit."

Tatsuki was confused. "What's the difference?"

Yoruichi explained, "A Jibaku spirit is a soul that's bound to a place. A Tsuki spirit is a soul that's bound to a person. Either way, it doesn't matter considering what ultimately happened to him that night."

The two girls nodded and Orihime dipped her head, being reminded of the pain her brother had endured because of her.

"It's okay, Orihime."

Orihime looked at Ichigo.

"Remember, I promised Sora I would take care of you from now on." Ichigo smiled at Orihime. "And I'm going to keep that promise."

Orihime's smile returned as she nodded. "Thanks, Ichigo."

Rangiku turned her attention back to the hospital. "So that means this Demi-Hollow's heart is chained to the hospital."

"Yep, it sure looks that way." Yoruichi crossed her arms.

The Demi-Hollow made an announcement to the crowd. "This hospital belongs to me! I'm not giving it up for anyone! Don't even think about trying to come in here! I'm going to be filthy rich in this place–"

Ichigo had an unamused look on his face. "Yeah, well, whatever he is, he sure sounds like a dumbass."

Tatsuki smirked. "You can relate to that." She then played the recording from when his training really began.

"Amazing headband of justice in place. Amazing armor of justice, protect me."

The girls laughed while Ichigo dipped his head down, clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

The show came back on and Don Kanonji made his move. "The spirits are always with you. BWAHAHAHA!"

"BWAHAHAHA!"

Ichigo groaned, "That doesn't get any less annoying."

Haruko smiled awkwardly. "At least they have a lot of energy."

Rangiku looked back at them. "Oh come on you two, it's not that bad." She then turned her attention back to the abandoned hospital. "Besides, it takes months for a spirit to transform into a Hollow."

"But won't this crowd cause the spirit's transformation into a Hollow much faster?"

"You're not wrong, Orihime," Haruko nodded. "But it's too dangerous for either of us to do anything with this crowd here."

"Don't worry, though," Rangiku reassured them. "We'll do the Konso after the show is over."

"Yeah, but…" Ichigo paused. "What'll happen if you're wrong?"

"Spirits go through a lot of pain when they transform into Hollows," Yoruichi explained, "so much so that they fill the night with terrible screaming. Besides, does it look like that Demi-Hollow is suffering to you?"

Ichigo, Orihime, and Tatsuki looked and saw that the Demi-Hollow was more annoyed than anything else.

Tatsuki shook her head. "I can see your point."

"There you go," Rangiku said. "Unless someone deliberately messes with that opening in his chest, he's still got another six months before he becomes a Hollow."

However, Nel noticed something concerning. "Hey guys, Dawn Kunoichi's messing with the opening in that spirit's chest!"

"WHAT?!"

They all looked and saw Don Kanonji jamming the end of his Super Spirits Stick into the hole of the Jibakurei. The bound spirit began to scream in pain as Ichigo and the girls watched in shock.

Ichigo gasped. "What the hell does he think he's doing?!"

"That idiot," Rangiku muttered. "All he's doing is speeding up the creation of a Hollow!"

Orihime was agitated, now that she saw what was going on. "We have to stop him!"

"I agree." Ichigo prepared to rush in only to be stopped at the last minute by Rangiku. "Rangiku, what are you doing?"

Rangiku pulled out Momone's Soul Candy, which told Ichigo everything he needed to know. Nodding, Ichigo pulled out Kon's Soul Candy and retreated with Rangiku and Haruko to the back of the crowd. He swallowed it, taking on his Soul Reaper form while Kon inhabited his body. Rangiku quickly followed by taking Momone's Soul Candy, taking on her Soul Reaper form while Momone inhabited her Gigai. Haruko activated her Quincy Bangle, taking on her Quincy attire.

Ichigo and Rangiku turned towards Kon and Momone.

"You two behave yourselves."

Rangiku jerked a thumb over her shoulder. "We're going to stop Don Kanonji from accelerating that spirit's Hollowfication. Try to keep the people in the crowd safe."

Kon and Momone nodded.

"Right!"

"Just leave it to us!"

Ichigo and Rangiku jumped over the railing, not noticing Uryū about to do the same thing only to stop himself.

With that, Ichigo ran head-first into the area to stop Don Kanonji. "Hey, knock it off!"

Rangiku wasn't far behind. "Stop, you don't know what you're doing!"

Don Kanonji shot a look at the two as Ichigo got in front of him and knocked him away from the demi-hollow, stopping him from messing with its hole.

"What's wrong with you two?"

Ichigo crossed his arms. "Well then, I guess you can see us too."

Don Kanonji posed. "Of course I can. I'm the century's premier spiritualist."

Rangiku sighed out. "More like the century's premier dumb-ass."

Kanonji jumped to the wrong conclusion. "Oh wait, I get it, you're both dead, but you're fans, aren't you?"

Ichigo got up close to Kanonji, threatening to kill him. "Don't make me kill you."

"Calm down Ichigo." Rangiku called out. "We don't need to kill him."

"You should listen to your girlfriend."

Now it was Rangiku's turn to get up close to Kanonji as she and Ichigo both yelled at him.

"Not my/his girlfriend!"

The conversation was interrupted when the demi-hollow roared again. All three looked back at him, but only Rangiku recognized the signs.

"Oh crap! We're too late!"

The body of the Jibaku spirit cracked and bulged outwards. Shining brightly, it suddenly shattered, leaving a cloud of smoke behind.

"He's gone."

"But not for long."

Ichigo turned to Rangiku. "What do you mean?"

While Don Kanonji declared the spirit to be vanquished, Rangiku pulled out her soul phone to track down the spirit. "As I said during your training, Ichigo, when a soul becomes a Hollow, first the spiritual body explodes, and then it reforms as a Hollow."

Rangiku's soul phone picked up the signal. "Ichigo, above us!"

Ichigo, Rangiku, and Kanonji all looked up at the roof. There, a bright orb of light obscured the moon and moved towards the roof of the hospital. Once on the roof, the light drew in green Raishi from the surroundings and formed the Demi-Hollow's body from the limbs up. Its head popped out of the neck stump and it screamed before emitting a white substance, the same kind Ichigo's head was surrounded by during his training. The substance formed into a mask, and the Demi-Hollow roared. It was now a Hollow.

"What is it?"

"A Hollow." Ichigo shot a look at Kanonji. "I hope you're ready."

Rangiku did the same. "Yeah, it's your fault that Hollow's here."

But Don Kanonji didn't hear that last bit and instead performed for the camera by placing his hands to his ears. "Oh, I feel it. I feel something that reeks with the scent of a super dangerous spirit." He then pumped his right fist. "Now I understand, you're that other spirit's evil lord, and you've come here seeking vengeance."

Both Ichigo and Rangiku dipped their heads, realizing that he didn't get it at all.

"He's hopeless…"

"Nice try, jackass."

"Oh, the pain," said the Hollow. "Must devour!"

Ichigo tried to move to protect Don Kanonji, but he pushed Ichigo out of the way. "Run boy!"

Rangiku tried the same thing, only to get the same treatment. "You, too, lady!"

The two were dumbfounded by Don Kanonji's stupidity, but while Ichigo fell to the ground, Rangiku landed on her feet, not losing her focus.

Don Kanonji then made his move. "Come on, you bad spirit. Don Kanonji, the premiere spiritualist of the century, is ready!"

The Hollow moved in to attack.

While Ichigo drew his sword to protect Don Kanonji, Haruko called out to Rangiku.

"Rangiku!"

Rangiku ran back to Haruko with a Flash Step. "What is it?"

"We've got to keep the crowd away from that Hollow." Haruko told her. "If that thing gets past Ichigo and Don Kanonji, it'll attack everyone else."

"I agree, but what can we do?"

"I have a spell that can contain the battle and keep everyone else outside." Haruko prepared her bow. "I need time to set it up."

"I'll give you that time."

Haruko disappeared using Hirenkyaku.

Rangiku drew her sword. "GROWL: HAINEKO…! NEKO RINBU…!"

Using her Shikai, Rangiku covered the entire hospital in a swirling cloud of ash, stopping the crowd from seeing anything. Inside the cloud, Haruko fired four arrows around the perimeter of the hospital. Once that was done, she activated her spell.

"HEILIN BARRIERE!"

A rectangular barrier formed around the hospital, trapping Ichigo, Don Kanonji, and the Hollow inside. With that, Rangiku sheathed her sword and the ash cloud dissipated. Rangiku and Haruko rejoined the others.

Rangiku sighed. "It's all up to Ichigo now."

"Yeah." Haruko nodded.

Inside the barrier, Ichigo blocked the Hollow from attacking Don Kanonji with his Zanpakutō and pushed it back, causing it to crash into the ground a few meters away.

"Kid, why didn't you run away?" Don Kanonji asked. "Your girlfriend had the sense to do that."

Ichigo was sick of his dumb questions. "First, I already told you, she's not my girlfriend. Second, you're the one who should be running."

"Me, run?" Don Kanonji placed his hand on his chest. "What are you saying?"

Before Ichigo could answer, the dust behind them cleared and the Hollow stood up and roared.

"Oh, crap." Ichigo took up a fighting stance.

As the Hollow charged in, Ichigo slashed at it while blocking its attack with his other hand. Upon noticing the barrier that Haruko put up, Ichigo smiled as he now knew that he didn't have to hold back. Pushing it away, Ichigo prepared to take the Hollow down once and for all. Thanks to his new found power, Ichigo made quick work of the Hollow, cutting it in half with his Zanpakutō.

Unfortunately, this was to the dismay of Don Kanonji. "You fool! I was supposed to vanquish that monster!"

Ichigo sheathed his sword. "I think it's about time you see what your actions have done."

Kanonji was confused as Ichigo stepped aside to allow him to see something he needed to see. To his shock, the Hollow's body shimmered and dissipated, revealing the Jibakurei lying on the ground underneath. Recognizing the Jibakurei, who dissipates as well, Don Kanonji was shocked.

"It can't be… He's the one who– What?"

Ichigo walked over to him and whispered in his ear, "He was a Hollow. With the chain linked to his soul broken, the hole in his chest opened up. He became a monster devoid of conscience, a Hollow."

Don Kanonji recalled his earlier actions and quickly fell to his knees. "So then– no. So if that's the case, what is it I've been doing all this time?"

Haruko released the barrier, allowing Rangiku to rejoin. "We did try to warn you, Don Kanonji. And what's worse, you put your audience in danger!"

"Oh, no." Don Kanonji shed some tears. "All this time, I wanted to boost the ratings for my show and be the hero. I had 25%, one in every four households was watching my show, and many of those views are children. Those children watch my adventures and their hearts are inspired. They would see me stand up to evil spirits and learn what I believed was true courage. But in reality, I wasn't teaching them courage at all, but foolishness. And like you said, I was so caught up in having the audience watch me, I didn't even realize that they might get mixed up in it. I'm so ashamed of myself."

Don Kanonji then slumped to the ground and started to cry, forgetting about the audience watching him. However, the crowd cheered for him, something that Ichigo and Rangiku took notice of.

"Hey, come on, quit your crying, Kanonji." Ichigo told him. "Everybody's waiting."

Kanonji then noticed the crowd cheering for him.

"You better answer them." Rangiku crossed her arms. "It's part of a hero's duties, isn't it?"

"Alright, Don Kanonji's soul purification seems to be over," said the male announcer.

Playing along, Don Kanonji announced, "Mission accomplished!"

He then did his signature pose and laugh, which the audience imitated.

Rangiku put her hands on Ichigo's shoulders. "You did good, Ichigo."

Ichigo blushed. "Yeah, uh, only because your training is so good."

Rangiku blushed back.

Don Kanonji turned his attention back to Ichigo and offered his hand. "Even so, kid, I stand in awe at your courage, and I'm amazed by your power. I hope you'll lend me that strength in the future."

"Uh– yeah, sure, once in a while." Ichigo shook hands with Don Kanonji.

"Thank you. From now on, you will be my number one pupil."

This news horrified Ichigo. "That's a demotion!"

Rangiku couldn't help but laugh at the irony, until…

"And you, Miss, from now on, you will be my number two pupil."

Now it was Rangiku's turn to be mortified and Ichigo's turn to laugh at the irony. In retaliation, Rangiku dragged him out of sight and smothered him in her bosom once more.

After the show was over, Ichigo and Rangiku rejoined the others.

"Hey, Haruko."

"What is it, Ichigo?"

"Thanks for sealing off the battle." Ichigo smiled. "Without you, I couldn't have gone all-out, and the crowd might've panicked if the Hollow attacked them.""

"Oh, Ichigo," Haruko placed her hand on her cheek, turned away, and closed her eyes while blushing. "You're making me blush."

But Tatsuki had a question. "What was that technique anyway?"

"Oh, it's called Heilig Barriere." Haruko explained. "It's a barrier technique we Quincies use to trap Hollows inside or protect ourselves from Hollows outside. Any Hollow that tries to pass through it will be burned."

"Oh."

Ichigo looked at Tatsuki. "By the way, Tatsuki. Happy Birthday."

Tatsuki smiled at her friend. "Thanks Ichigo."

Haruko took notice of the other Quincy on the scene and bowed to the others. "Excuse me, please, I'll be right back."

Haruko walked over to Uryū, who was none too pleased by what he just witnessed. Both of their eyes were hidden behind the shine of their glasses.

"Are you going to say something?"

"Why did you help out that Soul Reaper?" Uryū said.

"I have my reasons." Haruko pushed her glasses back. "Why did you try to go over the railing?"

"I did it to vanquish that Hollow."

Haruko nodded. "Well, as you can see, that Hollow has been vanquished, thanks to Ichigo."

"Yes, I can see that." Uryū pushed his glasses back. "Even so, I intend to keep my promise. So, come tomorrow, he's mine."

Mod Soul Misadventures:

As soon as Haruko's barrier went up, Kon and Momone ducked into an alleyway.

"Okay, Momone," said Kon. "I don't think anyone saw us."

"Can't wait." Momone kissed Kon on the cheek and whispered, "I want to feel your hands on my body."

Kon wasted no time and grabbed Momone's boobs. "Oh yeah, like two handfuls of heaven."

Momone moaned. "Oh, Kon, you're such a naughty boy." Momone pulled Kon's head into her cleavage, much to his delight. "Be bold. Get your fill of me."

"Such perfect boobs." Kon rubbed his face into Momone's cleavage. "I could spend the rest of my life here."

Momone rubbed Kon's hair. "You may have to, cause I'm not letting you leave."

Kon looked up at her with Ichigo's eyes. "We need to get you a Gigai of your own, with even bigger giant jubblies. Then it won't matter where the Buzzkill Brigade puts me!"

While the two Mod Souls were having their fun time, Ichigo and the girls were watching this, with Haruko covering Nel's eyes so she didn't see this.

Ichigo sighed. "There they go again…"

Rangiku smirked. "Remind you of anyone?"

Ichigo and Rangiku then approached their Mod Souls, ready to regain their bodies.

"Alright, that's enough, you two." Ichigo reached for his body.

"Party's over." Rangiku reached for her Gigai.

The moment Ichigo and Rangiku regained their bodies, they put Kon and Momone's Soul Candies into their stuffed animal bodies.

Momone pouted. "We didn't even get to strip."

"There's always next time, Momone!"

Ichigo shoved the lion plushie back into Orihime's bag. "Keep dreaming, perv."

And that was chapter 17. As you can see, Ichigo's interaction with Don Kanonji was different from how it was in canon, though in some ways it was the same. Because Ichigo has unlocked his true Shikai, he's much stronger than he was in canon. Because of that he was able to take out that Demi-Hollow much faster. However, just so everyone knows, Ichigo might have unlocked his true Shikai, but he is currently a lot weaker than he is in the Thousand Year Blood War Arc. In fact, comparing his True Shikai at this point in the story compared to the Thousand Year Blood War Arc is like comparing how strong he is (in canon) in the Substitue Soul Reaper Arc to how strong he is during the Arrancar Arc. I emphisize "currently" because Ichigo will get to that point, just not yet.

Also, I've given his true Zanpakuto a sealed state. Yes, I know he had that oversized blade already, but this is a more controlled version of that, and if you haven't guessed, yes, it looks like his False Bankai in canon. However the difference is that the sword looks like a cross between Ichigo's version and White Zangetsu's version. It has a white blade (just like White Zangetsu's version) while the rest is black (like Ichigo's version). Oh and I'm working on a release command for the sword. Also, you may have noticed that I've added a little something extra for this chapter, a mini-story if you will, known as Mod Soul Misadventures where we see Kon and Momone get into mischief. I don't know if that intrigues you or anything, but if you want more, then I'll gladly do more, if not, then I'll drop it.

Now the next chapter will have Ichigo and the girls meet up with everyone's favorite Quincy. Stay tuned.

Author's Note: For those who are wondering about that conversation with Haruko and Uryū, there was a scene from chapter 9 where they had a conversation that got deleted before it was released. The only reason I deleted that scene was because I believed it came in too early. That unfortunately was a mistake, one that I have sinced put back in, so if you want to know what happened, please go read the updated version of that chapter. Also for those who are wondering why Rangiku and Ichigo denied being boyfriend and girlfriend in this after the last chapter, I'll reveal that in a later chapter.

Chapter 18: The Legendary Quincy