Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

    Kurosaki Ichigo knew of three worlds and lived in two. Magic, the Wizarding World, Muyo*, the Non-magical World, and the Afterlife. Whichever world someone is sent to when passed was something Ichigo was not told of explicitly, mostly due to her young age.

  Ichigo thought it was stupid when she was six years old, and she still thinks it's stupid now that she's nine years old. She is not amused when her mother laughs, when her father lies, and when Death watches silently each time she asks.

  She stays quiet after Masaki is killed. Death does not explain, but Ichigo understands. Afterlife will be something she will learn of when she is older. Death promises, and Ichigo knows she won't break that promise.

  Ichigo continues through life in Magic and Muyo, ostracized in both even though she doesn't care. And then some stupid rumors come up that she's practicing the Dark Arts and Ichigo gets expelled from Mahōtokoro* with her wand snapped at age 11.

  It was completely stupid! She didn't even get caught when she was practicing the Dark Arts and it was because of a fake rumor that got her expelled! It even got the twins expelled, and that made her pissed. Ichigo is not amused when Death just laughs and gives her a frostbitten kiss.

  Well, she never really needed a wand to perform magic. It was just safer, especially when she experimented. Her younger twin sisters are not amused by the burns and cuts on her hands and arms every night.

  At least she can catch up with her Muyo friends now. Or, her Muyo friend. It was after she attends Muyo school for the first time that she even noticed only her first friend and best friend had stayed waiting for her.

  Ichigo didn't deserve Arisawa Tatsuki, but she will never take it for granted. If Tatsuki wants to stay with Ichigo, then Ichigo will let her. She would never force her friends to stay with her or to leave her.

  Ichigo left the Wizarding World after she and her sisters were wrongfully expelled. They searched for them, scared that the rumors were true, but wizards were backwards and stunted, even in Japan. It was easy to hide among the Muyo as a somewhat normal family.

  Her family has been doing it ever since she could remember. The only difference, is she doesn't have a place that she can showcase her magic freely anymore. It made life normal, if a bit bland.

  That's okay, though.

  Ichigo looks up from her book, blinking rapidly when she sees a black swallowtail butterfly flutter into her room. She glances at her window and sees that it was still closed. She watches with wide eyes as a girl, appearing around her age, fades through her bedroom wall and silently lands on the floor.

  She was dressed in an odd garment of a black kosode and black hakama with a sheathed katana attached to her left hip. She wore tabi socks and waraji sandals on her feet, making Ichigo tilt her head.

  "A spirit?" Ichigo turns in her seat and closes her book.

  "Hey, what are you doing here?" Ichigo asks as the spirit looks around. The spirit doesn't even spare a glance towards the orange haired teenager.

  "It is near..." She states softly to herself. Ichigo scowls at being ignored and stands up.

  "What's near?" The spirit still doesn't even look at Ichigo. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

  Ichigo growls with a scowl and raises her foot. The spirit yelps in surprise as she falls to the floor after Ichigo kicks her backside.

  "When you break into someone's room, it's rude to ignore them spirit!" Ichigo states loudly, lowering her foot with her hands placed on her hips.

  The spirit looks over her shoulder as she scrambles to sit up. "You–you kicked me? I mean to say, you can see me?"

  "I wouldn't have kicked you if I couldn't," Ichigo says with a small eye roll.

  "B-but, you–you are only human... How are..." The spirit trails off, standing up to face the orange haired teenager. Ichigo raises an eyebrow before scoffing.

  "Do spirits really not realize that some people can truly see the dead? Or do you all just think all those people are phonies? I mean I don't believe in that kind of stuff, but I can't really pretend you don't exist when you bother me all the time," Ichigo states with a scowl. The spirit blinks before an affronted expression appears on her face.

  "I am no ordinary spirit, Human. I am a Shinigami."

  "And I am no ordinary Human, spirit." Ichigo blinks rapidly when the information sets in. "Wait–Shinigami? As in Death Gods?"

  The Shinigami raises an eyebrow. "Is that what you Humans call us now? Well, we are not immortal, but I suppose that would be a close interpretation of us."

  "So the Afterlife is protected by a type of spirit! What do you do? What is the Afterlife? What does it look like?" Ichigo rattles off her questions with bright eyes and a sharp grin.

  "You... are much more put together by this than I had expected. Though, I didn't expect being able to be seen at all," Rukia states with a narrowed gaze. Ichigo feels a warmth creep up to her ears and she quickly scowls to cover up her sudden excitement.

  She can already hear Her teasing. "Always so eager to learn of my domain. You always seem to forget to be patient, my Sacred. You will learn in time."

  "Well, it is against the rules to tell Humans of Soul Society and Shinigami, but you are no normal Human. And if you are able to see me, you will be able to see Hollows. I am sure your safety will be taken into consideration if they find out..." The Shinigami nods her head to herself and sits down on Ichigo's bed. Ichigo blinks when the female takes out a sketchpad from nowhere.

  "Yes, I will explain. With illustrations." Ichigo suddenly hopes that the Afterlife had more common sense than the Wizarding World.

_____

    "So, to sum it up, there's two spirits that roam this world. Pluses, or what Humans call ghosts, and Hollows, evil spirits. Shinigami have two duties to perform when in the Living World. Send Pluses to Soul Society with your Soul Burial and to extinguish Hollows," Ichigo starts with her eyes closed and her arms crossed. The Shinigami smiles smugly, still holding up her horrible drawings meant to help the Human female understand.

  "Can I ask why your drawings suck so much?" Ichigo yelps when she is kicked off her bed. She lands on the floor with a harsh thud, a handing covering her throbbing cheek.

  "What the hell was that for?!" Ichigo exclaims, sitting up with an aching back. The Shinigami glares down at her, hand clenched around the sketchpad.

  "My drawing is amazing! It helped you understand, did it not?!"

  "No! I can't tell the differences between any of those drawings! How's that supposed to help me understand?!" Ichigo crisscrosses her legs with a huff. "What're you doing here in the Living World anyway?"

  "I will be stationed at Karakura Town for a month. I must protect the town and the Pluses from Hollows and send any Pluses to Soul Society," The Shinigami states as if reciting a passage from a book. Ichigo raises an eyebrow at the tone before she realizes what the spirit had said.

  "Wait a minute, so were you tracking a Hollow? Is that why you said 'it is near'?"  Ichigo sits up straighter with wide eyes.

  The Shinigami nods, staring off to the side as she thinks. "Yes. Something is hindering my–"

  A bloodcurdling howl freezes the blood in Ichigo's veins. Her breath leaves her in a gasp as she snaps her head up.

  "Shini-Shinigami... Shinigami!" Ichigo barks out, reaching out to grab the spirit's arm. She instinctively leans back with wide eyes, staring at the Human teenager.

  "What's wrong?"

  "Did you not hear it?! That howl!" Ichigo exclaims, standing up from her bed.

  "Hear wha–" Ichigo whirls around at the second howl, much closer than before.

  A scream from below echoes through the house. "YUZU! KARIN!"

  Adrenaline starts to course through her veins as she sprints towards her bedroom door. Her magic whirls and pulses inside of her, attempting to escape amidst the panic.

  "Will magic be able to be used against it?! Yuzu and Karin would've tried. Why did they scream?" Ichigo frantically thinks as she reaches out for the doorknob.

  "Bakudō 1: Sai!" The orange haired teenager gasps in surprise, slamming her face into the door as her arms sudden pull behind her. She momentarily focuses on the pain in her nose before she looks back.

  "What the hell did you do to me?! Let me go! My sisters–"

  "It is called Demon Form, an advanced incantation only Shinigami can use. Now, stay there. You'll only get in the way!" The Shinigami interrupts before opening the door.

Ichigo struggles to get out of the invisible restraints. Her magic starts to crackle and pop around her, attempting to fight the restraints. Ichigo growls when it only weakens the hold.

"More! I need more to push out more magic! I need to save my sisters!"

"I-Ichi...nē..." The orange haired teenager snaps her head up, time freezing as she watches Karin crawl into view. Blood dripped from her head like a river and her eyes were hazy with pain.

"Karin!" Ichigo forces herself to her knees. "Karin, stay still! You'll make your injuries worse!"

"Thank... Thank the Veils... Ichi-nē, it hasn't... hasn't come for you yet... Ichi-nē, you–you need to... to run," Karin forces out before she passes out.

"Karin!" Ichigo stumbles forward, slamming her shoulder into the hallway wall without the use of her arms. The Shinigami bends down and checks over the 11 year old girl.

"Don't worry, the Hollow hasn't eaten her soul. She's–what are you doing?!" The Shinigami watches in shock as Ichigo starts to writhe on the floor.

Another scream resonates from the floor below. Ichigo growls out and feels a tug somewhere inside of her.

"Stop that! Fool, if you continue you'll only harm your sou–"

"Break away!" Ichigo snarls as electricity fizzles between her fingers. The silver lightning travels up her arms and snaps the invisible restraints away.

The Shinigami freezes in her spot. Ichigo stumbles up and sprints past, going down the hallway.

Ichigo is not amused. This better be the start of her education in the Afterlife or so help her, she's going to have words with Her. Strong words.

Chapter Text

    Ichigo has seen Hollows before. Ever since she was nine years old, she could see them. She only knew them as evil spirits, mostly because no one would tell her what they were other than that they were a type of spirit.

  After her mother's death, Ichigo made sure to ingrain the difference between a normal spirit and a Hollow in her mind. From physical appearance to voice to presence.

  Karin started seeing spirits when she turned seven. Yuzu was able to sense them and see an outline at nine. Ichigo didn't take any chances and made sure to teach the twins the difference.

  "Let go of my sister, you ugly bitch!" Ichigo shouts in fury as she sprints towards the Hollow that had invaded her home.

  "Ichi-nē!" Yuzu cries out in pain and worry when Ichigo is slapped to the side. Ichigo barely has time to block her face, an open palm pointed at the wall she was quickly hurtling towards.

  "Affligo*!" A silver glow streaks across the wall with spiderweb cracks before Ichigo slams into the wall. It falls underneath her like glass, only causing cuts all across her side and arms.

  "Onēchan! Molliare*!" Yuzu calls out and throws out her hand. Blood bursts out from sudden cracks along her fingers, but manages to make Ichigo come to a cushioned stop. Ichigo grunts as she drops to the ground like a ragdoll, landing on the street.

  "Thank you, Yuzu..." Ichigo slowly stands up from the street, glancing over the clean and sharp cuts across her arms.

  "Stay away from Onēchan, you monster!" Yuzu shouts loudly, grabbing the wrist of her injured hand in a desperate grip. "Stupefy*!"

  "Yuzu! Don't!" Ichigo rushes back towards her house. The Hollow roars loudly and turns its back on Ichigo and the hole it had created when throwing her. Yuzu screams again when the Hollow grabs her.

  Ichigo holds out both hands with a sneer. "Carpe Retractum*!"

  A rope of light explodes out of her palms and quickly wraps around the torso of the Hollow. It roars in fury as it is forcefully flown back towards Ichigo.

  "Like Hell I'd let you harm my sisters!" Ichigo snarls as the Hollow gets closer. She growls under her breath when the Hollow forces itself to a stop, dragging its feet through the front yard. Ichigo notices its arm had been cut off before it suddenly disappears through a weird portal.

  "Where in the Eight Veils did it go?" Ichigo shakes off her thoughts and sprints towards where Yuzu was laying on the destroyed yard.

  "Yuzu? Yuzu!" Ichigo gently tries to shake Yuzu awake before she checks for her pulse.

  "You fool! What were you thinking, going after that Hollow?! You can't defeat it!" The Shinigami scolds in a harsh iciness. Ichigo sneers at the spirit before focusing back on her little sister.

  "It went after my family! I would've found a way to defeat it!" The magic inside of her goes haywire in panic and anger, attempting to escape.

  Ichigo instinctively beats it down, the grass below her getting singed from the little amount of magic that managed to escape. Everything was happening too fast and she didn't want another problem added to the clusterfuck.

  "No, you wouldn't have! You would have just risen the number of victims by one," The Shinigami states angrily, glaring down at the orange haired teenager.

  Ichigo grits her teeth and meets the glare with one of her own. "Why did it even go after my family? Why couldn't you find it and be done with it?"

  "Like I said before, something was hindering my senses. Hollows follow after strong traces of reiatsu. I had not realized until I had opened your door that your reiatsu was the one luring the Hollow here. I should have realized something was amiss when I couldn't sense much from inside your room," The Shinigami explains, mostly talking to herself.

  The statement makes Ichigo's blood freeze over. Her breath leaves her in a stuttered gasp. All of her anger and rage is smothered away by icy terror and guilt.

  "My... the Hollow–it was after me?" Ichigo claws at the grass, trying to ground herself. "By the Hallows, it was my fault..."

  "Wait, I never meant that–" Ichigo watches with wide eyes as the Hollow suddenly appears in front of the Shinigami. She reaches out her hand as the Hollow raises its hand.

  "BOMBARDA*!" The Hollow slaps the Shinigami to the side right before it's blown backwards by an explosion. It hits a streetlight before it drags through the street. Ichigo glances down at Yuzu before she stumbles towards where the Shinigami had been thrown.

  "Shinigami, are you okay?" Ichigo asks worriedly carefully lifting the spirit away from the wall she had crashed into. The Shinigami coughs wetly before giving the female teenager a glare.

  "Wha-what did you do? How did you do that?"

  Ichigo bites her cheek as she glances back at the Hollow. "Now's not the time to ask. Are you okay?"

  "I am alive, but not for long. I am in no condition to fight this Hollow anymore, and you are only human." The Shinigami coughs again, blood dripping from her mouth. "We have to hurry. It may not work, but there is a way to defeat the Hollow."

  The Hollow roars once more, stepping out of the rubble of the street. Ichigo glances at it once more before focusing on the spirit.

  "What do I need to do?" Ichigo asks with her fists pressed against the concrete. The Shinigami grabs the hilt of her sword and unsheathes it. She points it towards Ichigo with a hard look.

  "It'll take too long to explain, but you must thrust my zanpakutō into your own chest. You probably won't survive, but it's our only chance," The Shinigami speaks as the Hollow turns towards the two females.

  Ichigo stares down at the blade, her magic fighting to protect her away from it. She nods her head and places her hands over the Shinigami's.

  "If it's a chance, then do it, Shinigami." Ichigo forces herself to calm, pretending she wasn't about to stab herself with a sword. It probably won't kill her. Hopefully.

  "The name isn't Shinigami," The spirit gives the orange haired teenager a smirk, "it is Kuchiki Rukia."

  Ichigo blinks before smirking herself. "Nice to meet you. The name's Kurosaki Ichigo, and hopefully this won't be the last time we see each other."

  "Yes. See you soon," Rukia states before both females shove the sword. Ichigo feels a sharp pain in the middle of her chest and back, her breath stuttering out of her throat.

  An eruption of lightning and bright flashes explodes out of Ichigo. Her magic sings in excitement and bloodlust as her world goes black.

  "I am impressed, My Sacred. You will be rewarded for your patience." A frostbitten kiss caresses Ichigo's forehead before a hand gently pushes her Back. "Now please, help my children, My Sacred, and be their Blessed Savior."

_____

    Ichigo awakes standing in a spacious bedroom, unfamiliar and cold. She immediately gazes at the only source of light and feels her mouth sneer at what she sees.

  Iron bars nailed to the window, a locked birdcage sitting on top of the windowsill, the beautiful snowy white owl despaired and angered for being caged.

  Someone speaks a language Ichigo is vaguely familiar with. English.

  She turns her head and sees an obscured boy talking to the owl. She sneers even more with a narrowed gaze. He's too skinny.

  The boy speaks again, making the owl flutter in her cage, cooing at him. She was trying to comfort the boy.

  Ichigo focuses back on the boy and takes a step closer. She steps on some piece of paper, making the boy startle.

  Her breath leaves her as she stares into his emerald eyes. She reels back at the feeling that suddenly punches her.

  "...ther..." A voice whispers in the air between them. "...rothe..."

  Ichigo opens her mouth to speak. "Otō–"

_____

    "Onēchan? Onēchan!" Ichigo is startled awake by the hushed whispers. She blinks away her sleep and glances over to the side of her bed.

  "Yuzu? Karin? What's wro–" The twins quickly shush her, both glancing back at Ichigo's open door.

  "What's wrong?" Ichigo asks again, keeping her voice low.

  Yuzu practices her wand movements with her hands. "What happened last night? Did a truck really slam through our house?"

  "What are you talking–" Ichigo sits up as the memories slam into her "–by the Hallows, are you two alright? Are you injured?"

  "We're fine, Ichi-nē. We woke up and the memories of last night are wrong. We don't know what happened. Did someone intrude on our home?" Karin asks with an angry scowl, but her the finger tapping of an imaginary rhythm makes Ichigo know otherwise.

  "I didn't obliviate* you. I... one of those evil spirits attacked our home. I had to help a spirit in defeating it... is it only last night's memories that were altered?" Ichigo asks quietly, glancing between her younger sisters. Yuzu frowns slightly and shakes her head.

  "It wasn't obliviate. Something else altered our memories. I don't–I can't seem to remember, but I know a truck didn't crash through our house," Yuzu states as she looks up with worried eyes.

  Ichigo sighs before reaching over and pulling her sisters into a hug. She kisses both of their foreheads and leans back to gaze down at them.

  "Pretend nothing is out of the ordinary. I'll figure it out."

  "Okay, Onēchan," Karin and Yuzu speak at the same time, hugging the orange haired teenager once more. Ichigo smiles and hugs them back, holding onto them tightly.

  "Tell Oyaji that I had something to do at the school before it started," Ichigo says quietly before she swings her legs over the side of her bed. The twins nod their heads and walk out of the room silently, closing the door behind them.

  "What could have altered their memories? Is there a memory spell I don't know about? Or do the Shinigami have a spell that can alter memories? Why would the Shinigami alter Yuzu's and Karin's memories?" Ichigo stands up with a growing scowl. Why weren't her own memories altered? Was she the only one allowed to know what happened?

  She sighs heavily and opens her closet. She rifles through it all and chooses a random outfit to put on. She might not get all the answers she needs or wants, but there was a shop hidden in the shadowed alleys of Karakura Town that could help her.

  "I didn't want to go back anytime soon." Ichigo sweatdrops as she thinks of Yuzu and Karin. "If they find out, they'll jinx me to the Veils and Back."

  Ichigo shakes off her slight apprehension and focuses back on getting dressed. They'll forgive her, if she doesn't get caught and keeps a low profile.

_____

    A young adult sighs quietly and idly turns a page of the weathered book they hold. Another day of no customers worth their time, and another day of turning away muyo when they clearly aren't interesting or open-minded enough to learn about what their boring society thinks is magic.

  Isoyama Yo sighs again and reads the same line once more. Such a boring day again...

  "Welcome to the Emporium of Unnatural Oddities and Wonders. Feel free to look around, and if you need any help, don't be afraid to call," Yo drones out without looking up from their book. They glance up when they don't hear anything and freeze when they see who stood at the door.

  A female, appearing around 15 years old stood in the doorway, keeping the door open as she looked around.

  Her hair was the oddest, most beautiful shade of sunset orange that glowed in warmth beneath the morning sunlight. It was hastily pulled into a ponytail, its chaotic waves falling down the female's back and ending right above her hips.

  Her eyes were a deep chocolate brown with hidden golden hues. They held a certain ferociously stubborn determination that made Yo wonder if the female has made the impossible possible with just a single look.

  The female finishes looking around before focusing her gaze on Yo. "I'm looking for anything to deal with memory alteration."

  "This emporium is not allowed to carry hold anything about memory alterations." Yo rests their head in the palm of their hand. "May I inquire why you need to know?"

  "Nothing illegal, for this. I'm honestly just looking for information," The female states with a smirk. Yo hums with a smile of their own and stands up.

  "Well then! We used to have the information near the back of the store. You'll just have to look for the photograph album and you'll be in the right section," Yo answers brightly. The female smiles and gives them a nod of thanks.

  "I'll try not to be long."

  Yo watches the female disappear into the shelves of magical items. They tilt their head and lean over the counter again.

  "She looks like a muyo, but she talks like a witch. Is she muyodōkei*?" Yo turns another page of their book, itching to learn about this unknown person. "Only muyodōkei really know about this emporium. Or those hiding from the Ministry of Magic."

  Time passes quickly and the female returns from the shelves after two hours with her arms filled with books of all kinds. A frown was on her face, more like a casual expression than a true frown, as she places the books on top of the counter.

  "Find what you're looking for, Miss?" Yo asks as they ring up the books. They skim each title, resisting the urge to raise an eyebrow.

  Advanced Runes of Protection and Support, The Odd Ways of Other Travel, Supernatural Beings and Their Dangers 4th Ed., Astral Projection for Beginners and Idiots, Memory and the Dangers of Alteration, and Life After Death: The Unknown Horror.

  "It's a start," The teenager states with a small smile.

  Yo hums and holds out their palm. "3 Tengoku* and 5 Tendō*. May I have the name of this wonderful customer?"

  The female smiles as they take out a muyo wallet from her bag. She takes out the appropriate amount and places it in Yo's hand before she starts to put the books inside her bag.

  "Not now." She gives Yo a smile before adjusting her bag. "Have a nice day."

  Yo watches her leave, staying silent. Their crimson eyes glint in the light, impatiently curious about the teenager. Not now... then there is still a chance to learn.

  Curiouser and curiouser. This day wasn't so boring after all.

_____

    Ichigo slowly walks through the empty halls of Karakura High School, engrossed in Memory and the Dangers of Alteration. She turns a page as another set of footsteps start walking next to hers.

  "Good morning, Mizuiro," Ichigo greets without even a glance away from her book. Kojima Mizuiro smiles and looks up at the ceiling.

  "Good morning, Ichigo." He scratches his ear and gives his friend a side glance. "It was strange not seeing you in the first two periods. Something must've happened to make you skip school."

  "Something did happen. Everything's mostly fine now," Ichigo agrees with the assumption. Mizuiro tenses and falters behind. Ichigo takes the moment to close her book and looks over her shoulder.

  "Was it MoM? I felt your magic flare up all the way from my house," Mizuiro asks quietly, lowering his voice to the point that Ichigo could barely hear him.

  "No. It was... something else. Nothing you need to worry about right now," Ichigo says as she looks down at the book cover.

  "Memory alteration is a strange topic to read out of nowhere. Weren't you reading about thestrals?" Mizuiro asks with a smile. Ichigo gives him a small look before putting up her book.

  "Memory alteration became a priority this morning when my sisters told me their memories were altered." Ichigo and Mizuiro enter their classroom. "Thestrals can wait."

  "Third period is social studies. Oh, and we have a transfer student. She's assigned to the desk next to yours," Mizuiro changes the subject with a smile. Ichigo scowls and glances up at the desk next to hers. She blinks in surprise at the sudden presence she feels before scowling.

  The Shinigami from the night before sat with a sickeningly cheerful smile in the normally empty desk. Ichigo sighs heavily and walks forward, ignoring the weird presence she feels from the Shinigami for now.

  "Ichigo-hime!" Inoue Orihime, the best friend of Ichigo's childhood friend Arisawa Tatsuki, exclaims with a bright smile. Ichigo internally groans at the nickname, but gives Orihime a tired smile.

  "Hello, Orihime-san," Ichigo greets as the other orange haired teenager rushes over.

  "I heard from Kojima-kun that a truck had crashed into your house! Are you okay? Was it a government coverup? Did anyone else get hurt?" Orihime asks question after question, eyes wide and face slightly pale.

  "Everyone's fine. No one got hurt and no one woke up, miraculously," Ichigo lies with only a small stutter. Orihime stares up at her for a few more moments before she relaxes with a bright smile.

  "That's good! But was it a government coverup?" Ichigo smiles and shakes her head.

  She walks past Orihime and towards her seat. "No. I don't think so."

  "Ichigo-hime," Mizuiro smiles innocently at Ichigo's glare, "this is Kuchiki Rukia, the transfer student. Kuchiki-san, this is Kurosaki Ichigo, our rumored delinquent who has a fighting instinct of a war goddess."

  "I've told you not to say that stuff, Mizuiro! I don't want that hanging in the air!" Ichigo hisses, grabbing Mizuiro's arm and tugging it.

  "What ever are you talking about, Ichigo-hime?" Mizuiro smiles innocently and walks to his desk.

  "It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance, Kurosaki-san! I hope we can be good friends," Rukia exclaims in a cheerful voice with an overbearing amount of sweetness added. Ichigo gives her a small glare, forcing a smile on her face.

  "Nice to meet you too... Kuchiki-san." Ichigo doesn't even give the Shinigami another glance as she walks to her desk. She sits down and drops her bag beneath her seat.

  "Dear me, I forgot to ask the teacher where I could get a textbook. Do you think you would be able to lend me yours?" Rukia asks as she holds out her hand. Ichigo sweatdrops at the message on the Shinigami's hand.

  'Say anything and I'll kill you.'

  Ichigo takes a deep breath and slowly releases it. She stands up abruptly and grabs Rukia's arm.

  "Come on. I already know everything I need to know for this class today. I'll show you around," Ichigo says, not leaving any room for protest as she walks out of the classroom.

  "Tell something convincing to the instructor for me!" Ichigo calls over her shoulder to Mizuiro. He gives a wave of acknowledgement, watching the two females leave with a head tilt.

  "Where are you taking me, both of us all alone?" Rukia asks cheerfully, making Ichigo give her a weird look.

  "Somewhere we can talk, now stop talking like that! It's weird." Ichigo opens the door to the courtyard and leads Rukia outside. She kicks the door closed behind them before taking a left.

  "Weird? How rude! I think it's pretty good for only a night of studying modern language!" Rukia states with a small pout. Ichigo releases her grip on the Shinigami's arm and turns around with her arms crossed.

  "Why are you here?" Ichigo asks quietly, never too careful when in a place she hasn't checked and protected against eavesdroppers.

  "I told you. My mission is to be stationed in Karakura Town–"

  "I know that, Rukia. I mean, why are you here? Here in my class, at my school," The orange haired witch clarifies with a frown.

  "I had intended on only giving you half of my power. You took almost all of it. I'm basically a free meal on a platter to Hollows until my powers come back. Until then, I must pretend to be Human and live in this gigai," Rukia explains with a furrowed expression and her arms crossed. Ichigo sucks in a sharp breath at the revelation.

  "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to. Can I give them back?" Ichigo asks, making Rukia blink. She smiles and shakes her head.

  "I don't know if you can. It's alright, Ichigo. It worked out and all of us survived the Hollow encounter," Rukia states. Ichigo frowns, but doesn't mention anything else about it.

  Rukia's smile is replaced with a dramatically serious expression. "Until all of my powers return, you must become a Shinigami in my stead."

  "What the hell do you mean? I don't need to do anything!" Ichigo declines almost immediately.

  "When I had transferred my powers to you, you had become a Shinigami. Temporarily. I am not fit to fight and I have no way of going back to Soul Society to get a replacement for my mission. You need to take my place. There is no room to decline," Rukia clarifies with a glare. Ichigo scoffs and looks off to the side, biting the inside of her cheek.

  "...it doesn't feel temporary," Ichigo mutters, mostly to herself. She thinks about the night before and what she felt sear into her very soul.

_____

    Ichigo gasps at the absolute rush of ecstasy and freedom that explodes into her veins. Her hands grip an unfamiliar but completely welcoming handle as she stumbles onto her feet.

  The Hollow howls right into her ear and Ichigo snaps her head up, instinctively pulling back whatever was in her hands and swinging it forward. The Hollow screeches in pain as both of its hands are sliced in half.

  The explosions of light and lightning finally fade away, only crackles of lightning left behind to surround Ichigo and the thing–the sword she held.

  Her long hair was braided into two french braids and fell over her shoulders. She wore a black furisode kimono underneath a pure white hakama skirt. A grey cloak, flowing almost like a deep mist around her, fell around her, fastened around her neck.

  Ichigo adjusts the grip on her sword and widens her stance with her zori sandals. In her hands was a nagamaki sword a foot taller than her own height, reaching six feet nine inches. The blade was pitch black and the hilt was the purest white Ichigo had ever seen.

  A shaky breath leaves her mouth as her soul sings for Death by her hands and her magic lusts for the blood of those who have harmed her family and friends. Ichigo has never felt this centered in herself, and it was glorious.

  A void she never knew existed inside of her soul was filled. Overflowing with power and temptation, love and protection. Burning with the presence of the Veils.

  Ichigo takes a deep breath and relaxes her posture even more. The Hollow snarls as its hands slowly reform. Ichigo smiles and leaps forward, raising her nagamaki to her side.

  "Blessed with the hymns of bloodlust and the notes of chaos. May you be what you were named." Ichigo swings the nagamaki. "Kurosaki no Ichigo, the First Protector of the Dark Destination."

_____

    "Now please, help my children, My Sacred, and be their Blessed Savior." Ichigo blinks as she recalls what She had told her to do. The orange haired teenager sighs before focusing back on Rukia.

  "You'll tell me everything that has to do with the After–with Soul Society. All of it. Shinigami, the government, the normal Plus Souls, the history that you know, everything." Ichigo crosses her arms and holds up two of her fingers. "That and you have to train me. Those will be my conditions to becoming a Shinigami in your place. Do you understand?"

  Rukia relaxes her posture with a sigh of relief. She nods her head and holds out her hand with a smirk.

  "I understand. I'm happy that we will be working together, Ichigo," The Shinigami says cheerfully while Ichigo shakes her hand with a smirk of her own.

  "Likewise, Rukia."

  A flicker of a memory passes Rukia's face before she frowns once again. "Last night, those... spells. That wasn't Demon Form. How and where did you learn those?"

Ichigo tenses and immediately releases Rukia's hand. She looks around with a keen eye before holding up her hand. She wordlessly casts a silencing spell, a faint grey shimmer appearing as a dome around them.

"I can't explain it all here, but long story short: magic, witches, and wizards exist and I'm one of them. Those spells were magic and even though you are a being the Magical World most likely doesn't even know you exist, me telling you this much is a major crime against the Statute of Secrecy," Ichigo says calmly and quietly, too paranoid to say it any louder. Wordless magic was much harder for her than wandless magic.

"That's impossible! There are no records of magic existing in the Living World. Most Shinigami barely even recognize Demon Form as magic," Rukia exclaims with a shake of her head. Ichigo gives her a small look, but doesn't say anything.

"I'll explain everything to you when we're in a safer place to tell. But before that, I need you to swear to me that you won't tell anyone, and I mean anyone, about this–about what I am unless they know about it or I've told them about it." Ichigo stares down at the disguised spirit with piercing eyes.

Rukia stares up at her with wide eyes of her own, not expecting the sheer amount of solemnity in the Human's–no, the Witch's eyes. She swallows back the sudden anxiety festering in her chest and carefully nods her head.

"I swear I won't," Rukia answers truthfully. Ichigo glances between both of her eyes before glancing a few inches to the side when the presence she had ignored comes into her Sight.

It surrounded Rukia like an icy blanket of temptingly warm shadows and mists of home and welcoming. The presence of Death.

"Even with that fake human body, I can still See..." She mutters aloud in her surprise. Ichigo breaks away from her trance and takes a step back.

"Okay. Let's get back to class." Ichigo starts to walk past Rukia, only to be stopped by a hand on her elbow.

"Hold on. There is a Hollow we need to deal with. I had just received the alert before you had come into the classroom," Rukia states as she takes out a weirdly colored fingerless glove. Ichigo blinks before frowning.

"Alright, but we need to have a talk about dealing with Hollows while I'm meant to be attending school. I won't be leaving my ranking to chance just because of some Hollows."

Chapter Text

    Ichigo hums a small tune as she idly reads Life After Death: The Unknown Horror. She adjusts her leg again, making her slowly spin around.

  "Ichigo? Are you here? Your sisters say you come here when you're practicing magic," Rukia calls out from the entrance of the abandoned warehouse. Ichigo whistles as she turns a page. She scowls and takes out a pen, marking something in the margins and crossing information out.

  "Up here, Rukia!" Ichigo calls out as she lets her arms hang above her head to focus on the black haired female. Rukia snaps her head up and blinks rapidly at what she sees.

  Ichigo hung upside down only by her leg wrapped around aerial silks. She wore a worn pair of black shorts and an ocean blue crop top.

  "We're training today, remember?" Rukia speaks as if nothing was out of the ordinary. "And I want to finish where we left off with Shin'ō Academy."

  Ichigo closes her book and waves her hand to float it down to the ground. She swings herself up and slowly releases the silks around her leg. She keeps a grip on the silks as she climbs down.

  "I need to go by the store afterwards and get ingredients for dinner. Are you allergic to anything?" Ichigo asks as she lands her feet onto the ground.

  Rukia frowns in confusion and shakes her head. "No. Why do you ask?"

  "Aren't you going to stay for dinner?" Ichigo asks, snapping her fingers. The aerial silks fall unceremoniously, landing on the ground with a resounding plop.

  "How'd you do that–I mean, I didn't realize I would be staying for dinner," Rukia quickly corrected her statement with reddened cheeks.

  Ichigo smiles knowingly and grabs the book still floating in the air. She slips on her shoes and starts walking towards the exit.

  "It's an advanced levitation spell. Since I don't have a wand at the moment, I've been practicing wandless magic," Ichigo answers the first question. "And you're already sleeping in my closet, Rukia. Guests in my house don't stay hungry."

  Rukia flushes an even bright shade of red. She sticks her nose in the air with straightened posture.

  "Well then, thank you for your hospitality," Rukia says without mentioning her technical trespassing. Ichigo chuckles silently with an eye roll before her casual scowl comes back when they exit the warehouse.

  "You always do that, the scowl," Rukia points out, trying to copy Ichigo's expression.

  "People never take the time to see my true self. If they don't want to, then why do I need to make it easier for them to see me?" Ichigo states with an amused smirk. Rukia looks up at the taller female with bright eyes and smiles.

  "Then, they must be fools. Even as thick-headed as you are, you're pretty nice to hang around," Rukia teases as she clasps her hands behind her back. Ichigo rolls her eyes and halfheartedly glares at the disguised spirit.

  She glances around and wordlessly casts a privacy charm around them. The air shimmers a faint silver before fading back to normal.

  "What were you reading?" Rukia changes the subject, watching Ichigo hug the book to her chest. Ichigo holds out the book with a frown and opens it up.

  "A highly misinformed book about the Afterlife. I was curious about what the Magical World thought about it. I'm disappointed," Ichigo glares down at all the blacked out text she had caused. An entire page was completely covered in ink.

  "Can other... Witches and Wizards see spirits like you can?" Rukia asks slowly, finding the right words. Ichigo smiles and shakes her head.

  "Some spirits choose to come Back and can be Seen by everyone. But, Witches and Wizards must be Blessed to See the rest." Ichigo brushes back some of her hair back as a breeze blows past. "It's mainly certain families that are Blessed with Sight and it's natural they won't tell anyone of it. Even the Magical World has their inhibitions against Seeing."

  "Blessed?"

  "People or families who were granted powers and abilities by Magic and its children. But, people can gain Sight by being in the company of those who are Blessed, as well as other abilities," Ichigo clarifies with a small shrug.

  "At least, that's the belief in Wizarding Society," She quickly adds as an afterthought. It's still unknown to Ichigo if Soul Society knows that She still exists as its Creator and Mother, if they know at all.

  Rukia nods slowly, staring off in thought. Ichigo perks up a bit at the attentive Shinigami, happy to have someone to talk to about one of her worlds.

  "It's still hard to believe that Soul Society had missed an entire living race as old as Humans," Rukia speaks after a few moments.

  Ichigo chuckles and nods her head. "There's evidence to suggest that the Wizarding World is even older, but that's not what we're meant to be talking about today.

  "Yes! Shin'ō Academy!" Rukia brightens up with a smile when reminded of what she wanted to teach the orange haired teenager. Ichigo lets a soft smile pass her face as she watches the disguised spirit lecture about the school where she became a Shinigami.

  If she ever gets the chance to go to Soul Society while still alive, Ichigo hopes to go and explore all the places Rukia tells her of. Maybe she could even sneak back some books with her.

_____

    Ichigo enters the classroom with Rukia and immediately feels something is off. She glances around, quickly searching for anyone missing. The residual flickering aura around Orihime makes her pause her habitual search.

  "Orihime-san, hello," Ichigo greets with a small wave, walking over to the other orange haired teenager's seat.

  Orihime snaps out of her dark thoughts with a start and looks up. She forces a smile on her face and waves back.

  "Ichigo-hime! How's it going?" Orihime greets with a slightly forced brightness. Ichigo narrows her eyes with a small hum.

  "...is everything okay?" She asks quietly instead of answering, making Orihime's smile freeze on her face.

  "Of course! I'm just..." Orihime sighs slightly, her shoulders sagging. "I've been thinking of Nīchan recently..."

  Ichigo's gaze slides to the area around the usually cheerful Orihime. The presence of Death faintly flowed around the teenager in stewing waves.

  "Something deadly is following her," Ichigo thinks distractedly, watching the familiar presence flicker away once more.

  "Ichigo-hime?" Orihime's prompting startles Ichigo out of her thoughts. The taller female smiles down at her friend.

  "Would you like me and Rukia to come over? We can have a girl's night." Rukia looks up from her textbook at her name being called. She frowns and gives Ichigo a look before going back to her studying.

  "Tatsuki-chan wants to hang out too! The more the merrier!" Orihime exclaims, back to her bright and bubbly self. Ichigo lets a genuinely bright smile pass her guard and nods her head.

  "Of course. And please stop calling me that," Ichigo states as she starts to walk towards her seat.

  Orihime smiles brightly at Ichigo's back. "Nope! You're always going to be Ichigo-hime to me!"

  Ichigo groans slightly with a suffering sigh. Rukia glances up at her with a smirk and rests her head on her palm.

  "What's wrong, Ichigo-hime?" The black haired female asks with a raised eyebrow. Ichigo glares dark promises towards the disguised spirit, making her laugh.

  "No. I refuse," Ichigo says as she sits down. She crosses her arms with a huff as Mizuiro walks in with his usual mysterious smile.

  "Hello, Ichigo-hime!" He blinks rapidly at Ichigo's loud groan, watching her cover her face with her hands while Rukia and Orihime burst into a fit of giggles in confusion.

_____

    Yo twirls their wand between their fingers with a heavy sigh. They watch the mindless colorful wisps float through the air from their wand, wishing for the day to end.

  Always a boring day when no one wants anything–or anyone–fenced.

  "–on ahead. I just remembered I needed to get something here. I'll meet you at your home, Orihime-san," The familiar voice makes Yo perk up from their seat at the register. They watch with curious eyes as the enigmatic orange haired female from before walks in.

  She waves a group of girls off with a smirk before closing the door behind her. She wore Karakura High School's female uniform, clearly on her way to somewhere.

  "Hello, enigmatic customer-san! How may I help you today?" Yo asks in genuine excitement. Finally! Something better than boring happens today!

  The female's mouth twitches at the name before she walks towards the register. "I'm looking for a shop that sells potion equipment and ingredients."

  "Unfortunately, the only place around that sells good quality potion equipment and ingredients is in Essent Alley," Yo answers after a few beats of thought. A true frown forms on the female's face before she sighs heavily.

  "I thought so..." She speaks to herself before focusing back on Yo. "By chance, do you sell used wands here?"

  "By the Ministry of Magic, all Traced used wands are only to be sold on Essent Alley and all adjacent alleys," Yo recites, still smiling cheerfully. The orange haired female tilts her head with thoughtful eyes before a sharp grin grows.

  "And if I were to inquire about an Untraced wand?"

  "It will cost 13 Tengoku for the necessary spells and three weeks for me to obtain an Untraced wand. An extra 5 Tengoku if you have a specific wand in mind." Yo returns the female's grin with a sharp grin of their own. "I will need a full name for insurance, and a Wand Vow that the Emporium will not be implicated in any magical incidents that you may or may not do with the wand."

  The female smiles knowingly and pulls out her muyo wallet once more. She silently counts out 13 Tengoku before placing it on the counter.

  "Kurosaki no Ichigo. And yours?" Ichigo asks with eyes glittering in curiosity and amusement.

  "Isoyama Yo," Yo introduces themself with a smile. They swipe the coins from the counter into their palm.

  "Your wand will be ready in three weeks, Kurosaki-san. Is there anything else you need?" Ichigo smiles at the question and shakes her head.

  "Thank you," Ichigo says before leaving. Yo watches the female go with a smile of their own.

  Her name sounded familiar.

_____

    Ichigo climbs up to the second story and knocks on Orihime's window. She smiles up at the annoyed Tatsuki.

  "Ichigo, there's something called a door," She states with a scowl as Ichigo climbs in. Her best friend just smiles innocently, closing the window behind her.

  "And there's something called a window, Tatsuki," Ichigo retorts before waving at a cheerfully smiling Orihime.

  "Did you get what you were looking for?" Orihime asks brightly as she serves Rukia some tea. Ichigo hums in affirmation, taking off her shoes before walking over to the dining table.

  "Not everything, but it was enough. I didn't miss too much, did I?" Ichigo sits down and crisscrosses her legs.

  "You missed Orihime's newest recipe she'll be making tomorrow," Tatsuki answers as she sits across from Orihime.

  "And her plan to race the world's fastest runner and win," Rukia adds with her sickeningly cheerful facade. Ichigo raises an eyebrow at the other orange haired teenager before smirking, completely unsurprised by her avid imagination.

  "I'm sure you'd win, Orihime-san." Orihime giggles brightly at the statement and beams at her friends. The other females smile at Orihime's brighter mood.

  "We'll win together after the picnic!" Orihime exclaims, making Tatsuki and Rukia sweatdrop while Ichigo just smiles. None of them were ever able to tell what goes on in the bubbly female's head.

  "Any more confessions, Ichigo?" Tatsuki asks with a teasing grin. Ichigo glares at her childhood friend at the mention before rolling her eyes.

  "You know the answer to that already, Tatsuki. Yes, unfortunately."

  "Confessions?" Rukia questions in surprise, making Orihime hum brightly.

  "Ichigo-hime's really pretty and the school boys made it a game to try and get her to accept one of their confessions! It's karate club's week, right?" Orihime explains before giggling at Ichigo's exasperated aura.

  "Fortunately," Tatsuki states with a sharp grin. Anytime it was her club's week, it gave her plenty of excuses to beat them into the ground.

  "A game? Is that... normal?" Rukia asks, focused on Ichigo. The orange haired teenager shakes her head with a heavy sigh, leaning back against the dining chair.

  "No. Definitely not. Mizuiro made it a joke, but everyone at school took it seriously. I don't even know why I have a fanclub," Ichigo groans tiredly before sighing again.

  "A fanclub sponsored by Shimizu-sensei," Tatsuki adds with a small frown, Orihime frowning as well while Ichigo scowls.

  "Fucking pedo," Ichigo mutters under her breath. "Be wary of Shimizu-sensei. He likes the taller athletic types, but you'll still be on his radar."

  "I don't believe I've met this Shimizu-sensei, is he–"

  Rukia and Ichigo tense heavily at the piercing howl of a Hollow. Tatsuki and Orihime snap their heads towards the end of the room. A teddy bear suddenly falls to the ground, making Orihime gasp.

  The bubbly female races forward. "Oh no! Enraku fell down!"

  Ichigo looks over at Rukia when she hears rustling. She quietly nods her head, watching the disguised spirit pull on a fingerless glove.

  "Enraku? Oh, how'd you get that tear?" Orihime asks, noticing the deep rip through the teddy bear's face. Ichigo snaps her head up, standing up from her chair when she sees blood drip from the teddy bear.

  "Orihime! Orihime, get away!" Ichigo shouts urgently, rushing forward. A large hand thrusts through Orihime's chest from the rip. Ichigo curses under her breath and leaps forward to catch the other orange haired teenager.

  "Orihime?! Orihime, what's wrong?" Tatsuki asks loudly, crouching next to Ichigo. Ichigo snaps her eyes up and tries to push Tatsuki out of the way.

  Tatsuki screams in pain as one of the Hollow's talons shreds through her shoulder. Ichigo bites back a cry of her own, her upper back taking the brunt of the attack.

  "Ichigo!" Ichigo just barely processes the shout before Rukia slaps her shoulder, forcing Ichigo to faceplant into the floor as her physical body crumbles backwards.

  Ichigo bites down on her cheek as she scrambles up, her back screaming in pain. She unsheathes her nagamaki right before the Hollow attacks once again, blocking the talons.

  "Ichigo, are you okay?" Rukia asks worriedly, crouched next to Tatsuki.

  "Are Tatsuki and Orihime okay?" Ichigo asks instead, pushing her pain to the back of her mind.

  "Wh-what's happening?" Tatsuki stares at Ichigo's limp body in terror, gripping her own shoulder as the blood falls.

  "Ichigo... you're the one..." Ichigo snarls with her posture tense. She lets up her sword, twirling to the side to dodge the falling hand and swings the blade up. The Hollow leans back, its mask barely even chipping.

  "You're the one to take Orihime away from me..." Ichigo's breath leaves her, watching in mounting horror as the Hollow lifts his head and reveals his familiar face. "To make her forget about her brother..."

  "Inoue Sora..." Ichigo murmurs in shock.

  "Ichigo! Focus! It's just a Hollow!" Rukia pales at Ichigo's realization. Ichigo whips her head around with a snarl.

  "What the actual fuck is going on?!"

  "Ichigo!" The Hollowfied Sora swipes Ichigo to the side, making her fly through the wall.

_____

    13 year old Ichigo shuffles down the stairs, attempting to rub the sleep out of her exhausted eyes with her bandaged hands. She walks past one of the school's old broom closets, stopping right past it.

  Ichigo blinks rapidly and turns her head, staring at the broom closet. She turns around and tilts her head.

  "Hello?" Ichigo asks softly as she walks towards the door. She stops in front of it and tilts her head even further when she hears the muffled sound of quiet cries.

  The orange haired girl lightly knocks on the door before opening it. A 13 year old girl with burnt orange hair, brown eyes, and fair skin furiously wipes her eyes and hides her face. She looked familiar.

  Ichigo stares off to the side at the slightly suffocating presence around the girl. Someone very close to her has died and she's still grieving.

  "You're Tatsuki's friend," Ichigo states as the girl looks up at her. A bright smile suddenly appears on the girl's face, recognizing Ichigo.

  "Kurosaki Ichigo, right? Tatsuki-chan respects you a lot!" The orange haired girl exclaims brightly, voice still hoarse from her previous crying session.

  "I'm not good with names," Ichigo says, slightly apologetic with flushed ears.

  The girl giggles wetly and smiles even brighter. "I'm Inoue Orihime!"

  "Ah. The girl that carried her brother all the way to Oyaji's clinic," Ichigo thinks with a head tilt. She crouches down, staring into Orihime's eyes.

  "Why were you crying?"

  Tears suddenly appear in Orihime's eyes again, making Ichigo silently curse herself. She blushes bright red and slightly flails her hands around.

  "S-sorry. I didn't mean to sound so blunt. I just–I just wanted to know," Ichigo quickly tries to reassure the girl before he starts crying again. Orihime giggles again, sniffing as she tries to stop her tears.

  "I–I'm just thinking of Nīchan... he... he died a year ago..." Orihime furiously rubs her eyes again, fingers clenched into claws. Ichigo gently grabs her hands before she starts to scratch herself.

  "He wouldn't want you to be sad, Orihime. He's your onīchan. It always hurts to see their younger siblings sad and they can't do anything to change it," Ichigo speaks softly, not breaking eye contact from the wide-eyed Orihime.

  Orihime tilts her head, glancing between the other orange haired girl's eyes. "...do you have a big brother?"

  "No," Ichigo smiles softly, thinking about her cute sisters, "but I am a big sister. It always makes me hurt when I see Karin and Yuzu upset or sad and I could do nothing to make them feel better."

  Ichigo smiles even brighter, eyes shining a beautiful gold. She doesn't notice Orihime's silent gasp.

  "Death isn't meant to be sad, you know. Everything dies, but that just means that everything lives again as something else! Live in this life, so when you meet your onīchan, you can tell him all about it!" Ichigo speaks genuinely, thinking of Her.

  "But... I miss him so much..." Orihime states down at her hands clasped in Ichigo's. Ichigo giggles for the first time in a long time and brings both of their hands up.

  "Then, let's be friends! If you ever feel sad about your brother, we'll talk about all the times he made you happy! If you want him to be happy, you have to be happy too! No one can ever stop missing the dead, but that doesn't mean when we think about them, it has to be sad."

  Orihime giggles and squeezes Ichigo's hands with a faint blush dusting her cheeks and tears still in her eyes. "Okay!"

_____

    Ichigo slowly stands up from the street, blinking the memories away. She grits her teeth as she pulls back her lips in a snarl. Her hands tighten around the hilt of her nagamaki, blood flowing down her arms and hands in a steady stream.

  She takes a few running steps before leaping into the air, feet gently landing on the debris covered floor of Orihime's apartment. Her hands start to shake at how tightly she holds her blade. The magic inside of her starts to thrum just underneath her skin.

  "HEY, YOU BASTARD!" Ichigo shouts loudly, barely refraining from just releasing her magic. It starts to crackle around her, giving her an ethereal glow of silvery electricity.

  "I-Ichigo?" Orihime asks weakly, sitting next to her physical body.

  "You don't deserve to call yourself Orihime's brother! Look at you! About to kill her, about to kill her friends! You even hurt your own sister!" Ichigo snarls, her magic slowly swelling even more within. A faint static fills the air as tendrils of electricity start to appear around Ichigo's bloodied hands.

  "You do not have a place to talk, Ichigo. You were the one to take Orihime from me! She is mine!" Sora shouts in fury and rage. Ichigo growls as she takes a step forward.

  "Do you know why big brothers and big sisters are born first?! They're born to protect and care for the younger ones! How dare you! How dare you have the audacity to even lay a finger on Orihime with the intent to harm! Orihime is not yours! Not anymore!" Ichigo pulls up her nagamaki with a dark sneer.

  Her cloak billows in a non-existent wind, revealing her overly graceful outfit for any kind of fight. The electricity around her gets brighter, and more chaotic.

  "If you want to get to Orihime, you have to get through me first! Because, I refuse to allow a brother who's harmed their own sister to even touch her!" Ichigo pounces forward and attacks the Hollow.

  Orihime was her friend, and Tatsuki's best friend. She'd rather die than allow them to be harmed anymore. It was a familiar feeling, the urge to protect so much that she would kill without a second thought.

  They were her friends. Hers to protect. Hers to care for. They. Were. Hers.

Chapter Text

    Ichigo bites the inside of her cheek with a wince as her father tightens the bandages around her upper back and arms. She glances at an incredibly subdued and spaced out Orihime before focusing on an unconscious Tatsuki.

  "You must've flown through the windshield with how deep these cuts are," Kurosaki Isshin comments, cleaning up the bloodied bandages and the surgical sutures.

  Ichigo nods silently, gazing down at her lap. "Bastard got away when I came too and landed a few hits."

  Isshin laughs loudly and lightly wraps an arm around Ichigo's neck. She winces at the slight pull to her stitches before growling under her breath.

  "My beautiful daughter is so strong! He'll be sorry in the morning, wherever he is!" Isshin exclaims, ruffling his eldest daughter's hair. Ichigo growls louder and lifts her fist up, slamming it right into his father's nose. He stumbles back with a yelp, grabbing his nose.

  "MASAKI, OUR LOVELY DAUGHTER IS BEING MEAN TO ME AGAIN! SHE HAS NO RESPECT FOR HER OTŌSAN!" Isshin cries out dramatically sprinting out of the clinic to sob at the gaudy poster of Kurosaki Masaki in the living room.

  Ichigo sighs heavily before standing up. She walks over to Orihime and gently grabs her hand in hers.

  "Orihime-san... Orihime-san," Ichigo calls out softly, startling Orihime out of her thoughts.

  "Oh! Ichigo-hime... sorry, I keep spacing out. What's going on?" Orihime asks cheerfully, smiling up at her fellow orange haired female.

  Ichigo squeezes Orihime's hand and sits beside her on the cot. "It's not good to bottle it up."

  "What are you talking about? Nīchan is in a better place now! I'm not sad," Orihime denies brightly, still smiling.

  "It's not your fault. Every spirit turns into a Hollow if they aren't given a soul burial soon enough," Rukia states quietly as she walks into the clinic with no expression. Ichigo turns and stares at the object in the black haired female's hand.

  "Rukia..." Ichigo trails off, narrowing her gaze. Rukia gives her a look before focusing back on Orihime.

  "...I didn't want him to leave... when he–when he died... I told him he couldn't leave me," Orihime speaks with her eyes downcast. She clenches her hands around her skirt, glaring down at her lap. She sniffs loudly and quickly brings up a hand to furiously wipe away her tears.

  "He'd worry too much to leave you by yourself. Big siblings can't bear to leave their younger siblings without making sure they can live without them." Ichigo smiles softly and leans forward to gently kiss Orihime's forehead. "Even then, it's hard when you're forced to sit back and watch your younger sibling stumble through life without being able to receive your help."

  "Ichigo-hime... why–why did he have to die? W-why him?" Orihime finally breaks after years of pushing it back, tears falling down her cheeks. Ichigo continues to smile softly, pulling the other orange haired female into her arms.

  "Death is not a fair Mistress, She's not allowed to be. She is kind, but She must uphold a balance between Life and Herself, good and evil, light and dark," Ichigo says softly, running her fingers through Orihime's hair. Orihime sobs brokenly, pressing her face against Ichigo's neck.

  She doesn't notice Rukia's eyes widening, or the stutter in her gasp. She doesn't notice her sudden lax grip around the object in her hand, or the flicker of disbelieving shock passing by her face.

  Ichigo smiles as Orihime continues to weep, recalling the ancient lullaby She would always sing to make her sleep. She hums the soft tune and rests her head on Orihime's.

"Wolves asleep amidst the trees. Bats all a swaying in the breeze. But one soul lies anxious, wide awake. Fearing all manner of ghouls, hags and wraiths."

_____

    A high pitched whine leaves Ichigo's throat as she startles awake by a sharp pain in her shoulders and upper back. She hisses and buries her face into her pillow, forcing herself to relax her entire back.

  "I'm almost done, Ichi-nē. I need to heal the worst of the injuries," Yuzu whispers softly, deftly and wordlessly stitching up the slashes with her magic.

  "When'd I fall 'sleep?" Ichigo asks sluggishly, slowly turning her head with her eyes still closed. Yuzu's magic covers her like a softly swelling wave. It keeps a constant pressure on her entire back and her surroundings, almost like Ichigo was underwater.

  "After Orihime-san fell asleep. Oyaji carried you to your room. What happened? This doesn't look like flying into a windshield." Yuzu gently runs her fingers along the stitched up injuries, skin slowly melting together into white lines of stitch scars.

  "...evil spirit. Where's Rukia 'n' Tats' 'nd Hime?" Ichigo mumbles softly, falling back into a half conscious state. Yuzu smiles before taking her hands away from Ichigo's mostly healed back. Small pinpricks of blood well up from her fingertips.

  "Orihime-san and Tatsuki-chan are still resting in the clinic. Karin-chan is forcing Rukia-san to rest too after she found out that she declined Oyaji's offer to check her for any injuries," Yuzu answers as she wipes away the blood from her fingertips with the damp washcloth she brought with her. The light blonde girl pulls down Ichigo's shirt before getting off of the bed.

  Ichigo huffs at the answer before she slowly stretches her back. The smaller cuts sting from the stretch and the scars ache, but Ichigo ignores it to slowly sit up.

  "It's early." Ichigo sighs and slowly turns around, moving her legs over her bed. "'re you hungry?"

  "You're still hurt! You can go sit with the others, but I'll cook breakfast!" Yuzu doesn't take any answer other than yes with her tone of voice.

  Ichigo raises an eyebrow before sighing with a small smile. "Don't push yourself, Yuzu. You and Karin still have school."

  Ichigo grunts as she gets out of bed, stretching her back once more. She pats her hand on top of her little sister's head, making her squeak in surprise. Ichigo smiles before she starts walking towards her bedroom door.

  She hears the familiar muffled sounds of Karin scolding someone, making her smile even more. Ichigo walks in to see Orihime and Tatsuki watching with rapt attention as Rukia takes the brunt of Karin's worried ire.

  "–doesn't matter if your injuries were minor! It's still an injury and can get infected! You have to always get checked over for injuries," Karin exclaims loudly, deftly tightening the bandages around Rukia's arm.

  "Karin, you've scolded Rukia enough. I think she's learned her lesson," Ichigo speaks up with a slight smile. Karin looks up, glaring at her big sister with a scowl.

  "What are you doing? Ichi-nē you have to rest!"

  "Yuzu told me I could walk here. She's hea–checked over the worst of my injuries. I wanted to rest here since Yuzu won't let me cook breakfast," Ichigo says with a smile. Karin huffs and crosses her arms, turning away her flushed face. Ichigo smiles and glances around relaxing slightly when she sees everyone accounted for.

  "How are you feeling, Tatsuki? Orihime-san?" Ichigo asks worriedly, sitting down on the cot Rukia sat on.

  "I'm fine, Ichigo-hime! Everything feels ten times better than last night! What about you? Those stitches looked painful," Orihime answers, back to her usual bright and cheery attitude. Ichigo internally sighs, her smile growing soft. Nothing can hinder the other orange haired female, even after a good cry.

  "Just some aches and soreness. Tatsuki?"

  "...fine. I..." Tatsuki trails off, staring into Ichigo's eyes with no acceptance for any excuses. "What was that last night? What happened?"

  "A car had swerved and–"

  "Rukia, let me explain," Ichigo softly interrupts. Rukia turns and stares up at her with a narrowed gaze.

  "It's against the rules. They could be killed if they find out. It's not safe for them to know," Rukia immediately denies. Ichigo raises an eyebrow before huffing.

  "And Yuzu and Karin not knowing about that night is safe too? Even though they could see and sense you just as clearly as I could? I don't know how you altered their memories, but you're not doing it to my friends. They are associated with me, and like it or not, they'll get dragged in at some point," Ichigo retorts, making the black haired female open her mouth in surprise.

  "Wannabe gangsters try and fight them all the time, just for being associated with me. The other side would try to deal with them if I have to tell them anything about that. They are my friends and I refuse to let anything, or anyone, harm them even if that means telling them information they shouldn't know about." Ichigo focuses back on her friends with a determined gleam in her eyes.

  Rukia sighs slightly, staring at the orange haired female. Her shoulders sag before she slowly nods her head.

  "They'll need to pretend they don't know anything if this is ever investigated," Rukia relents, giving Ichigo a small look. "And, they can only know what is pertinent to the incident that just happened."

  "Understandable. Thank you, Rukia." Ichigo smiles genuinely at the disguised spirit. Rukia stares at her with wide eyes before quickly snapping her head to the side, trying to hide her flushed cheeks.

  "Why are you thanking me for breaking a law? I don't even know why I'm allowing this in the first place!" Rukia exclaims while crossing her arms. Ichigo smiles wider and shakes her head before focusing on her friends.

  "This isn't dealing with any gangs. What's this other side? What are you talking about?" Tatsuki asks, making Ichigo sigh. Tatsuki wouldn't be freaked out... but the fear that she could still made a home in her mind.

  "...I can see spirits. I've always been able to," Ichigo starts calmly, idly messing with the hem of her shirt. "...I knew there were these beings that protected and helped spirits here cross over, but I didn't know their name. Rukia is one of these. She's called a Shinigami."

  "But, what happened last night? What attacked us? Why did you and Orihime collapse? Why are you both injured? What hurt me?" Tatsuki asks with wide eyes. Ichigo smiles and reaches over to grab her best friend's hand. Her fear relaxes when Tatsuki doesn't flinch back.

  "There are evil spirits. They're called Hollows. Inoue Sora... he turned into one and attacked Orihime. Rukia can't fight right now, so I'm helping her. Orihime-san brought him back to his original mind and I helped Sora-san pass over," Ichigo explains further.

  Tatsuki glances between the three females before sighing heavily. "Ichigo, why didn't you tell me? This is probably the least weirdest thing I've ever heard from you. Does Chad know? Kojima? Asano?"

  "Mizuiro knows, but he figured it out after we first met. Keigo... suspects I have something to do with spirits, but doesn't know that I can see them. Chad doesn't know, but if he's ever affected, I'll tell him. I was planning to tell you all if anything had happened, like last night. But... well..." I didn't want to lose the only friends I've ever had...

  "Your Ichigo-hime, Ichigo-hime! Something like this wouldn't drive us away," Orihime states brightly while clapping her hands. "You're our friend! Nothing you tell us will ever make us reject you."

  "There is a lot I can tell you that will make you reject me..." Ichigo smiles indulgently and sighs. She shakes her head and leans back.

  "I didn't leave when you came back from your weird boarding school. I'm not leaving just because you're able to see people that we can't," Tatsuki speaks with an eye roll. Ichigo smiles just a bit brighter at the statement.

  "...boarding school?" Rukia asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

  "A boarding school is where students live at the school for most of the year. They go back home during breaks. We go to a public school, where we go to school then leave for home every day. I was going through my first year as a boarding student at that school before I left," Ichigo explains patiently.

  "Left? Funny way to say wrongfully expelled," Karin sneers with a huff. Ichigo lightly nudges her with her foot and a small look.

  "It's in the past. No use crying over spilled milk, Karin."

  Karin huffs again, glaring at her big sister. "They ruined your chances at ever being what you really wanted to be! You can't properly learn any of that stuff anymore!"

  "Nothing self-studying and experiments can't fix," Ichigo sighs, already exasperated with this age-old argument.

  "Experiments that you promised you would do less of, remember?" Karin retorts in a sharp tone. Ichigo freezes at the reminder, intently avoiding her sister's gaze.

  "Remember, Nēsan?"

  "...yes... yes, of course I remember!" The orange haired teenager immediately answers with a scowl, fingers twitching to reach up and pull at her hair.

  "I don't think Ichi-nē remembers, Karin-chan," Yuzu points out as she walks into the clinic, holding two trays of food.

  "I do! I... momentarily pushed it aside for more important matters," Ichigo quickly excuses her forgetfulness, searching for the right words. Karin and Yuzu give each other a look, making Orihime hide her giggling behind her hands.

  Ichigo flushes bright red at Tatsuki snort and her sisters' laughter. "I really did it for important matters!"

_____

    The silent humming of her magic crackles and swells, scorches and calms, tests and waits. It goes silent before restarting the cycle again. Ichigo doesn't even feel the breaths enter and leave her lungs. The world is static around her as she meditates and thinks.

  Her eyes open when she feels a gentle iciness land warmly on her nose as a greeting. Snow fell around her in soft waves, melting into nothing when it touches the rotting wood below.

  None of it touched her kimono or her hakama pants. Her cloak fell around her like curtains of mist, seemingly falling infinitely through the decrepit temple window below her.

  "Will I always end up here when I meditate?" Ichigo asks, voice echoing across the decrepit skyscrapers. She looks up with a gentle smile on her face, sharp teeth gleaming in the sunset light.

  A man dressed in a slightly ragged, but still pristine white montsuki kimono with a grey haori worn over it stood at the top of the temple. His long brown hair was left untamed, blowing in the breeze and past the visor covering his eyes.

  "It would seem so. You've unlocked your Shinigami powers after all," The man–the zanpakutō states, voice holding the calm before a torrential storm. The immense pressure of ozone before a detrimental lightning strike. The calm ocean before a typhoon.

  Ichigo takes a deep breath, a soft smile gracing her features. "What's your name?"

  "You are not ready to learn my name." A flurry of snow suddenly blocks their sight. "But it will come to you yet."

  The sudden wind dies down, revealing an empty space. Ichigo continues to smile as she closes her eyes.

  "I'll get stronger then, Ossan-oji." Ichigo refocuses her mind back to her meditation, enjoying the warm snowy weather of her warped inner world.

_____

    "Ichigo... we need to talk." The orange haired teenager looks up at the statement, eyes looking over her glasses. Rukia sat on the floor, back leaning against Ichigo's bedframe and her textbook in her lap.

  "What is it? Is something wrong with your powers?" Ichigo slides off her glasses and turns around in her chair, a worried scowl etching itself on her face.

  Rukia stays quiet, avoiding Ichigo's gaze. She takes a deep breath and closes her textbook.

  "You know about Hahanoshi-sama*. You know her lullaby," Rukia questions softly, voice not reaching louder than a whisper. Ichigo smiles softly and stares at the black haired female.

  "Death had sung the lullaby to me. She is my family's foster mother," and a good friend.

  Rukia still avoids Ichigo's gaze, her breathing stuttering from the confirmation. "You... are you Blessed by Hahanoshi-sama? Are you... why–is that why...?"

  "The Kurosaki name is Blessed by Death. She is the one to Bless us with Sight and Bless us with a greater, completely untouched avenue of magic. Unfortunately, it has caused the Wizarding Society to name us as a Dark Clan." Ichigo stares off into space at the ashy taste of bitterness on her tongue at the reminder. "I still don't know much about the–about Soul Society or Shinigami. Okāsan, Oyaji, and Death didn't want me to learn until I was older."

  "Are you... you–you are a Sacred!" Rukia's realization falls out of her mouth before she could stop it. Ichigo snaps her gaze back towards the Shinigami, watching her cover her mouth.

  Ichigo slides out of her chair to sit on the ground with piercing eyes. Rukia stops breathing at the amount of untold knowledge the Witch had in her gaze.

  "Adop...adopt...ister..." Ichigo leans closer, staring at the presence around Rukia. She takes a deep breath, a pleasant smile growing on her face.

  "You... The Sacred of Souls had adopted you by blood. Sacred Childe, how have I not realized?" The orange haired teenager whispers aloud, focusing back on Rukia's eyes. She blinks rapidly and feels her ears burn.

  "Yes... I am one of the Sacreds of Life. Forgive me for not realizing, Rukia. Okāsan is the only other Sacred I have Seen. And I was much too young to understand how to perceive Others," Ichigo states with an embarrassed smile. Rukia huffs out a laugh, her shoulders relaxing.

  "I... Nīsama made sure I learned. He taught me directly. The... the Central 46... Soul Society in general does not know I was blood adopted, nor do they know about his Sacred Blessing. He couldn't afford a minor slip up. Hahanoshi-sama had given the order to the Kuchiki Clan to keep themselves hidden. I will not be that slip up," Rukia explains how she knew before any questions were asked. Ichigo frowns slightly at the wrongness of that statement before she reaches out to grab Rukia's hand.

  "Aniue sounds like he has a stick right up his ass." Rukia barks out a bout of incredulous laughter, quickly slapping her hand over her mouth.

  "Ichigo!" She scolds with a hiss.

  Ichigo gives her a small look. "Is Aniue bossy?"

  "Well, yes. He's a Captain."

  "Does he want everything to be perfectly in line with the rules?"

  "Well–"

  "Does he uphold the laws and justice over anyone's personal feelings? Including his own?"

  "...yes?"

  "Even if someone jokes with him, will he just glare at them?"

  "...yes..."

  "Aniue has a stick up his ass." Ichigo smiles as Rukia stifles her laugh. She laughs for them both, leaning back.

  "I'm glad that I've met you," Rukia says with eyes full of warring emotions. Ichigo sighs, eyes sliding to See the presence grow darker around the Shinigami. She stays silent, letting Rukia talk.

  "They don't like Shinigami staying in the Living World for too long. At first I thought it was due to the slight risk that Humans can discover us... but I think it's because they wish to stay in their ways, their traditions," The black haired female continues, amethyst eyes darkening as she rests her chin on her knees. "The Living World... it's always changing, always moving. It's... overwhelming. I never thought a society could constantly change every day, yet still have its same routines. Everything and everyone goes so fast here. Does it ever get overwhelming for you?"

  Ichigo leans her head back, staring up at her ceiling. "Sometimes. But, I can't say I ever wished it could slow down for any amount of time. It's what makes Humans so... Human. As Humans, time is short. The average person only lives up until their mid-eighties here. Some countries, even less.

  "They constantly learn, constantly fight, constantly wonder, constantly inspire. It's their instinct to create chaos and organize it to bring about new ages and eras of extraordinary wonder, yet will destroy it all when they're finally bored and drained the wonder dry. Their instinct to learn everything they can in less than a century is what makes them so... fascinating."

  Chaos, constantly burning, constantly changing. Never dying and never listening. The basis of creation. The basis of It.

  "Witches and Wizards are different. They live longer, until their hundred-fifties. But, they still have that curiosity to them. The conscious will to brace the unknown just for the sake of wanting, the sake of learning, the sake of exploring. They destroy the barriers between mortal and magic, trying to tame it even if it's never meant to be tamed.

  "Sane enough to stay behind the line, yet mad enough to take the leap when given the chance to just See what's on the other side. They're prideful and arrogant, and really only the ancient Witches and Wizards can ever truly back up that pride, that arrogance, but it makes them so endearing. That instinct to always stay in control of chaos."

  Wonder, always watching, always curious. Never stopping and never controlling. The basis of thought. The basis of Him.

  "Death has told me stories of her creations, of her children. Prideful, stubborn, jaded, protectors, warriors. Their instinct to protect the Abandoned, the Balance, and to even protect the Living through fighting and routine. Never straying far from traditions, but always willing to lay down their lives for their purpose of creation.

  "Living for thousands of years, Her children see everything and yet, they see nothing at all. Unfortunately content to continue the cycle of traditions, of corruption. But, they always stay true to themselves. Never in denial of what they are, what they once were. Only ever in denial about what they can be. Their jadedness isn't even a fault on their part. That One is who's at fault. And when That One is finally gone... I am excited to see what will become of you Shinigami. Of what you will finally be able to be."

  Battle, eternally hungry, eternally singing. Never quitting and never defeated. The basis of emotion. The basis of Her.

  Ichigo smiles, full of a singing hunger for the unknown, the beautiful insanity of chaos, and the fascinating yearning for battle. She laughs quietly and turns her head to stare at Rukia.

Rukia stares back at the Sacred that has wormed her way into her life's routine, eyes wide and breath stalling.

The setting sun casts glowing orange rays over Ichigo's own messy waves of sunset hair. Freckled skin shining coldly underneath the light, putting all focus on gleaming sharp teeth. Warm brown eyes with cold golden hues piercing through Rukia's very soul. The coldly welcoming presence of Hahanoshi-sama Herself coalescing with Ichigo's searingly icy presence of a stubborn, fate shattering, ethereal, bloodthirsty protector.

"Sacred Childe, as long as you accept my friendship, nothing will harm you without severe consequences. Death does not show mercy to those who harm my people, and I fight to protect my people. I kill to protect my people. Whatever you're afraid of, it will not bother you here," Ichigo states as she pulls Rukia's limp hand closer to herself.

Rukia continues to stay frozen, staring at this wondrous, otherworldly female. She watches, almost detached from herself, as Ichigo presses her sharp thumbnail against Rukia's wrist. She doesn't pull back her hand, even if she probably should.

_____

Byakuya gently cradles Rukia's wrist with his calloused hands. He watches for any sign of fear that Rukia, without a doubt, is internally feeling. The tall grass around the sways in the gentle breeze. Wood chimes only seem like a distant echo now.

Rukia thinks she should have pulled back her hand when Byakuya presses his meticulously maintained thumbnail against her wrist. She flinches when it pierces the skin.

_____

Neither flinch when the nail pierces through the skin. Shocks of electricity travels up Rukia's arm and into her entire body as her muscles spasm from the sudden surge of the presence in the room. Pushing, pulling, singing, screaming, laughing, crying. A typhoon of catastrophe and miracle.

_____

Rukia feels the earth below her feet fall away and swallow her whole. The sudden presence suffocates her own as it surges around the empty field behind the Kuchiki Manor. Humming, speaking, roaring, ripping, shoving. A deep pit of unshakable walls and endless integrity.

_____

Sacred Childe, you will See.

_____

Sacred Childe, you will Learn.

_____

Sacred Childe, do you accept my Blessing?

Chapter Text

    Ichigo twitches, freezing for only a moment at the entrance of the classroom. Rukia glances up at her with a confused gaze before walking further into the classroom. Ichigo keeps her face blank as she stares at Chad's empty seat while walking past. Where was he?

  "I'm sure he's just caught up with something," Tatsuki reassures, always knowing what causes her friend's reactions. Ichigo doesn't say anything, but gently squeezes Tatsuki's shoulder in response.

  Mizuiro walks in with a small frown, only glancing at Chad's empty seat. His footsteps stutter, but he doesn't freeze. He glances at Ichigo as he sits down. She scowls and shakes her head, fingers twitching.

  "Ichigo-hime, we can cover for you!" Orihime states brightly. Ichigo smiles, still staring at the empty seat. She shakes her head and faces forward.

  "Chad's a big guy, Ichigo-hime! Not many will try and attack him!" Asano Keigo reassures the orange haired teenager, leaning back in his desk with a grin.

  Ichigo snorts, her shoulders relaxing. "I'll go look for him if he isn't here after lunch..."

  All of her friends brighten at the statement before their teacher walks in. Rukia looks around in bemusement and focuses on Ichigo.

  "Ichigo-hime doesn't like not knowing where we are." Orihime leans over to whisper at Rukia. "When one of us is missing, Ichigo-hime always thinks about the worst that can happen. She's like a mama bear!"

  Ichigo feels her ears burn as she opens her mouth to refute the statement.

  "Alright, class! Let's begin!" The teacher calls out before Ichigo could speak. Orihime smiles just a little bit smugly and turns around. Rukia stifles a laugh while Ichigo just pulls at her hair with a scowl, face turning even redder.

  "Whatever..." She mumbles, sinking into her seat. Rukia lightly nudges her foot with her own, smiling brightly.

  "Mama bear, huh? So your friends are your cubs, then?" Ichigo turns her head to glare out of the window, face burning like it was on fire.

_____

    Ichigo stares down at the parakeet with a narrowed gaze. She keeps her distance, staring at the heavy presence around it.

  "Where did you find him?" She asks, incredibly wary of the animal. A bad thing was following it, likely a Hollow. And such a sad soul too...

  "Friends," Sado Yasutora, or better known as Chad, answers simply. Keigo continues to fawn over the bird, holding a significantly long conversation for a parakeet.

  "Does he have a name? He's so cute!" Orihime asks brightly, kneeling next to Keigo and gently petting the bird through the birdcage.

  "My name is Shibata Yūichi! Nice to meet you!" The parakeet states, just as bright. Ichigo glances away to focus on the bandages around Chad's arm.

  She scowls and stands up, gently grabbing the giant's arm. "How hurt are you? Did someone pick a fight with you? Was it the bozo? The ones with the horrible dye jobs? Or the old hag who thinks she's pretty?"

  "No one. A motorcycle crashed into me. I only hurt my arm," Chad says, not moving away from Ichigo's inspection. He's learned never to avoid the orange haired teenager when she gets like this. Chad internally winces at the phantom pain in his neck at the memory.

  "Did you even go to the hospital?! Or the nurse? What the hell are you doing at school?!" Ichigo berates one of her best friends, roughly pushing up Chad's sleeve to check the bandages properly.

  "Yes. The motorcycle rider was more injured than me. It was only a small cut."

  Chad doesn't dodge the slap to the back of his head. "Don't get smart with me! You know what I'm asking."

  "...no. I didn't stay long enough to get checked out, other than my arm," Chad answers, making Ichigo huff. Rukia leans towards Mizuiro, slightly covering her mouth.

  "Is this what Inoue-san means by Ichigo being a mama bear?" Rukia asks quietly, careful not to let the Witch hear her.

  "Half of it! You'll see the rest once you get kidnapped!" Keigo butts into the conversation with a bright grin. Rukia blinks at the statement, staring at the Human in bemusement.

  "Kidnapped?" Rukia questions, startled at the sudden statement. Tatsuki elbows Keigo in the back of his neck, making him crumple to the ground dramatically.

  "He means when some gang tries to take you because you're friends with Ichigo-hime and she finds out about it. There isn't any kind of successful kidnapping involved," Tatsuki states with a shrug. Rukia sweatdrops before glancing at Ichigo. When she finds out?

  "...the moment you even wince in pain, I'm dragging you to the clinic." Ichigo pokes Chad in the chest with a small glare before turning around.

  "Rukia, this is Chad–"

  "Sado Yasutora," Chad interrupts quietly.

  "–and I don't think you've actually met Mizuiro or Keigo," Ichigo continues as if Chad hadn't spoken.

  Mizuiro smiles as he scratches behind his ear. "Kojima Mizuiro. This idiot is Asano Keigo."

  "Mizuiro~!" Keigo whines dramatically, still on the ground.

  "Be careful with Mizuiro. He's a flirt." Mizuiro sighs as if the statement truly wounded him.

  "Ichigo-hime, you know I prefer older women," Mizuiro speaks in a disappointed tone. Ichigo rolls her eyes, lips twitching at Rukia's stifled laugh.

  "That's why I'm warning her," Ichigo retorts, making her Wizard friend raise an eyebrow. He glances at Rukia, mostly understanding, before smiling.

  "Don't even. Make friends with the bird like Keigo's doing." Ichigo immediately catches onto what Mizuiro was about to do and points at the bird. Mizuiro pouts playfully before crouching next to Keigo as he continues to talk with Yūichi.

  Ichigo walks over to Rukia, watching her friends. "Is Yūichi a spirit? A Hollow's chasing after him."

  "Yes. I'm surprised a spirit latched onto a living being. It's not rare, but you don't see it often," Rukia says quietly, staring at the parakeet. Ichigo nods her head before frowning with a sigh.

  "We'll give him a soul burial tonight," The Shinigami continues in the same quiet tone before walking forward with her cheerful smile plastered on her face.

  Ichigo watches her friends converse with the parakeet. She smiles softly and tilts her head down with her eyes closed as the wind blows up her hair into her face.

  Her head snaps up when her shoulders twitch. She turns her head to the left and stares straight across the empty rooftop. Her fingers twitch and her magic fidgets restlessly just beneath her skin.

  "Ichigo-hime...? Ichigo-hime, is something wrong?" Ichigo startles at the slight touch to her arm before Orihime startles when a shock goes through her arm. Ichigo gives Orihime's hand a cursory glance, not noticing any injuries.

  "Sorry Orihime-san," Ichigo glanced back at where she was staring, "did you say something?"

  "Is everything okay? Did you... did you see something?" Orihime asks, keeping the specifics unspoken. Ichigo forces a smile on her face and shakes her head.

  "Nothing. It's nothing, Orihime-san..." The Witch clears her throat and mentally shakes off her unease.

  "...man, the weekend's getting closer and I'm dreading it," Mizuiro speaks up, focusing the attention on himself. He sighs dramatically as he rubs the back of his neck.

  "Oh yeah... Ichigo-hime's hellish training..." Keigo sits completely frozen, face as white as a sheet. He drops his head in his hands, a dark aura surrounding him.

  "You better not kill us this time, Kurosaki Ichigo," Tatsuki states with her arms crossed. Ichigo smirks and places a hand on her hip.

  All six of her friends feel the paralyzing feeling of dread crawling up their spines at Ichigo's sharp smile. Her teeth gleam in the sunlight, appearing almost like an animal's teeth.

  "Rukia's new to the group, everyone! I have to give her a warm welcome, no?" Ichigo smiles even wider when her friends start to back away. Oh, this weekend's going to be so fun!

_____

    Emerald green eyes snap open at a statement he couldn't understand. A 12 year old boy looks around with wide eyes, suddenly standing on a fenced rooftop. His eyes focus on the older teenager that stood out the most out of the six.

  Harry Potter takes a step back in surprise when the female snaps her head towards his direction.

  Her slanted brown eyes appeared gold in the sunlight, almost like a caramel. Her freckled skin stood out against the sunset orange hair that fell over her shoulders in fiery waves. She was tall. Taller than what people Harry has seen that were around her age. She felt so familiar...

  "...ster... si...ter..." Harry jumps at the voice that echoes loudly in his head. He watches as another orange haired teenager catches the attention of the one who stared at him.

  They spoke in a language Harry didn't understand. It sounded like... Japanese?

  "My dear Sacred. How the years have passed... you have grown so much..." Harry whirls around at the new voice, opening his mouth to speak. He slaps a hand over his mouth when no sound comes out.

  "We do not have much time, my Sacred. I can only speak to you through dreams. The Fallen One doesn't want you to know about me."

  Harry feels an ice cold hand card through his hair. His eyes flutter close as he is held in an embrace.

  "–Kurosaki Ichigo." The voices start to fade after the name. Harry tries to open his eyes as he tries to speak.

  Who–

  "Be patient my sweet Sacred... and wait for me in the next dream."

_____

    Harry startles awake, sitting up with a gasp. He grabs the back of his hair, still feeling the ice cold hand carding through it. His eyes dart around the pale lit room as his breathing slowly calms.

  "My dear Sacred. How the years have passed... you have grown so much..." Harry swallows as he tries to make sense of whatever he saw. He recognized that voice. He recognized that presence...

  A stuttering breath is taken in as Harry presses his hands against his clenched eyes. Why did this have to happen now? He still hasn't even figured out what's petrifying the students, or where the Chamber of Secrets was in the first place!

  ...this person knew who he was. He had met this person. When? Where? Does Professor Dumbledore know her? Maybe he should ask him–

  Harry feels nails stabbing into his back, raking down next to his spine. He instinctively reaches over his shoulder to claw at his searing back.

  "The Fallen One doesn't want you to know about me..."

  Harry bites back the cry bubbling up in his chest. He tries to take a breath through the pain, almost wishing it was a belt whip to his back from Uncle Vernon instead of whatever the hell this was...

  "The Fallen One? Who's... who is that? What... Who's Kurosaki Ichigo?" Harry doesn't realize he had closed his eyes from the pain until he lifts his head up.

  He looks over his shoulder, trying to see if any blood has seeped through his shirt. He sincerely doubts if Wizards have hydrogen peroxide, or even laundry detergent and bleach.

  Harry takes a deep breath and runs a hand through his hair. "Okay... Hermione would want me to tell her so she could figure this out..." but she's basically a statue in the Medical Ward.

  The black haired boy sighs and is almost entirely convinced to just lay back in bed and sleep the day away. His slightly throbbing back makes that dream a distant goal he won't achieve this time.

  The sun starts to peek out from the horizon, the pale light starting to brighten up the room. Harry looks down when his stomach growls, making him wince.

  "Breakfast first." Harry climbs out of his bed, his pajamas swallowing him whole. He pads to where the bathrooms are, not noticing the slightly tired gaze following him from one of the other beds.

_____

    Kurosaki is one of the most ancient and most powerful pure-blood clans of Wizarding Japan. The clan is older than any discovered historic texts and officially designated by Yoritomo of Minamoto* (Decreed 1167) as a Dark Clan due to affiliations, allegiances, and suspected involvement in crimes against Wizarding Japan. The decree is later officiated by the International Confederation of Wizards when Japan was given a seat in the year 1243.

  The last known information of the Kurosaki Clan is the expulsion of Ichigo Kurosaki, Yuzu Kurosaki, and Karin Kurosaki during the 1997-1998 school year before disappearing. The reason behind the expulsion was due to rumors of Ichigo Kurosaki practicing the Dark Arts and a suspected attack against another student with a curse.

  Harry rubs his watery eyes, hunched over multiple open books with a stack blocking his face from the rest of the library. He rapidly blinks away the exhaustion and the strain of reading for hours on end, just to achieve two paragraphs of information.

  A Dark Wizard... Harry doesn't even know why he bothered.

_____

    "Missus Potter–"

  "It's Dursley! I am not this troubled brat's mother, Mister Atkins!" Petunia immediately cuts in with a horribly held back sneer. Harry winces at the sharp nails digging into his shoulder, but keeps his gaze on his lap.

  "A-ah... Missus Dursley... I sincerely apologize for calling you here today, but what Mister Potter had done needed to be brought to your attention." Mister Atkins smiles nervously, fidgeting with one of his pens.

  "What did the brat do this time?" Petunia asks in a tone that could be considered exasperated and worried if it wasn't for her horrid poker face. Harry's nails bite into his palms as he tries to keep his face passive from the searing pain of Petunia stabbing through his shoulder with her own nails.

  "Your son, Dudley, witnessed Mister Potter attack two students without prompting. I have just talked with their parents. They won't press charges, but they do wish for Mister Potter to be punished," Mister Atkins speaks with his head lowered.

  Harry opens his mouth to speak, to shout that he didn't do it. To tell the truth that Dudley was the one to attack the other kids. He quickly closes it before he gets himself into even more trouble with his aunt.

  "Little brat! Look what you did! How many times do I have to tell you that this behavior is unacceptable!"

  He keeps his head low when Petunia hits him over the head. His fists clench around the fabric of his ratty pants. He's just the freaky delinquent kid that the Dursleys took in out of the "kindness" of their hearts. He's never just a boy who wishes someone would believe him when he said he didn't do things like this.

_____

    "The wrackspurts are really getting to you, aren't they?" The sudden voice almost makes Harry physically startle. He snaps his head up, blinking when he sees an 11 year old girl standing next to the table he claimed. He spots the dark blue of the Ravenclaw House inside her robes.

  "Sorry, what?" Harry leans back from the book, staring into silver eyes. He blinks and causally avoids eye contact, unnerved by how the girl's eyes seemed to pierce through his soul.

  "The wrackspurts!" The girl reiterates in a dreamy tone. "They fly into people's ears and make their brains fuzzy."

  "Oh. No, I was just... researching and couldn't find much of what I wanted to know," Harry answers, pretending like he still understood what the girl had said. She hums with a nod of her head, glancing down at the books.

  "You'll find so much more if you read what's inside the cover of the book and not what it's named," The blonde girl says with a dreamy smile, focusing back on the black haired boy. Harry blinks rapidly before staring down at the opened book.

  He heaves a heavy sigh and thinks of his apparent status as the Heir of Slytherin. She's right. He's acting like basically everyone in this school. Believing the first shrivel of information, even if it's clearly not adding up.

  "Yeah... you're right. Thank you..."

  The blonde girl smiles just a bit brighter, silver eyes shining in delight. "Luna Lovegood. Nice to meet you Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived."

  Harry couldn't stop the heavy grimace. He runs a hand through his hair and releases a scoff.

  "It's actually the bloody Heir of Slytherin now from what everyone keeps making me seem to be," Harry snaps with sarcasm and venom filling his voice. He winces and rubs his burning eyes.

  "Sorry Luna. I didn't mean to snap at you," Harry continues sincerely, glancing at the 11 year old. Luna hums with eyes full of understanding.

  "It's alright. The wrackspurts have gotten a hold on everyone. It's been decades since the Heir of Slytherin made an appearance. Unless you're a vampire, I never believed what the wrackspurts said." Luna smiles and sits down in the empty chair next to the stack of books. Harry smiles tiredly, leaning into the chair.

  "What're you doing here, Luna?" Harry changes the subject, idly looking around for anyone else. Unsurprisingly, no one was in the library during Easter break.

  "Came searching for an Umgubular Slashkilter. I seemed to have missed it when I saw you. She visited you, yes?" Luna asks, her eyes slightly dazed as she stares up at the ceiling. Harry feels chills run down his scalp and back at the mention. He feels phantom fingers of ice card through his hair.

  "How... did you...?"

  "Do not look directly into his eyes. He knows you had a dream. He will ask," Luna continues as if she was commenting about the weather. Harry swallows back his reply, staring at the younger girl with wide eyes.

  His eyes stray when he sees something fading into existence around Luna. It was a faint white glow, overbearingly warm and off-putting. He focuses on the glow as it gets stronger.

  "The wrackspurts will swarm your head if you stay any longer today." Harry blinks back into reality at the sudden statement. His emerald eyes flicker towards Luna's silver ones. The colors contrast and mix together.

  "R-right... what–what time is it?" Harry ducks his head, closing the book in front of him with a snap.

  "It's past lunch, but if you're hungry, I can take you to get some food from the kitchens," Luna hums with a small smile.

  Harry smiles back as he stands up. "Thank you, Luna. Let me put the books up."

  "Let me help. The nargles will move them every which way if they aren't put up correctly." The blonde girl grabs one of the stacks of books, already walking towards one of the sections. Harry smiles, head slightly tilted as he stares after the small girl.

  Such an odd little thing. He chose a good Divine. Harry blinks. Divine? Who is–

  "Be patient Sacred," Luna speaks in dreams and visions, eyes glowing like pale moonlight. "Do not think these thoughts with the Fallen One around."

  Harry stares down at the faint glow that fades around the Ravenclaw once more. He inclines his head once, watching the glow freeze hotter. Caution.

  "Div–Luna... what...?" Harry shakes his head, trying to make sense of all that was happening.

  "I am not able to teach you. I am your opposite. But I can impart knowledge that She will not have enough time to give you. But not here," Luna speaks too softly, the haze around her voice disappearing as her voice whispers in the stale air. Harry looks back into her eyes, the walls getting closer as if to trap him.

  "...okay. Okay. Let's–" Harry shakes his head and forces his whirling thoughts to the back of his head "–the books won't put themselves up. You don't need to help me, Luna."

  Luna smiles, dreamily and with hazy eyes. "You can't spot where the nargles could be just yet."

  Harry smiles back, not understanding, but not unnerved. He nods his head, grateful for the help.

_____

    Ichigo stares through the classroom window. Idly tapping her pencil back and forth. Her magic stirs restlessly beneath her skin, not having stopped since lunch.

  A sigh leaves her nose as she gives a passing glance to the clock above where the teacher was droning on about whatever Ichigo's already learned. Class barely had resumed after lunch. Ichigo sighs again and snaps her notebook closed before standing up.

  "Kurosaki, is something wrong?" The teacher asks, too used to the orange haired teenager interrupting his class to be anything more than incredibly irritated.

  Ichigo doesn't answer him as she packs her things. She pulls her bag over her shoulder and glances over at Chad.

  "I'll be back by the time school ends," Ichigo tells Chad before she starts to walk out of the classroom.

  "Kurosaki, this is another strike on your record," The teacher half-heartedly attempts to keep Ichigo from leaving his classroom. Tatsuki hides her laughter with a cough when Ichigo just gives the teacher the bird as she walks out of the door.

  "...where is Ichigo going?" Rukia leans over to ask Mizuiro. Mizuiro stares at her for a few moments before smiling as if he's imparting a secret.

  "Starts with an M problem," Mizuiro answers vaguely. Rukia narrows her eyes and glances back at the opened door. She huffs out a breath, leaning back with an eye roll.

  "Doesn't realize how much she worries others, does she?" Rukia asks without prompt.

  Mizuiro smiles just a bit wider. "The spirit gets a gold star. Congratulations."

  Rukia just gives him a half-hearted glare before focusing back on the teacher as he resumes his droning lecture like anyone was legitimately paying attention to him.

  "It must be a Sacred thing," Rukia thinks with a soft smile, thinking of her big brother and his tendency to silently disappear into his work with no intent to explain or take breaks unless his life was at severe risk.

  She wonders if Ichigo would ever meet Renji. They'll both have a new person to take care of and make sure they don't kill themselves with stress and overworking. Besides that, Rukia thinks the two would get along great.

Chapter Text

    Ichigo sits in her ruthlessly elegant seiza, blinking open her eyes to stare at the crimson colored liquid in the cup resting in her hands. Her hair was carefully pulled back and styled into a shimada* and she was dressed in a rich red kimono with a dragonfly and falling leaf pattern. Her obi was black and tied in a large bow that cascaded down her back, hanging over her nagamaki.

Her breath leaves her mouth as frost when she lifts her cup to take a sip. The chilly autumn wind cuts against her skin as its warm greeting. A giggle echoes through the silent space.

"You dress so beautifully for me... have I missed an occasion, My Sacred?" The complimenting question warms Ichigo with its icy blanket and bells of omens. She looks up and sees a tall woman sitting before her, Her smile splitting Her face in half.

"Your Sacred greets you with a bountiful harvest and eternal battles, Death," Ichigo speaks in reverence. Death giggles once more, Her lips splitting to reveal sharp teeth.

"Dearest Protector, you may forgo the greeting. I am the one to summon you," Death speaks before She leans back. Her hair, black and infinite as the void, falls over Her shoulder, brittle and thin, and rests into Her lap and the floor.

"No, you did not miss an occasion, Death. I always dress for your summons," Ichigo answers Death's previous question with a smile, staring into eyes of a grey mist.

Death smiles and holds out Her smoothly scarred hand. Ichigo immediately reaches for it, placing her palm onto the long, crooked fingers.

"Some time ago, an exceptional child of mine had stumbled across what my Sacred of Souls knew of That One. He read inaccurate information and fell deeper into the insolent madness That One had once fallen into." Death gently grasps Her Sacred's hand with Her own. "I had tried to get him to See his illness for what it truly was. I intended to punish him before his reach grew too far, but unfortunately I was too late."

"Aizen Sōsuke needs to be punished and my children need to be saved. Sweet Sōsuke has intentionally caused the death of thousands in my Domain, framed many of my strongest children, and has manipulated the already corrupt system which Soul Society is now ruled by to permanent ruin."

Ichigo doesn't flinch when thin nails pierce into her hand. Death's smile disappears as the liquids inside their cups boil over.

"Ichigo, My Sacred, you must listen and trust my children who plan the tides of battle. They may not See at the beginning, but they are the ones who are attempting to go against my foolish child that started all of this. Do you understand?" Death asks, releasing Her grip on Ichigo's hand to gently caress the bleeding knuckles. Ichigo smiles and nods once, eyes alight with determination and excitement.

"What is it you wish for me to do now?" Ichigo feels a relief swirl in her chest when a smile returns to Death's face. Her foster mother shouldn't have to worry so much about this.

"You will begin your training with the Sacred Childe and your Devout Wizard. You may choose when to reveal me to the rest of those who are yours, whenever you are comfortable. But know that they will not cast you aside for what you are," Death gently hums, reaching up to caress Ichigo's cheek. The blood on Her fingertips smudges against the freckled skin and burns a sigil onto Ichigo's cheek.

Ichigo doesn't blink an eye to the blood that starts to drip off her cheek from the gift, staring up at Death with wide eyes. "You will show yourself to Rukia and Mizuiro?"

"I will. You have sworn your Devout Wizard as a Vavasour, and you swore the Sacred Childe under your protection through your own blood. As two of your Court, there must be no room for error or risk when they are tasked with your protection," Death answers before She scratches a nail through the sigil She has Blessed Ichigo with.

Death tilts Her head, listening to something outside of the summon before a smile splits Her face in half once more. "It looks like your Kind Protector has run away from my brave son's clinic. You must awaken before the trapped child is hunted any more."

"Chad, you idiot..." Ichigo sighs with a heavy frown. If he tears his stitches, she's going to make sure he feels the slap to the back of his head for weeks!

Death giggles loudly at the thought, lifting Her blood smudged hand to rest it on top of Ichigo's head. She leans over the table and kisses Her favorite Sacred's cheek, right against the sigil.

"Run along now and have fun, my dear friend. I will be around soon."

_____

Ichigo blinks awake, staring up at the magically conjured Milky Way Galaxy above her bed. She sits up, realizing the sun was only barely peaking over the horizon. She blinks again before scowling.

"Chad..." Ichigo kicks off her covers and she stumbles out of bed. A small curse escapes her mouth when she trips over her own feet, startling Rukia awake.

"Wha‒'chigo? What's wrong?" Rukia sits up from the futon she slept on as Ichigo stands up from the floor.

"Chad‒Chad isn't in the clinic. We gotta go before he gets himself killed. The damn idiot!" Ichigo swings open her door and runs down the hallway.

"What? Wait‒Ichigo! Hold on!" Rukia scrambles to follow after the Witch, not before grabbing her glove.

"Oyaji, Chad escaped! Get one of the rooms ready!" Ichigo shouts over her shoulder before sprinting down the stairs. She slides across the wood floors to stop her momentum before she sprints towards the front door. Rukia follows after her, crashing into the couch, and quickly stumbles her way through the front door.

"Ichigo!" Rukia catches up with the orange haired teenager once she stops in the middle of the street, panting slightly and her hand clenched around the glove.

"Which way would he have gone...? He knows I'm coming to beat his damn ass for sneaking out while injured," Ichigo mutters under her breath, whirling around to face every direction.

"How did you know he was gone?" Rukia asks with a furrowed expression.

Ichigo hums, distracted by trying to pinpoint Chad's presence. "Death summoned me. She told me he had run away before sending me Back."

"You spoke with Hahanoshi-sama?! What‒Oh my! What happened to your cheek?!" Rukia stares at the raw sigil burned into Ichigo's skin. Ichigo brushes her thumb against it, barely wincing at the sharp sting of pain, to check for any blood.

"Death gave me a gift. Let's go. Chad went this way," Ichigo states before she starts running down the street.

"Hahanoshi-sama‒She gave you a gift?!" Rukia follows after the orange haired teenager, easily keeping up with her while pulling on the glove. "How did‒where‒why did Hahanoshi-sama summon you? What does it do?"

"Chad!" Ichigo booms loudly when she spots the hulking silhouette of her good friend. The silhouette freezes, physically shivering before turning around.

"...Ichigo," Chad greets almost casually, making Ichigo scowl. She stumbles to a stop in front of him, glaring up at him with the heat of a thousand suns.

"Sado Yasutora! Why, in the name of the Veils, did you run away?! You can die from pulling your stitches! Or worse!" Ichigo scolds her friend, her voice a mix between shrill and booming. Rukia and Chad sweatdrop, but don't say anything to Ichigo. Are there things worse than death?

"Miss. Don't be mad at mister... it's my fault. I've put you all in danger..." Yūichi says with too much guilt for a child to hold. Ichigo sighs heavily before her shoulders relax.

"Chad wouldn't be devoted to helping you as much if he was worried about being in danger. Are you alright? What's chasing you?" The orange haired teenager asks softly, momentarily forgoing her anger for worry.

"Mmhmm! I'm okay! The thing chasing me, it's a monster! But he said‒he said he could save my mom! He said he could bring her back to life!" The parakeet exclaims loudly while flapping his wings.

Ichigo and Rukia narrow their eyes at the statement. Rukia steps forward and gently grabs the front of the cage.

"Who told you that?"

"I did." Something chuckles out from behind the group. Ichigo whirls around with a snarl and her arms outstretched to protect the others while Rukia rushes forward with her hand reaching for Ichigo's back and Chad widening his stance, Yūichi squawking loudly inside the cage.

Ichigo's body crumples to the ground before it's hit by the claws of the Hollow, slicing into Ichigo's spirit body instead. She groans loudly and takes the brunt of the attack, sliding back before her hands latch onto the large arm.

"You fucking asshole!" Ichigo uses her leverage and her loud shout to swing the entire body of the Hollow above her. The Hollow lands face first into the asphalt, cracking its mask from the force and its claws are forcefully ripped from where they dug into Ichigo's body.

"Ichigo!" Ichigo stumbles towards Rukia and quickly wraps an arm around her waist before grabbing her physical body's wrist. She starts sprinting down the street with Chad only a few steps behind her.

The Hollow growls loudly as it slowly sits up from where its face was slammed into the asphalt. "You fucking bitch... I'm gonna kill you!"

"Ichigo‒put me down!" Rukia struggles to get out of the teenager's secure hold.

"We can't fight here! The Hollow will just attack those heading to work!" Ichigo hisses angrily, glancing over her shoulder. She hisses once more when she spots the Hollow easily gaining ground in the chase.

She tosses her body into Rukia before she kicks her back into Chad. Rukia yelps in pain and Chad grunts, instinctively grabbing a hold of Rukia and the limp body before either could fall to the ground. Ichigo reaches back and grabs the hilt of her nagamaki.

Three blurs suddenly fall from above. Ichigo whips her head up with wide eyes before something slimy hits her. She wipes away at her face, leaping back in case the Hollow tries to attack her while she's blinded.

"Ichigo! You idiot!" Rukia screams, tugging herself out of Chad's hold.

"You fucking‒" Ichigo sputters and spits out the gunk that managed to get in her mouth. She rips off one of the things attached to her face and glares down at it.

"You've got to be kidding me!" Ichigo quickly releases the leech in her hand. "Disgusting!"

Ichigo glares up at the Hollow when it chuckles. It sits on its haunches, simply watching Ichigo.

"Do you like my little Targets?" The Hollow asks conversationally, making Ichigo blink.

Targets?

The Hollow's mouth opens and there's a ringing hum. Ichigo's vision goes completely white and she chokes on a scream.

The left side of her face explodes into fiery pain before her chest and shoulders explode next. Ichigo collapses to her knees with a wheezing gasp.

Targets‒as in bombs.

"ICHIGO!" Rukia races forward, only to jump back when leeches are spit towards her. She barely dodged them all, landing in front of Chad.

Ichigo's vision slowly returns. She couldn't hear anything around her besides a ringing in her ears. Her entire body felt off-kilter and nausea bubbled in her stomach.

"A ruptured ear drum." Ichigo breathes out through her mouth, glancing up with a narrowed gaze.

Rukia was speaking quickly about something, but Ichigo couldn't hear her past the ringing. The parakeet was flailing around in his panic and Chad had his arms wrapped protectively around his cage.

Ichigo swallows back a gag and stumbles onto her feet. Her eyes nearly roll back into her head when the world suddenly spins and her knees buckle. She blinks rapidly, glaring past the stars blinding her.

She sees the Hollow chuckle. More of the Targets appear and Ichigo raises her zanpakutō and slices through a few of the leeches before they could land on her. Ichigo feels her throat constrict as her zanpakutō suddenly bears a sudden weight.

The Hollow opens its mouth, but Ichigo still couldn't hear it. Her eyes spot the word looking tongue.

"Run and keep‒keep Chad from doing anything stupid!" She couldn't hear her voice, so hopefully she wasn't screaming, but Ichigo needed to say something. Rukia needs to get Chad away before he tries to dive right in to help when he couldn't see anything.

Ichigo glares up at the Hollow and snarls. The sigil sears at the stretch and the nausea seems to fade away.

The sigil.

Ichigo turns her head and gives Rukia, who's still shouting, a harsh glare. "GO! I've got this!"

Rukia glares at her and tries to say something, but finally lifts Ichigo's physical body onto her back and sprints down the road. Chad looks after her and hesitates, only for the bird to say something. He starts following the Shinigami, some of the smaller Hollows chasing after him.

Ichigo focuses back on the Hollow and lifts back her leg. She kicks as hard as she could against its stomach and the weight eases off of her nagamaki.

She places a hand to her ruptured ear, part of her palm covering the sigil, and a glowing white appears. "Episkey*."

A sigh leaves her mouth as the nausea slows and the sound of the songbirds can be heard once more. The ringing continues in her other ear, but much more muffled.

"–gonna have a real good time torturing you, you little bitch!" The Hollow sneers before it suddenly appears in Ichigo's line of vision. She holds up her nagamaki to her right and blocks the claws from completely bisecting her.

"Gonna have to actually get me first," She snarls back before twisting her nagamaki, so the blade suddenly digs into the Hollow's fingers. It roars and Ichigo feels something wet splash onto her back.

She smirks and takes the risk to lift a bleeding hand from her zanpakutō, right as the Hollow's mouth opens to reveal its weird tongue.

"DIFFINDO*!" There's a higher pitched ringing than the one in her ears.

Pain ignites her entire spine and a cry is ripped from her throat. The Hollow howls and stumbles back as blood spills all across the teenager who just sliced out its entire mouth, tongue, teeth, and all. Ichigo collapses to her knees, quickly stabbing her zanpakutō into the ground before she could collapse all the way.

"Do you like my spell?" Ichigo taunts with a wild grin and glittering teeth. The sigil decays into a black ink, drying and cracking through the living skin of Ichigo's cheek.

Power. That was what the sigil passes on.