Rookie

Six years have passed since Kuroi began his training to become a soul reaper. Now 15, he has achieved his goal of becoming a soul and now protects Karakura Town from hollows. With a year of experience under his belt, he has started to take his responsibility more seriously, but not tonight. Currently, he is laying on a rooftop, stargazing.

"The stars look amazing tonight. I should do this more often," said Kuroi.

Kuroi continues to stargaze until he senses a spiritual pressure coming right towards him. He quickly gets up and places his hand on his Zanpakuto.

"It doesn't feel like a Hollow, but it may still be an enemy. Whatever this thing is won't get past me," thought Kuroi.

As the thing gets closer, Kuroi pulls out his Zanpakuto and prepares to kill it. Before it gets any closer, he notices that it is wearing a black shihakusho. He places his Zanpakuto back in its sheath. The thing jumps off the adjacent rooftop and lands in front of Kuroi.

"Another soul reaper? This is my turf. Why are you here?" said Kuroi.

"I was ordered to come here by my captain," said the soul reaper.

"Who's your captain?" asked Kuroi.

"Jushiro Ukitake," said the soul reaper.

"It still doesn't make sense why uncle Jushiro would send you here. He knows that I patrol this town. I can protect this town all by myself, but I guess two soul reapers will be more efficient," said Kuroi.

Kuroi turns around.

"Follow me. I sensed a Hollow a few miles away from here. You can show your skills while you fight the hollow," said Kuroi.

"Wouldn't it be more efficient to fight the Hollow together?" asked the soul reaper.

"The Hollows over here are pretty weak, so you should be able to easily deal with them," said Kuroi.

"You aren't my captain. You can't just order me around," said the soul reaper.

"Look, I became the protector of this town a year ago. You're just a regular soul reaper. If you're not a captain or the head captain, you don't give me any orders. I'm a captain class fighter, so I'm a captain. Either you follow my lead or you can become Karakura's only soul reaper," said Kuroi.

"Fine. I'll follow you," said the soul reaper.

"Good. Now, let's get that Hollow," said Kuroi.

Five minutes pass. Kuroi and the female soul reaper stand on a rooftop above the Hollow.

"There it is. It should be easy enough for you to take down," said Kuroi.

Before the female soul reaper can jump down and the Hollow, Kuroi grabs her shoulder. The female soul reaper turns her head.

"If you lose, I'll send you right back to the Soul Society. Then, you can explain to Ukitake why you failed. Do you understand?" said Kuroi.

"Yes," said the female soul reaper.

"Good. Now, go and beat it," said Kuroi.

Kuroi releases the female Soul Reaper's shoulder and she jumps off the rooftop. The bulky Hollow turns around to confront the soul reaper.

"A soul reaper? Your soul will be a tasty snack," said the Hollow.

"Come and try to eat me," said the female soul reaper.

The bulky Hollow swipes at the female soul reaper, but she easily dodges its hand. The bulky Hollow tries to swipe at her again but the soul reaper jumps over it. She jumps onto the Hollow's arm and runs up it. She takes out her Zanpakuto and slices the Hollow's mask in half. The Hollow starts to disintegrate. KUroi jumps off the rooftop and walks up to the soul reaper.

"Maybe that Hollow was too easy for you. You killed it faster than I expected. Good job," said Kuroi.

"I sense another Hollow across town. We should hurry and go after it" said the female soul reaper.

"We? You can deal with that one. I have school in the morning," said Kuroi.

"But, it's our job to deal with these creatures," said the female soul reaper.

"You have the skills to deal with them. Plus, I'm not part of any squad, so this isn't my job," said Kuroi.

"Wait, you said that you were a soul reaper," said the female soul reaper.

"I am when I'm outside my body. I'm only a substitute. My dad's a real one," said Kuroi.

"Who's your dad?" asked the female soul reaper.

"Aoi Hono," said Kuroi.

"Captain Aoi Hono?" asked the female soul reaper.

"You're pretty smart. The soul reapers that I've seen aren't as smart as you," said Kuroi.

Kuroi starts to walk away.

"Wait!" exclaimed the female soul reaper.

"What is it?" asked Kuroi.

"What's your name?" asked the female soul reaper.

"Kuroi Hono. What's yours?" said Kuroi.

"Rukia Kuchiki," said Rukia.

"Kuchiki? That's right. My dad told me that Byakuya adopted a rascal from the Rukon District," said Kuroi.

"Rascal? I stole food to survive," said Rukia.

"Semantics," said Kuroi.

Kuroi turns his head and looks at Rukia.

"Rukia, welcome to Karakura Town. You're going to be here for some time, so I advise you to learn the landscape. You wouldn't want to get lost," said Kuroi.

"Good night," said Rukia.

"Ditto," said Kuroi.

Kuroi flash steps for a minute until he returns home. The Honos' home has barely changed for the last six years. Kuroi opens the front door and walks in. He sees his father reading a book on the couch.

"You're back. I thought that you would never come back home," said Aoi.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the Soul Society?" asked Kuroi.

"Can't a man spend a night at his own house?" asked Aoi.

"You have a home in the Seireitei," said Kuroi.

"I spend all week in the Soul Society doing practically nothing. There hasn't been a threat in like a thousand years," said Aoi.

"It seems that you want a crisis to happen," said Kuroi.

"I don't. It's just really boring. Did anything interesting happen tonight? " said Aoi.

"Jushiro sent a soul reaper to protect Karakura Town," said Kuroi.

"That's odd. He should know that you defend this town from Hollows," said Aoi.

"I thought that it was odd as well. Maybe Yamamoto doesn't have too much faith in a substitute soul reaper," said Kuroi.

"I don't know, but I'll find out tomorrow," said Aoi.

"I'm going to hit the hay. See you later," said Kuroi.

"Good night, son," said Aoi.

"Ditto," said Kuroi.

Nineteen hours pass. Kuroi is currently walking home with his best friend, Ichigo Kurosaki. They turn down a side street and see a vase lying on the ground. Ichigo walks up to the vase.

"Someone knocked over her vase," said Ichigo.

Kuroi points to a group of three men further down the street.

"It must have been them. Let's help them learn their lesson," said Kuroi.

"Yeah," said Ichigo.

The two boys walk towards the three men.

"Hey!" exclaimed Kuroi.

"What do you-" said the man.

The man is unable to finish his sentence before Kuroi socks him in the face.

"What the hell! You can't just punch people for no reason! Do you wanna die!" exclaimed the other man.

"I would love to see you try to kill me," said Kuroi.

"Are you challenging me! I'm gonna-" said the other man.

The other man is unable to finish his statement before he's kicked in the face by Ichigo.

"Oh no! Toshi's down!" thought the other dude.

Kuroi points at the other dude.

"Hey you!" exclaimed Kuroi.

"Me?" asked the other dude.

"Yeah, you idiot!" exclaimed Kuroi.

Kuroi points at the downed vase.

"What is that!" exclaimed Kuroi.

"An offering for a dead kid," said the other dude.

"Correct!" exclaimed Kuroi.

Kuroi kicks the other dude in the face. One of the three men slowly gets up.

"It looks like you didn't put enough strength into that punch. Here's question 2! If you know this is an offering for a dead child, why is it knocked over?" said Ichigo.

"I guess we knocked it over when we were skateboarding," said the man.

"Then, shouldn't you apologize to her!" exclaimed Ichigo.

"We're sorry," said the man.

"That's not good enough," said Kuroi.

Kuroi rubs his hands together.

"I guess I will have to make you meet her!" exclaimed Kuroi.

"No! Please! We're sorry! So sorry!" exclaimed the three men.

"Good. Now, get out of here before you piss us off again," said Kuroi.

The three men hurriedly scamper away from the two boys. The two boys turn to look at the spirit girl now standing on a wall.

"It's been years now. Why do you refuse to go to the Soul Society?" said Kuroi.

"I just can't leave my parents alone," said the spirit girl.

"I understand that you want to stay with your parents forever, but you are just an easy target for Hollows. I have saved you so many times. It's time for you to rest in peace in a safe place," said Kuroi.

"He's right. If you stay attached to this world, you will never be able to leave it. You will see your parents again," said Ichigo.

"Fine," said the spirit girl.

"I'll be back later to send you to the Soul Society," said Kuroi.

"Ok," said the spirit girl.

The two boys walk away.

"So, how has the soul reaping business been?" asked Ichigo.

"Practically the same old stuff. I wish the Hollows were stronger. I'm tired of one-shotting every Hollow in the world," said Kuroi.

"Your job is boring," said Ichigo.

"It is, but it's very important. It just makes me feel good to protect people from monsters," said Kuroi.

"So, has anything weird happened?" asked Ichigo.

"The Soul Society sent another soul reaper for some reason. She seems skilled, but she's not that powerful. She's cute, but she has no proportions. Why couldn't all female soul reapers have Rangiku's curves?" said Kuroi.

"You focus on girls way too much. Your job is to kill soul-sucking demons, not to get a hard-on for hot girls," said Ichigo.

"I know, but can a teenager fantasize?" asked Kuroi.

"You need a girlfriend," said Ichigo.

"My Zanpakuto is the only girl I need," said Kuroi.

"Kurayami Nokiribi is just a magical sword. It's not an actual person," said Ichigo.

"She's a real, voluptuous woman. She speaks to me," said Kuroi.

"Voluptuous? You're acting like you saw her naked," said Ichigo.

"Yeah, I haven't," said Kuroi.

"I'll see you later, bro. I have to deal with my family from hell," said Ichigo.

"Your dad isn't that bad. He's a cool dude," said Kuroi.

"You only say that because he's not kicking you in the face while you enter the door," said Ichigo.

"Whatever," said Kuroi.

Ichigo walks up to the door of the Kurosaki Clinic. He opens it and walks into the half house and half medical clinic. He expects a welcome home, but only receives a kick to the face.

"You're late!" exclaimed Isshin.

Ichigo gets up and rubs his face.

"What the hell was that for!" exclaimed Ichigo.

"You should know that dinner is at seven every day, my delinquent son!" exclaimed Isshin.

"What parent puts a seven o'clock curfew on their fifteen-year-old son! This house's rules are too strict!" exclaimed Ichigo.

"Silence! Whoever disrupts the iron harmony of this house will be punished and blood will be shed!" exclaimed Isshin.

"Umm, Ichigo. You have a spirit behind you," said Yuzu.

"I'll deal with him later," said Ichigo.

"Ha! An opening!" exclaimed Isshin.

Isshin tackles Ichigo and puts him in an arm lock.

"I'm tired of this crap! I'm going to sleep," said Ichigo.

Isshin gets off of Ichigo and Ichigo angrily walks to his room. He slams his door and hops on his bed.

"Why does he act like that? It just gets on my nerves all the time. He knows that and still does that crap. He will never change," said Ichigo.

Ichigo turns his head and sees a black butterfly fly through his wall. His annoyed expression becomes one of shock.

"How did that butterfly go through the wall?" asked Ichigo.

Ichigo gets out of his bed and walks over to the black butterfly. Before he can touch it, Rukia walks through his wall. Ichigo's already shocked expression becomes even more surprised.

"Soul reaper," said Ichigo softly.

"It's here," said Rukia.

"A Hollow is here?" asked Ichigo.

"Wait, you can see me?" asked Rukia.

"Of course I can. Can't everybody?" said Ichigo.

"Ordinary men can't see me because I am a soul reaper," said Rukia.

"I know. My friend told me about you. He's a soul reaper, too," said Ichigo.

"Are you friends with Kuroi Hono?" asked Rukia.

"Yeah. He's a pretty popular guy in this town," said Ichigo.

"I am not here to hunt a Hollow. I'm here to purify a soul," said Rukia.

Ichigo points at the soul poking his head through the floor.

"The soul's right there," said Ichigo.

Rukia walks towards the spirit. She pulls out her Zanpakuto and flips it over.

"No, I don't want to go to hell yet," said the spirit.

"Don't worry. The place you're going to isn't hell. It's a very peaceful place called the Soul Society," said Rukia.

Rukia taps the spirit's forehead with the pommel of her Zanpakuto. A kanji appears on his forehead and expands into a big purple portal. The spirit falls through the portal.

"So, are you sure there is no Hollow?" asked Ichigo.

"I thought I sensed one, but Kuroi probably dealt with it. I guess I'll go now. Have a good-" said Rukia.

Rukia stops speaking when she senses bad energy.

"The Hollow's here," said Rukia.

"I thought you said that there were no Hollows over here," said Ichigo.

"Stay inside. I'll deal with it," said Rukia.

"I can help. I have skills," said Ichigo.

"Skills mean nothing against a Hollow. If you come, you'll just be another tick on the body count," said Rukia.

Rukia runs to the door and opens it. She sees Karin crawling on the floor. Karin crawls to the door and Ichigo sees her.

"Ichi, are you alright?" asked Karin.

"Karin!" exclaimed Ichigo.

"Good. It hasn't come here yet," said Karin.

"What happened?" asked Ichigo.

"Something attacked me and Yuzu. I decided to warn you, so you won't get beat up as we did. Dad and Yuzu couldn't see it, but I could see a little bit of it. Get away before it sees you," said Karin.

Ichigo grabs his baseball bat and runs through his door. Rukia tries to grab him, but he runs right past her.

"Wait!" exclaimed Rukia.

Ichigo doesn't listen and runs down the stairs. He sees his dad lying on the ground and bleeding.

"Dad!" exclaimed Ichigo.

Ichigo runs to his father and shakes him, but his father stays unconscious. He turns his head and looks through the hole in the wall. He sees the Hollow standing outside.

"It's bigger than I expected," said Ichigo.

Ichigo runs up to the hole and sees his little sister in its grasp.

"Ichigo," said Yuzu weakly.

Ichigo charges at the Hollow.

"Drop her, you demon!" exclaimed Ichigo.

The Hollow just slaps him away like he's an annoying mosquito. The Hollow tries to smash him with his fist, but Rukia cuts its arm off. Yuzu starts to fall to the ground and Ichigo catches her.

"Yuzu, are you ok?" asked Ichigo.

Yuzu doesn't respond.

"Don't lose focus, boy! Your family hasn't had their souls eaten yet," said Rukia.

"I thought Hollows went after any soul. Why didn't it eat Karin's or dad's souls?" said Ichigo.

"Hollows target souls with high amounts of spiritual pressure. You can see and talk to spirits. I believe that you may be its target," said Rukia.

"Yuzu and Karin are covered in blood and dad is almost dead because of me," said Ichigo.

"Wait. That's not what I-" said Rukia.

Before Rukia can finish her statement, she is slapped by the Hollow and flies into a wall.

"Hey, you!" exclaimed Ichigo.

The Hollow turns to look at Ichigo.

"If you have a problem with me, come and face me one on one! No one else has anything to do with this! Come eat my soul!" exclaimed Ichigo.

The Hollow tries to eat Ichigo, but Rukia gets in front of the Hollow and ends up getting bit and severely injured in the process. She falls to the ground.

"I already told you that you are nowhere near strong enough to beat the Hollow. You're an idiot," said Rukia.

"I'm sorry. I just wanted to save my family," said Ichigo.

"Don't worry about it. Unfortunately, I can no longer fight the Hollow, but you can," said Rukia.

"What?" asked Ichigo.

"Do you want to save your family?" asked Rukia.

"Of course! If there's a way, tell me how!" exclaimed Ichigo.

"There is a way for you to save them. You have to become a soul reaper," said Rukia.

"How can I do that?" asked Ichigo.

Rukia picks up her Zanpakuto.

"Pierce the middle of your chest with mine Zanpakuto and I will give you half of my power. With my power, you will be able to kill the Hollow. I have to warn you though. If this fails, you will die," said Rukia.

Ichigo turns his head and looks at his little sister lying in the street.

"Give me your sword, Rukia. Let's give your idea a try," said Ichigo.

"My full name is Rukia Kuchiki," said Rukia.

"Mine is Ichigo Kurosaki," said Ichigo.

"The Hollow is coming. We have to hurry up," said Rukia.

"Fine. Let's do this," said Ichigo.

Ichigo grabs Rukia's Zanpakuto and pierces his chest with it. The transfer of power creates an explosion that blinds the Hollow for a few seconds. When the smoke clears, Ichigo stands in a black shihakusho and a giant Zanpakuto. He stares at the hollow.

"Now, it's my turn," said Ichigo.