# August 24th - World of the Living, Karakura Town #
The day dawned clear and bright. In the morning, Yato, Rukia, and Ichigo were sprinting through the streets of Karakura Town, their footsteps light but quick, each of them keeping their senses sharp as they tracked the sudden surge of Hollows. Yato had called in sick at his part-time job, telling his boss he wasn't feeling well. In truth, he simply needed a break. He figured a day of hunting Hollows would help clear his mind.
The three raced down a wide avenue, bathed in the soft glow of daylight. Overhead, ginkgo trees arched, their branches forming a golden tunnel of vibrant yellow leaves that shimmered in the sun. It was a beautiful sight, the leaves fluttering gently to the ground, blanketing the street in gold. Yato admired the scenery, finding it almost surreal how peaceful everything looked despite the dangers lurking in the shadows.
Still, something felt off. It wasn't autumn yet. There shouldn't be yellow leaves carpeting the street like this. Yato's brows furrowed as he glanced at the trees, their brilliant display feeling strangely out of place.
"Isn't it a bit early for this?" he muttered to himself, before shrugging it off. Maybe it's the result of all that spiritual pressure from Hitsugaya and the other lieutenants. After all, they had been helping to deal with the Bounts just a few weeks ago, and the lingering effects of their presence could easily be warping the environment.
Ahead of him, Ichigo glanced over his shoulder. "You keeping up?" he called, a smirk pulling at his lips.
"Yeah, yeah…" Yato replied, his usual lazy grin flashing back. "But I've gotta say, this place looks like it's straight out of a dream or something. Kind of makes you forget we're hunting down Hollows."
Rukia, running between the two, gave him a quick look. "Stay focused, Yato. There's something strange about these Hollows. They're appearing in clusters, much more organized than usual."
As if on cue, the familiar, bone-chilling howl of a Hollow echoed from somewhere up ahead. The trio exchanged quick glances and, without missing a beat, increased their pace.
As they ran, Rukia swiftly pulled out her gikongan, popping it into her mouth with practiced ease. In a flash, her soul was ejected from her gigai, her Shinigami form now ready for battle, while Chappy, the animated personality inside her gikongan, took over her body and waved cheerfully.
Yato, already in his spiritual form despite wearing casual clothes, ran beside her. His senses were sharp, eyes scanning the area for any sign of Hollows.
Meanwhile, Ichigo was quick to press his substitute Shinigami emblem to his chest, ejecting his soul into his Shinigami form as well. However, in his rush, he had forgotten something important. Without using a gikongan, his body remained limp, collapsing awkwardly on the ground in the middle of the leaf-covered avenue.
Yato's eyes caught the moment Ichigo's body crumpled to the ground, an all-too-familiar thud accompanying the fall. It was subtle, but Yato could see the small puff of leaves kicked up as the body hit the street, lifeless and unmoving. His lips twitched in amusement, but he kept his expression neutral, swallowing the laughter that threatened to bubble up. This wasn't the first time Ichigo had made a hasty exit from his body, but what made it particularly hilarious to Yato was the realization that Ichigo hadn't used Kon.
Earlier, Kon was slumped over Rukia's shoulder, his small plush body swaying slightly as she moved, but Rukia had left Chappy, her Gikongan, in the Gigai to allow herself freedom to fight. Now, with Kon left behind in her absence, the little plush lion was stuck with the overly cheerful substitute, Chappy.
Meanwhile, Ichigo and Yato stood some distance away. Hollow hunting had become routine for them, almost easy, but both knew not to let their guard down. They had grown in strength. Hunting common Hollows had become a breeze, but the duo had developed a method of restraint. They carefully measured their reiatsu, mindful of the surrounding humans. Neither wanted to risk alerting others or, worse, drawing stronger enemies with the scent of their power. To compensate, they had begun to rely more on tactics, laying simple traps to outwit the mindless Hollows before delivering a final, decisive blow.
Rukia, on the other hand, had been elsewhere, performing Konso, the Shinigami's duty of guiding wandering spirits to the afterlife. Her sharp gaze flickered through the lingering spirits, ensuring none had been overlooked, while expertly dispatching any Hollow that dared approach.
With the task done, the trio slowly regrouped. The faint clink of Rukia's Soul Reaper garb could be heard as she approached, her movements fluid yet purposeful. Chappy, still in Rukia's Gigai, cheerfully greeted them.
"Are you finished-pyon?" Chappy chirped, bouncing with an unnatural enthusiasm that was far removed from Rukia's usual calm demeanor. In Rukia's body, Chappy's exaggerated movements made the contrast even more jarring.
Rukia gave a short nod in response. "Yes," she replied, expelling the Gikongan from her Gigai with a smooth motion. The small pill popped out, and in an instant, Rukia's spirit form stepped back into the Gigai. As she re-entered, she visibly winced, rolling her shoulders and neck, trying to shake off the stiffness.
"Ichigo..." she called, her voice slightly strained as she stretched, rolling her neck side to side. Her movements were exaggerated, her body language showing clear discomfort. "Don't use your Substitute Shinigami badge so recklessly," she added, her tone laced with irritation.
Ichigo turned towards her, his confusion evident. "What do you mean—?" He barely finished the sentence before Rukia jabbed him sharply in the ribs with her elbow. The hit, though not full of force, made Ichigo wince.
Yato watched this exchange with an amused smirk. He leaned against a nearby lamppost, arms folded across his chest, clearly enjoying the spectacle. He remembered Rukia's complaints from before, how entering an artificial body, the Gigai, was always an uncomfortable experience for her. It made her movements feel sluggish, as if her limbs were weighed down.
"Man, she really hates being in that thing," Yato muttered to himself, chuckling quietly.
Ichigo, now recovering from the elbow jab, glared at Rukia. "What's your problem, Rukia?"
Before Ichigo could continue his complaint, Rukia swiftly grabbed Kon, who was in his plush form, hanging limply at her side. With a swift motion, she pressed the stuffed lion's face right into Ichigo's mouth, cutting off his words. Kon, ever the dramatic one, flailed helplessly, his stitched eyes wide with indignation.
"Mphhh!" Ichigo's muffled protests came from behind the plush toy, while Yato couldn't hold back his laughter, a full, hearty laugh escaping as he watched the ridiculous scene unfold. Kon, for his part, squirmed in Ichigo's grip, groaning in disgust.
"Ew! Not the mouth! Get me out of here!"
Rukia smirked. "You're the one with Kon now, Ichigo. I'm sick of you tossing your body around and leaving it for me to deal with."
Ichigo managed to pull the plush lion away from his face, grimacing as he did so. "Why does it even matter?" he grumbled.
Rukia gave him a deadpan look, crossing her arms. "Seriously, Ichigo…?" she asked, incredulity dripping from her voice. "Let's say someone happens to see you."
She paused for a moment before adopting a dramatically exaggerated pose, her eyes wide with mock concern. "Oh no! Is he okay?" she mimicked in an exaggerated, high-pitched voice, imitating the reaction of a panicked bystander. She clutched her chest in a theatrical display, pretending to be a concerned human. "Oh my god, he's not breathing!"
Yato, barely containing his laughter, raised an eyebrow.
Undeterred, Rukia continued her mock performance, raising her voice even higher. "We need an ambulance! No, wait—if he's dead, we'll need a hearse!"
Ichigo stared at her, exasperation clear on his face. "A hearse...?" he echoed, his tone flat, though he could hear Yato trying, and failing, not to laugh.
Rukia dropped the act and looked back at Ichigo with a shrug, her point made.
Yato wiped his eyes, still struggling to contain his amusement. He turned his gaze toward a commotion in the distance, a grin creeping back onto his face.
"Hey, Ichigo." Yato called out, his voice laced with mischief as he casually pointed towards the unfolding scene.
Ichigo turned to follow Yato's finger, and Rukia glanced over as well. A few dozen feet away an ambulance was parked with its doors wide open. A group of frantic paramedics was gathered around a gurney, where Ichigo's unconscious body lay. Concerned bystanders hovered nearby, whispering and exchanging anxious glances, their expressions a mix of fear and curiosity.
"I told you…" Rukia muttered, a resigned expression on her face.
"Dammit! My body!!" Ichigo shouted, panic surging through him as he sprinted toward the scene, desperate to resolve the misunderstanding.
Yato watched with a bemused smile. "Fortunately, I don't have to deal with this kind of thing…" he whispered to himself.
The paramedics, their faces etched with concern, continued to check his lifeless form. "Get the AED!" one of them shouted, clearly in a state of panic as they prepared for a worst-case scenario.
In an instant, Ichigo burst back into his own body, pulling himself upright with a jolt.
As he sat up on the gurney, the world seemed to tilt. Startled gasps erupted from the onlookers. People stumbled backward, wide-eyed and unsure if they had just witnessed a miracle or a horror.
"Hey… are you okay?" a young paramedic asked, her voice wavering between relief and disbelief, her hands still poised to assist.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine." Ichigo replied, irritation creeping into his tone as he tried to shake off the remnants of his confusion. But just as he attempted to stand, the paramedics quickly rushed to restrain him.
"Hey, don't exert yourself! You need to lie down!" another medic insisted, his grip firm as he pressed Ichigo back onto the gurney.
"Let me go! I told you I'm fine!!" Ichigo protested, his frustration bubbling over. He attempted to rise once more, only to be met with the combined force of two more medics trying to keep him down, their expressions a mix of concern and urgency.
From the sidelines, Rukia sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as she watched the scene unfold. "Honestly…" she muttered, feeling the weight of the situation mixed with the absurdity of it all. With a resigned shake of her head, she reached for her Kiokuchikan. • Memory Replacement •
Rukia swiftly pulled out the small memory replacement device from her pocket. She activated it with a quick flick of her fingers, causing a small but dramatic puff of smoke to erupt around the group of medics and onlookers. The smoke dispersed rapidly, washing over the crowd in a soft wave, and within moments, their confused expressions softened, as if they'd forgotten why they were even there. Conversations resumed, casual and mundane, as if Ichigo's "miraculous revival" had never occurred.
Without wasting another second, Rukia, Ichigo, and Yato darted down the nearest alley, their footsteps light but urgent, blending with the muffled sounds of the city. The streets were alive with the distant hum of traffic, the occasional wail of a car horn, and the soft murmur of pedestrians, all oblivious to the spiritual battle that had just transpired.
"This sucks." Ichigo grumbled under his breath, his tone irritated as he glanced back over his shoulder to ensure no one was following.
"That's my line." Rukia retorted, her voice sharp as she shot him a sidelong glare. "You're lucky I still had the memory replacement device." She was visibly annoyed, though she was trying to keep her composure. "Kon." she called out after a beat, her tone flat.
"What's up~?" came the familiar high-pitched voice of Kon as the plush lion bounced to life, springing up onto her arm with a dramatic leap, clinging to her like a child might cling to their mother. His button eyes gleamed with affection, but the sentiment didn't last long.
Without missing a beat, Rukia grabbed Kon with her free hand and, with a quick flick, tossed him straight into Ichigo's face. The plush lion smacked against his forehead with a soft thud, causing Ichigo to stumble slightly. Kon, for his part, flailed helplessly.
"Why, Nee-san!? What did I do!?" Kon whined, muffled by Ichigo's grip as the substitute shinigami barely held onto him, his expression one of exasperation.
Ichigo groaned. "Why do I always get stuck with this annoying little—"
"Honestly…" Yato chimed in, his voice casual but with a playful lilt, as he stretched his arms behind his head in a relaxed motion. His dark, narrowed eyes sparkled with amusement as he strolled alongside them, looking utterly at ease. "What's the point of bringing Kon if you're not going to use him?"
"Why do I have to keep carrying this thing around?" Ichigo growled, ready to toss the plush lion onto the ground. His hand clenched around Kon as if to emphasize his frustration, fully prepared to end the conversation by hurling him away. But before Kon could collide with the concrete a series of thin, glowing red threads materialized out of nowhere, wrapping around Kon's body mid-air, pulling him back just inches before he hit the ground.
Before Ichigo could react, the red threads twisted into a shape resembling a hand, which lightly but firmly slapped the back of Ichigo's neck. "Hey!" Ichigo yelped, rubbing the spot in surprise.
Yato, with a smirk, casually flexed his fingers. "For someone who says they don't want to attract attention, you sure do some reckless things, Ichigo," he remarked, his tone relaxed but teasing. His Fullbring ability, manifesting through those red threads, returned Kon back to Ichigo's shoulders effortlessly, ensuring the plush lion remained firmly in place.
"Now, try to behave," Yato added, his smirk widening as Kon wriggled on Ichigo's back.
"I don't want to hang out with this idiot!" Kon yelled in protest, his tiny plush limbs flailing as Ichigo, now even more irritated, reached up once again to throw him down. But before the lion could even leave his hands, Yato's red threads appeared again, catching Kon mid-throw and placing him back on Ichigo's shoulders with a firm push.
The back-and-forth continued for a few more seconds, with Kon growing louder and more dramatic with every movement. Ichigo, now visibly flustered, was about to give Yato an earful when suddenly, Rukia's Denreishinki let out a high-pitched beep, cutting through the tension.
Rukia's expression immediately shifted to one of focus as she pulled the small device from her robes, glancing at the flashing screen. The atmosphere around them seemed to grow heavier as the beep intensified. On the screen, multiple signals blinked into view, concentrated in one part of the city.
"What's going on?" Ichigo asked, noticing Rukia's expression darken.
Yato, his playful demeanor vanishing, looked toward her. "More Hollows?"
Rukia's eyes narrowed as she processed the information. "There's something strange. A bunch of signals just appeared all at once."
Before she could elaborate, the group was hit by a sudden wave of spiritual pressure. It came crashing down on them like a storm, oppressive and unfamiliar. The air around them seemed to thicken, making it difficult to breathe.
"What the hell is that?" Ichigo asked, his voice low, as he scanned the area, his senses heightened.
Rukia's grip tightened on the Denreishinki. "It's near the station," she said, already moving. Her feet barely touched the ground as she sprinted towards the source. Yato and Ichigo exchanged quick glances before following suit.
Yato, usually quick with a sarcastic quip, remained silent as they ran, his mind racing. 'What kind of trouble is it this time?' he wondered.
"I've never felt reiatsu like this before," Ichigo muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as they neared the source.
"Neither have I," Rukia replied, her voice tense. "Stay alert."
As the group arrived at the station, the once-familiar environment felt entirely alien. Ichigo's eyes widened in shock, and beside him, Rukia froze mid-step, her expression mirroring his surprise. Even Yato, usually composed and sarcastic, let a flicker of unease pass across his face, though it was subtler than the reactions of his companions. His usual nonchalance faded as he took in the scene before them.
The station was teeming with large, white ghosts, formless specters with translucent bodies and bizarre, pin-shaped pink heads. They drifted aimlessly, their movements languid, almost like they were sleepwalking. The streets around them were eerily still, with people walking through the station as if nothing was out of the ordinary, completely oblivious to the spectral infestation that had taken over the area.
One of the pale ghosts brushed lightly against Ichigo's arm. The contact was unsettling, cold but not harmful, and the creature turned its strange, bulbous head toward him. For a moment, Ichigo thought it might do something more, but after a long, empty gaze, it simply returned to its slow, mindless wandering.
"What are these things…?" Ichigo muttered, his voice low but filled with an edge of disbelief.
Kon, perched on Ichigo's shoulder, visibly shivered, his plush lion body trembling. "White ghosts…! White ghosts!" he cried, his voice rising in panic.
Rukia, her brow furrowed, scanned the crowd of wandering spirits as they walked cautiously through the station. There was a subtle, creeping dread in the air. "The people around us can't see them," she observed, her voice steady but with a note of confusion. "That must mean they're souls."
Ichigo frowned, glancing at the ghosts. "But… they all look the same. And none of them have chains on their chests." His eyes lingered on the spot where each ghost's chain of fate should have been, but there was nothing. No telltale sign of them being regular souls or spirits becoming Hollows.
Yato walked slightly behind them, his hands casually tucked into his pockets, but his face was marked with a deeper tension than usual. His brow creased as he studied the creatures, a look of recognition dawning on his face. He had seen them before. Unlike Ichigo and Rukia's shock, Yato's unease came from a memory stirring in the back of his mind. 'I know what's coming…' he thought. 'Are we really going through this? Or will it end like it did with the Bounts?'
As they approached the center of the station, Rukia's expression hardened. "We can't leave them like this," she declared, reaching into her pocket and pulling out her Gikongan dispenser. With a swift, practiced motion, she popped the green pill into her mouth, ejecting her soul from the Gigai and leaving Chappy in control.
The transformation was quick, and in seconds, Rukia stood beside them in her full shinigami form, her hand instinctively resting on the hilt of her zanpakutō. She nodded toward Ichigo, her usual sternness returning. "Ichigo, don't forget—"
"I know, I know," Ichigo interrupted, slightly annoyed as he reached into his pocket for his substitute shinigami badge, ready to transform. However, Rukia shot him a sharp look, causing him to hesitate. With a reluctant sigh, Ichigo turned to Kon.
Kon, ever the drama queen, groaned loudly. "Why is it always me!?" he protested, before Ichigo shoved his hand on Kon's mouth anyway and reached the Gikongan from his plush body. With a quick movement, Ichigo swallowed the pill, and his spirit immediately separated from his human body, taking on his familiar shinigami form.
Ichigo's body, now controlled by Kon, sagged slightly. "Great… Now I have to babysit this useless body again," Kon muttered, kicking at the ground.
"Kon, go hide somewhere," Ichigo ordered without a second thought, focusing on the strange reiatsu swirling around them.
"What!? You're leaving me with these creepy ghost things!?" Kon's voice shot up, eyes wide in terror as the wandering spirits began to drift closer to him. They weren't aggressive, but their sheer numbers and unsettling appearance were enough to send the plush lion into a frenzy. He tried to follow Ichigo, but the white ghosts moved to encircle him, trapping him without doing any harm. Still, their presence alone was enough to make Kon squirm and struggle. "Hey! Hey! Don't leave me alone here!"
Ignoring Kon's cries, Yato watched in silence, his mind elsewhere. Unlike Ichigo and Rukia, he hadn't return to his human body before. He remained in his spiritual form, casually studying the strange spirits that filled the area. His sharp eyes scanned their movements, searching for something, some kind of answer that wasn't yet obvious to the others. His thoughts churned. 'These things...are Blanks...'
He glanced at Rukia and Ichigo and sighed. 'Is it going to play out the same way? Or are we heading into something worse?'
Rukia pulled out her Danreishinki, the compact Soul Society communication. Her fingers moved quickly, and her voice, though calm, had an urgency that wasn't lost on her companions. "This is Rukia Kuchiki, from 13th Squad. Stationed in the world of the living, area 3888," she said into the device, trying to establish contact with the Soul Society.
The weight of the strange reiatsu in the air pressed down on them like a suffocating fog, the atmosphere growing more intense by the second. Ichigo and Yato approached her, their footsteps echoing faintly against the pavement. The towering white ghosts still wandered aimlessly, but their presence seemed to make the air colder, heavier.
Rukia glanced back at her comrades. "Yato. Ichigo. Try performing Konso on these souls."
Ichigo let out an irritated grunt, pulling his massive Zangetsu from his back with one fluid motion. "Man, this is such a pain…" he muttered, his voice low but laced with frustration. He stepped toward one of the wandering souls, eyes narrowing as he prepared to perform the ceremonial act of sending the spirit to the Soul Society. The hollow thud of his footsteps as he approached one of the white ghosts reverberated in the still air. He touched the end of his Zangetsu's hilt to the ghost's forehead, expecting the usual gentle glow and the subsequent departure of the soul.
But nothing happened.
The ghost simply stared ahead, unresponsive, its pink pin-shaped head bobbing lazily as it continued to drift through the station like a mindless drone.
"Hey, Rukia!" Ichigo's voice cut through the eerie quiet, rising in alarm. "The Konso isn't working! These things—" He gestured toward the ghost. "They're not reacting at all!"
Rukia, who was still trying to communicate through her Danreishinki, paused. Her expression darkened as she watched Ichigo's failed attempt. The device in her hand crackled with static as she tried to push through, "Report: Appearence of numerous unidentified beings with strange reiatsu—"
Before she could finish, Yato, standing nearby with his hands in his pockets, shifted slightly. His usual relaxed demeanor was gone, replaced by a tense silence. Without pulling his hands out, he gave Rukia a small, almost imperceptible shake of his head.
That small gesture, a negative, caught Rukia off guard. Yato's face was calm, but something lurked beneath it... knowledge, perhaps, or recognition. He knew something about this situation, and it wasn't good.
Rukia's eyes narrowed as she observed him. Her communicator crackled once more, then went dead. The link to the Seireitei was severed, leaving her in silence. No help was coming. And Yato… Yato wasn't acting like someone encountering something unknown.
Ichigo's frustration grew. "What the hell's going on!?" he shouted, stepping back from the ghost he had tried to purify. The creature showed no reaction, no awareness of the world around it.
A sudden gust of wind whipped through the station, cold and biting, kicking up loose debris and sending a shiver down their spines. The air, already thick with the strange reiatsu, felt like it was tightening, suffocating them with its growing intensity. Yato's hand instinctively moved toward the hilt of his zanpakutō, though he didn't draw it.
Rukia glanced toward Yato, her brow furrowing as memories from their past encounter flooded her mind. When they had clashed before, their souls had briefly touched, giving them glimpses into each other's lives. Rukia hadn't seen everything clearly, Yato's memories were fragmented, disjointed, but one thing was certain. Yato had lived a different life before this one. Initially, she had assumed he might be a Plus who had somehow retained his past memories through the cycle of reincarnation, but that theory had quickly faded.
No, what she had seen in his memories was far more complicated. His memories were fragmented, but they contained flashes of a world he shouldn't have known about. Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, the very fabric of the spiritual realms... and he had seen Ichigo, Rukia, and their friends, like a distant spectator to events that had already unfolded.
"Yato… you…" Rukia's words trailed off.
Yato met her gaze, his expression calm but firm. He wasn't surprised by what was happening around them, but rather, he was troubled by it, deeply so. The strange reiatsu, the unresponsive ghosts, it all seemed to be part of something larger, something Yato was aware of, yet reluctant to face.
The wind howled through the streets, carrying a sense of foreboding that made the hairs on the back of Rukia's neck stand up. As the chilling gust intensified, the previously pastel-pink heads of the white spirits shifted abruptly to a vivid crimson, their once-ethereal forms sprouting arms that mirrored the hue. The atmosphere grew charged, the air thick with an unsettling energy.
Ichigo, eyes wide with confusion, felt the spirits begin to encroach upon him. "What the hell is going on?" he grumbled, instinctively lashing out with swift kicks, sending several spirits tumbling away. Their bodies were insubstantial, but the unexpected aggression made him more irritable.
Yato, however, took a more measured approach. He drew his Zanpakutō, but instead of unsheathing the blade, he wielded the scabbard itself, expertly swinging it to keep the spirits at bay. Each impact sent the spirits sprawling back, their red arms flailing in confusion as they were pushed away.
Just then, a powerful gust of wind formed at a distance, coalescing into a mini tornado that stirred up a cascade of autumn leaves, transforming the once tranquil station into a whirlwind of chaos. From within the vortex emerged a young shinigami. She had large amber eyes that glinted with determination and vibrant purple hair secured by a striking yellow ribbon. Clad in the traditional shinigami uniform, she sported a large, red ribbon tied elegantly around her waist, accentuating her dynamic silhouette.
As she descended, it was as if she were dancing, the way she wielded her zanpakutō with grace and precision, attacking the spirits with fluid motions. Rukia's confusion deepened. "A shinigami? Why wasn't I informed of another shinigami in Karakura Town?" She called out to the girl, her voice tinged with urgency. "Hey! What are you doing?!" Rukia shouted, but the girl was lost in her rhythm, her movements a mesmerizing blend of combat and choreography.
With an acrobatic leap, the girl soared into the air, spinning gracefully above the gathering storm. Rukia felt her heart race as she realized what was happening. "She's about to release her zanpakutō!" Rukia exclaimed, her instincts kicking in as she sensed the girl's Reiatsu surge dramatically.
"Damn it…" Ichigo cursed under his breath as he leaped forward, intent on confronting this unexpected ally or foe.
"Oi, oi…" Yato sighed, a look of resignation on his face as he watched the unfolding scene with an amused detachment.
As the girl spun, her zanpakutō began to shift shape. "Call forth the twilight—" she began, her voice powerful and commanding. Before she could complete the incantation, Ichigo charged toward her, his own blade raised to meet hers.
"What do you think you're doing?! Those things aren't Hollows!" he shouted, desperate to stop her before she unleashed whatever power lay within her weapon.
"Shut up, dumbass!" the girl retorted, using Ichigo's face as a springboard to propel herself higher into the air. In an elegant twist, she finally declared.
"Call forth the twilight, Mirokumaru!" • 弥勒丸, Maitreya Circle •
As she finished the release command, her zanpakutō transformed into a Khakkhara, a staff crowned with metal rings that jangled as she maneuvered it.
The staff pulsed with energy, and a new whirlwind of electricity erupted around her, mingling with the crimson leaves swirling in the air. The girl began to absorb the strange spirits, one after another, as they dissolved into nothingness, swallowed by her powerful cyclone.
Meanwhile, Kon, still residing within Ichigo's body, crouched low beneath one of the spirits, trying to remain inconspicuous. He peeked cautiously from behind the swirling mass, his eyes wide with trepidation. But what caught his attention were figures in the background, people dressed in traditional kimonos.
"Who are they?" Kon muttered to himself, straining to see more while staying hidden.
In a matter of moments, the strange girl had cleared away all the lingering spirits, leaving Yato, Rukia, and Ichigo standing in their spiritual forms amidst the aftermath. The whirlwind of chaotic energy had dissipated, leaving only the occasional red leaf fluttering in the air like the remnants of a forgotten autumn.
"What the hell just happened?" Ichigo muttered, his brow furrowed in confusion as he rested his massive Zanpakutō on his shoulder, trying to make sense of the scene that had unfolded before him.
"She's… gone," Rukia murmured, scanning the area for any trace of the mysterious girl, her mind still reeling from the strange reiatsu and unconventional way the spirits had vanished.
Yato, however, was not as concerned with the disappearance of the spirits. His sharp gaze was already fixed on something else. Behind them, standing nonchalantly in her Gigai, the girl who had just been unleashing a whirlwind of spiritual power was now casually dressed in a school uniform.
With the same carefree energy she had exhibited earlier, she began to jump around, throwing her arms in the air as if celebrating a personal victory. "I did it! Yay, yay, yay! All gone!" she sang to herself, her childish glee contrasting sharply with the deadly force she had displayed moments before.
Rukia and Ichigo snapped their heads in her direction, their bewilderment growing by the second. The girl's jubilant celebration came to an abrupt halt when she noticed them watching her. Her bright expression immediately darkened into an irritated scowl.
"Oh. It's you?" she muttered, her voice dripping with annoyance as her eyes landed on Ichigo.
"You!" Ichigo's irritation flared as he pointed a finger at her. "When did you get back into your Gigai?!" His frustration was palpable, the confusion of the situation finally getting the better of him.
"Who knows?" she replied with a careless shrug, her voice utterly casual, as if she couldn't be bothered to answer seriously.
Ichigo's patience was wearing thin. "What the hell are you?!" he demanded, his voice rising.
"I'm a shinigami, obviously." Her tone remained nonchalant, as if she were explaining something as simple as the weather.
"I already know that!!" Ichigo shouted back, his temper flaring at her lack of concern. He was used to strange things happening, but this girl was beyond anything he had dealt with before.
The girl smirked, clearly enjoying watching Ichigo get more and more worked up. "You know, it's pretty rude to throw out a bunch of questions without introducing yourself first." She tilted her head, her eyes glinting with amusement, clearly loving how easily she could irritate him.
Before Ichigo could retort, a sudden sharp slap landed on the back of his head, courtesy of Yato's red threads, forming into a hand-shaped form. "Ow! What the hell, Yato?!" Ichigo growled, rubbing the back of his neck in irritation.
Yato, however, paid no mind to Ichigo's complaints. With his usual calm demeanor, hands in his pockets, he strolled toward the girl, casually tossing over his shoulder, "Sorry about my idiot friend here." His voice was smooth, laced with amusement, clearly enjoying riling Ichigo up.
Ichigo bristled. "Idiot?!"
Ignoring him completely, Yato came to a stop in front of the girl and gave her a small nod. "I'm Yato Yasakani," he introduced himself in his laid-back fashion. "That loud guy back there is Ichigo Kurosaki, and the one behind me is Rukia Kuchiki." He gestured over his shoulder with a thumb.
The girl's scowl softened into a smirk, clearly approving of Yato's more civil approach. "At least one of you knows how to be polite," she remarked, shooting a smug look at Ichigo that only further stoked his frustration.
With a cocky tilt of her head, she introduced herself. "I'm Senna."