A few days passed, and the sun was setting over a random construction site, casting long shadows across the worksite. The air was thick with dust, and the smell of freshly cut wood and concrete lingered in the air. It was a typical quiet afternoon, but that was about to change.
"A cursed parakeet!!!?" The shout broke the silence, drawing the attention of several nearby workers and teenagers. Two of them, standing off to the side, turned their heads toward the commotion. One of them was Kurosaki Ichigo's friend, Sado Yosutora, also known as Chad. His towering figure, usually calm and composed, now looked mildly intrigued, his sharp eyes flicking toward the source of the disturbance.
A small group of boys huddled around a cage, their expressions a mix of disbelief and fear.
"Yeah, I heard all his owners died horrible deaths, so it quickly gets passed around," one of the boys explained in a nervous whisper, his voice trembling as he recounted the tale of the bird's cursed past.
The boy who had found the parakeet looked even more terrified now, clutching the cage like it was something alive and dangerous. "What, and now it's come around to you?" another boy asked, eyes wide.
"Yeah, now I'm really scared," the boy muttered, his voice unsteady. He glanced down at the bird, its bright eyes staring back at him unblinking, its feathers a strange shade of green and yellow.
"You want it, Shigeo?" The teenager holding the bird asked, a nervous laugh escaping his lips as he looked to his friends for an answer.
"How could I, after hearing that?" Shigeo responded with a horrified expression, stepping back instinctively from the cage. The boys chuckled nervously, but they all seemed too afraid to touch it.
The conversation was interrupted by a booming sound.
"Idiots, don't!" another boy shouted, clearly looking at Chad. "Chad is weak to cute things like this!"
Chad, who had been silent up until now, glanced at the bird with an unreadable expression. Before anyone could react, a massive crack echoed through the air, followed by a loud grinding noise. A heavy steel beam, loosened from a crane, came crashing down, heading straight for the group.
In an instant, Chad moved. His body reacted on pure instinct. With the power of someone used to handling immense force, he stepped forward and caught the steel beam, his back and muscles straining as the weight came crashing down. Crash!
"Chad, are you alright?" the boys shouted in unison, running to his side. The heavy beam was still pressed against his back, and blood dripped from a gash on his shoulder where the metal had scraped him.
Chad's usually calm face twisted in mild pain, but he only let out a soft grunt, his hand still gripping the beam. "Mmm, it's nothing," he said, his voice low but steady. His unwavering demeanor surprised everyone around him, though the blood running down his back told a different story.
"What are you talking about? You're bleeding!!" One of the boys shouted, eyes wide with panic, but Chad simply gave a reassuring smile, looking almost unfazed.
The parakeet in the cage flapped its wings, screeching loudly. It seemed almost pleased by the chaos, its tiny eyes glinting in the dimming light.
The teenager holding the bird looked at Chad with a mix of awe and nervousness.
"Thanks for saving me," the bird said, bowing it's head in gratitude. "My name is Shibata Yuuichi. What's your name?" he asked.
"Sado Yosutora," Chad replied in his usual low, calm voice. He gave a slight nod before adding, "I'm 15." His words were as direct as always, almost as if nothing had happened. Despite the blood staining his shirt, he seemed oddly at peace.
...
The following day at school, Ichigo and Rukia found themselves sitting on the roof, staring up at the vast expanse of clouds. The warm breeze blew gently, ruffling their hair as they silently observed the sky.
'Things are moving quickly. I'm sure I'll be meeting that dumb Hollow soon enough,' Ichigo thought, his mind drifting to Grand Fisher. The looming threat of the Hollow's presence weighed heavily on his mind, but there was something oddly calming about the moment, as if time had slowed down just for them.
Rukia, her eyes lost in thought, suddenly tapped Ichigo's shoulder, causing him to glance towards her.
"How do you drink this?" she asked, holding up a juice box to Ichigo, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Ichigo looked at her, a little surprised. "Here, lemme show you," he said, leaning in a bit closer to demonstrate how to drink from the box.
As Ichigo leaned in, their proximity didn't go unnoticed. From across the yard, Kajima, one of their classmates, observed them with a raised eyebrow. "You guys sure are close," he remarked with a smirk. "You two are always together. What, are you a couple or something?"
Ichigo, slightly taken aback, immediately responded with a quick "No, we aren't a couple... yet, I guess." His words made Rukia blush, and she quickly turned her head, nervously sipping her juice to hide her face.
"Ichigo, you womanizer," Keigo said from behind them, joining in on the teasing. Keigo, another one of Ichigo's friends from high school, often liked to joke around, but this time Ichigo was a little irritated.
"How come you never call Kojima a womanizer?" Ichigo shot back, his tone light but with an edge of annoyance. But before anyone could respond, a figure appeared from around the corner.
"Yo, Kurosaki!" A voice called out.
Ichigo looked up, squinting against the sunlight, and saw a tall, blond-haired guy with a scowl on his face. It was Oshima, someone Ichigo didn't particularly like.
"Oshima, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be suspended?" Keigo asked, confusion and curiosity both evident in his voice.
Oshima, clearly not interested in Keigo's questions, snapped back. "I'm not talking to you." His eyes fixed on Ichigo, and there was a clear, simmering anger behind his gaze. "What do you want with me?" Ichigo asked, stepping forward slightly, his gaze challenging.
"I thought I told you to dye your hair black and stop copying my style," Oshima said, his words dripping with arrogance. "Copying?? Who even are you?" Ichigo scoffed.
"Ohhhhhhh!" Keigo shouted in mock excitement, as if he was watching a match play out in front of him.
Oshima's face turned red with rage, and he stepped forward, pulling out a pair of brass knuckles, clearly itching for a fight.
"Kurosaki, are you courting death?" Oshima growled, stepping closer with a menacing glare.
Just as Oshima moved toward Ichigo, there was a sudden interruption—a large hand grabbed the back of Oshima's head and threw him to the side, sending him crashing into the dirt.
"Chad!!!" Keigo shouted, looking over in disbelief. Standing there, seemingly unfazed, was Sado Yosutora, or Chad, with his massive frame and stoic expression.
"Why are you late? Wait, why the heck happened to you?" Ichigo asked, looking at his friend with surprise.
Chad, as calm as ever, shrugged. "Was chilling, then a steel beam fell on me. Nothing much. And yeah, my arm and stuff, I collided with a motorcycle." His voice was as monotone as always, but there was an underlying pain in his words that didn't go unnoticed.
"Damn, you went through all that and you're fine, man, are you even human?," Kojima asked, a mix of admiration and confusion in his voice.
"Hey, Chad, watcha carrying there?" Keigo asked, noticing a cage in Chad's hand.
"Got a bird," Chad said simply.
Ichigo raised an eyebrow as the bird in the cage suddenly spoke in a strange, low voice.
"Hello, my name is Shibata Yuuichi. What are your names?"
Ichigo froze, not because the bird spoke, but because he felt something—a familiar spiritual presence inside the bird.
"Guess that's the bird," Ichigo muttered under his breath, his mind racing. 'Man, this arc's gonna be lit.'
"Rukia, you felt that, right?" Ichigo asked, turning to his partner.
"Yeah, I did," Rukia responded, her eyes narrowing as she studied the bird carefully. "But it's not evil. It's probably a lonely soul. However, if left alone, it could turn into a Hollow. We need to send it to the afterlife tonight."
Ichigo nodded, feeling the weight of their responsibility as Soul Reapers.
As the day went on, Ichigo found himself walking home alone. Rukia had gone to run some errands, likely at Urahara's shop. 'That reminds me,' Ichigo thought, 'I need to bag Yorichi. But no need to rush, I'll do it slowly. With Rukia, I'm gonna get her before she goes back to the Soul Society.'
Arriving home, Ichigo stepped through the door only to be immediately greeted by a commotion.
"Brother, move out the way!!" Yuzu's voice echoed through the house. Ichigo turned to see his younger sister, dressed in a nurse's outfit and holding a first aid kit, rushing past him.
"What's the rush, Yuzu?" Ichigo asked, confused.
"Move it, move it!!" Yuzu shouted, clearly frantic.
Suddenly, Karin passed by carrying someone limp in her arms, looking serious and focused.
"What's going on here?" Ichigo asked, his tone filled with concern.
"An accident! There was a car accident at the intersection!" Yuzu shouted as she rushed past.
"A car accident?" Ichigo repeated, his stomach tightening. "Okay, I'm going to my room. Call me if you need me."
As he headed to his room, he overheard his father's loud voice.
"WHAT! I need four beds. You can't accept that many!? Do something! We don't have the equipment to help all these people! Tell your manager this is a request from Kurosaki, and tons of beds will open up!" Ishin shouted angrily into the phone, clearly overwhelmed by the situation.
Ichigo stood there for a moment, processing the chaos, until he heard Yuzu scream in panic.
"Kyaaaa!"
Without wasting a second, Ichigo ran to the source of the sound and found Yuzu struggling to carry Chad, who was clearly injured and weak.
"Chad!!" Ichigo shouted, rushing to help.
"Yikes... horrible wound," Yuzu said, her voice trembling as she looked at the massive burn mark on Chad's back, the blood pouring out steadily.
"That looks like a burn, plus it's bleeding all over," Ishin added grimly.
"You'll have to remain here," he said, looking at Chad's injuries.
"No," Chad replied flatly, his voice rough. "I'm fine."
Despite his protest, Chad struggled to stand, trying to walk despite the blood loss.
"Stupid. With all that blood lost, you couldn't be... Hey!" Ichigo's voice raised in alarm as Chad collapsed, too weak to remain standing.
"Yuzu! Karin! Get a bed ready!!" Ishin shouted, his voice filled with urgency.
Ichigo watched silently as they carried Chad away, his gaze lingering on the bird in the cage, still in the corner of the room. Something was wrong. But for now, he had to focus on his friend.
That night, Ichigo and Rukia sat together once again, this time discussing what had happened.
"You sense that?" Ichigo asked, his eyes narrowed.
"Of course I felt it, even from this room," Rukia replied, her voice serious. "I didn't sense anything from the parakeet, but the wounds on Chad... they smell of a Hollow."
TO BE CONTINUED
[A/N: I'll rush through this arc. ]