It's been a day since Ichigo and (Y/N) got their Mod Souls. (Y/N) went through the usual routine: Bathroom, Get dressed, and eat breakfast. As he got ready to go to school he placed Calavera, his new mod soul pal, into his backpack. (Y/N) made sure to keep the bag unzipped just enough for Calavera to poke her head out and see the outside world.

As (Y/N) walked downstairs he was greeted by his sister and father.

(S/N): Mornin' (Y/N). Pops made breakfast today.

(F/N): Pancakes. Nothing to fancy.

(Y/N): Something is better than nothing.

As the family of 3 sat down to eat, (S/N) seemed to take note of the stuffed rabbit in (Y/N)'s backpack.

(S/N): What's with the rabbit?

(Y/N): Remember the part time job I got a few weeks ago? One of my co-workers from the shop gave it to me yesterday.

(S/N): I see...

(S/N) decided to leave it at that. To be honest, she felt a weird vibe from the stuffed animal, however she didn't have any crazy abilities like (Y/N) to know the stuffed animal was actually possessed.

After a bit of small talk and finishing breakfast, (Y/N) got up from the table and got prepared to leave.

(Y/N): Welp, I'm on my way.

(F/N): Oh before you leave. Don't forget about next week. We're gonna visit the memorial for your mother. I made sure to get the day off for all of us to visit.

(F/N) reminded (Y/N) about the anniversary of his mother's death. In turn it reminded (Y/N) that Ichigo's mother died not too long ago either. Tomorrow was the day Ichigo's mother died to be exact. Both of their mothers died not too long after each other.

(Y/N): I'll make sure to keep my schedule open. Anyway, I'm off.

On his way to school, (Y/N) bumped into Ichigo and Mizuiro. Apparently Mizuiro didn't remember what happened the previous day regarding the Ichigo and (Y/N) incident, thankfully. (Y/N) wasn't exactly proud of how he acted in front of his classmates on that day.

(Timeskip)

As you, Ichigo and Mizuiro entered the classroom, they were immediately greeted by Orihime.

Orihime: Hey, good morning, Ichigo.

Ichigo: Hm? *fake smile* Hi, Orihime. How's it going?

Orihime seemed taken aback from the response she got. Even Michiru, Orihime and Tatsuki's friend, felt the need to bring up the fact.

Michiru: What is up with Ichigo? He never says hi or acts friendly towards anyone. It's really kind of strange. It's like he's in a good mood.

Tatsuki: Michiru, what's the date today?

Michiru: Huh? Oh, today, it's June 16.

Tatsuki: I knew it.

Tatsuki, having grown up with Ichigo and (Y/N), knew Ichigo would be going to his mother's grave to visit. And (Y/N) would go the week after.

Orihime: Tatsuki?

Tatsuki: It's nothing to worry about. I know why he's acting like this. And I'll bet you tomorrow, Ichigo's going to skip school altogether. And (Y/N) will skip school next.

Tatsuki took a glance towards (Y/N)'s group after. She knew that (Y/N) was doing his best to take Ichigo's mind off of such a sensitive topic.

*stare*

*stare*

Orihime: Tatsuki?

Tatsuki: Huh?

Orihime: You've been staring at (Y/N) for a while, is something wrong?

Tatsuki: *blushes* N-Nothing.

(Timeskip)

School came and went, and (Y/N) was walking with Ichigo and Rukia. (Y/N) was heading to Urahara to train. Apparently, Yoruichi asked for him to show up for training. (Y/N) hasn't seen the cat in a while, so he was surprised to be summoned by her of all people. On the way, The trio were having small talk.

(Y/N): So you named your Mod Soul Kon?

Ichigo: Yeah, short for Kazio Konpaku. What about your Mod Soul?

Just then Calavera popped her head out of the bag.

Calavera: You may refer to me as Calavera, the cutest Mod Soul there is.

Just then Rukia squealed in excitement, picking up Calavera with sparkling eyes.

Rukia: She's the cutest! Now I'm jealous of you (Y/N)!

(Y/N): *smug* I knew you would!

Kon: So I'm not cute to you Rukia? My feelings are hurt.

Calavera: Cheer up. It's only natural that I would steal the spotlight.

Ichigo: You? You're practically falling apart.

Calavera: Not to worry, me and (Y/N) will fix the problem.

(Y/N): I wanted to talk to that Uryu guy in class earlier, but I didn't get the chance. Apparently he's good at sewing. He could patch up Calavera no problem.

Ichigo: Who?

(Y/N): One of the smartest guys in the class. The one with the glasses? Ring any bells

Ichigo: uhhh...

(Y/N): Nevermind. Anyway my stop is coming up. Hey Rukia can I talk to you real quick?

Rukia: Sure.

(Y/N) pulled Rukia to the side. Truth be told, she was the only one he could ask to do this.

(Y/N): Can you keep an eye on Ichigo tomorrow? He may not show it, but he's pretty hung up about his mother's death. He won't do anything crazy, but could you just be there for him for emotional support?

Rukia: Of course I will. You care a lot for Ichigo don't you?

(Y/N): He's the closest thing I have to a brother.

Rukia: You do seem pretty close. Well don't worry, while I'm here, Ichigo will be A-OK!

(Y/N): Thanks. Anyway I gotta go, see you guys later.

And with that, (Y/N) broke off with Rukia and Ichigo to head to Urahara Shop.

(Timeskip)

(Y/N) walked into Urahara Shop and was greeted immediately by Urahara.

Urahara: Ah (Y/N)! Always one to be on time! Great! Yoruichi is waiting for you in the training grounds.

(Y/N): Seems to be pretty urgent, guess I should hurry.

(Y/N) entered his shinigami form and climbed down the staircase to the training grounds in a hurry. Whatever Yoruichi wanted to address seemed pretty important.

Hitting the ground, (Y/N) surveyed his surroundings and found a stranger on the premises. A lady with dark skin, purple hair and a long sleeve shirt with a black undershirt on.



It took (Y/N) a moment before the realisation kicked in. Urahara isn't careless. He would know if someone trespassed into the training ground. He knew who this was.

(Y/N): Yoruichi?

Yoruichi: Glad you were able to recognize me.

(Y/N): I'm assuming this is your real form?

Yoruichi: Sure is. Now for the reason I called you here.

Yoruichi took up a fighting stance.

Yoruichi: It's time for an evaluation test.

Yoruichi without warning, dashed towards (Y/N) and released a devastating triple kick, which (Y/N) reacted to at the very last moment. (Y/N)'s attempt to block didn't do much as he was sent back several feet.



(Y/N) shook off the attack and retaliated. With a burst of speed, (Y/N) came gliding in with a flying kick which Yoruichi effortlessly dodged.



Yoruichi responded with an axe kick that (Y/N) blocked head on. The ground under (Y/N) feet shattered from the force. (Y/N) winced in pain but powered through and grabbed Yoruichi's leg and threw her to the ground.

(Y/N) didn't want to miss the opportunity to gain the upper hand on Yoruichi and drew his zanpakuto to land a vertical slash. In a split second reaction, Yoruichi teleported from her disadvantageous position, leaving (Y/N) shocked.

(Y/N) couldn't sense Yoruichi and decided to move as quickly as possible to the top of one of the rock formations, hoping to get high ground. However Yoruichi reappears from behind, getting a sneak attack on (Y/N).

(Y/N) was having a hard time reading and reacting to Yoruichi's movements. (Y/N) had to think of a way to restrict her movement. Regrettably, (Y/N) didn't have a technique to do that. However, (Y/N) could probably use the nearby rock formations as cover. That way, Yoruichi would need to spend more time navigating around them in order to find him.

(Y/N) put his theory to the test and disengaged from Yoruichi trying to find cover. (Y/N) hoped that he could hold off Yourichi long enough to reach cover to put his plan into motion but Yoruichi was relentless.

Yoruichi kept (Y/N) with a barrage of attacks of her own. (Y/N) decided to go on the defensive and waited for Yoruichi to slip up. Yoruichi noticed (Y/N) change in tactics and decided to go in for a grab. Grabbing (Y/N) by his kimono, Yoruichi picked up (Y/N) and threw him over her shoulder.

(Y/N) crashed to the ground and Yoruichi planned to end the fight with a punch to (Y/N)'s chest, however in a state of desperation, took a page out of Yoruichi's book, and activated Shunpo (a movement technique which allows the user to move faster than the eye can follow). (Y/N) never used the ability before as he always struggled with it, but in a last ditch effort, he was finally able to pull it off.

Yoruichi after seeing (Y/N) used Shunpo, claps in approval. She had a wide grin on her face, proud of her student.

Yoruichi: Well done (Y/N), you've managed to use all of the basic Shinigami fighting techniques in battle. In just a few weeks you've been able to do what would normally take normal Shinigamis years to master. I think we can move on to more advanced techniques.

(Y/N): Really? And here I thought you were gonna say I failed.

Yoruichi: Well, you could work on your Shunpo in your downtime. That was your first time using it so we need to make sure you're consistent with it. Once we fix that issue we can take it to the next step.

(Y/N) just nodded, clearly excited to finally reach the next step.

(Timeskip) Tatsuki's POV

Tatsuki: So what is it, Orihime? You said you had something important you wanted to tell me about Ichigo. Um... What's it all about?

Orihime: Mm-hm. Wait till you hear this. I think I have finally figured out the mystery of Ichigo.

Tatsuki: The mystery?

Orihime: I think Ichigo is actually some kind of superhero, and he's here on a mission to protect Earth.

Tatsuki: Ah, he's a superhero. The first time I saw your superhero, we were both only four. I was at the dojo where I started my training, and I saw him come in for the first time. To be specific, it's where I met him and (Y/N). They were both holding their mom's hand. But what I noticed most was how goofy and carefree they both were. I knew right away they wouldn't last too long.

Tatsuki: In fact, in our first match, I made Ichigo cry with a single punch. I just reached out and poked him with a soft one, and that was all she wrote. One quick shot, and he was down for the count. (Y/N) always tried to encourage him to get back and fight, but to be honest he was too scared to fight himself. But then the most amazing thing would always happen. When Ichigo's mom would come to pick him up, even if he was still sobbing, as soon as he saw her, that big smile would break out across his face again.

Tatsuki: He was such a baby. I mean, what kind of a kid smiles when he's just lost a fight? I didn't get it. Here was this total wimp, just a complete mama's boy, and yet he seemed to be so happy all the time, like life was just one big ride, no worries at all. He was a happy kid because of his mom. And the same could be said for (Y/N).

Tatsuki: But then when we were nine... they both died.

Orihime gasps at the revelation.

Tatsuki: Neither came to school that day, of course. I was kind of worried, because no one seemed to know where they were or if they were okay. It seemed so unfair. No nine-year-old kid can handle that kind of grief alone. So I went looking for both of them. I was able to find Ichigo by the river, right where his mother had died, just wandering around in circles. For days I watched him. He did that from morning till night, like he was waiting for her to come back. I hated seeing him that way. The happy Ichigo was gone. I

Orihime: What about (Y/N)?

Tatsuki: Apparently his mother died in a car accident, protecting him and his sister. (Y/N) and his sister didn't suffer any lasting injuries. According to (Y/N), she was carried to the hospital not too long after and she was in the hospital for about a week before she eventually passed away. But back then I couldn't find him. I later heard from his sister that he stuck to his mother's bedside during visiting hours and vanished to who knows where when he was told to leave. His father would spend hours looking for him, finding him in different spots in town each time.

Orihime: It's a surprise how much of a nice guy (Y/N) is despite how hard it must have been.

Tatsuki: *Nods* I guess after (Y/N) had time to grief he was able to move forward. That's when I realised how strong (Y/N) truly was.

Somewhere in karakura Town, (Y/N) had a sudden urge to sneeze.

Calavera: You okay? Are you catching a cold or something?

(Y/N): Geez, I hope not.

To be continued.

After I drop the next two chapters tomorrow, we'll be getting into the crazy stuff. I know for some, The Substitute Shinigami arc is long and not very interesting so I tried my best. Hope you guys enjoyed.