//------------------------------//
// Substitute: Ichigo's Day Off 
// Story: Bleach: Heart of a Hero 
// by Blackdrag-rose 
//------------------------------//

Sombra and Yoruichi spent a few minutes tracking down the Hollow that they felt enter the town, following it's reiatsu all the way to where it was hiding, though when they found it, lurking in the train yard of all places, the two of them attacked the Hollow without giving it time to run away. Yoruichi's kicks stopped the insect-like Hollow from fleeing, even if she had to grab it's tail and pull it away from the air, as it was trying to leave at that instance, and Sombra dropped down from the area above the creature, where he used his sword to split the mask in half, purifying the Hollow in the process. When the creature was gone, and before they departed from the area, Sombra found that it was the soul of a teenage girl that the Hollow had been getting ready to chase, though since he was already there, and he had a Shinigami's Zanpakuto in hand, he tapped the soul's head with the hilt and sent him on his way to Soul Society. With the deed taken care of, and the town secured for another night, the two of them headed back towards the shop, though along the way Sombra went out of his way and sent a few more of the souls off to Soul Society, because he honestly felt that there were too many of them to begin with and they were what were attracting most of the Hollows he had seen so far... save for the ones that were specifically going after Ichigo and his family.

While he did all of that, however, he noticed that Yoruichi continued to smile at him, not doubt she was pleased that he was taking the time to help all these souls and spirits out, before they ended up either being devoured by a Hollow or forced to turn into one like Sora was... though once he was ready they continued on their way back to the shop, where Kisuke was no doubt waiting for Yoruichi to return.

"Well, someone's in a good mood." Kisuke commented, seeing Yoruichi arrive with Sombra once more, though this time around Yoruichi's mood was better than it was when she left earlier, meaning that something must have happened between the two of them since Rukia took the Mod-Soul pill from him.

"Sombra has a better understanding of what a friend is and what an acquaintance is," Yoruichi replied, to which the Arrancar nodded his head for a moment, indicating that she was speaking the truth, before she turned towards Kisuke for a moment, "It took some time, but he's starting to understand what Humans go through... and, in the process, we might be able to get some of his memories back at the same time."

"I'd like that," Sombra said, where he glanced down at the weapon he was carrying, knowing that the key to all of his memories resided in Hueco Mundo, which he wasn't ready to tackle yet, based on what Kisuke had told him the last time he suggested he go there, before he turned towards the duo, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to head out and make sure nothing else happens to Karakura Town before morning arrives."

Kisuke nodded and watched as Sombra departed from the shop once more, almost like he had escorted Yoruichi home or something, though once the Arrancar was gone he turned his attention back to Yoruichi, who was still smiling from what she was able to do tonight. He was sure that he had seen a friendly smile on the Arrancar's face, indicating that he had definitely changed a little since that morning, which was good since he knew they had been making terrible progress in finding an alternate way to help him recover his memories. His Arrancar Zanpakuto was the key to getting everything back, that much he knew now, but even then he still wasn't ready for a venture into Hueco Mundo, so for now they would have to leave the sword wherever it was resting and focus on helping Ichigo save the town from Hollows, while growing his skills at the same time. As he thought about all of that, however, Yoruichi glanced over at him and stared at him for a moment, as if silently accusing him of something, before he sighed and looked back at the door that Sombra had closed when he left the shop.

Despite what she had told him earlier, about having no feelings for the Arrancar, Kisuke knew that there was a reason that Yoruichi went out of her way to confront Sombra and tell him what a friend was and what an acquaintance was, but he also suspected that she must have had some feelings for him... though for now he was willing to leave those thoughts alone, since he was tired and was sure that Yoruichi would like some sleep as well.

As Kisuke and Yoruichi finished up their business for the night, no doubt getting Yoruichi a light meal before bed, Sombra used the rooftops and made his way back to the Kurosaki Clinic, where he would be able to assume his sitting position once more and wait for morning to arrive. This time around, when he made his way towards his destination, there wasn't anything to get in the way, no Hollows that needed to be cut down and purified, nor were there any souls or spirits in need of assistance or being sent to Soul Society, where they would be safe for a time. It was just a peaceful run all the way back to the clinic, where Ichigo and his family, including Rukia, would be sleeping the night away, though upon his arrival he sat down outside the clinic's entrance and closed his eyes, allowing his mind to focus on any potential dangers that might appear around the town. Even as he sat there he could hear Ichigo's sisters finishing up for the day, before they went to bed, and his father checking the calendar for some reason as he dealt with the remaining bills, though that was followed by him getting some sleep as well.

Once he was sure that everyone in the house was asleep, and that included Ichigo, Rukia, and Kon, Sombra closed his eyes and focused his mind as he drifted into the ever constant dreamless sleep that he was getting used to having... though he had the feeling that the following morning was going to be interesting for all of them.





When morning arrived Sombra stretched his arms and legs for a few moments, though as he did that he heard the sound of the others getting up as well, to which he made his way to the window of Ichigo's room and found that Ichigo was still asleep at the moment, which was just find considering what he had gone through the previous day. As Yuzu, Karin, and Isshin got up and went about their daily routines, having breakfast while preparing themselves for their busy days, Sombra found that Ichigo appeared to be sleeping in for once, though he knew that it was from his exhaustion that the Mod-Soul had put him through earlier. Sombra waited for a few moments, waiting to see if anything else happened in Ichigo's room, though when he jumped down to stare into the room, however, he found that Ichigo was still asleep, to which he sighed and leaned against the wall of the building, patiently waiting for Ichigo to awaken and start his day. He was sure that Rukia, on the other hand, was getting ready inside Ichigo's closet, so she could head to school and move through the day like a normal person would, until her phone went off with another Hollow alert anyway, but Sombra was sure that he could take those to make sure Ichigo stayed in school.

Eventually Kon got tired of Ichigo sleeping in and attacked him, where his stuffed paws did nothing to Ichigo as the stuffed animal jumped down onto his chest and beat him a little, before Ichigo got up and threw Kon at the closest, which was when Rukia, fully dressed in her school clothing, stepped out and commented on the noise. After some time Yuzu opened the door and found Ichigo standing in front of the closet, having ushered both Rukia and Kon inside and closed it before his sister entered his room, but all she had to tell him was that Kojima and Asano were waiting outside. That caused Ichigo to thank his sister and head over to the window, the one that faced the street, and apologized to his friends for keeping them waiting, where they said that they'd be waiting for him so they could head to school together today, though once that was done Ichigo pulled himself back into his room and started getting ready to leave, where he asked Rukia about her erasing the memories of everyone at the school, which she confirmed for him. As Ichigo started getting ready, however, both Sombra and Rukia noticed that he seemed to pause as he put his watch on, like he was looking at the date, to which Sombra looked at the calendar and noticed that it was the sixteenth of June... though when Rukia asked if something was wrong, however, Ichigo just told them that everything was find and let them move on ahead of him.

When Rukia entered the classroom and took her seat, while at the same time Sombra stood in the same corner he always stood in, the students talked about their homework while Uryu seemed to be sewing something in his spare time, before Ichigo finally arrived and acted much friendlier than he had been earlier. The classmates around him, for the most part, were happy for the change, though Tatsuki, on the other hand, quickly figured out that today was the sixteenth of June and said that he wasn't in a good mood, that he only acted this way when he was really tense, causing Sombra to wonder what had happened on this date that would cause this reaction to simply seeing the date. He also listened to what Tatsuki was saying, as she knew the reason behind Ichigo's mood, and she even said that he was going to skip school tomorrow, making him curious as to what was going on at the moment, while at the same time knowing that Rukia was likely interested as well. The two of them remained silent about what was going on as the school day started and the teacher entered the room, though while all that happened Sombra stared at Ichigo and wondered if he was in pain or something, but at the same time he knew that he and Rukia would find out the answer soon enough.

Hours later, when the school day was at an end, Ichigo went right home and both Rukia and Sombra remained hidden in his bedroom, listening to the family conversation that was going on downstairs, where it sounded like they were going on a picnic or something... though when Ichigo returned to his room, so he could get some sleep, he had a towel that he wore on his head, folded up in half from the looks of it.

"That sounded fun." Rukia commented, though she was standing in front of the closet, fully dressed in the pajamas that she had taken from Ichigo's sister, but at the same time she wanted to figure something out before they all went to bed for the night.

"What was?" Ichigo asked, because in his mind what he and his family done hadn't been fun, not when he was made aware of what they would be doing tomorrow, though at the same time he knew that Rukia was going to keep pestering him until she got an answer to what she had seen.

"She means the family meeting that you had." Sombra clarified, though while he had to agree that it sounded fun, as it appeared that the whole family was going to go out and enjoy themselves, he knew that Ichigo was the only one among them that wasn't too keen on what they were going to be doing tomorrow.

"Are you planning on playing hooky tomorrow, so you and your family can go on a picnic?" Rukia inquired, though at the same time she made a few poses to show that she was into the idea, mostly because she had been leading Ichigo's life since he took her powers from her.

"Well, that's not exactly it," Ichigo said, to which he turned towards the window once more and looked out at the night sky that was above them, or rather what was left of it since he could see rain clouds starting to form and knew that rain was coming, "Hey Rukia, I've got a question."

"And that would be?" Rukia replied, as she was interested in what Ichigo could ask about, because if it was about the duties of a Shinigami, most of which she had explained so far, she would be more than happy to fill him in on the other roles and duties that she'd normally have to do.

"It's about my job as your Substitute," Ichigo said, to which Rukia raised an eyebrow, because right now she wasn't liking whatever he had to ask her, but she braced herself and prepared for whatever question he had, "Would it be alright if I took tomorrow off?"

"Wha... What are you saying?!" Rukia asked in return, though at the same time Sombra raised an eyebrow as he stared at the two of them, as he was surprised that Rukia clearly, by her tone, wasn't going to give him this one day that was clearly special to him and his family, "Of course you cant! What's gotten into you?! You've been acting strange all day!"

"And what's wrong with letting him have a day off?" Sombra asked, causing the two to turn towards him for a moment, because of the fact that he was silent they had forgotten that he was even there, before he turned towards Rukia for a few seconds, "Look, he's gone and defeated every Hollow that you've told him about, saved some of his friends from being eaten by them in the process, and even tracked down a Mod-Soul while saving three kids in the process. Surely you can afford to let him take one day off. Besides, if a Hollow were to enter Karakura Town, or if there was a soul that needed to be purified at some point, I can easily take over in that regard, so you won't have to worry about Soul Society finding out that you didn't do your job."

"Tomorrow is the anniversary of the day my mother died," Ichigo explained, because even if Rukia decided to pester him about doing her job, like she did all the time, he knew that Sombra would do everything in his power to ensure that he and his family weren't interrupted, before he turned towards Rukia, "though, to be precise, it's not the day she died... it's actually the day that she was killed."

Based on Ichigo's tone he didn't want to talk about it at the moment, to which Rukia nodded her head and climbed into the makeshift bed that she had made for herself, before she closed the closet door and left Ichigo alone, though at the same time Sombra shook his head and took a corner of the room, where he wouldn't be facing Ichigo and simply closed his eyes after he sat on the floor... though despite that fact, however, he knew that Ichigo had problems sleeping when the rain started, remembering a bad memory, but he couldn't do anything to help him at the moment.

When morning arrived Ichigo discovered that Rukia had left after the storm had ended, which was an hour or two before he got up, though Sombra had let her wander off since she didn't need a babysitter all the time, while at the same time staying out of the way as Ichigo and his family prepared for their busy day. It took them some time to make sure that everything was ready for their venture, which they focused on and let everything else move to the side, before they were all dressed and ready to leave the house, to which Sombra simply jumped through the open window, closing it behind him, before he took to the street. From there he followed behind the family, as he was curious as to what they planned on doing when they arrived at their destination, though as they walked he could tell that they were definitely heading towards the graveyard, which made sense to Sombra when he thought about it. Along the way they reached a steep hill that Yuzu made a comment about, one that caused their father to do a handstand and walk like that for a few moments, before Karin kicked him and forced him down the hill a little, while making him make up the steps he had just lost. While all that happened Sombra felt a shift in the air and turned towards the top of the hill, at the same time that the others did, but in all honesty he wasn't expecting what he saw... as Rukia, dressed up in casual clothing that he had never seen before, was standing at the top of the hill and was waving at Ichigo, like a fellow school student playing hooky and visiting a grave at the same time that he did.

Sombra had no idea what Rukia was trying to pull, since this was supposed to be a special day of sorts for Ichigo and his family, and he could tell that Ichigo wasn't too pleased with her being here, despite the fact that he was allowing Sombra since he was the only one that could see him, if he was careful and hid himself anyway... though Ichigo walked by his sisters, saying that Rukia was a friend from middle school that he hadn't seen for a while, and took Rukia's arm before pulling her into the path in the nearby trees, where Sombra sighed and followed after them.

"Why the heck did you follow me out here?" Ichigo eventually asked, coming to an area where he and Rukia could talk without Yuzu or Karin overhearing anything, before he beckoned to Sombra, who was leaning against a tree, "I'm letting him tag along since he seems to now how to hide himself from my sisters, and he can move out to fight a Hollow at a moment's notice, before your phone detects one anyway. So, why are you following me?"

"What if a Hollow appears and neither Sombra or I are there?" Rukia asked in return, almost as if she thought that multiple Hollows would show up and cause them to separate their forces, though at the same time she kept her arms crossed and stared at Ichigo.

"You know that he meant that you need to be more discreet if you're going to be following him around," Sombra said, knowing that Rukia didn't seem to care about being seen or sticking to the shadows, though the only reason he was being discreet was because he knew that Yuzu and Karin could see spiritual beings, though maybe not on their brother's level.

"Anyway, what are you so mad about?" Ichigo inquired, because he wanted to get this over with so he could join his family by his mother's grave, as that was what today was supposed to be about, not his duties as a Substitute Shinigami ruining everything once more.

"I'm not mad... just curious." Rukia replied, remembering what Ichigo had said the night before, when he told her and Sombra what today was supposed to be for him and his family, before she looked up at him, "You said 'killed' when you were talking about what today was, didn't you? That begs the question; who killed her?"

"Rukia, I would suggest that you stop before something happens," Sombra said, though at the same time he was only paying half attention to what was happening, as he could sense the reiatsu of someone nearby, not a Hollow from the feeling he was getting, but he was definitely sure that it was another Shinigami, since he had felt Rukia's power before.

"No, I need him to think about this." Rukia stated, focusing her attention on Ichigo, who was glaring at her like he wanted her to stop, but at the same time she continued speaking before he opening his mouth, "You've been able to see spirits ever since the day your mother died, haven't you? That, based on what I've been taught, can only mean one thing... a Hollow is responsible for the death of your mother!"

"I don't want to hear another word of what you have to say," Ichigo declared, as he glared at Rukia for a few seconds, who was stunned by the fact that he was annoyed with her, more than he usually was, and even Sombra glanced over at them to be sure they didn't get into a fight, "As far as you're concerned, everything that happens in the World of the Living is the result of Hollows messing with our lives... but what you don't stop to consider, even for a moment, is that part of the time it's just use Humans messing up and hurting each other. Hollows aren't responsible for everything. There was never anything funny about it, but when you give that as a reason for it there isn't anything that's less funny! Sorry to disappoint you, Rukia, but you're way off base with your suggestion, because it wasn't a Hollow that killed her... I'm the one that's ultimately responsible for the death of my mother."

Rukia stared at Ichigo in shock as he started walking again, leaving her behind in her thoughts, though at the same time Sombra remained where he was standing, because he felt that something was amiss with this situation and that today might be the day that something about this changed. After Ichigo ran off, to separate himself from the duo, Sombra kept his eyes on Rukia, who seemed lost in thought as she moved towards one of the walls that overlooked the graves, where he followed after her and leaned against one of the trees when she finally down on the wall. He could tell that this was an emotional time for Ichigo, that he blamed himself for whatever happened to his mother, and Rukia, who was used to the teachings of the Shinigami, called herself an idiot when she thought about what she had said without thinking a few moments ago. Even Kon, who happened to be in the backpack that Rukia was wearing, claimed that Hollows was all Rukia thought about, after discovering that they wouldn't be leaving the area until Ichigo and his family did, just in case a Hollow did appear to attack someone.

When Rukia got up suddenly, however, Sombra knew that she had felt the same energy that he had felt, to which he followed after her as she entered the trees once more, heading towards the source of energy... though after a few moments they came to a stop, where they found a Shinigami, male by the body that Sombra could see, sitting at the base of a tree and only got up when Rukia stopped near him.

"I sure slept well," the Shinigami said, acting like he had been sleeping in the area the entire time and was only waking up, though not a few seconds later he turned his head just a little bit and glanced towards Rukia with a slight smile on his face, "Huh? Well, good morning!"

"You!" Rukia stated, indicating that she might know the Shinigami that was in front of them, while at the same time her slight movement caused Kon to fall to the ground while she noticed that Sombra was standing behind the trees and hadn't been spotted yet.

"I get nothing but these trying mission, you see." the Shinigami stated, speaking about something that only he and Rukia would know about, since Sombra still didn't know all the specifics of the duties that a Shinigami had, "I can't keep up with them unless I get plenty of sleep."

"A mission..." Rukia said, understanding what the Shinigami was speaking about, thanks to her knowledge, but at the same time she didn't like the fact that the man was here, because he was either looking for her to be her replacement, or there was the other thing he didn't want to think about, "Just who are you?"

"The name Rukia Kuchiki was famous back at the Shinigami Academy," the Shinigami replied, to which he lifted the hat he was wearing and let Rukia seen his face, while at the same time she wondered what Sombra was going to do, "Adopted into the noble Kuchiki family, you were known as the 'Princess from the Rukon District'. Oh, and I am Eikichiro Saido. I was two years ahead of you... you do remember me, don't you? Come on, I was pretty popular as well."

"Honestly, I don't remember you." Rukia stated, as she honestly didn't remember all of the people that had been there when she went to the academy, especially people that had been two years ahead of her, but at the same time she didn't trust Eikichiro at the moment, not with the look in his eyes.

"Oh well, I guess it can't be helped." Eikichiro said, to which he stared at Rukia for a moment as he focused on her and nothing else, once more showing that he hadn't noticed that there was someone else in the area around him and Rukia at the moment, "Anyway, I have a few questions for you."

"That means your from the Steath Force, aren't you?" Rukia asked, because those Shinigami, at least the lowest ones from what she knew, were usually sent out to get information before the senior members did anything, but if he was here for information that was bad for her.

"Correct!" Eikichiro replied, where he pulled a string on his hat and the top popped up a bit, almost like he was playing a game or something, though at the same time Rukia stared at him with an uncaring look on her face, as she wasn't going to let this lower her guard, "Though I should get to the point. They're getting pretty irritated over there... they wonder why you haven't come back to Soul Society yet."

"Hollows appear and orders come in." Rukia stated, which was what Ichigo was doing for her at the moment, though it appeared that such a thing was no longer working in her favor, especially if they sent someone to question her, "That's why I haven't gone back yet. That's all there is to it."

"Then why are you dressed like that?" Eikichiro asked, pointing at the dress clothing that Rukia was wearing, which she had put on to avoid looking like a school student and more like someone who was grieving for a lost loved one, while at the same time Sombra moved through the trees and stepped behind him.

"What does it matter how I'm dressed?" Rukia demanded, though at the same time she knew that Sombra would do something if the Shinigami drew his Zanpakuto, but at the same time she silently hoped that such a thing didn't need to happen while Eikichiro was here.

"Oh, I get it now..." Eikichiro said, though the grin that was on his face caused Rukia to worry, because some of the Shinigami she knew, or heard about, had a messed up mind and she had to wonder if he was one of them, "you're coming of age, and I know who it is. It's the guy whose mother is said to have been killed by a Hollow. Is it pity, Rukia, or are you seeking pleasure in the World of the Living?"

"It's none of your business." Rukia stated, but even as she spoke Eikichiro approached her a little and had a look on his face that told her that he thought he knew everything about the situation that he had discovered, even though he really understood none of it, "Shall I sew your mouth shut, or should I have my friend do it for you? And besides, I have no intention of returning to Soul Society for some time."

"Is that a threat I just heard?" Eikichiro asked, though at the same time he raised his right hand and grabbed onto the handle of his Zanpakuto, where he drew the blade out and readied himself, in the sense that he was going to fight against someone that wasn't ready for battle, "Too bad, now you've forced my hand."

"And you just forced mine." Sombra said, to which he rushed out from where he was hiding and drew his own sword in the process, where Eikichiro turned around and raised his blade to parry the incoming attack, though Sombra used the force of the collision to knock the Shinigami to the side.

"Okay, this was unexpected," Eikichiro commented, though at the same time he stated at Sombra, where his eyes were drawn to the bone white crown that he was wearing, which likely belonged to Sombra's mask when he was a Hollow, before he raised an eyebrow, "What in the world are you?"

"He's an Arrancar," a new voice said, to which Ichigo, in his Shinigami state, appeared nearby and leveled his sword with Eikichiro, while at the same time Kon, currently inside Ichigo's body, came up beside Rukia with the stuffed animal that he had been forced into earlier, "and his name is Sombra. And I am Ichigo Kurosaki, the Substitute Shinigami that's been taking out the Hollows that have been attacking Karakura Town."

"I have no idea what an Arrancar is, but you just explained something I've been wondering," Eikichiro said, to which he lowered his hat a little to hide his eyes, though at the same time both Ichigo and Sombra prepared themselves for the battle that was about to start, "Rukia Kuchiki, you have committed a very serious crime."

Ichigo and Sombra readied themselves, intending to fight Eikichiro and defend Rukia, but before they could do actually do anything the air shifted as Sombra felt the sudden appearance of a powerful Hollow that was near where they were standing, something that Ichigo felt as well... and, unless he was wrong, the Hollow was going after both Yuzu and Karin at the moment. The moment they considered that possibility Ichigo, Rukia, Sombra, and Kon ran off in the direction that the girls should be in, leaving Eikichiro standing there for a few seconds, as he was shocked that the situation had changed so drastically, before he wondered what he was going to do. Along the way Sombra noted that Ichigo and Rukia had a short conversation about what happened all those years ago, where both Ichigo and Sombra quickly found out that Rukia had learned that there was no true way to ask Ichigo what actually happened all those years ago, not without hurting him in the process... so she was going to wait until he was ready to tell her about what happened, instead of her accusing him of what actually happened.

A few moments later they caught sight of a Hollow that was a giant hamster with red bird-like hands and feet and a red tentacle-like limb that hangs from his forehead, though as the group took in what was happening in front of them they found that Yuzu was being held in the air by the tentacle limb and Karin was being kept in place by one of the Hollow's feet... to which Ichigo drew his sword and jumped into the air, where he hacked his way through the tentacle strangling his sister and caught her, while forcing the Hollow backwards.

"Good," the Hollow said, to which it shifted it's position and picked up Karin with it's right hand, though at the same time Ichigo didn't like the look in the Hollow's eyes at all, especially since it was targeting his family for a reason, "I still have my hostage. I've been waiting for you, Shinigami."

It was in that moment that the air in front of the Hollow seemed to shift, because one moment there wasn't anyone standing in front of the Hollow and the next a young girl, with a look in her eyes that Sombra didn't trust and one that Ichgo seemed to recognize, appeared out of thin air.

"You! You're the one that was at the riverbank six years ago, weren't you?" Ichigo demanded, though at the same time those that were around him could hear the anger in his voice, which had to be directed at the fact that Karin was still trapped and not the fact that the little girl was in front of him.

"Six years ago?" the little girl repeated, though while she said that the Hollow couldn't help but laugh, indicating that something about this situation was amusing it, which was also pissing Ichigo off at the same time, "Sorry, but I don't remember things from so long ago... but this is also very interesting."

That was followed by the head of the girl splitting for a moment before a tentacle shot out of the girl and attached to the Hollow, though not a moment later the little girl was gone and in her place was some sort of lure that was connected to the head of the creature, indicating that it had been a trap that Ichigo and his mother had been lured into.

"Grand Fisher... that's his code name." Rukia commented, as she had read the reports before leaving Soul Society and knew exactly who this Hollow was, though at the same time everyone was staring at her for a moment, especially the Hollow, "He hides himself and gives that lure of his the appearance of a Human... and when he finds someone that's able to see it, meaning people with a high amount of reiatsu, he attacks them and increases his own power. For over fifty years this Hollow has defied all the Shinigami that have gone out to search for it... and his favorite targets are women."

Ichigo stared at Rukia for a moment, now understanding that the Grand Fisher was indeed responsible for what happened six years ago, but at the same time that only made him angrier than he had been moments ago, and the Grand Fisher's laughter on the subject was pissing him off. The Grand Fisher went on to say that Ichigo was extremely lucky for surviving the day he encountered him, especially since he had been his original target and he only changed to Ichigo's mother because of his preference for women, but that made Ichigo even angrier. That was eventually followed by Ichigo snapping as he charged forward and jumped into the air, forcing the Grand Fisher to move when his sword hit the ground, and then jumped out of the way when the next attack came at him, before the Grand Fisher's hair reached out and enveloped Ichigo as he tackled him into the upper area above where Rukia was standing. Rukia, seeing what was going to happen, readied herself with one of the Kido she knew, but Sombra would have none of that as he charged forward and jumped into the air, where he brought down his sword and cleaved his way through the hair that was holding Ichigo down, freeing him while forcing the Hollow back a little.

Since he didn't have time to thank Sombra, as the Grand Fisher seemed to be ignoring them as he raised Karin to his mouth, Ichigo got ready to move, but at the same time Sombra showed off his speed and jumped into the air, where the Grand Fisher had a moment to see what was going on before he severed his right arm from his body... causing the Hollow to move out of the way as Ichigo, after commanding Kon to take his sisters to safety, followed after him, before Rukia and Sombra did the same thing.

When they reached an open area Ichigo did something interesting, he told Rukia, Sombra, and even Eikichiro to back off and let him fight the Grand Fisher alone, as it was his battle, since the Hollow stole his mother from him, and he would be the one to destroy this particular Hollow and send him to Hell. Rukia looked at Sombra, knowing that he was literally the only one among them that had the power to destroy the Grand Fisher, thanks to the training he had before she found him earlier, but at the same time she was surprised when he sheathed his Zanpakuto and watched the battle unfold. While this happened the sky, which had been darkening since Eikichiro found them, finally let loose another shower of rain on them all, but at the same time neither Ichigo or the Grand Fisher seemed to care as the two of them clashed with each other, though as that happened the Grand Fisher taunted Ichigo as they battled. Of course while they fought the Grand Fisher used a power that allowed him to grow his nails and punctured Ichigo a little, indicating that he wanted to play until it was time to devour his soul, but despite that happening to him, and blood coming from his wounds when his opponent pulled back, Ichigo still fought on with the determination to kill the Grand Fisher.

As Rukia stood there she spoke about how she had been forced into this same situation in the past, where she had to learn the difference between a battle to protect lives and a battle to protect honor, to which she determined that this one was a battle of honor... to which she and Sombra stood there and watched as Ichigo engaged the Grand Fisher once more, while at the same time Eikichiro nodded his head in agreement.

After some time the Grand Fisher molded the lure that was attached to his head into Ichigo's mother, stalling him in the process since his mother was the one person that Ichigo, as a 'coldblooded' Shinigami, wouldn't be able to raise his sword against, as the Grand Fisher claimed that he was able to learn who his enemies couldn't raise their swords against and used them to take them out. It revealed how he was able to take out the various Shinigami that it had encountered over the last fifty years, where he enjoyed the fact that he was able to deceive them in such a manner, though at the same time it proved to be slightly effective, as the weakness caused Ichigo to lower his guard once and that allowed the Grand Fisher to pierce his shoulder in the process. When the Grand Fisher raised his left hand, and extended his nails, he prepared to kill Ichigo, though as he started to move his hand the mockery of Ichigo's mother started to glow and caught everyone off guard for a moment... where Eikichiro stated that his mother's last thoughts were manifesting themselves, the last thoughts she had before she died.

"Ichigo..." the thoughts of his mother said, to which Ichigo stood there and stared at it for a moment, shocked by what was going on at the moment, but he was wounded to the point where he couldn't do anything else but listen, "I'm so proud of you. Dad, Karin, Yuzu, and you, Ichigo. I'm so proud that I was able to meet you. Live, Ichigo. With strength, with kindness, and with a smile. That you, Ichigo."

Ichigo watched as the last thoughts of his mother disappeared and the lure was broken, for now, but as the light faded he gripped the point that was lodged in his shoulder and tore it out, surprising the Grand Fisher in the process, before driving the point of his sword into the Grand Fisher's left shoulder... before he swung his weapon and cut a gash into the Hollow's body, causing the Grand Fisher to pull back and run into the forest, but Rukia stopped Ichigo from going after them, as neither of them were able to fight anymore, while Sombra remained where he was standing, as the Grand Fisher was smart enough to teleport back to Hueco Mundo before something killed him.

"You guys are something else," Eikichiro commented, watching as Ichigo collapsed when Rukia stood in front of him, where both she and Sombra turned and looked at him as he pointed at the wounded Substitute for a moment, "He's got some powerful reiatsu, so much that he might become a monster if you're not careful. And you, Arrancar, if I told Soul Society about you they would come here immediately to destroy you... so I won't tell them about you. They'll find you sooner or later, Rukia Kuchiki, but it won't be from me."

Sombra watched as the Shinigami collected his hat and walked away from the graves that were around them, though as he disappeared he found the news that Soul Society would dispatch their highest ranking Shinigami, if he was reading the man's tone correctly, to kill him to be a bit unnerving. That told him that Arrancars weren't much liked by the Shinigami that knew they existed, if he was right, and that he was lucky to find one of them that didn't know about what he was and was willing to accept him for who he was and not what he was, as Rukia tolerated him because he protected people from Hollows and sent souls on their way to the afterlife. While he was thinking about that Rukia used some of her power to heal some of Ichigo's wounds, since he had been wounded a lot in the battle with the Grand Fisher, before Kon showed up to check up on them, which was shortly followed by Rukia ejecting his pill from Ichigo's body and let him settle back into his body as she took the pill away for the moment. From there Ichigo spent some time standing in front of his mother's grave, where he had a short conversation with his father when he came to check up on him, but by the end of it Ichigo did something interesting when his father walked away from the area.

Ichigo, despite his earlier feelings towards being a Shinigami, actually asked Rukia if he could remain as her Substitute, so he could protect both souls and people from Hollows like the Grand Fisher and so that he could get stronger, so he could kill the Hollow that got away and be able to face his mother when he finally died.

Sombra watched all of this and wondered what it would be like to have a family, as he must have had one at some point in time before he died and became the soul that eventually became the Hollow he had been before the transformation into an Arrancar, before he sighed. Right now he was content with the fact that he had some friends to call his own and that he still had some purpose in this world, though as both he and Rukia headed back to the clinic, before Ichigo's family arrived, he knew that he would do everything in his power to help Ichigo grow... and then they would find the Grand Fisher and destroy him for what he did to Ichigo's family.