Main POV

'Well, that was a success,' I thought as I snuggled further into my seat on the train back to western Tokyo. 'I can't believe I made it through both the Jump Shop and all of Akihabara in one day.' I smiled to myself. I had all the Bleach merch anyone could ever dream of. I'd even managed to get a hold of some soul candy. It was an Otaku's wet dream. It was pretty dark now though. I hoped my family wouldn't be mad I'd returned so late. They shouldn't worry, I'm 20 years old now, that's plenty old enough to get home by myself regardless of the hour.

The train pulled into the station and I got up out of my seat with bags in tow and headed out of the station. It was practically empty at this time of night as I made my through the pristine hallways and headed out into the outside world. I sighed into the cool night air, content with my trip although a little disheartened that it had ended so quickly. Time had seemed to just fly by, even though I was on my own.

I rolled my shoulders and sighed again, no matter, I could always go back and do the trip again. I looked ahead and found there was a road closure ahead, due to works. I'd forgotten about that and was supposed to take a different rout home tonight. I shook my head. No matter, I could just take a different route from here, it would add some time to the walk home but I didn't have to turn around completely which was good.

I reached an alley I could cut through and turned down it. It was a darker one but I'd crossed through it a thousand times, it was straight through, there was no obstacles or places for anyone to hide and it was a short alley. It was unlikely anything out of the ordinary would happen to me. The air seemed thicker as I walked through the alley way and I grumbled to myself. That probably meant it was going to rain or something. I hated summer storms.

I wondered how long it would be before the rain would start and if I would have enough time to get home before it did. As I was thinking to myself I got distracted by what looked like a black moth fluttering past the side of my head. 'Ha! I bet it's a hell butterfly. Hahaha, that would be the day~' I thought to myself as I continued through the overbearingly thick air. The rain must be coming soon, there was no other reason the air could feel this heavy.

At the end of the alley when I was about to cut the corner and continue on my short walk home I hit the air hard. Yes, the air. It was like walking into a thick piece of glass as I smacked into it and was knocked back onto the ground. 'What was this?' I thought as I looked up at the perfectly clear way out of the alley. 'There's nothing here.'

I got up off the ground and shook off my experience. I was probably just a lot more tired than I thought and had a dizzy spell. It was probably the thickness of the air that was making me so weak. I just had to get home and then I would be fine. I took another step forward and tried to tackle the invisible barrier once again. I straightened myself up and walked straight towards where I'd been blocked before. I told myself that if I just pretended it wasn't there and I set in my mind that I was getting to where I was supposed to be that I'd be able to pass through. And then I ended up on my ass again.

"Ugh!" I yelled out in frustration. "Let me through!"

I pushed myself up off the dusty ground and squared my shoulders. I would not be beaten by air.

"I demand you allow me to pass through to where I belong!" I pointed triumphantly at the transparent wall and marched towards it once again.

My skin made contact with the cold, hard, film blocking my path and there was an eruption of harsh white light and I was propelled forward and dragged through the barrier. I slammed forward into another hard mass and hit the deck, but this time, I was on the other side of the barrier. It was weird, but I was willing to over look it if it meant I was able to get home and out of this overbearingly strong air.

"Hey, are you alright?" I heard someone say as I lay on the ground in a pile of my bags.

"Uh," I pushed myself upright so I could see the person speaking to me.

"You look like you hit your hear pretty hard in the fall," the man said as I stared up at him. "Are you okay?"

I sat on the ground staring up at the tall, orange haired human looking down at me with concerned brown eyes. His sharp features soft with worry. I must have hit my head hard. First the black moth and now this man, this man who looked exactly like Ichigo Kurosaki.

"I..." I started, realising I'd been staring at this guy for too long without saying anything. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bump into you."

"You're sorry?" He rubbed the back of his head. "Man, you must have hit your head hard. You didn't bump into me, you went down all by yourself. I was walking past when you fell."

"O-oh," I stuttered. "Then I'm sorry to have worried you. I'm okay."

"Are you sure?" He looked at me in disbelief. "You don't look it."

"Really, I'm fine," I assured him. "I'm just trying to get home."

"Alright, I'll let you go if you can answer me some questions," he replied. "What's your name?"

"Hikaru Uotani," I replied.

"Well Hikaru Uotani, I'm Ichigo Kurosaki," he introduced himself and I suddenly realised why he was so concerned. I had to be concussed. Either that or I was suffering a psychotic break triggered by finally getting to the Jump Shop.

"No you're not," I replied.

"Wh-whaaa?" He recoiled. "Excuse me? I think I know my own god damn name!"

"That's impossible. You can't be Ichigo Kurosaki," I reasoned.

"Alright, it's clear you're concussed," he told me before standing and reaching back down to scoop me up and throw me over his shoulder. He grabbed my bags with his other hand and started walking out of the alleyway I was in.

"Put me down," I said over his shoulder. "I don't know where you're taking me."

"My family owns a clinic not far from here," he stated. "My father can treat you for a concussion, it's clear you need some help."

"Please," I replied softly. "I don't know what's going on. I don't know why or how I got here, just let me go."

"I'll set you down if it's easier, but telling me all that just makes me more concerned about how hard you hit your head," Ichigo said and set me back down on the ground a few hundred meters from where he's picked me up. "I really think you need a doctor and if you don't want to see my dad I understand. Just tell me where to take you and I'll get you some help."

"I.." I started. "I don't.."

I didn't really know other than a very elaborate prank or serious head injury what this could be. I don't know how I got to Karakura town or what to do now I'm here. It didn't make sense to run from the only person trying to help me. And I knew him, even if we'd never met. I'd been watching Bleach since I was a little kid in 2005. If I couldn't trust Ichigo now, I never could. Plus, if I told him I was from another world, he was probably one of the few humans in this town who would actually believe me instead of sending me to a psychiatric facility.

"Okay," I said after a moment of thinking about the situation I was in. "You're right, my head does hurt and I'm not sure I know anywhere else to go, so thank you. Thank you for helping me. Please take me to your family's clinic."

"Alright, since we've got that settled, let's head on out then," he said and motioned for me to start walking in the direction he had been. I took one step forward and suddenly all bones in my body seemed to dissolve and my legs turned to noodles. I teetered towards the ground, panic rising within me as I headed face first down. Just as I was readying myself for the painful and possibly bloody contact with the cobbled road beneath me, Ichigo reached out to grab me and pulled me back towards his body.

"Alright," he said holding me steady. "Take it easy, you've had a knock on the head."

"I don't know why suddenly I'm made of noodles," I blurted out an apology.

"Come on," he said through a grunt as he picked me up again, carrying me in his arms towards his family home.

"Sorry to be so much trouble," I mumbled and he laughed.

"Don't worry about it," he told me.

"You're an anime, you know," I muttered out, barely conscious of what I was saying.

"Sure I am," he smiled down at me as we got closer to his house. "What's it about?"

"Sword fighting and monsters and shinigami," I yawned.

"H-how do you.." he started. "Hey, stay awake, you can't sleep with a head injury, come on," he shook me.

"I'm trying," I said against heavy lids. "Everything is so heavy. It was all so heavy, I was trapped by this magic invisible barrier, then you found me."

"Don't worry," he said looking concerned, but I couldn't comprehend why. "I'll keep you safe from now on."

"YOU'RE LATE!" I heard Isshin call and a door slam open.

"Dad I need your help," Ichigo stated, I could feel him dodge slightly so we didn't get tackled. "She has a head injury."

"No, you have a head injury," I slurred. How dare he.

"Sure I do," Ichigo replied. "Will you help her."

"Bring your girlfriend this way," Isshin said.

"He's not going to like that," I chuckled just as Ichigo cried out that I wasn't his girlfriend.

Ichigo POV

"How'd you run into this girl if she's not your girlfriend, anyway, Ichigo?" My dad asked as I stood outside the room in the clinic Hikaru was unconscious in.

"I was walking home when I noticed her hit the deck in the alley just a few streets back. She seemed alright at first but after a few minutes of talking to her you could tell she was concussed," I explained, arms folded and leaning against the wall. "She did say one thing though, that's a bit concerning."

"Oh?" My dad asked, closing the door further behind him.

"Yeah, she knew I was a shinigami..."