The Next Day – Karakura Cemetery – 9:24 AM
It was the seventeenth day of the sixth month—a date forever etched into the hearts of the Kurosaki family. The anniversary of Masaki Kurosaki's death—the mother, the heart that remained present in their lives despite her absence.
This visit had always been a yearly tradition… Ichigo, Isshin, Karin, Yuzu—all would come, carrying flowers, bowing in silence. But this year, the scene was different.
The Kurosaki family had grown.
Alongside the three children, there was now Tsukiko, walking with measured steps beside Isshin. On her right was Hina, holding Yuzu's hand. Rui stood politely behind them, carrying a small basket with pastries and incense.
As for Ichigo, he had left before reaching the cemetery, dealing with the intrusive girl, Rukia, to prevent her from disturbing his family's peace at such a time.
They arrived at the small shrine beneath a towering cherry blossom tree at the edge of the cemetery, where its fading shadow fell upon Masaki's name engraved into the smooth gray stone.
Ren was there as well, standing silently before the grave, holding a bouquet of white camellias.
"Our family has grown, Mom…" he said quietly—his words barely carried between himself and the wind—"but without you, life feels strangely empty."
"And that's why I'll make sure to bring you back, no matter the cost," he added inwardly, his eyes beneath the blindfold glinting with unbreakable resolve.
Isshin stepped closer, standing beside him, hands tucked in his pockets, though his eyes were more serious than usual.
"She would've loved to see them… all of them," he said, glancing toward Tsukiko, who bowed quietly before the shrine, then toward Rui, who seemed to know his place well despite it being his first visit.
Yuzu placed a pink flower at the edge of the grave, followed by Karin in silence. Hina hesitated until Yuzu gently nudged her forward, and she placed a small violet flower down.
"Was… was she kind?" Hina asked in a timid voice.
"She was the kindest," Yuzu replied with a smile that carried both longing and memory.
Tsukiko stood silently before the shrine, her gaze steady and calm, showing no visible grief, only deep respect and a rooted serenity. She set a short stick of incense beside the flowers, lighting it with a faint spark from her fingertip, then whispered inaudibly:
"I missed you, Masaki…"
Tsukiko had been Isshin's fiancée and had known about Masaki—the woman who had fallen in mutual love with her fiancé and had won his heart. Yet, she bore no grudge toward her; Masaki was simply too difficult to hate, and they had even been friends. She regretted not being able to save Masaki back then.
In truth, she had come every year to visit Masaki's grave, and last year, she had come with Isshin to tell Masaki of their relationship and seek her blessing. The reason for her divorce from her former husband had been the fading of their feelings—he had found another woman—while she had been meeting Isshin often, which had rekindled the emotions of the past.
Rui bowed slightly, placing the pastries in a small bamboo tray before the grave, then clasped his hands together and closed his eyes for a few seconds before saying softly:
"These are from us. Please accept them."
Ren remained where he stood—silent, unmoving, unspeaking. The wind brushed the edges of his long coat, his silver hair glinting under the sunlight.
Beneath the blindfold, his eyes were wide open, fixed on the stone, on the name, on the meaning.
"Time passes, but the pain doesn't change…" he murmured. "But… I regret nothing."
Karin stepped up beside him without saying a word. Everyone knew that of them all, Ren had been the most attached to Masaki, and so they paid him special attention whenever their mother was mentioned.
Roooar!!
Suddenly, Ren heard the cry of a Hollow nearby, and his crystal-like eyes flashed with cold killing intent—he knew from his past life's memories that the Hollow who had killed his mother would appear today.
It wasn't just Ren whose expression changed—Isshin and Tsukiko's faces grew momentarily serious before returning to normal. Aside from those three, Karin shivered almost imperceptibly.
"I'm going to the restroom," Ren said, and without waiting for a reply, he rushed away. He couldn't wait—reviving Masaki meant that the first step was capturing the Grand Fisher who had devoured her soul, for studying it might give him clues on how to bring her back.
Once far enough from his family, he didn't hesitate to separate his soul from his body, leaving his body in the nearby forest before heading straight for Grand Fisher.
Roooar!!
Another roar—this time much closer—sent birds and animals fleeing rapidly from the area where a grotesque white monster stood.
Grand Fisher resembled a giant hamster with red bird-like hands and feet and a red, tentacle-like limb hanging from his forehead, similar to the lure of an anglerfish. The lure was vaguely human-sized and could transform to resemble anyone Grand Fisher wished, most often taking the form of a young girl.
At the sight before him, Ren's heart boiled with rage and killing intent, but he forced it down—he couldn't kill Grand Fisher, not yet, not before ensuring he had no remaining use in reviving Masaki.
"Grand Fisher!!" Ren roared, voice filled with fury and hatred, as he used Shunpo to appear beside him and deliver a powerful punch.
Although Ren didn't use his Zanpakutō—wanting Grand Fisher to suffer excruciating pain—there was another reason: he didn't want to accidentally kill him, since he needed to capture him alive.
The shockwave sent small trees flying, and Grand Fisher's body rolled across the ground from the direct hit to his face, cracking part of his white mask.
"You dare… to strike me like that?!" the monster snarled, staggering to its feet and swinging its strange arms.
"It's been years, and yet you still lurk here… as if you were waiting for me to find you," Ren said in a low voice, walking toward him steadily.
Ren would make sure Grand Fisher lived a fate worse than death. As for the remnants of Masaki's soul within him, Mikazuki would handle extracting them. It seemed that, if he wished, he could let her live within his inner world and supply her with his spiritual power, helping the fragment recover. This didn't mean he could truly resurrect her, but keeping her alive—even as a faint, fragile shard—was his only way of ensuring she would not vanish from this world entirely.
...
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