Mod Soul

He slowly made his way over. It took him a while, but he finally arrived. Kiyota confirmed the purchase and immediately went unconscious. Kiyota's giant, pillar-like legs helped keep him in a standing position even while unconscious.

 ~~~

Back in the world of the living. At Karakura High School, Rukia entered the classroom with a bright smile, greeting her classmates politely.

"Good morning! Hi everyone, how are you?" Said Rukia with a cheerful tone.

"Morning, Rukia." Mizuiro said, returning her greeting.

"Rukia-chan! You're looking especially lovely today!" Keigo chimed in.

Mizuiro glanced at the clock, then back at Rukia. 

"It's not like you to show up in the middle of third period. Is everything okay?"

"Oh, I just had to go home for something. It's nothing to worry about." Rukia's smile didn't falter as she replied.

 Her eyes scanned the room, landing on Ichigo. 

"Ichigo, can I see you for a moment?"

Ichigo, looking slightly confused, shrugged. "What the hell do you want?"

Without warning, Rukia's fist connected with Ichigo's stomach, causing him to double over. She quickly grabbed his arm, dragging him out of the classroom.

"Oh no! Ichigo, are you alright?" Rukia said loudly, her voice filled with fake concern. "I need to take you to the infirmary right away!" Her loud voice covering up Ichigo's pain. They disappeared into the hallway

"Did... Did Rukia just hit Ichigo?" Mizuiro said as he blinked in surprise. 

Keigo, however, was quick to dismiss it. "What? No way! We didn't see anything like that. Right, Mizuiro?"

Outside in the hallway, Rukia's demeanour changed completely. She released Ichigo's arm and turned to face him, her expression now serious and focused.

"Ichigo," she said in a low voice, "we need to talk about your Shinigami duties."

Ichigo, still rubbing his stomach, glared at her. "Couldn't you have just asked me to step outside like a normal person?"

Ignoring his complaint, Rukia reached into her pocket and pulled out a small canister with a duck head on the end and the words 'Soul Candy'. She tossed it to Ichigo, who caught it.

"This contains a Gikongan," Rukia explained. 

"It's an artificial soul that will force your soul out of your body when swallowed. Use it if a Hollow appears while I'm not around."

Ichigo examined the canister, his brow furrowing. 

"Soul Candy? What's with the duck?"

Rukia's cheeks flushed slightly. "The Shinigami Women's Association thought 'Gikongan' didn't sound cute enough. And I... I wanted the rabbit-themed Chappie instead."

"Chappie?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow and said with a mocking tone.

Rukia's embarrassment quickly turned to anger.

 "Are you trying to piss me off, Ichigo?" In a flash, she was behind him, stepping on the back of his head and forcing it to the ground.

"Ow! I didn't say anything!" Ichigo said, but his voice was muffled against the floor.

"Just take one so you understand how it works," Rukia said angrily, releasing him.

Annoyed, Ichigo popped one of the artificial souls into his mouth. His eyes widened as he felt a strange sensation, and suddenly, his soul was forced out of his body. His physical form slumped against the nearby fence.

Ichigo, now in his Shinigami form, stared in shock at his own body. "It... it really worked. My soul really left my body!"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Of course it did. Are you really that surprised?"

"Now listen carefully, Ichigo," Rukia said, her voice stern. 

"This is an important tool for a Substitute Shinigami. You can use it when I'm not around. We can't afford any more... losses." Rukia said with slight sadness.

Ichigo frowned. "Yeah sure..."

Rukia sighed, her expression softening.

"Your empty body is now inhabited by a substitute soul. No one will notice that your true soul is gone."

Ichigo turned to look at his body just as it stood up and stretched. "Hey there! I'm Ichigo!" the substitute soul announced cheerfully, its voice oddly chipper. "My favourite phrase is 'Early to bed, early to rise!'"

Ichigo's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? You can't be serious! That doesn't sound like me at all!"

Rukia chuckled lightly, trying to suppress her amusement. "Isn't it amazing? It's a perfect fit for your new role."

Ichigo shot her a glare. "What part of this personality resembles me? Seriously?"

Just then, Rukia's Denreishinki beeped loudly, interrupting their banter. She glanced at it and noted the timing. "Perfect timing for a mission," she said, her expression shifting back to seriousness.

"Wait! You're not leaving me with this thing!" Ichigo protested as Rukia began to walk away.

"You need to leave the substitute soul here," Rukia instructed firmly.

Ichigo's eyes widened in panic as he looked back at his body, which was now enthusiastically chatting away about its favourite activities. "No way! I can't just leave it here! What if something happens?"

Rukia turned back to him with an exasperated look. "Ichigo, seriously we need to go."

Ichigo sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "Fine!"

With that, Ichigo and Rukia took off down the street.

Meanwhile, at the Urahara Shop, Jinta burst into the room, his expression a mix of annoyance and mischief. "Hey, Ururu! Read this out loud!" he demanded, pointing at the label.

Ururu blinked, her eyes wide as she complied. "Defective Merchandise," she read quietly.

Jinta's face twisted into a smirk as he began to pull on Ururu's bangs in punishment. "See? This is what happens when you mess up! Get your act together!"

Urahara quickly interjected, stepping between them with a lighthearted chuckle. "Now, now, let's not fight over something so trivial. We all make mistakes."

"But this isn't just any mistake!" Jinta protested, crossing his arms defiantly. "This is about quality control! We can't have defective merchandise floating around!"

Ururu looked down, her cheeks flushing slightly as she fidgeted with her hands. "I'm sorry..."

Urahara softened his tone, kneeling to meet Ururu's gaze. "It's alright. Just remember to double-check next time. We all rely on each other here."

Back at Karakura High School, the substitute soul, now fully inhabiting Ichigo's body, stretched its arms and legs with an exaggerated flair. With a sudden burst of energy, it kicked the nearby fence, splintering it effortlessly.

"Yes! Finally found a mobile body!" the substitute soul exclaimed, revelling in its newfound freedom. "I can do whatever I want!"

Just then, a groundskeeper approached, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Hey! What are you doing? You're Ichigo, right? What happened to this fence?"

The substitute soul turned to face him, a menacing grin spreading across its face.

"Yeah, I'm Ichigo," it said, trying to look cool.

The groundskeeper's eyes widened as he took a step back. "Uh... why do you have that look on your face?"

Without warning, the substitute soul leaped over the startled groundskeeper and landed effortlessly on top of a hallway roof several meters away. The groundskeeper gaped in disbelief.

"Whoa! What just happened?" he muttered, sinking to his knees as he tried to process what he had just witnessed.

Meanwhile, inside the classroom, Orihime Inoue was chatting with Tatsuki about their plans for lunch when they were interrupted by a loud crash outside.

"What was that?" Tatsuki asked, narrowing her eyes as she turned toward the window.

Just then, the substitute soul leaped up to their classroom window from the ground below. The students inside gasped in shock.

"Hey! Ichigo's class! How's it going?" The substitute soul said.

"Ichigo?!" Orihime said.

"How the..." Tatsuki said startled.

"Whoa, how'd you get up there?" Chizuru asked, her eyes wide with awe.

"Wow, that's awesome!" Keigo added, rushing over to the window.

Orihime's expression shifted, her gaze softening as she looked at the substitute soul.

"Oh, Ichigo..." she murmured.

Tatsuki's expression turned angry.

"Hey, get down from there!"

"No way! I look so cool right now." The substitute soul replied.

"How did you even get up here?" Tatsuki asked.

"I simply jumped from the ground! Aren't you amazed?"

"He probably just came from the room next door through the window." One of the students chimed in.

"Yeah, I think he really did jump from the ground!" Another student said.

Just then, Rukia returned to the classroom, her expression serious as she surveyed the scene. "Ah shit!"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Rukia said.

"I'm just having fun! You can't tell me what to do!" The substitute soul said, sticking its tongue out at Rukia.

Rukia puts out her hand towards the Mod Soul.

"Bakudō #1. Sai!" Rukia shouts.

The substitute soul's arms get pinned behind his back, causing him to lose his balance and fall from the window.

"Ahhh! Help! I'm falling!" The substitute soul says.

Rukia sighs heavily. "Idiot."

Just then, Ichigo dashes into the classroom and saves his body from falling down by grabbing his shirt.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ichigo demands.

The substitute soul laughs, clearly amused. "I'm just having fun, Ichigo! Isn't this great?"

"You're lucky you're in my body right, otherwise I would have beat you senseless." Ichigo said angrily as he pulled up his body.

~~~

Back in Hueco Mundo. Kiyota woke up already standing, his eyes fluttering open to a surreal sight. Time seemed to move slowly around him, yet everything was happening at the same speed. He focused on a rock far away, and to his amazement, he could see every detail clearly, as if it were right in front of him.

"Siri?" he called out, still adjusting to this strange perception.

"Basic Genjutsu has been upgraded to Intermediate Genjutsu," Siri announced.