Bleach Chapter 3. Headhittin'

003. Headhittin'
Orihime is "hit by a car" and Ichigo undergoes Rukia's training. Rukia then moves into Ichigo's closet and something strange begins happening at Orihime's house...

Orihime sings on her way home from the store at night. A speeding car heads in her direction before the scene ends.

Rukia reads a horror manga out loud in order to study modern speech, much to Ichigo's displeasure, while he trains by hitting 100 pepper-filled balls. Rukia explains that he was only supposed to hit the ones labeled as "heads," which Ichigo is unable to distinguish from the ones labeled as "hand."

Orihime comes across the park where Ichigo is training while Rukia explains that a Hollow's head is its weak spot, saying that a Hollow be defeated in one blow by striking that point and that the purpose of her training is to increase Ichigo's accuracy when doing so. Ichigo argues that he has been defeating Hollows fine so far, but Rukia points out that he hasn't defeated a Hollow in one hit and that a sneak attack is one of the basics of defeating them. Ichigo continues to protest, saying that they are dirty tactics. Rukia continues, explaining that fighting a Hollow is not the same as fighting a Human and fighting one as if it were Human would end in his death.

Orihime appears behind Ichigo, startling him with a loud greeting. Ichigo asks what she was doing there, to which she explains that she was just passing through while shopping for dinner. She then notices Rukia, addressing her by name, though Rukia does not remember her. Ichigo notices a bandage on Orihime's arm and proceeds to ask about it, leading to her lighthearted explanation of having been hit by a car. Ichigo tells her she should be more serious about that type of accident. Rukia notices another injury on her leg and suggests she go to a doctor, causing Orihime to promptly leave. Ichigo asks if she would like him to walk her home, but she rejects his offer.

Rukia asks Ichigo more about Orihime. He explains that she has lived in his neighborhood since 8th grade, and her brother had died three years prior at the Kurosaki Clinic. He then asks why she wanted to know. She responds that she's not interested and that it's time to leave.

Yuzu opens the door to Ichigo's room, asking if he knows where her dress is, as he walks up the stairs. He explains to her that he hasn't seen her clothes and tells her not to open his door without knocking.

Rukia lays in a small dark room as her Soul Phone rings. Ichigo hears a beeping sound and wonders what it is before it stops. Rukia jumps out of Ichigo's closet, loudly shouting his name, trying to warn him of an immediate Hollow attack. Just as a large hand bursts through the floor, Rukia dons her Skull Symbol glove and forces Ichigo's soul out of his body before the rest of the Hollow comes through the wall. Ichigo draws his Zanpakutō and slashes at the Hollow's head, but only manages to slice off a portion of its mask, revealing the Hollow to be Orihime's brother, Sora. Rukia explains that the reason for sneaking up behind Hollows was not only to prevent being damaged, but also to avoid seeing its original face, as all Hollows were originally normal souls.

The final scene cuts to Orihime and Tatsuki sitting in Orihime's house as a seam splits on Enraku's face.

Characters in order of appearance :


 * 1) Orihime Inoue
 * 2) Rukia Kuchiki
 * 3) Ichigo Kurosaki
 * 4) Yuzu Kurosaki
 * 5) Acidwire
 * 6) Tatsuki Arisawa
 * 7) Enraku

Episodes adapted from this chapter:
 * Episode 2: The Shinigami's Work