June 17th, 1994
Ichigo and Kenji were on their way home from karate practice. As usual, Ichigo had lost to Tatsuki. And Kenji? He lost too. He had absolutely no talent for martial arts. If he fought dirty, maybe he could win—but he refused to do that. Honestly, he didn't even want to participate in the first place.
But he had a reason.
He remembered that Masaki's death happened in June 1994. He didn't know the exact date—only the month. So he forced himself to be present, every single day.
It was raining heavily. Ichigo walked beside Masaki, holding her hand tightly as they made their way home. When she offered her other hand to Kenji, he glanced at it for a brief moment—then quietly refused. Instead, he walked slightly apart from them, keeping a small distance.
Masaki felt a faint sadness at his gentle rejection. She never understood why Kenji never wanted to hold her hand while walking home. Still, she hid her feelings behind a warm smile and said nothing.
Together, they walked along one of Karakura Town's rivers, its waters swollen and raging from the heavy rain.
Then they saw her.
A girl standing near the riverbank.
Ichigo: Hey! What's that girl doing?
Kenji's eyes narrowed.
Kenji (thought):So… it's today.
Ichigo, unable to distinguish between the living and the dead, thought she was about to jump.
Ichigo: I'll be right back!
Without hesitation, he ran toward her.
Masaki: Ichigo?
Masaki saw where Ichigo was running and froze in shock.
"Ichigo, stop!" she shouted, reaching out to grab him—but he didn't listen.
The girl standing near the river was no girl at all. She was bait. A lure created by the Hollow—Grand Fisher.
Ichigo tried to grab her, but then His vision went dark, and moments later, he collapsed unconscious.
Masaki quickly turned to Kenji. "Stay back," she told him firmly.
Then she stepped forward alone, placing herself between her fallen son and the monster. Rain poured down around them as she tried to activate her Quincy powers—
But nothing happened.
Yhwach had already stolen them.
Grand Fisher lunged.
That was when Kenji stepped forward.
Quietly.
Calmly.
He spoke the keyword—the name of the author of Bleach.
Kenji: "Tite Kubo."
The power activated.
Kenji brought his hands together in a single, sharp clap.
Kenji: "Stop time 10 second except me."
Everything froze.
Rain hung motionless in the air. The river stopped mid-current. Grand Fisher's claws were inches from Masaki.
Kenji moved.
He pointed at Grand Fisher.
Kenji: "You will die."
At first he considered pointing at Ichigo—making him remember a past life.
But he stopped himself.
No… that isn't right.
Then he turned to Masaki.
His voice softened.
Kenji: "I'm sorry… but I have to do this."
He pointed at her.
Kenji: "You will fall into a coma until Rukia is rescued from execution in Soul Society. The Hollow within you will disappear. You will become fully human forever. Your powers will never return—but you will live. Healthy. That is the cost."
Only a few seconds remained.
Kenji stand beside Ichigo's unconscious body and pointed at himself.
Kenji: "You will be unconscious for few hours."
Instantly, darkness swallowed him. He collapsed beside Ichigo.
Time resumed.
Grand Fisher's attack never reached Masaki.
Before his claws could touch her, he suddenly screamed—his body beginning to crack and split apart, as if something unseen was tearing him from the inside. He didn't understand what was happening.
And then he died.
Masaki didn't understand what had just happened. One moment the Hollow was about to strike—then it simply fell apart.
Before she could process it, her body swayed. A sudden, overwhelming drowsiness washed over her, draining the strength from her limbs.
Her vision blurred.
She faintly noticed that Kenji was now beside Ichigo—but she didn't know when or how he had gotten there.
At that point… it no longer mattered.
She rushed forward and pulled both boys into her arms, shielding them instinctively.
Then she lost consciousness.
The rest… unfolded as history would remember it.
Except this time—
Masaki did not die.
And Ichigo would grow up carrying guilt—
Never knowing the truth of what really happened that night.
The power was absurdly overpowered—but it was single-use. Once activated, it would never return.
Here was the simple explanation:
A clap affected the entire universe. Whatever he declared at that moment would apply universally. If he had said "Destroy," then everything—every star, every planet, every living being—would have been erased.
A point, however, only affected a single target. The person had to be within his sight. As long as he could see them clearly, his command would take effect. If he said "Die," they would die. If he gave any other command, reality itself would adjust to fulfill it.
He could have made a different choice.
He could have chosen something greater. Something safer. Something selfish.
But after thinking it through—
He believed this was for the best.