Lance Caselman

Immediately after checking into the Kurosaki Clinic with a mysterious scar on his back, the muscle-bound Chad goes AWOL. Accompanying Chad is a talking parakeet imbued with the soul of a young boy named Yuichi. It doesn't take newbie Soul Reaper Ichigo Kurosaki long to surmise that a Hollow must be involved. Ichigo is about to sidcover that not every soul is bound for the Soul Society, especially if it's tainted with innocent blood.

Ichigo Kurosaki goes to an abandoned hospital in his neighborhood to watch popular television spiritualist Don Kanonji in action, finds a demi-hollow, and watches as Kanonji's actions start to spur its transformation.

Ichigo defeats Ikkaku and discovers where Rukia is being detained before her execution. Meanwhile, Ganju is having more difficulty with his opponent, and Uryû finally has an opportunity to prove how much more powerful he has become.

Ichigo must enter their world to retrieve Rukia from the Soul Society, but he knows he's a long way from ready, so he practices his fighting and hones his spiritual energies. Finally, he must prevent his Chain of Fate from consuming itself or become a Hollow himself.

"With Rukia's execution looming, Ichigo and the rest of the rescue squad must find a way to break her out of the Senzaikyû prison. Not only has her sentence been moved up, but the imprisonment is close to breaking her usually indomitable spirit. And to make matters worse, political intrigue is brewing in the Seireitei, and Ichigo and his friends are caught in the middle of it!" -- from publisher's web site.