The Cursed Parakeet

The Cursed Cockatiel is an event in the Death Trilogy Overture: Death & The Strawberry, during which Yasutora Sado adopts a cockatiel that is said to be cursed. He is then forced to defend the intelligent bird from a fate worse than death, with the help of Rukia Kuchiki and Ichigo Kurosaki.

Prelude
Harutoki Ide, a friend of Chad's, has come by a cockatiel. However, according to what he had heard, the cockatiel is cursed, as all of its previous owners died horrible deaths. Chad's other friend, Gitano Shigeo, refuses to take the bird, but Chad, who's always had a soft spot for anything cute, takes interest in the cockatiel. At that moment, a large steel girder falls from the top of a building under construction where the boys were sitting under. Chad spots it and manages to catch it on his shoulders, saving his friends and the cockatiel. When the cockatiel thanks Chad for saving him and introduces himself as Yūichi Shibata, Chad is enchanted by the bird and agrees to take care of it.

The Cursed Cockatiel
The next day, Chad appears in school with assorted bandages on his face and hands. When his friends ask him what happened he explains that his head was hit by a steel girder that fell on him and his hands were scuffed when a motorcycle crashed into him. The reason he was late was because the biker was badly injured and Chad had to carry him to a hospital. He then puts the cockatiel's cage down. Ichigo and Rukia immediately notice the presence of a Plus within the bird. Ichigo asks Chad about the cockatiel, but Chad is reluctant to answer. Rukia tells Ichigo not to worry, since the spirit in the bird is not an evil one; she says they'll come by at night and perform Konsō on the Plus.

Later that day, when Ichigo comes home from school, he finds his house in a ruckus. Yuzu Kurosaki informs him that there's been a car accident in the intersection. When he asks his father if there's anything he can help with, he is denied. He is told to make himself scarce and keep out of the way. After a while, his father calls on him for help with a particularly large patient - his classmate, Yasutora Sado. Karin Kurosaki notices the cockatiel and senses something terrible emanating from it. As he looks at Chad's wounds, Ichigo gets the feeling of a Hollow. Isshin tells Chad he'll have to stay there for observation. Chad initially refuses, saying he is fine, but as he tries to get up, he faints immediately. Rukia could feel the traces of a Hollow from the wounds even in Ichigo's room, where she was waiting. By morning, Chad's bed is found empty.

The next day, Isshin informs Ichigo of Chad's disappearance and Ichigo rushes to school, hoping to find Chad there. When he learns no one in school has seen Chad, he becomes worried and runs off to search for him. Meanwhile at their school, Yuzu is mostly concerned about Karin, who's holed up in a bathroom stall with a stomach ache and nausea. The dark haired twin tries to intimidate her sister into leaving her alone, but cannot even keep her breakfast down. Karin gets out of the stall and informs Yuzu that she'll be leaving early. She tells her to go get her back pack from class. Rukia joins Ichigo in his search, but he has no lead to follow. Soul Society could provide no information either and Rukia explains a Hollow can move freely between the Human World and Hueco Mundo, so they'll only be able to sense it when it makes his move on Chad. Ichigo tries to think of a plan to find Chad and decides to try and hone in on the Plus within the cockatiel. Ichigo concentrates; after which, he is suddenly surrounded by several dozens of white threads. He grabs the correct one and starts following it. Rukia, who did not believe this feat to be possible, identifies the technique as Reiraku.

Chad and the cockatiel take shelter in an abandoned warehouse. The cockatiel tells Chad he thinks it'll be safe there. Chad says he'll be all right, since his one redeeming quality is his toughness. Chad has a split second to pick up on the incoming attack and dodge it. He tells the cockatiel they must run away. He assures the cockatiel that he's back to health and promises him he'll save his mother. When he runs out of the warehouse, Chad spots Ichigo and Rukia running in his direction and as soon as he sees them turns his back and runs away. Ichigo tries calling him back, but Chad ignores him. Before Ichigo can attempt a chase on Chad, he hears the voice of Karin calling him. Seeing how ill his sister is, Ichigo tries asking her what is the matter. She tries walking towards him, however, she collapses. Ichigo rushes to her side. Rukia tells Ichigo to take Karin home while she will follow Chad. Ichigo protests, but Rukia assures him she is fit for the job. Before going, Ichigo reminds Rukia she still has not regained her Shinigami powers and warns her not to put herself in danger. Then, they depart. On the way Karin shares with Ichigo her experience with the cockatiel from the previous day. She tells him the spirit within the cockatiel is that of a little boy whose mother was murdered in front of his eyes. She begs Ichigo in tears to save the little boy.

Rukia finds it hard to catch up to Chad in her Gigai, in a speed that would mean nothing to her outside of it. She notices she is running out of breath when she hears a voice behind her, telling her she smells nice. Turning around, she finds herself face to face with a Hollow. The Hollow asks her to let him eat her soul. Rukia realizes in her effort to catch up to Chad, she wasn't watching her back. The Hollow attacks.

Aftermath
Rukia is injured, but is still able to stand her ground. She tries to fight the Hollow with Kidō, but it proves too weak. Nevertheless, the explosion alerts Chad, who rushes to her aid and arrives in time to save her. Despite not being able to see the Hollow, Chad manages to hold the Hollow off with Rukia there to guide his blows. The Hollow's powers almost prove to be too much for the pair to handle, but Rukia knows she only needs to buy Ichigo enough time to arrive, and when he does he takes on the Hollow.