June 17, Memories in the Rain

June 17, Memories in the Rain is the eighth episode of the Bleach anime.

Statistics

 * Original Airdate: November 23, 2004
 * English Airdate: October 27, 2006
 * Opening Song: *~Asterisk~
 * Ending Song: Life is Like a Boat
 * Manga Chapters: Chapter 18, Chapter 19, Chapter 20.
 * Kanji: 6月17日、雨の記憶
 * Romaji: "Rokugatsu jūnananichi, ame no kioku"
 * Arc: Agent of the Shinigami arc

Summary
The episode opens in the rugged landscape of Hueco Mundo, where the Hollows are. Black blobs rise from the ground and land on the ridges – Hollows, one of which raises his head and says that he will go.

The sky is a wonderful blue over where the Kurosaki family walks, Isshin blowing a whistle and Yuzu complains about the steepness of the hill. Karin replies that she is fine, and they hear their father’s voice urging Yuzu on, and turn to see him doing a handstand. Karin tells Yuzu to ignore him, as responding to that sort will make them be on your back forever. Isshin’s eye glints as he says that she is naïve – even if she ignores him, he’ll be on her back automatically. He runs over to them on his hands, and Yuzu has to hold down her dress to prevent the loss of her modesty as he performs a “Deadly Dad Sliding”, but his antics are stopped by Karin, who delivers a kick to his face, sending him rolling down the steep hill past Ichigo, disappearing into nothingness. Karin tells Yuzu to go before he comes back, and Ichigo puts a hand over his eyes to shade them as he laments on the temperature – it is June 17, just like that day, but it is totally different. Yuzu and Karin notice that someone is already here, and wonder if she is also here to visit a grave.

Surprise! The girl is waving at them, smiling sweetly. Ichigo is totally shocked to see that it is Rukia, and denies knowing her at all. Karin comments that she feels she has seen her before, and Ichigo concocts a story in which Rukia is his junior high classmate, and he suddenly feels so nostalgic he just has to go talk to her alone right now. He tells his sisters to go on to their mom’s grave, and runs off up the hill, grabbing Rukia’s arm and literally pulling her into the grove of trees. Karin chuckles, and tells Yuzu that it might be time for her to stop relying on him.

Ichigo demands to know why Rukia is following him, and she asks what he would do if she is not by his side when a Hollow appears. Ichigo says that if she’s going to follow him, at least do so more inconspicuously. Rukia apologizes, and Ichigo thinks that she is angry. Rukia denies that, and instead asks who killed Ichigo’s mother. As someone eavesdrops on their conversation, Ichigo denies saying that his mother was killed. Rukia asks if, since he has been able to see ghosts for as long as he can remember, his mother had been killed by a Hollow. Yuzu and Karin are laying flowers on the grave of their mother. The eavesdropper, a Shinigami wearing a straw hat, and Ichigo are shocked by Rukia’s words, but she continues, adding that it is a possibility, as his spirit power was high enough for him to see ghosts, that a Hollow after him had mistakenly killed his mother. Ichigo cuts in, shouting that he can’t take this anymore, with her, everything is the work of Hollows. Even this, which isn’t anything to joke about – he hasn’t heard more bullshit before. He walks up to her slowly, stopping to apologize that her guess was incorrect. The one who killed his mother was, not a Hollow, but he himself. He then runs off, Rukia calling after him. The Shinigami takes it all in from behind a tree.

Meanwhile, Orihime and Tatsuki are in the latter’s room, and the former asks about the “old Ichigo”. She says that she thinks she may have found out Ichigo’s secret: that he may really be a hero protecting the Earth. Tatsuki says that she first met that “hero” when they were about four, at a dojo, to which a boy with unbelievably bright hair, an unbelievably beautiful mum, and an unbelievably wide smile had come. He had looked skinny, goofy and weak, which he was. He had been easily defeated by her within 10 seconds, making her the first one to make him cry. However, when he saw his mother, who would come to pick him up, he’d start to smile again. Tatsuki had hated that, as she believed a boy shouldn’t lose and be happy. He was really a clingy mama’s boy, even when he was nine. That’s when she died. The day after, he didn’t come to school, so she had gone looking for him. She had found him by the river where his mother died with his school bag, squatting when he was tired and standing once more afterward. From day to day, morning to night – it was as though he was searching for her. Tatsuki couldn’t stand watching Ichigo back then.

Rukia sits on the ledge of a wall, thinking about Ichigo’s words, and of her own, and says that she is a fool. Just then, her backpack unzips itself, and Kon’s hand emerges as he calls out for “Rukia nee-san” (Sister Rukia). He emerges fully out of the backpack, and Rukia asks him what he is doing, reminding him that she had said not to come out until she calls. Kon complains that it is hot inside the bag, and uses his paw to fan himself, asking if they can go home yet. Rukia refuses, saying that if they don’t stay by his side, their response will be delayed if a Hollow appears. Kon, annoyed, retorts that if she constantly thinks only of her work, she’ll lose her friends. Rukia gets up, causing Kon to fall out of her backpack. He climbs back up and apologizes, but is shushed by her. Sensing something, she turns around sharply, and cautiously ventures further down the path, where the earlier Shinigami is propped against a tree, asleep. He suddenly yawns and stretches his arms, startling her. He says that he has had a good nap, then greets Rukia, and does a forward roll, landing perfectly on his feet.

He complains about having thus far only tough missions, so if he doesn’t get his sleep, he can’t do his work. Kon, who had somehow found his way into the bushes, seeing that this guy is a Shinigami, runs off to alert Ichigo. Ichigo stands at the base of a flight of rock steps, more memories of that night filling his mind. That night, a truck driving past splashes water on Ichigo as he and his mother walk home in the rain from the dojo. Masaki (mother) pulls out a handkerchief and wipes Ichigo’s face, at the same time offering to take the road side. Ichigo says that he is wearing a raincoat, so he’ll be okay. He wants to protect his mother from trucks like those. Masaki refuses, saying that until he can beat Tatsuki in a match, she’ll walk on the road side. Ichigo argues that he did beat her the other day, but Masaki ignores him and stands, taking the road side as they start to walk. Ichigo asks his mother if he can hold her hand, and she agrees, extending it for him to take hold of.

Ichigo says that he always felt safe around his mother. As they walked along the river, Ichigo spots a kid standing by the river and, since at the time he wasn’t able to differentiate between the living and the dead, ran down the slope to save her. Masaki yells after him to stop, but he doesn’t. As the kid seemingly falls forward into the water, Ichigo reaches her and tries to grab her dress. But it disappears, and the next thing Ichigo recalls is the body of his dead mother over his. When he was young, he was told that the name “Ichigo” was given to him so that he would protect one thing come whatever may, and he had decided that he would protect his mother. Ichigo crawls out from beneath Masaki, as the present-day him says that he doesn’t know how it happened, except that it did because of him. His mother had been the sun around which his entire family revolved. And from his family, he had taken away that center.

Yuzu and Karin are praying at Masaki’s grave, Karin asking how she is doing, and Yuzu sobbing. Karin tells her not to cry every year, especially because they turn 11 this year. Isshin comes up behind them and acts like a monkey in an attempt to cheer them up, saying that it’s time for the “Oh, my gosh! Kurosaki family members-only gravestone domino tournament”, in which they will, for 2.5 hours, devilishly demolish gravestones. Karin’s response is a deft kick as she tells him to press the reset button on his life. She says that beard-o (Isshin) is so healthy he’s aggravating. Isshin runs back up to her, but is kicked away once more by Karin, who runs away, him following after her.

Back in the forest, Rukia asks the Shinigami who he is, and he laughs, saying that it brings back memories. He had been 2 years her senior, but the name “Kuchiki Rukia”, or the “princess” from Rukongai adopted into the elite Kuchiki clan, was famous in the Central Spirit Technique Institute. He says that he is Saidou Eikichirou, who was pretty famous for being funny. She does not remember him, saying that she has never seen him in her life. He says that he has some things to ask her, and her mind immediately wanders over to Urahara’s warning that she can’t pretend forever. She asks him if he is with the Secret Mobile Unit, and he pulls a string on his hat such that, a portion of his hat flips up, the words “correct” written on it.

Kon runs through the bushes, calling for Ichigo. He reaches a clearing, but it is actually the rock ledge. He falls off it, but fortunately, onto Ichigo’s back. Ichigo pulls him off his back, and Kon stammers as he starts to tell him what happened. Eikichirou tells Rukia that back in Soul Society, they’re pissed and wondering when she’ll be back. Rukia curtly replies that Hollows appear and orders come; therefore she won’t return. He then asks her why she is dressed that way, and she self-consciously hugs herself, saying that her dressing is of nil importance. He says that he supposes Rukia-chan’s “at that age” now, together with the spiky-haired boy whose mother was killed by a Hollow. He asks her if she’s looking for sympathy or pleasures of the flesh, and she retorts that his innuendo is excessive and shall she sew his mouth shut? He disregards her and continues, saying that being open is the best. But being hot and heavy with a human boy… His sentence is cut short by Rukia, who tries to perform some Demon Magic on him.

He jumps back and says that too bad, he had thought it quite a good excuse, because if he cannot get an answer the brass would be satisfied with, he’d have to bring her back by force. She says indignantly that she has no intentions of returning anytime soon, and he replies that since she has said that, he has no choice. He draws his Zanpakutou but suddenly hears the voices of Kon and Ichigo calling for Rukia. The two emerge out of the trees, and Ichigo asks Eikichirou who he is. Eikichirou is surprised that he can see him, and Ichigo asks Kon who he is. Eikichirou asks Ichigo who he is, and Ichigo, just to challenge Rukia’s authority by defying her, says that he is a temporary Shinigami. Eikichirou blinks, laughs, then pulls his hat a little lower and tells Rukia that what she has done is a felony. He adds that it wouldn’t be fun fighting a faux body anyway, and throws off his hat and charges at Ichigo. Ichigo dodges that shot and the second, then digs his hand into Kon’s body for the pill, and having found it, swallows it and emerges a Shinigami.

Eikichirou is surprised that Ichigo, a mere human, was really able to switch. Rukia tries to stop Ichigo from fighting, but Ichigo pushes her aside, asking her what she can do unarmed. Karin, who is still at Masaki’s grave with Yuzu, stands up as she senses something. True enough, a Hollow has come. She asks her sister where Isshin is, and Yuzu replies that he is talking to the priest. The Hollow advances toward them, and Karin tells Yuzu to run. Meanwhile, Ichigo and Eikichirou are fighting, the former on defensive and the latter on offensive. Eikichirou asks Ichigo if he only uses brute strength and no technique, and Ichigo charges at him. Rukia’s phone beeps suddenly and the two adjourn the fight to take a look at her phone, which shows that an extremely large Hollow is in the vicinity, possibly targeting his family.

Yuzu runs toward Karin, who is being pinned to the ground by the Hollow’s hand, but something coils itself around her neck and raises her into the air. As Ichigo and Rukia run to save them, Ichigo asks Rukia what Eikichirou had meant by a “felony”. Rukia tells him to forget about her problems, as saving his family is priority. As they run down the steps, he asks her if she’s going to ask about his mum, but she replies that even if she did, would he answer? It’s his deep, deep problem which she has no way to ask about. She will just wait till he feels ready to tell her. The Hollow complains that Yuzu is noisy, and says that one hostage should be enough.