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Haruko (ハルコ, Haruko) is a citizen of Karakura Town. She is a Human who possesses spiritual power.
Appearance
Haruko is a bespectacled buxom young woman with red-violet hair and dark purple eyes. She wears a golden yellow hair clip on the back of her head, and her hair extends past her shoulders and down the upper part of her back. She wears a dark blue dress with a white shirt underneath, an off-white jacket-like blouse over her dress, dark blue leggings, and brown high-heeled shoes.
Personality
Haruko is kind and polite, usually addressing others in a polite tone. She is very honest, openly talking with others about the spirits she is able to see, but even though she talks openly about her ability to see spirits, she is bothered by it. She is good at cooking.[1]
Though she claims to be suicidal after Ken breaks up with her, she still desires to live, as she did not want to be consumed by the Tapeworm Hollow when it confronted and attacked her.[1]
Plot
While looking for Karakura Mart, Haruko, getting lost, arrives at the Kurosaki Clinic instead. Realizing she is lost, she asks Ichigo Kurosaki for directions. After Ichigo gives her the correct directions to Karakura Mart, she leaves the Kurosaki Clinic.[1]
After Haruko finishes shopping, she, noticing Ichigo in his Shinigami form traveling across the sky, becomes annoyed at having seen another spirit, but decides to head home anyway. Upon arriving home, she cooks lunch for Ken. When she tells him she saw Ichigo in his Shinigami form, Ken decides to break up with Haruko, for he is disturbed by her ability to see and communicate with spirits.[1]
Becoming depressed, Haruko attempts suicide by jumping off of a bridge. Before she can do so, Kon (in Ichigo's body), noticing her, interrupts her, causing her to fall back onto the sidewalk while Kon falls off the bridge and into the water.[1]
As Haruko apologizes to Kon, he, telling her to not worry about it, asks why she tried to jump off the bridge. Revealing she and her boyfriend, Ken, broke up, as well as the reason why, Haruko, beginning to leave, states she no longer desires to live, now that she has broken up with Ken, and thanks Kon for saving her.[1]
Later, she, standing on a hill overlooking Karakura Town, says Ken will be sorry once she is dead. Intrigued by her statements of wanting to die, a man, approaching her, tells her he will grant her her wish. Confused by what he is talking about, Haruko notices he has the Reiatsu of a Hollow. As the man is impressed with her ability to sense Hollow Reiatsu, Haruko wonders what the man is, for she knows he is not a Human. Stating he is temporarily borrowing the man's body, the man asks Haruko why she is afraid, for he is only trying to grant her wish to die. When Haruko states she has not prepared herself for death yet, and she needs to be ready for it, the man, dismissing her concerns, tells her to relax. As he asks her to open her mouth, which confuses Haruko, a large worm-like Hollow, emerging from the man's body, pins Haruko against the fence.[1]
The Hollow tells her to open her mouth wider so he can leech on her and suck out her nutrients. Before he can do so, Kon, attacking him, kicks him through the fence and over the ledge. Kon leads Haruko away from the area so they can escape from the Hollow.[1]
Once they have reached a safe area, Haruko asks Kon what the creature who attacked her was. Stating the creature was a Hollow, a creature which attacks Humans and eats Souls, Kon admits the Hollow which attacked her was an abnormal one, for most Hollows cannot possess living Humans. When Haruko asks him why he saved her, for she wanted to die, Kon, disturbed by her desire for suicide, tells her to stop talking about wanting to die, for the man the Hollow possessed likely did not want to die. Revealing he is a Mod-Soul and was supposed to be disposed of and killed off, but ended up surviving, Kon tells Haruko to not kill herself. When Haruko asks Kon what she should do, Kon declares he will protect her, promising her he will do so, and tells her to promise him she will not kill herself.[1]
They are interrupted by Ken, who, apologizing to Haruko, states he wants to start over with her. Forgiving Ken, Haruko embraces him. Leaving them alone, Kon starts to head back to the Kurosaki Clinic. As soon as Haruko gets close to Ken, the Tapeworm Hollow, hiding inside Ken's body, restrains Haruko and possesses her.[1]
Sensing the change in Haruko's Reiatsu, Kon returns to her. Upon his return, the Hollow, attacking Kon, begins to strangle him. The Hollow reveals after Kon kicked it over the ledge, it, running into Ken, possessed him. Using his body, it got close to Haruko so it could possess her. Breaking free from the Hollow's grip, Kon punches it in the stomach, causing Haruko to regurgitate it out of her body.[1]
With the Hollow no longer controlling her body, Haruko returns to normal. Checking on her condition, Kon reminds her how he promised to protect her. Recovering, the Hollow, hitting Kon hard enough to force his pill out of Ichigo's body, prepares to eat Kon, who is saved by Ichigo, who kills it the Hollow with a Getsuga Tenshō.[1]
Recovering Kon's pill, Ichigo checks on Haruko, who, not realizing Ichigo is the one inside his body, embraces him. Arriving on the scene with several other Shinigami, Rukia Kuchiki demands to know what is going on, with Ichigo confused by the situation as well. When Ken asks Haruko to forgive him, she, refusing, tells him she wants to start a new relationship with Ichigo. Erasing both of their memories, Rukia, along with Ichigo and the Shinigami, leaves.[1]
Having no memory of what transpired, Haruko and Ken return to Haruko's apartment.[1]
Powers & Abilities
Spiritual Power: Haruko possesses some spiritual power. She can see spirits like Pluses, Shinigami, and Hollows, and can sense a Hollow's Reiatsu, able to distinguish the difference between a Hollow and a Human's Reiatsu. The Tapeworm Hollow notes she has a considerable amount of spiritual power for a Human.[1]