~Blood ties~
CH.1: From beyond the twilight
She came from beyond the twilight…okay so that sounds clichéd. Stupid even. But when I think about the first time I met her, when my entire life changed, I think of dusk. The time when the sunset was nearly over, the night was coming and far off a low fog crept in on silent feet.
My dad owns and operates a health clinic; he's a doctor, and not a very good one I'd say. But his patients never complain. I suppose he's different with them. Yuzu and Karin don't complain either. Yuzu was in the kitchen that night fixing up dinner by the delicious smells wafting my way.
I'm a growing teenage boy so I do what came naturally; moseyed into the room of heavenly aromas to see if-cough-there was anything I could help with. Dad upon catching sight of me standing in the doorway immediately pounced with a typical leap of overzealous parental enthusiasm.
"Ichigo, my boy!"
Swiftly I evaded this latest attack by my crazed father and sidled over to Karin, ignoring as she did, the groan coming from the wall behind us. "Need any help?" I volunteered helpfully. Yuzu at the stove; lowered a wooden cooking spoon from a pot of simmering vegetables and thick broth. My stomach grumbled unhelpfully.
Karin rolled her eyes, tsking all the while, "here," she handed me the bag she had been on the point of carrying out, "take out the trash. That's what you can help with." Dad's shadow came up behind me as I hesitatingly took on the unwelcome duty.
"Give your old man a hug!"
I ducked and let him grab thin air, the back door swinging shut by the time he realized he didn't have me. The cool air was refreshing on my face after the hot kitchen. I went down the steps to the cans, lifting the lid of one noisily up. As it clattered down again, my eyes were drawn by the tap-tap of heels in the alleyway. Beyond the gate, in the hazy darkness with tendrils of white fog curling about her ankles, there walked a girl dressed in black.
From beyond the twilight…
Puffy round princess sleeves in black lace, elbow length gloves of a shiny satiny material encased slender arms. With each graceful, dancing step she came closer. The dress had a fitted bodice of the same lace overlay accented with a tiny ribbon under the breasts, the skirt had little glittering crosses of metal hanging from the hem and winking against bare legs.
What is she—a loligoth girl?!
She noticed me staring.
"Is this the Kurosaki residence?" she asked nice as you please, coming to a perfunctory stop beside the locked gate.
"Y-yeah. What's it to you?" the look in her eyes was unnerving me. Make it; the color was unnerving me. Dark royal violet with hints of crimson flecks surrounding the cornea. Her next words took me by complete surprise.
"I'm expected," a gloved hand shot out to grasp the hook-and-eye closure.
"By who?" I didn't recall dad ever mentioning or for that matter the girls talking about a friend stopping over. And I certainly hadn't ever seen her before in my life.
"I'm expected. Now let me in." she stubbornly persisted, her peculiar orbs boring into mine.
"Well come in," I said flippantly, "there's no one stopping you."
She gave me a mixed look of grudging gratitude, "thank you." The gate swung open faster then I saw her hand retract and soon her boot heels were stepping onto the cement patio. Her eyes darted around and she acted as if I wasn't there.
"It's got to be here…I know I felt its presence." She muttered to herself, a row of planters up against the sill caught her eye. "H-hey, don't!" I started; she glanced over her shoulder. "And why not?" pot fragments littered the ground when I could have sworn there had been none before.
"Because—no-hey—I said—ouch!" a knee had jabbed into my gut, temporarily silencing me. Unfortunately the backdoor chose to open and my family made their appearance. "Ichigo, what's all the ruckus going on out here?" my dad ever the wise one asked. My sisters flanked him on either side; eyes wide took in the sight of me doubled over while the loligoth girl stood uncertain like a deer caught in the headlights.
I wondered what she was going to do.
"Mr. Kurosaki…?" her tearful murmur had me jerking around and staring at the miraculous transformation that had come over her small face. Instead of gloating and triumphant, a tender almost sweetly saccharine-tinged-with-sorrow look became her expression. My father peered at her a little unsure.
"Have we met-? Are you…one my old patients?"
Dad treats people of all ages so it was possible…no, dad! Don't believe her!
"Your wife…" the girl sniffed in affected tones, "…dear aunt Masaki."
A change came over my father's face at the mention of mom. "Oh! I'm sorry! Forgive me, dear, for not recognizing you!"
Huh?
Karin's eyebrow rose at the tearful bear hug our dad gave the stranger. Yuzu whose nature was to be quite gullible was caught in the emotion of the moment and joined in the group hug.
Everyone ignored me.
And nobody explained anything to me.
"You must come in, dear," my father gently guided the Goth girl to the doorway, where she hesitated a little. "Is it really…alright…" large eyes brimming with false tears stared up into his bearded face, "for me to stay with you guys?"
Yuzu patted the lace reassuringly, "of course! Come in, we're just about to have dinner."
The girl instantly brightened as though a dark cloud had lifted from her expression for some reason at the thought of going in. Karin trotted after the threesome, shooting me a piteous glance over her shoulder then someone…
That face peeked out, a triumphant smile of gleaming pointed teeth grinned at me and then a black fabric covered hand shot out and slammed the backdoor before my very eyes.
That little…I could have sworn I heard the bolt it home.
~~~*~~~
AN: don't own Bleach. I'd been toying with this idea for months and then finally came up with the main title as I already had the CH planned out. :) Reviews are appreciated.