Hang Me in the Sky Like Andromeda
Rating. T to be safe
A/N. not beta'd. oops. sorry for any mistakes, feel free to point them out.
A/N2. if you haven't yet, do yourself a favour and read Black Clover. it is as generic as a shounen manga can be, with exceedingly stereotypical characters, but it is filling the place in my heart where Naruto and Bleach used to be way better than anything else i've found. also, yami for sorcerer king pls.
A/N3. picks up after the Fullbringer Arc. alright, poorly written battle here we goooo!
It is an oddity that, in a family filled to the brim with spiritual power, a girl like Yuzu Kurosaki has none. Imagine, a world in which being the most well-balanced and normal individual in a household means you stand out the most. It's never bothered Yuzu, as she lives her own life independently of how her father and her siblings live theirs. She worries, of course, but she is fully cognizant of the limitations of her abilities and the lackluster quality of her trials and tribulations in the face of theirs, and thus just tries to ensure that the parts of their lives she is involved with run as smoothly as possible.
Yuzu can't even see spirits, let alone begin to fathom the enormity of their existence and society in a completely separate world.
Of course, there comes a day when everyone, even cheerful ignorants, must grow up.
-o-
Yuzu doesn't know what her brother went through, only that he was very depressed for a while, that her sister was suddenly very busy, that her dad was away doing mysterious things, and that it all then resolved itself while she stressed about it.
Whatever the case for the return of her brother's happiness, Yuzu is pleased as well, and so cooks up a feast as soon as she realizes everything is good again. Or as good as things can be when your family fights monsters that no one else can see on a daily basis.
About a week after her brother's return to normal, and the few glimpses of Rukia she's seen, her brother states that he's leaving for a few days to visit friends. As he makes preparations, Yuzu makes sure to hug him extra hard for good luck.
With no Ichigo in town, Yuzu knows that the unseen monsters tend to get a bit more uppity, but she knows Karin and the group from Urahara's Shop tend to deal with them, and so she is not concerned. It is, as she knows, not something she needs to worry about even she knows about it, as she can't do anything.
-o-
Karin and Yuzu are grocery shopping for dinner the day Yuzu's life changes forever. A mundane task, Yuzu is mentally debating between spices while Karin strolls behind her before giving in and going to the candy aisle. Yuzu would tut her for buying candy so close to dinner time, but she doesn't have the energy. School and extracurriculars took a lot of time today, and she really just wants to make dinner, do some homework and go to bed.
On their way out of the store, Yuzu is chatting animatedly about her dinner plans when Karin suddenly stops. Yuzu has been around her twin long enough to know that that means she senses something, probably one of the monsters, and so she immediately begins looking around herself, even if she can't see anything. Usually, Karin relaxes after a few minutes.
(Yuzu assumes it means someone else has taken care of it.)
Usually, by this point, Karin has laughed it off.
Usually, they keep walking and get home and dad greets them in prime dad-fashion.
Usually, a car doesn't suddenly get picked up and thrown at them by an invisible monster.
Yuzu screams as the car comes straight toward her, before being cut-off as she's shoved out of the way. Dizzily, she glances up, only to watch in horror as her twin's leg is crushed beneath the weight of the car. Immediately and unbidden, Yuzu feels tears gathering in her eyes. She rubs them lightly, although she knows they're still there, and makes her way to her sister on shaky legs.
"Karin? Karin? Karin! Say something! Come on! Karin, Karin, Karin KarinKarinKarin-"
Her increasingly distressed calls are interrupted by a gust of wind, strong enough to propel her backward.
"R-run Yuzu," she hears once the dust has settled, and she glances up to see Karin's eyes.
"N-no! I'm not leaving you!"
"Y-you can't even…s-see it," Karin gasps, clearly in pain. Yuzu scuttles over once more, covering her twin with her body as tears now flow freely.
"Don't care! N-not leaving without y-you!" she cries. At the lack of response, she glances at Karin's face, only the girl's unresponsive once more. A scream from the other end of the street alerts her to the fact that the invisible monster is still throwing a rampage, and if that didn't make it obvious, the second flying car that sent over her head really drives it home. Sniffling and trembling in fear, Yuzu finds herself at a loss. She can hear the sounds of the destruction, even if she can't hear or see the monster itself. She knows she's the only person there who knows what's happening, and here she is, hiding behind a car like a coward.
It is at that thought that Yuzu, trembling and all, pulls herself together slightly.
The Kurosakis are many things, but they aren't cowards. Yuzu knows, she knows, she has nowhere near the potential of the rest of her family to handle this situation, but she is still the only person in the area who can do anything given that she knows what's happening. There are children screaming and things are on fire, and she also knows that the invisible monster is probably after Karin, because she has high spiritual energy or whatever.
Yuzu also knows her way around a knife. Cooking requires chopping skills, and sometimes she amuses herself playing tricks with her trust cooking knives, just to pass the time as she waits for things to boil.
(She knows both her father and brother would have heart attacks, okay? She knows.)
Yuzu also knows that, whatever else those invisible monsters may be, they bleed.
And she just splurged and bought a set of shiny, news knives at the store because they were calling to her and she felt like it. Might as well put them to use.
Trembling still, but with the iron will, tenacity and stubbornness her brother is so famous for, Yuzu digs through the bags, opens the knife set and picks one out. She then, fearfully yes but bravely too, slowly makes her way around the car crushing her sister's leg and preventing their escape, the car she had been hiding behind, the car that was meant for her and Karin moved her out of the way god why Karin she's so sorry so so sorry please be okay Karin pleasepleaseplease-
She squints her eyes. The scene is one of utter destruction, the grocery store they had just been in cut cleanly through. Small fires both within the store and on the cars, people lying down on the street (don't think that they're dead Yuzu whatever you do don't think that), people cowering, running, screaming. And she still can't really see the monster.
Warily, hesitantly, slowly, she steps forward. First once. Then twice. Then thrice. There is, if she concentrates, a vague insect-like shape about ten more steps ahead of her, currently making its perch on a car, apparently looking around.
Yuzu gulps, closes her eyes, and runs forward.
She is thrown back by what feels like a whip hitting her stomach, and hits a wall. And it hurts. My god, but she's never felt pain like this before. She can't barely breathe, and she's pretty sure her ribs are bruised and her bruises have bruises and just so. Much. Pain.
With great effort, Yuzu attempts to stand again, falling down once but eventually picking herself up. She glances around, finds her knife, and holds it tightly. She's barely turned around when something coils itself around her neck and thrusts her against the wall. She'd scream, but she's having trouble breathing and then, suddenly, for the first time in her life, she hears one of those things talk.
"Stupid little human, did you really think something like that would work? A tiny little knife? But you are a stupid one, aren't you? Hihihihi, not much spiritual energy though, maybe not any, ah well, once I kill you, you'll make a yummy soul, hihihihi,"
It sounds repulsive. Yuzu would gag, but she can't. she can't really do anything besides struggle to breathe right now, as more things coil around her neck. Her vision's getting blurry, and all she can hear are the monsters giggles, and she still can't see it, still can't see the thing killing her, and she can't do anything, why did she ever think she could, and Karin is still out there, helpless and defenseless-
Yuzu regains clarity for a brief second, and thoughts of her twin awaiting death, grant her a brief reprieve in her otherwise depressive downward spiral. She's still holding onto her knife, and very feebly, she brings it up.
"Hihihi, what makes you think that will do anything, little human? My, aren't you sad? Hihihihi,"
Yuzu eyes are tearing up again, she can barely breath, but she has her sister to protect and she holds on to that for one last ditch attempt-
Imagine the combined surprised of both her and the monster when her swing, inexperienced though it may be, is the swing of a much larger sword which cuts right through whatever is coiling around her neck.
Yuzu falls to the ground, coughing and spluttering as she struggles to breathe again, and creature screeches in pain.
"What the hell did you do you little- wait, what's happening? Why am I disappearing? What the hell is-"
And suddenly, silence. Yuzu continues to splutter and hack her way to breathing, doesn't even bother looking up once she can't hear the creatures voice anymore. When she hears steps, she looks up, still wheezing, only to be confronted by the owner of Urahara's Shop.
"Kurosaki Yuzu," he says, "imagine my surprise when, coming here to save you, I stop being able to feel the Hollow and instead I find you, with that,"
He looks pointedly at her right hand, but right now Yuzu really doesn't care.
"Karin," she rasps out, "car,"
The man pauses, before nodding and heading out. Pleased that he's gone to fetch her injured sister, Yuzu does what she's wanted to do since this whole ordeal started, and closes her eyes.
-o-
"Yuzu?" it's her father's voice she wakes up to. Blinking her eyes open, she sits up slowly, her father helping her by holding her back. Taking in her surroundings (not home), she realizes they must be in Urahara's shop.
Not a dream, then, she thinks ruefully, although her sore and pained body had already told her so.
"Dad," she says, and winces, because her neck still hurts and her voice is still raspy, "Karin?"
Her father hands her some water, chuckling mirthlessly at her concern. As she gulps down a few sips at a time, wincing in pain each time, he answers,
"Won't be able to play soccer on her broken leg for a while, but she'll be fine," he smiles, "thanks to you, and whatever you did,"
Yuzu smiles. She knows neither of their smiles is truly sincere.
Of all of her dad's children, she was the one outside the crazy circus of spirits and monsters. He sheltered and protected her more than even Karin, and Yuzu knew and enjoyed that illusion. Now the spell is broken, and Cinderella has to face the family heirloom she never thought she'd inherit.
"What happened Dad? What did I do?" she asks, trembling slightly and hating herself for it just a bit, even though she knows she'd never be as brave or strong as her siblings.
"I don't know, baby," her father says, wrapping his arms around her as he notices her distress, "I'm sorry, but I just don't know,"
"I might be able to answer that question!" Urahara's chirp ruins the somber mood quite quickly.
-o-
On somewhat unsteady legs (her body hurts so freaking much she is never doing this again without some yoga or something holy crap) and with her dad's help, Yuzu is taken to another room. A large, grey colored sword, shaped vaguely like the cooking knife Yuzu somehow instinctively knew it used to be sits on a table.
"This is the weapon Yuzu used to, quite effectively, get rid of the Hollow," Urahara says over his fan. Her dad's eyebrow rises.
"You said she only slashed it once, though," her dad replies, "How is that possible?"
"Excellent question!" Urahara closes his fan, "Yuzu has no spiritual power to speak of, nor does this weapon, so, how did she defeat the Hollow?"
Neither her dad nor Yuzu come up with a response, both simply shrugging helplessly.
"In fact, Yuzu is the antithesis of spiritual power, very odd trait in a family filled to the brim with spiritual abilities, no? Well, seeing as the sword also seems to have none, I tried to pick it up," Urahara pauses, open his fan again, "imagine my surprise when, upon touching the sword, I felt myself lose spiritual power?"
"What?" her dad gasps. Yuzu cocks her head in confusion.
"Yes, very slightly, as I took the precaution of wearing a gigai, but indeed, her sword essentially made my spiritual powers disappear, to the extent, I think, that, if I were to come in contact with it long enough, I would disappear as well, as happened to the Hollow, which was most likely not very powerful if one slash made it disappear," Urahara, once more closes his fan, and points it at Yuzu, "Yuzu here, with her absolute lack of spiritual power, has herself the ability to withdraw that spiritual power from others, and the sword amplifies that ability,"
Both Yuzu and her father stand stock still, clearly processing this revelation. Her dad glances at her briefly, before frowning at Urahara.
"Has this ever happened before?" he asks.
"Not ever as far as I am aware of! An entirely new phenomenon! How exciting!" Urahara's fanning himself with his fan, now open once more, " Imagine all the possibilities in terms of applications and scientific research!"
"Oi!" her dad's eyes harden, "No experimenting on my daughters! Ichigo can handle himself, but they're not available for any of your twisted schemes,"
Urahara's entire being pauses.
"Twisted schemes? Who, me?"
"DON'T PLAY DUMB WITH ME!"
"But Isshin, think of all the possibilities-"
"Don't start,"
"-all of the options are out there-"
"Not listening to you,"
"-and we could have uniforms-"
"Not even gonna- what even?"
"Um, dad,"
The two arguing men turn to Yuzu as one. It's a bit unnerving for the girl, but she stands her ground.
"I'd like to help, if that's alright? It sounds like it could be useful, and I'd like to know how I did that, in case Karin even gets in trouble again?" Yuzu's voice starts out strong, but at the growing horror on her father's face it gets quieter and meeker. Her dad opens his mouth, but before he can say anything, Urahara steps in,
"Wonderfuuul! Yuzu, trust me, this will be so much fun, and you'll learn so much!"
"Yuzu, honey," her stupefied dad seems to have regained his bearings as he looks at her imploringly, "please don't jump into this, I know you want to know what's going but trust me this isn't the way he's not the type of man you want helping you with this-"
"Why not?" Yuzu asks, "you trusted him with Ichigo didn't you?"
Isshin hesitates. Urahara pulls up his fan to cover his clearly smirking face.
"Weeeell, yes, but-"
"Then it's the same," Yuzu says, "Dad, I know you and Ichigo and Karin have all been protecting me from this whole other world that we all know I know is there but we pretend I don't and, really, I was okay with it, I was, but now it looks like I'm a part of it, and just pretending I'm not isn't gonna help me or anyone else, so I might as well do something, even just for my own conscience,"
Her dad sputters, once more trying to argue.
"Pleaaaaaase daddy?" Yuzu asks, pouty face she knows her dad can't say no to at full strength, "Please let me understand what's going on? I promise I won't go looking for trouble if you say yes?"
Eventually, after several hours of back and forth, her father gives in, much to the delight of both her and Urahara. Isshin forgets that Yuzu actually enjoys science quite a lot, as it reminds her of cooking, and fears he may have in fact just given his blessing to a truly scary duo.
But truth be told, he'd also like to know what Yuzu's anti-spiritual power is as well.
Ah well, as long as she keeps out of trouble, there shouldn't be a problem.
-o-
(Isshin should've known, really. But he didn't remember until the Quincy showed up that Yuzu was a Kurosaki, and Kurosakis never voluntarily kept out of trouble successfully. So as he fondly watched Yuzu utterly annihilate her opponent, he could only spare a second to think, that's my girl, before also joining the fray. He may only be a Kurosaki by marriage, but he knew how to make trouble just as well.
But that's a story for another time.)
comments appreciated.