Darkness covered the city of Karakura in a thick blanket, shrouding everyone in either a protective layer or fearsome web. My eyes snapped open, their dark depths easily adjusting to the night and taking in the lightless store in front of me. With a silent kick, I popped off the grate of a vent and slipped out, my lean muscles stretching in a smooth motion as I rose to my full but small height. They were slightly cramped after being coiled in there the majority of the day, but night was a necessity to worth waiting for. My sleek black cat suit created a tight layer that managed to keep out the chill of the icy air my particular line of work forced me through.
I padded across the empty street and cautiously approached the Apple Superstore, creeping around the security camera's line of sight. As soon as I was close enough, I pushed a small button on one of the many things attached to my belt, a small click released. Almost instantly the sound of static filled the evening and the red light on the cameras fizzled out. I glided through the cleared space and up to the glass doors. I crouched, my long, dark ponytail swinging with the motion, and pulled out a few simple tools.
After less than a minute of tinkering, I was able to pry open the doors and slip into the warm, soundless store. Ignoring all of the expensive merchandise laid out I bolted towards the back of the store, knowing it wasn't long until the cameras and other security devices would come back online. I came upon a large, heavily reinforced door, but I merely cocked an eyebrow at it before ramming it with my shoulder. It was thrown open, but I caught it before it could ram the adjacent inside wall.
Amateurs.
Now I took pause, allowing my eyes to roam over the true prizes I came for. All sorts of technology littered the shelves of the room, and all of it had yet to be made public. In fact, some of it probably wouldn't for years to come. I pulled a small piece of paper from my belt and glanced over the words.
Damn it Szayel! It'd be easier to get these for you if I knew what they were.
My brow furrowed slightly in frustration as I tried to decode the scientific words scrawled out on the parchment even as I felt my internal clock ticking. Letting loose a quiet huff of annoyance I grabbed the few pieces of tech I understood, Szayel will just have to get the rest himself unless he decides to write in English next time. I shoved the items into a small cloth backpack before exiting the small back room, placing the defeated door back into it's original position. I retreated from the shop just in time as the camera's red light slowly kindled, but not before making sure not a hair was left behind and everything was as it was before I'd come.
I darted back across the street and once again rejoined the shadows. The eerie silence of the dead of night was not one to be broken by me, and this remained true as I ran past several streets, never once breaking a sweat or breathing harshly. Finally I came upon my destination. I approached the manhole in the middle of the road before sliding off the cover and dropping down into a darkness even thicker than that of the street outside mingled with stale, dank air. Finally I allowed my coiled muscles to relax and the tension of a job to slip off of my shoulders as I walked through the familiar dark passage. After walking for a fairly large distance I ascended a sturdy ladder to the surface once more, popping out in front of a small, modest-looking white house.
I groaned as I reached the familiar, bright red door of my home, tugging out my ponytail and allowing my choppy black locks to fall. I tugged off my dark gloves and shoved them into my belt, careful not to push any random buttons, and leaned my hands on either side of the door while placing my right eye in front of the peep hole. I felt the tell-tale prickle of a scanner across my fingertips and had to refrain from wincing as a bright light rolled over my eye, causing my pupil to contract tightly. As soon as the process finished, and I was sufficiently blinded in my right eye, a small beep informed me that it was time to pull out my keys and unlock my door. An annoying process, but after breaking into countless homes I'd grown slightly paranoid when it came to my own.
I stumbled into my house, sleepiness tugging on my eyelids and causing all of my earlier silence to vanish. Ignoring the fact I was still in my work clothes, I immediately headed to the bedroom. My large, luxurious mattress awaited and, after plopping my belt and backpack onto the nightstand, I answered the call of sleep, knowing it would only be a few hours until I had to rise again.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
I slammed my hand down onto the small clock at my bedside, hearing a sharp crack. Damn it, another broken clock. I slowly peeled back my eyelids only to be greeted with an annoyingly cheerful burst of sunlight. Why must the morning be so cheerful?
I barely managed to pry myself off of my bed, my feet sinking slightly into the plush carpet. I stumbled past expensive pieces of art and a large flat screen on the wall and into a pristine, large bathroom. Ignoring my sleepy-eyed reflection in the mirror I shed my cat suit as I plodded into a glass container. The ceiling shower clicked on, already heated to perfection. Now slightly rejoined to the world of the living, I grabbed my strawberry scented shampoo and washed up.
Strawberry…
For a moment I faltered, but then quickly I exited the shower as a warm stream of air dried me off, my long hair pushed back from my face in the wind. I glanced at the small clock in the corner of my mirror and nearly dropped right there.
Bold numbers proclaiming 7:15 made my eyes widen in panic.
Crap! I'm going to be late!
I dashed out of the bathroom, quickly donning a plain, white t-shirt and a pair of black jeans while brushing my teeth. I frantically pulled on a mismatched pair of socks, one white one red, grabbed the black backpack, and tumbled back into the bathroom. After throwing my cleaned toothbrush onto the counter I darted through the kitchen, grabbing some pop tarts, and then ran out the front door while attempting to tie my shoes. After hearing the automatic lock behind me I began running along the path I used to get to work, which was supposed to be by walking.
I ran as fast as was physically possible for me, vaulting over a bike rack and nearly mowing down a startled mom with a toddler. Oops, I'm not supposed to be able to vault. Oh well. I continued this mad dash until I stumbled across a small, cozy coffee shop proclaiming Soul Brew in fancy cursive. I shoved open the front door in plowed directly into my boss. Urahara managed to not even step back as I bounced off of him, nearly falling from the rebound.
"You're late Karin-chan. It's 7:31." Urahara grinned at me as I huffed, slightly out of breath.
"Whatever old geezer, I think your internal clock is off." I grinned up at him as I walked past him and behind the counter to grab my maroon apron.
"That's not any way to talk to your elder is it Karin?" I rolled my eyes at his fake hurt tone.
"Then it's a good thing I act more mature than you." I smirked as Urahara gave an amused grunt before retreating into the kitchen, mumbling about being wounded.
I grabbed a small pad and pen off of the counter to take orders with while setting my bag down as I gazed around a place close to my heart. Sunlight filtered in the wide, street side windows, giving the shop an open feel. There were several small tables, each with a single rose paired with a glass vase in the center, and a few cushioned chairs around the walls. One of the walls was covered with large nature paintings and the other with quotes that had been painted on after the café was first opened. The back of the shop had a small counter where customers could sit and a wide window that provided view of the kitchen. My two fellow servers, Ururu and Jinta, were taking orders and talking amicably with customers.
I approached one of the many customers in the shop, a young girl with vivid blond hair and electric green eyes and what appeared to be her older brother if the matching hair and eyes were anything to go by.
Ichigo…
Another swell of sorrow came forth, but determinedly I pushed it back and put on a smile.
"Hi, may I take your order?" I put out my most pleasant voice and kept a friendly expression in place, but slowly my posture tensed as I realized that the man was wearing an officer's uniform.
"Yeah, can I have a caramel macchiato and a turkey panini please?" The girl piped up first, her voice melodious, and briefly I wondered if she was a singer.
"Sure thing. And you sir?" I easily smiled for the girl, but I realized that my face was slightly tense as I faced the cop.
He was rough looking but had a few small laugh lines to offset that, but currently he was grimacing down at today's newspaper. I caught sight of the title and a nervous knot began to twist my insides and I began to get the itch to hide behind my hair. The bold words 'Apple Superstore Ransacked!' popped off the front page. But really? Ransacked? Geez, I'm not a pirate.
"Tch, all I want is for this crook to be caught. What's going on lately? This city has no control whatsoever." His voice came out abruptly and I felt my façade falter ever so slightly as my smile wavered.
"Okay then. One macchiato and panini it is." With a cracking smile I made a hasty retreat as the girl attempted to calm her brother.
After that slight incident the day passed smoothly. I even managed to get an extra half-hour of sleep during my lunch break, although that almost made it even harder to stay awake. After work was finally over and I had clocked out, I finally began to really wake up as the true part of my life really began with the night. After bidding Urahara a curt goodbye as he closed up shop, I began the trek home even though I had intended to deliver the bag to Szayel. The sun was setting and twilight was sinking in as I pulled out my small flip phone. Pushing the first number on speed dial, I listened to a small tone as I waited for one of them to pick up.
"Who is it?" A smile automatically slipped onto my face as Grimmjow answered in his usual gruff manner.
"Hey Grim."
"Karin! How'd the job go?" I heard the rough, business-like tone of his voice, but I knew underneath that there was a note of concern.
"Good, it was simple. Hey can you guys come and pick up the bag, I'm beat." I felt a note of weariness enter my voice at the reminder.
"Fine. Be ready for us, you know how much I hate your god damn security system." I heard the annoyance in his tone and I chuckled.
"Yeah whatever." Before he could respond angrily I hung up, he's like a brother to me.
Just as I hung up I reached my home. On the outside it was a large but rather boring looking home, it's only stand out feature the bright red door and the large lawn. Few knew that the inside possessed technology even the government wasn't in possession of. I walked across the lawn rather than walking on the path and flipped over the rail surrounding my porch, in a good mood after talking to Grimmjow. Talking to my brother figure always put me in a good mood.
But he can never fill the void Ichigo left…
I snapped myself out of that train of thought as I crossed the familiar wood of the porch. However, there was something different today. In front of my flamboyant door lay a large box. Instantly caution set in. I slowly crept towards the unassuming cardboard box. Who would put that there? I never get any mail at this house. Curiosity drew me even closer as I realized the box was… Mewling? Swiftly I drew open the top of the box, prepared for anything but what I actually saw.
Squirming around the box was a colorful assortment of kittens. They ranged in color from a black one with gray eyes to a pure white one with vivid blue eyes. As soon as I opened the box they all froze, staring at me with shockingly smart eyes.
Wait, smart? What? What is this?
I stood up from my crouched position, looking away from the kittens as I took a moment to process what I just saw. What am I going to do with them? They're cute, but really, I don't have time to deal with kittens. Especially this many, what are there? Ten? More? No, no, no, I'm a cat burglar, not a kitten keeper. These have to go to the pound.
But almost as though they were in tune with my thoughts, one of the kittens gave a pathetic mewl. My eyes darted downwards to catch sight of a bright orange kitten with chocolate-brown eyes staring at me. I felt my resolve crack at the familiar color combination, but I tried to patch it up.
" No. No, you're going to the pound." Despite the firm words, my tone was weak.
"Mew." The high pitched meow forced eyes downwards once more.
The orange kitten was staring at me with familiar eyes, and I felt my resolve crumble.
He looks like Ichigo…
"Fine! One night, then I'm finding you homes!" I don't know why I felt the need to talk to the kittens, but for some reason I did.
After passing my security, I lugged the box of kittens into my living room. After tripping over it, all of the felines tumbled out onto the carpet. They immediately dispersed, clumsily walking around my home. As I tried to gather them all up, I got the tired notion that this was going to turn into a very long night.
A/N: So this is another plot bunny that attacked me... I hope you enjoy this randomness. I will probably update this every other week after I update Ascent, so yeah sorry if there's any impatience. Anyways! Review and enjoy!
Word count: 2,499