Disclaimer: Bleach does not belong to me but to Kubo Tite, except for Miyamoto Kaede and this story
I'm not sure do I have to do that but I'm just doing it out of respect. This is my first story, hope you like it and please do review.
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1
Death and 2 Strawberry - 1
'Karin-chan!' Miyamoto Kaede called as she spotted her friend at the gates of Karakura high school waiting for her, Kurosaki Karin tall, slender form turned towards her.
She have black eyes and short black hair tied up into a short ponytail with strands of hair on both side of her face with a slight permanent frown she shares with her brother along with a bored look. Kaede was more petit but also have black eyes and black hair but hers was long tied into a loose plait down her waist and have a full layered fringe framing her face.
'Hey Youko.' Karin greeted in her usual blunt tone as Kaede stopped beside her. She glanced around Karin.
'Where's Yuzu-chan? I thought you went to get her to go home together?'
'Yuzu had to go to cooking club to practice,' Karin replied, 'She said we can go home first.' Karin began to walk.
'Ehh? I remember Yuzu don't have cooking club today?'
'Yeah usually she doesn't, but they're entering some cooking competition so they're getting more practice'
'I see, sounds great. I'm sure Yuzu and her team will win, she's great at cooking after all. Right?' Kaede turned to grin at Karin.
'Yeah' Karin said in a lighter tone and a small smile. Kaede could tell she was proud of Yuzu.
'I can't wait to see what they're making.' Kaede beamed.
They walk a length of the way in silence, usually Yuzu was the one to talk away. Karin and Kaede usuall listens and prefer to walk quietly. They don't feel awkward so as others might, it was a mutual thing.
A woman scream came from somewhere to their right, behind one of the abandon building a bit away from them. Karin without thinking immediately ran towards the screams that turned into cries for help. Kaede was not far behind but had swiftly pulled out her phone and reported this to the police.
The closer they came they heard a woman sobs and cries and man shouts and yell. They got to the corner turns into an long, narrow strip of what Kaede guess was a private car-park from faded lines on one side between two building, when the saw the scene on the far wall, they both froze. They got there just as one of the men drove a knife into one of the women's chest. The other yelled something and tried to help but a grabbed by another guy in a black hoodie. The lady stabbed flailed weakly for a while before she crumpled to the ground and her spirit left her body, the chains breaking.
Kaede recovered quickly at the sound of the chain snapping and glanced at Karin for a split second, the look on her face made it clear she was going to do something. Karin looked at her, she nodded.
'I'll take the one with the knife.' Kaede whispered when she nodded some rusty pipes across from them, she can make it and it'll have to do instead of a bokuto. Karin noticed and frowned, she knew Kaede only started kendo at the start of high school half a year ago. She was good for a beginner.
'You don't have to...'
'I'm not letting you go out there by yourself.' She told Karin firmly
Their backs were to them as they yelled at each other and at the women crying on the ground. The other lady's spirit sat beside her body, confused. Spotting a large rock, Karin picked it up, aimed and threw it right at the one without the knife.
He yelped in pain. They both turned and Kaede, quickly using her phone's multi-snap, snapped pictures of them. Knife was averagely built with dyed red hair, black was bigger built, very big. Kaede started to worry for her friend, though Karin had just got her black belt.
They recovered from their surprise, Mr Black glared death at them and yelled, 'Bitch! How dare you take pictures!'
Mr. Knife smiled cruelly and calmly, 'Give us that phone little girl and we won't hurt you.'
Yeah right, cliché line the Kaede both thought. She slipped the phone into her pocket, a crystal clear 'NO'.
Mr. Knife eyes narrowed and Black roared, 'Give us the phone!'
'No' Kaede replied simply.
'Last warning! Little girl!' Knife barked harshly all facade gone.
Another cliché line, too much movies Kaede thought as they began to advance.
Black lunge for Kaede, she leapt away and Karin intercepted while Kaede grabbed for a rusty pipe. Knife tried to slash at Karin but Kaede blocked it.
'Ohh, so our little girls are actually little heroines who knows how to fight' Knife smiled, 'But you know what this isn't TV where little heroes always wins.' He backed up suddenly and kicked Kaede in the stomach. She managed to guarded it but slide and stumble back. 'This is reality.' He said cruelly and advanced again.
Says someone who says cliché lines from movies Thought Kaede wryly.
She was backed to where the two lady noticed behind her, the lady who was still alive was on the ground staring at her friends still body, sobbing and terrified, oblivious to the dead lady's spirit trying to talk to her. It made her sad seeing the spirit pleading for attention.
'Run!' Kaede told her, her eyes back to Knife now. Without looking away she got her phone from her pocket and quickly tossed it to the girl. 'Take that to the police.'
The phone hitting her physically woke her to reality, 'What-?'
Kaede lunge for Knife when she saw he realize what she did, his eyes narrowed and his face twisted into a snarl.
'RUN! NOW!'
Luckily she had some sense back and had bolt when she saw her chance. Knife tried to stop her but Kaede saw her chance and struck fast strikes at him hitting him in the head, arms, legs and finished with a strike from the tip of the pipe in the stomach causing him to stumble back and clutching his stomach.
The girl got away safely.
~**#**~
From the corner of her eyes, Karin saw the lady ran away from the opposite exit of the car park clutching something to her chest. Judging from the phone strap made by her own sister dangling from it she knew what it was.
Good job Kaede
Black tried to charge for the lady but Karin intercepted.
'Get out'ta my way, bitch!' Black yelled at her loudly.
Does he have to yell that loud? It was giving her a headache, her frown deepened. He roared and charged at her. His punches were easy to read so it wasn't hard to evade them.
Black was panting when finally he realise it wasn't working. He charged again after awhile. Karin side-stepped at the last minute and using a reverse low sweeping block she topple him over.
He got up, and reached into his pocket with and expression that says – just realise I have a knife too. He smirked and lunge at Karin with it again.
Karin dodged the knife and grabbed the hand with the knife a twist. Stepped in and did a fast chain of straight punch in the ribcage and abdomen area, he was backing up. Karin finished it with roundhouse kick to his face. He dropped to his side, passed out.
She turned and rushed to help Kaede, just in time to see Kaede whacking the knife out of the guys hand. Then a straight hit on the head, that sounded very painful, she then went for a blow to the side, hard, Knife doubled. Kaede stood back panting.
Knife clutched at his stomach still bent over, Karin could see it was only a feint. He suddenly surge and caught Kaede's pipe in one hand and the other aimed to punch straight at her face. Karin slipped in and blocked it. Kaede twisted the pipe out when he was still surprised by Karin's block. Karin ducked as he tried to sweep at her. She went for a punch between her ribs as she rose and Kaede struck straight down on his head again.
He's definitely out now.
Relieved, she turned and spotted the dead lady's body-corpse- and her spirit sat beside it her arms wrapped around her knees and head buried in them. Karin knew she was dead. The chain from her body to her spirit was broken. There was nothing she could do.
~**#**~
Kaede poked Knife on the ground to make sure he out for sure.
'He's definitely out' Karin said grimly coming towards her. Kaede looked up and saw her friend dragging the other guy her.
'Yours too' Kaede said rather proud of her friend taking a guy out barehanded. 'Should we find something to tie them up, just in case. Though, the police should be here soon.' Her friend deposited Black next to Knife.
'I really doubt we can find any rope here' Karin scratched her head, looking around them. She looked behind Kaede, frowned, then turned and walked to the opening before saying without turning, 'I'll see if there's anything...'
'She's dead.' Kaede said in soft voice. 'You see it to, don't you?' She finally asked her friend.
Karin, catching what she meant, instantly turned to her frowning questioningly at that, 'You mean...' she paused, 'you can see it too?'
Kaede nodded. 'Yes. I can see souls. Like you.' She smiled to her friend
Kaede walked towards the spirit before her friend could respond. She always tried to help the spirits when she could, she knew just talking to them meant a lot to them as they always felt ignored. It wasn't anyone's fault, most people can't see spirits.
She almost reached the girl, when suddenly a loud sound of thunder broke the silence. She instantly turned.
That sound like...impossible... another horrible, thunderous bang
Kaede felt white hot pain in her stomach area to a point of numbing. Her hand went to her stomach, it was wet... blood?
'KAEDE!' She heard Karin scream and saw the gun in the man in black jacket with a gun before the agonising pain made her crumble to the ground.
~**#**~
Karin bolted forward and kicked Black on his side as hard as she could as he tried to get up. He slammed to left, onto the ground- hard- and Karin kicked the gun away. She immediately ran straight to Kaede, shouting her name.
No. No. No. This can't be. He had a gun? Kaede!I should have made sure..
Her head was in a mess, as she reached her. She froze as she neared her friend.
Blood...so much blood...it was her fault...she couldn't protect anyone...
Crumpling to her knees beside her friend, Karin felt tears rolling down her face.
I... have to do something...I ..can't
Hitting herself in the thigh hard jerked her from her helpless wallowing. What was she doing? She helped her father at their clinic since was a kid.
Kaede breathing laboured, she was pale , but not getting too cold or sweaty, she won't go into shock...
Karin assessed as her pulled out a handkerchief and her phone from her pocket. She called for an ambulance while she applied pressure to the wound.
Where the hell is the police?
'Kaede?' Karin called, 'Kaede wake up, talk to me.' one hand went to squeeze her friend cold clammy hand, not good signs.
'Ka..rin..chan..' she said in between breathes. 'I'm alright, it's not too bad. Just hurts...a bit..' She gave Karin a smile and weakly squeezed her hand back.
'Just hang on, the ambulance are coming,' Karin told her. 'just hang on, okay?
'Your clothes... Yuzu is going to freak out when she sees its...'
'Yeah...she's going to go mad if she sees us like to...you know how she gets...' Karin tried to think of some topics up to keep Kaede talking.
'I'm glad Yuzu wasn't with us today.'
'..Yeah' Then she noticed something. 'You have a high reiatsu level.'
'For a human.' She manage a small grin. 'Like you.' Then she frowned 'I'm letting it loose, aren't I. Not good... She stopped and froze, so did Karin. Their eyes locked and the understood. The day just got worse.
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