Finally! This is the first out of Babysitting and A Bowl of Soup that I felt actually had a real ending. This will be the last of the trilogy, but rest assured, I am no where near done with this pairing ;)
Bon Appétit
Karin ran a brush through her hair and threw her hair up into her usual ponytail before tiptoeing outside Ichigo's door and heading downstairs. Her brother had recently formed a habit of napping in the middle of the day and she certainly wasn't going to be the one foolish enough to wake him.
"Karin, where are you going?" Yuzu called from the kitchen as her twin slinked past discreetly.
The darker-haired girl sighed. She had been hoping to leave the house undetected. "I'm just meeting a friend for lunch, Yuzu."
"What kind of friend, my darling angel?" Her dad looked up from his newspaper.
Karin rolled her eyes. "None of your business, old man."
Her dad grinned. "Make sure to invite this gentleman to dinner tonight. I'd like to discuss names for my future grandbabies."
"Can't. There's a movie playing after lunch and I won't be home for dinner. Sorry!" Karin slipped out the door before her father could respond.
The girl smirked at the mental image of her father and her lunch date swapping baby name ideas over dinner. It had been for the best that she told the little white lie about the movie.
The walk to the Black Cat café was short and Chad was already sitting at their table when she arrived. He looked up as she entered and his smile made her heart flutter in her chest.
He met her at the counter and ordered after she did. The blonde man was working again today and, like last time, he looked endlessly amused by the sight of her.
The same gorgeous woman brought them their food and smiled devilishly when she saw the pair she was serving.
Karin looked away uncomfortably but Chad nodded in greeting.
"She a friend of yours?" Karin asked when the woman left, trying to sound innocently curious.
"Urahara and Yoruichi are old friends of your brother," he answered simply and Karin wondered what else she didn't know about her brother.
"How'd your paper turn out?" She finally asked.
"It went well. The teacher liked it."
Karin nodded to show that she had heard. Chad wasn't much of a conversationalist but she found that she didn't really mind. The silences were comfortable and he didn't bore her by talking endlessly about stupid things.
"You're lucky." Karin started again. "I saved you from a night of torture. My dad wanted me to invite you over for dinner but I said we were going to a movie and it wouldn't be done in time."
Chad smiled at her statement and then looked thoughtful. "You want to go to a movie?"
Karin paused. She hadn't considered actually going to the movies. "Might as well." She shrugged. "Slayer Zombies 3 is finally out."
"I wouldn't want you to miss that." Chad commented quietly and Karin knew he was making fun of her.
"It's the last one of the trilogy. It'd be like playing a tied soccer game and giving up in the last 2 minutes. I need the closure." She informed him.
Chad nodded. "I see."
Karin smiled, pleased to have an excuse to spend more time with the older boy.
"You two look like you could use a little something sweet!" The blonde man Chad called Urahara brought over a small cake and set it on their table.
Karin looked up at the strange man. "We didn't order dessert."
"It's on the house!" He grinned at her. "We call it the 'Lover's Cake.' It's a house specialty!"
Karin blushed and glanced over at Chad to see his reaction. The corners of his pleasant smile twitched, hiding laughter.
"You're sure it's safe for humans to eat?" Chad asked, sounding politely interested.
Urahara put a hand to his heart dramatically. "How could you doubt me? I made it with my own two hands!"
"That's what concerns me." Karin remarked quietly.
Chad could no longer suppress his chuckle and the blonde man shook his head. "All you Kurosakis are the same." He sighed and turned to leave.
"Oh, before I forget! If you could pass on a message to Ichigo, tell him that I have a package for his little friend. It's rather urgent." Urahara turned to look at Chad before winking at Karin. "Bon appétit!"
What on earth was that about… Karin wondered to herself. Chad seemed to have understood the message clearly enough.
She turned her attention back to the cake in front of them. Karin could understand why it was called a 'Lover's Cake.' There were two of everything: two squares of vanilla and chocolate on each half, two fluffs of whipped cream, two strawberries, except for -Karin blushed- one solitary pocky stick in the middle.
Chad had already taken a bite, unaffected by the implication, and Karin was determined to appear the same.
As it turned out, the cake was rather good. They made quick work of it and, when they reached the chocolate biscuit treat, Karin paused.
We're not really going to…
But, Chad picked it up and held out the chocolate covered end to her.
Karin refused to let her shyness get the best of her. She took the pocky stick in her mouth and forced herself to hold it still.
Chad bit off the other end, his lips brushing gently against her own and Karin had to remind herself to start breathing again when it was over.
The boy sat calmly across from her, completely unaware of the effect he had had on her. Karin tried to play it cool but she felt that her face was still warm.
"So, you ready to go to that movie?" She finally asked, when she could speak again.
Chad smiled. "Sure."
He stood up and cleared their dishes from the table. They left and Karin was glad for the crisp air outside that cooled her flushed cheeks.
.
They were sitting in the dark theater waiting for the movie to start. Chad had paid for both their tickets despite Karin's protests that he had also paid for lunch.
Slayer Zombies 3 dripped down the screen like it had been written in blood and Karin sat on the edge of her seat. This was supposed to be the scariest movie of the year and she was looking forward to finally seeing Chad's stoic expression broken.
As the movie progressed, Karin slowly realized that the movie was having little effect on the boy beside her. He was definitely watching but he didn't even react when the rest of the theater was screaming.
Karin didn't allow herself to scream like everyone else but she might have gasped a couple times. She might have clung to Chad's arm during the zombie attacks and maybe she jumped once or twice too.
At least, that was the only way she could explain why she was almost sitting on top of him by the end of the movie.
"Are you all right?" He asked when the credits started to roll.
Karin fell back into her seat and shrugged. "It wasn't that bad."
Chad grinned and she knew she wasn't fooling anyone.
.
The sun was setting by the time they left the theater. He was walking her home again and Karin was still annoyed by the fact that he was seemingly fearless.
"Are you sure you weren't scared at all?" She finally asked. "Even a little bit?"
The boy shrugged. "Zombies just aren't something I'm afraid of."
Karin frowned. "What are you afraid of then?"
He seemed to think for a moment before speaking. "Losing the people I care about."
The younger girl rolled her eyes. "I mean a real fear. Like, how Yuzu's afraid of spiders and Ichigo's afraid of drowning."
"What are you afraid of?" Chad asked, avoiding her question.
Karin hesitated for a minute, debating her answer. "Ghosts," she said finally.
"I thought you had the ability to see spirits." Chad looked down to see her face. "Why do they frighten you?"
"I don't know." Karin crossed her arms defensively. "They're just so sad all the time."
Chad didn't say anything and Karin knew he was waiting for a better explanation.
"They just… they make me worry about my mom. I'm scared she's wandering around somewhere, sad and lonely, just like every other ghost."
Chad frowned. They were standing in front of her house now but Karin didn't want to go inside anymore.
"Your mom was loved and she loved you and the rest of your family very deeply. I know she was able to find her way to a better place," he said finally.
"You really think so?" Karin looked up at him. He sounded so sure; it gave Karin hope.
"I know she's happy. She isn't lost like the spirits you see." Chad nodded.
Karin thought about his words and decided they made sense. The idea still frightened her but it seemed much more unlikely now than it had before.
"You want to go play soccer in the park?" Karin asked, hoping to prolong their day a little longer.
Chad regarded her thoughtfully. "I don't have a soccer ball."
Karin smiled and grabbed his hand to pull him along. "That's ok. We always leave one in a hiding spot in the park because people kept forgetting when it was their turn to bring the ball."
.
When they reached the park, it was dark and the two floodlights on either side of the half-line had been turned on for the night.
Karin found the tree she was looking for and climbed until she could reach the soccer ball resting in the branches. She hopped down and lobbed it over to where Chad was waiting.
"First one to three wins?" She asked.
The taller boy grinned. "You can start." He tapped the ball to her.
Karin took a deep breath and formed a plan of action. Chad was big so he would be fast and a strong kicker. She couldn't let him get a clear shot but he'd be easy to get around if she stayed far enough away.
She twirled the ball around her foot and faked right before moving left. He stuck a foot out, pushing the ball away from her control.
Karin recovered quickly but now he was in front of her again. Changing strategy, she sidestepped and kicked the ball farther ahead so it was out of his reach. She sprinted after it but just before she could reach it, the giant was in front of her.
He nudged the ball with his heel and spun around with it. He leaned to one side before transferring the ball to his other foot and knocking it forward and around Karin.
Chad stepped around her and regained control of the ball without ever touching her and Karin pushed herself to catch up.
"I believe that's 1-0." He commented after shooting from just outside the circle.
"It's almost like cheating to shoot from the half-line when you're playing one-on-one." Karin retorted after he had retrieved the ball.
"Is that so?" Chad raised his eyebrows.
"It's cowardly." She confirmed.
The older boy smiled, laughter apparent in his eyes. "Fair enough."
Karin pushed the ball around with her foot before starting again. She grinned and rolled the ball back on to the top of her foot. She bounced it once before punting it into the air over Chad's head.
The second it left her foot she took off running. The surprise had given her a slight head start and she took full advantage of it. Just outside the goalie box, she felt Chad right behind her and took her shot.
He stopped short so as not to run into her and Karin looked up to see him standing over her. "I believe that's 1-1," she teased.
This time, Chad started out with the ball. He got it around Karin but she caught up and tried to push him off the ball. Finally, she was able to get a toe in and steal it away.
It was a foot race to the goal and Karin won again. She realized that Chad refused to touch her when they were competing for the ball and it irritated her to no end.
This time, when Chad had the ball, she got right up against him and pushed him off the ball before getting it back under her control. He was running beside her again within seconds and when he put his foot down hard on the ball, Karin tripped when she tried to kick it again.
"Are you ok?" He asked, pausing to help her up.
"I'm fine," she grouched, brushing herself off. "You're supposed to keep going! That wasn't even a foul."
Chad kicked the ball forward again when she was ready and they fought for it down the field. He scored again and Karin refused to comment.
The next person to score would win. Karin tried to think of her next move. Chad was a better player than she had expected but she had no intentions of losing.
She nudged the ball over the half-line, planning on beating him in a dribbling contest, but Chad was on the ball before she could touch it again.
They struggled for a moment, two opposing forces caught in a collision, but somehow the ball ended up behind her. One touch and Chad had the ball under control and was heading down the field.
Karin sprinted after him, going all out, and slid across the ground less than a second too late. She ended up hitting his foot mid-kick, knocking him off balance so that he landed backwards perpendicular to her own body.
The air was silent for a moment after the ball brushed against the net and Karin wondered if she had actually hurt him.
Then, he turned his head to look at her and grinned. "I think that means I won."
"You just got lucky," Karin scoffed.
Chad looked back up at the sky, not bothering to get up. He was still smiling.
Karin rolled over on her stomach so she was next to the older boy.
"Airplanes." He said after a moment.
The girl rolled over again and looked up at the sky. She only saw stars against the velvety black.
"What?" She asked.
"I'm afraid of airplanes."
Karin frowned. "Airplanes? Why?"
You've gotta be kidding me…
"A couple reasons," he answered.
"Like what?"
Chad waited a moment before answering. "When I went to elementary school in Okinawa, they would fly over the school for military drills and we would have to get under our desks and pretend that we were being bombed."
"That's awful." Karin shuddered at the idea. "Have you ever been on a plane?"
"Once. When I came with my grandfather to live here after my parents died."
"I didn't know your parents were dead. What happened?" Karin realized there were a lot of things she didn't know about the boy resting next to her.
"They died in a plane crash," he responded simply.
"Oh…" Karin struggled to something else to say. Empathizing had never been her strong point.
"You should tell me if you ever have to fly anywhere again." She finally spoke.
"Why?" Chad asked her.
"Because I'll go with you." She decided, taking his hand in her own and holding it against her chest. "You know, I've never been outside Japan. It'd be like an adventure," she told him.
Chad smiled and squeezed her hands. "I'll be sure to let you know if that ever happens."
Karin blushed and found herself smiling back. They lay next to each other like that, watching the stars for a long while before Chad gently untangled his hand from hers.
He stood up and helped her up. "It's late, Karin. I don't want your family to worry about you."
Karin sighed and decided he was probably right. She put the ball back in its hiding place and they walked back to her house, hand in hand.
.
They stopped in front of her house for the second time that night and Karin's stomach twisted nervously. Before she could rethink her decision, she was on her tiptoes, pressing her lips against Chad's.
He was so warm; Karin felt like her body was on fire. His hand tangled itself in her hair, gently cradling her head, and his other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her into him. Her arms rested on his shoulders, holding him against her.
Far too soon, Chad broke the kiss and Karin realized her lungs were screaming for air and her feet were inches off the ground.
He set her down gently and smiled, his chocolate brown eyes melting into hers. "Sorry."
"It's…ok," Karin finally found her voice.
"Good night, Karin." He lightly kissed her forehead before turning to walk away.
"Night, you big oaf," she mumbled after him, still blushing furiously.
He raised a hand in a wave to show that he had heard and Karin giggled despite herself.
She could tell that this was just the beginning of a very interesting relationship.
Oh my :) They are so adorable. Let me know what you think!