Karin undid her bandages, relieved her cut hadn't reopened. She put them back in her closet for next time. She found her flannel pajamas and quietly padded down the hall to the bathroom. She heard Yuzu and her father in the kitchen and Ichigo wasn't at home, out with Rukia most likely, even though he insisted they weren't going out. She shut and locked the bathroom door before undressing and stepping into the shower.
After dressing in her pajamas, Karin went to the kitchen to have some of the left over dinner Yuzu had fixed. She had fixed brown rice with chicken, which Karin had a small bowl of as she sat at the table. She washed her bowl and went to her room.
- Tomorrow after school -
Karin walked alone, which was normal unless Tatsuki came to walk with her. She decided to go to the soccer field, where she would do her maths homework then join a game as she had out her bandages in her backpack that morning before she on a bench, legs crossed indian style, hunched over her math paper, she barely noticed when someone sat a few inches from her. As she flipped the page over, out of the corner of her eye, she saw pale skin.
"Hey," she said quietly
"About time," Tatsuki turned her attention to the other girl.
"Was I supposed to drop what I was doing be and all, 'Oh Tatsuki, would you like to play a game of soccer?'"
"N...no...," Tatsuki replied, blushing as Karin had leaned over and was looking at her with huge innocent smirked, sitting correctly again.
"Well then, I'll just finish my homework."
"I... I didn't mean!" Tatsuki stuttered, flustered and blushing furiously.
"Didn't mean what Tatsuki-chan?" Karin asked, staring down at her maths froze, Karin never used '-chan', or '-kun', or even '-san', and she had her blushing and stuttering like a moron! What was going on?
"I didn't mean that I didn't wanna play a game of soccer with you...," Tatsuki said slowly.
"Let me finish this and change," Karin answered, unfazed by Tatsuki's merely nodded and laid back on the bench, thinking.
Karin finshed her paper about ten minuets later and put it in her backpack before going behind a tree so she could put her bandages on and take her long sleeved red button up shirt off. Listening intently to make sure no one followed her, she took the shirt off and stuffed it in her bag before taking the bandages out and starting with her scarred arm. She attempted to hurry and walked back over to Tatsuki wearing a white tank top and her grinned when she saw her.
"Like the view?" Karin asked, not looking at the other girl as she put her bag down.
A blushing Tatsuki replied, "Who wouldn't?"
Smirking, Karin asked, "We joining a game or do you have a ball?"
Jokingly Tatsuki said, "I don't have A ball, I have balls."
"Wow," Karin laughed, "I had no idea Tatsuki."
"Oh didn't you though?" Tatsuki asked, grinning at her younger friend.
"Well, I could have guessed, given the way you look at me," Karin smirked, facing her friend and looking into her eyes.
"What're you talking about?" the joking tone gone from her voice, Tatsuki kicked the ball from under the bench.
"I've seen the way you're looking at me and I felt your body's reaction to my touch last night," Karin answered.
Tatsuki didn't reply, dribbling the ball down the field. Karin followed at a jog, unfazed by her friends unresponsiveness.
The game was even more intense than usual. Tatsuki seemed angry, whether at herself or Karin, Karin couldn't tell.
- Tatsuki -
Tatsuki played her hardest, harder than she had ever played with Karin, of course, they were still pretty evenly matched. Tatsuki couldn't believe Karin had figured out that she liked her. She didn't seem ANYTHING about it, like it was natural or something. Had she really been that obvious? Or had Karin just been joking? Frustratedly, Tatsuki kicked the ball, hard as she could and it sailed into the upper right corner of the goal.
"Nice shot," Karin smirked.
"Didn't mean to," Tatsuki said, looking away.
"It's cuz you're just that amazing," Karin replied, going to get the ball.
Tatsuki blinked, had Karin just complimented her? Or was she joking? With a groan of frustration, she ran after Karin, who was halfway down the field.
- Hours later -
"I need to be getting home so Yuzu doesn't worry," Karin commented as they walked down the darkening street.
"Haha, really? She worries about You?" Tatsuki asked, glancing over at her.
"Yeah, she worries about all of us," Karin shrugged.
"Can't you text her and tell her you'll be late?" Tatsuki asked.
"What for? You wanting to go do something?" Karin asked, slightly surprised.
"Well, since it's kinda later, I was hoping we could go for dinner?" Tatsuki asked.
"Yeah, sure, my treat," Karin replied with a shrug.
"Thanks," Tatsuki said.
- After dinner, walking to Tatsuki's -
"Thanks for dinner," Tatsuki said.
"Eh," Karin replied, looking grinned and gave the younger girl a one armed hug before jogging up the steps to her house.
As Karin walked home, she thought of her blade. Things with Tatsuki were getting intense, some relief would be nice. She knew Tatsuki didn't Really like her that way, she was just playing along.
She stood in the bathroom, her bandages back in her room, her pajamas in a pile on the floor. The blade was between her middle and forefinger. She gazed at the cool metal. Prolonging the sensation of it biting into her pale flesh. Waiting made it better, oh how much better it would she pressed the cool blade to her wrist. With even more slowness, she moved the sharp blade across her wrist, a sigh of releif escaping her lips as bright red blood beaded upon her pale wrist. As her heart beat steadily, more blood gushed from the small cut. It trickled slowly down her wrist as she watched. She let the blood run a few seconds longer before cleaning up and putting her pajamas on.
- Tatsuki -
Did Karin like her? It was impossible. Tatsuki sighed, rolling over onto her side, staring into the darkness of her room. Karin could not be gay. There was just no way. Even if she was, it wasn't like she'd be with her. She sighed again, asking flat out would be a bad idea, and with Karin's humor, it was near impossible to know when she was telling the truth. Unless..., Tatsuki DID something... She grinned as she thought of the perfect plan, she would get her answer, one way or another.
