Chapter Two: The Knight
(a/n: I updated pretty late because I was waiting for events in the manga that would fit in the fic and I had to figure out how to add a chapter)
Ichigo has landed.
It was not exactly what she'd call a decent land because when the chant ended, he was suddenly carrying four people who did nothing but push each other. When you get three supposedly strongest people of their respective times, a light push can easily send you flying down.
This is what happened to Ichigo.
Kiza did not bother to worry where he landed. He was fine on his own and he had a broken head to begin with. It was funny how he did not recognize one of the three. She even brought that person back for him.
"Well, whatever," she left them.
There were so many places she wanted to be at once but her time was limited. Sooner or later she'd be forcibly taken back to the soul palace- that eternally boring cage. Finally, she decided where to go.
Like Ichigo, she landed not so very well fitting of a princess. "Damn," she stood up and straightened her dress. "Now… where the hell did I land?" She squinted her eyes and looked around until her eyes stopped at someone who was a hair away from her face.
"Woaaaah," Kiza had the instinct to move away from him. Of all the people she had met, this sandal-hat bastard was the one she deemed not only most dangerous but most annoying. "Look who we have in here. Noooo waaaay~~~ Is this the SOUL PRINCESS. That's a-"
"SHUT THE HELL UP!"
Kisuke Urahara blinked. "Was I too loud? Hikifune might hear me?"
She sighed. "You never change, you bastard."
"You never grow too. Now my dreams of confessing to you are all shattered. I look like your older brother now."
"YOU DON'T! In fact, you look like my father!"
Kisuke tensed. "I… resemble the soul king?"
"This is hopeless."
Soul society (days before Renji, Byakuya and Rukia came to soul society)
"If you get what I'm saying then-"
"I do not get any of it!" Karin yelled at Toushiro. "I've trained myself all these times so I could be of a help… Why do you always hide things from me? I know it, I know everything! We've fought together before. Aren't we… friends?"
Toushiro looked at her with sharp eyes. "I don't know how the hell do you keep getting to soul society. I heard Urahara Kisuke was in Hueco mundo…" he stared at her for an answer she wasn't willing to give. "But you are a HUMAN and you are not that dumb for me to keep pounding it in your head that I won't let you-"
"Bullshit! What about my brother?!" she knocked over Toushiro's cup of tea. "Isn't he human as well?!"
"How many millennia shall we discuss this?" He started getting impatient as well. "We cannot avoid your brother joining battle now! But I-" he stopped and continued after a blink, "We can avoid leaning on you. I will be a criminal if I let you."
"Then why is Rukia-nee a seated officer after involving Ichi-nii?"
"This conversation, I swear…," he sighed with the clearest sign of stress from losing his bankai. "For the millionth time, Karin, Kuchiki rukia was set up by Aizen. Let us stop. I'm busy. I've discovered already that whoever sends you here EVERY-SINGLE-TIME has no means of getting you back so stay here and wait for Matsumoto. I have to go," he stood up.
Karin looked down. "I heard from your team that you lost your bankai."
Toushiro tensed.
"That's why I want to be of assistance," she clutched her uniform skirt. "When can I help you? When can I help my brother? When can I help everybody…? I'm tired of just worrying. I'm tired of being useless. Even in Karakura I'm banned from hunting hollows without a shinigami company. Actually I'm banned, you shinigamis do not even let me fight. I'm tired of this."
He bit his lip. From the time they have met in the real world, Karin had been showing up in soul society many times (maybe more than his brother) that made him guilty. At first he thought it was just Urahara Kisuke helping her but he was surprised that she showed up even without the aid of him. If she gets hurt, then it is his fault for dragging her in this. If he had not got too attached to Karin, she will have never learned anything and stayed at home. He owed the former captain a lot already. He owed Ichigo a lot already. The only way he can repay is to make sure Karin is safe… even if he had to hurt her feelings.
As promised, Karin was sent home without a fight.
"I understand how you feel," said Rangiku. "But you're not a hero of soul society or anything like Ichigo," said she, obviously not to make me feel any better. "So you have no obligations to shoulder anything." She looked at me for a while then sighed. "Okay!" she tapped my head. "I will not lecture you, I'm not your boyfriend. A girl talk then," she smiled sheepishly. "Who is that third party cutie who has the means of sending you here as you wish? Man, the captain is jealous. Who knows if you like that boy? I'm pretty and all but I really have no fight against your charm."
Who ever said it was a boy, anyway? "I am not Toushiro's girlfriend!"
"Wow, that's a quick response. I said a lot and all that you've picked up is that I pointes you as his girlfriend. I even tried to be vague about it. How sharp!"
After holding in my anger and realizing it was futile to argue with her, I just kept silent. She just wanted me to feel better which I will not be and I'm not the type who falls for smooth talking and sell out the my key person.
"Cheeky brat," Rangiku muttered.
"Old woman," I replied in annoyance then ran away to the exit. She wasn't going to walk me home anyway.
"K-A-R-I-N-C-H-A-N!" Dad threw himself to me which slammed the two of us on the floor. "Where have you been huh? Weeell, dad is never gonna scold you! He's just gonna kiss you-"
I kicked his face away. "Study group."
"Ah! Karin-chan!" Yuzu called. "You went off somewhere earlier, where did you go?"
"Oh, dinner. Study group, study group!" I took my chopsticks. Ichigo might be obvious when something is wrong but I have learned that I must not be like him. I can hide stuff flawlessly. I bet he did not even notice that I have awakened my shinigami powers and have fought Ken-chan. It just annoyed me that the old man would tell Ichigo stuff while he kept silent with me. Considering him, maybe he has not noticed the change in me too.
But I can't just sit back like what they told me and I bet all of my savings that Toushiro knows that. There's no way I can sleep to knowing he's in grave danger. He is very bankai dependent and the moment he loses that, he's no better than her.
Back to Hueco mundo
"Ah! Urahara-san, who is…?" Inoue pointed at Kiza.
"My dream girl,"
Kiza kicked him. "KIza," she stretched a hand that Inoue shook.
"This feeling… have you met Kurosaki-kun?!"
"Well, I have."
Inoue turned to Chad. "Sado-kun!"
Chad nodded with a smile. "It feels like he's gotten stronger."
"You can feel it from me? Wow, creepy humans. Creepy Ichigo,"
"KYAAA! Stop it Grimmjow-sama!" Nel yelled from a nearby pillar. "You can't-"
Grimmjow kicked her away.
"Nel!" Dondochakka and Pesche caught her.
Grimmjow walked to them with his usual scowl but then stopped in front of Kiza. "Princess," he knelt. "It's good to have you back."
Kiza clamped a hand over her mouth. "Why do you… have a form of… is that an arrancar?"
Kisuke 'whispered' to Kiza, "Should we leave the two of you?"
"No… no…," a tear fell from her cheek as she knelt next to him and embraced him. "I'm so sorry… I'm so sorry, Grimmjow… knight to the divine family."
