OooOoOooO
Chapter Two
»Locking the Past
Lucidity™
by Lianne L. M.
"Moving on isn't about forgetting but learning."
I couldn't remember a time in my life where I had been so stupidly stumped in the middle of danger.
Seriously, this was supposed to be where my body was moving away from the source of the threat. I could even still hear my instincts and my brain shouting at me to just move! But I was idiotically glued to my place as I looked at Kurosaki-san oddly.
Don't get me wrong, I knew a fair share of people who couldn't see spirits at all. But Kurosaki-san recognized the "monster" I was talking about. Instead of eyeing me disbelievingly like the others had done to me from those other towns, he was searching for the creature with honest desperation on his part. It wasn't the I-want-to-see-monsters-or-spirits-so-badly kind but the why-can't-I-see-them kind of panic was in his eyes.
"You…you know about them?" I asked quietly with wide eyes, feeling my hands suddenly go slack in my hold.
"Of course I do! That's a hollow!" He hissed to me distraughtly. "Are you seriously telling me that not only can you see one but there's one right in front of us?" He snapped at me, his gaze almost accusing.
I shook my head, too confused at his frustration and too uninformed about the creature in front of us. Kurosaki-san had just called it a 'hollow' and I had to admit, it's the first time I've ever heard of such a term for the creature.
"I…I just saw it, alright?" I tried to appease as I took a step back from him. Thankfully, the "hollow" still hadn't noticed us which was good. And might now start to, which was bad. "I don't even know there's supposed to be one here!" I defended myself with a put upon frown.
He scowled but this time, it wasn't directed at me. But rather, unknowingly at the hollow, which was just a blank space in front of him.
"Damn it, I thought Ishida already took care of it!" He silently cursed to himself. I heard him right so I was now beyond confused why and even how could Ishida-san take care of this monster. I knew the guy from our class but he appears to mostly dislike everyone except the friends he seemed to have in Orihime-san's group.
"We need to get out of here, Kurosaki-san." I attempted to convince him to no avail. The guy just stood there glaring at the ground.
Then he suddenly rounded on me.
"If we leave, the hollow might hurt other people. I can't let that happen, so watch my back?" It wasn't a request, it was an order on his part.
"H-How?" I squeaked anxiously. I would admit, I'm not the bravest person out there but I'm not going to leave Kurosaki-san here. My conscience won't let me. "You can't even see it!" I reasoned to him, as I clutched my bags close to me.
He sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Just guide me to where the mask is, then leave the rest to me." He instructed grimly as he handed the umbrella to me and grabbed a discarded steel bar from the sidewalk, gripping it with both hands as if it was his weapon.
I gulped to myself, almost audibly as I nodded jerkily.
Directing my gaze back to the hollow, I shivered as its amber orbs eyed me directly. Suddenly, words got stuck on my throat. Its stare clearly told me that he was hungry for food, and unfortunately, it seemed to think it was me. I was baffled at the situation, this was the first time that I had been attacked. The others I had encountered just ignored me…
Suddenly, it slithered to our direction. And my mind almost failed me until I remembered Kurosaki-san was depending on me.
"In front of you! In front of you!" I heard myself scream loudly as I fearfully stumbled back.
Though inwardly, I was perplexed at how Kurosaki-san could calmly stand there. As if even though he couldn't see it, he subconsciously knew where it was. Panic began to eat at me when its mouth was a mere inch from Kurosaki-san's face. As if time had gone so slowly, the hollow opened its mouth at snail's pace while my classmate's hands swung back for momentum before stabbing the metal he had on his hands right into the mouth of the creature.
Blood sprouted from its mouth, showering Kurosaki-san's clothes. He didn't seem to mind, that or he couldn't tell what really happened.
My heart then started to beat faster in apprehension, every beat so loud in my ears that it was almost ringing. Did he get the hollow? I didn't even realize that I was shaking all over. Fear of the hollow? No. I discovered that it was for the orange haired guy's safety. He was practically saving not only me but others and he almost had no regards for his own well-being. So I decided that I would be the one worrying for him.
I winced when the piercing shriek of the hollow reached my ears as the creature staggered back, howling in pain as it shook its head from side to side. Then it lowered its head as one scaly hand reached out before yanking the metal forcefully out of its mouth. I tried not to flinch at the squelching sound it made.
Biting my lip, I watched as it growled at Kurosaki-san. My classmate was now eyeing the space in front of him with a focused expression in his eyes, but as brown orbs darted everywhere, it was made obvious to me that he still couldn't see it.
But then it lunged forward again.
"Kurosaki-san!" I was too late as the creature batted him away, sending him flying to a wall.
"Don't come here!" He immediately warned but I ignored it as I heard him groan painfully.
Letting go of my bags and the umbrella, I instantly ran to his side, checking him over for injuries. There was a cut above his left brow, it was bleeding quite badly as blood trickled down to his cheek. I chewed on my lip nervously as I tried to help him up.
Before I could even put his arm around my shoulder, I felt myself being swatted away by something hard. I bit back the scream that might escape my mouth as I felt my shoulder get dislocated, as I skidded painfully on the ground. I was sure that I scraped my bruised shoulder and I fervently tried to stop tears from coming out. It worked though I couldn't hold back the whimper that escaped my lips.
"Junko!" I heard Kurosaki-san shout my name.
Eyeing his standing form through squinted eyes (he didn't even seem to be struggling too much) and despite myself, I felt a relieved sigh escaped my lips. It came out as a hissed though.
I forced myself to sit up, gingerly holding my left (and dislocated) shoulder. I flinched when I saw a big purple and green bruise starting to appear and the swelling inside told me that it was also bleeding inwardly.
Looking back at Kurosaki-san, he was swatting away at the hollow relentlessly with a trashcan lid. His face was set into a deep scowl and his face was so flushed in rage that I almost became scared of him. The look in his eyes didn't simply say 'kill it' but rather, 'destroy it'.
As the hollow backed up, it tried to advance again at my classmate.
No… But I could only stare as it lurched forward at Kurosaki-san and I couldn't do anything about it. Other than shout, "It's in front of you!" I wouldn't get there on time even if I tried to. So I closed my eyes, dreading at what I might see.
Only the frenzied beating of my heart reached my ears as I waited. My breathing was shallow too. I was too scared even if I had to shamefully admit it.
Then I heard a cracking sound, I dared open my eyes just to see my classmate's head bowed while his arm was extended in front of him. Shifting my gaze, I saw his fist on the center of the hollow's forehead, the mask slowly crumbling under it.
Did he just…-just punch it?
I felt my jaw go slack.
Though his knuckles were now bleeding profusely. Just how strong was he? As the mask was completely obliterated, the hollow slowly faded away. Particles dissolving into the air. I was starting to doubt now if Kurosaki-san couldn't really see the hollow.
He just beat it with a punch for crying out loud!
Kurosaki-san then tottered his way to me and I was dumbfounded at the grin on his face. He almost died and he was happy? How could he be so stupid like that? I felt myself tearing up suddenly as I shakily stood on my feet. Before I know it, sobs were coming out of my mouth as the tears dribbled down my cheeks. Someone almost died because of me! All Kurosaki-san asked of me was to guide him and even I couldn't do that right.
I tried to block the pitiful sounds with my right hand as I covered my mouth with it. I failed.
Staring at the ground, I couldn't face my classmate. I only knew him for a few hours and I just showed to him how terribly useless I was. I thought I left that already when we separated from my aunt, but I was wrong. Awfully wrong.
"Oi, why are you crying? Didn't you see? I've just beaten a hollow!" He told me almost excitedly. I didn't want to hear that.
I glared at him through blurry eyes.
"You jerk!" I slapped his arm. "You almost got killed and you're glad about it!" I found myself scolding him angrily, my sobs coming to a halt. I was surprised that I didn't stutter but my voice was hoarse.
Instead of apologizing, he continued to grin.
"But that's not what I'm talking about, I've just beaten a hollow! It's been a long time…" He remarked almost wistfully as his non-bleeding hand combed through his hair, almost relaxed despite the blood on him.
"I don't care! You almost died!" I pointed out, a frown on my face as I wiped my tears away.
"I'm standing in front of you, right? Healthy and alive, so what more do you want?" He inquired, suddenly annoyed. He was slouched a little bit and despite his statement, fatigue was written all over his face. He uncaringly wiped the blood from his knuckles on his shirt, not even wincing.
"You… you–" I was at loss for words since I couldn't believe him. "You just don't get it." I muttered under my breath with a sigh.
He rolled his eyes with feigned exasperation.
"Let's go back to the clinic, dad will have to take a look at that shoulder." Kurosaki-san said as he wisely grabbed my good shoulder to stir me back to my discarded bags.
And even though I wanted to go home badly, I knew that he's right. Besides, I needed to make sure my classmate won't just collapse in the middle of the road. We were about to take a step when another hollow appeared over the wall in front of us. It tried to approach (breaking the wall in the process) as my classmate cursed again. Despite not seeing it–he could tell that there's another one since stones just don't crumble by itself.
It seems he knew his limits.
But fear gnawed at my stomach, there would be no miraculous outcome this time. As soon as that thought crossed my mind, a blue glowing arrow-like spear pierced through the hollow's mask. And it faded into particles too like what happened earlier.
I gaped like an idiot when I saw Ishida-san land in front of us, pushing his glasses up with a finger. The rain became a light drizzle by now so we aren't soaking wet and I thanked Kami for small mercies.
"Where the hell have you been, Ishida?" I was shocked that Kurosaki-san was glowering at our classmate. I was, once again, at loss for words as I gawked at Kurosaki-san for a while. Ishida-san just saved our lives!
"We have to take care of hollows that suddenly appeared in the park. When I sensed Tanaka-san's and a hollow's reiatsu here, I went back here as fast as I could. Sado-san and Inoue-san are on their way." He paused, as if considering something. Then his eyes zeroed on Kurosaki-san's bleeding hand and face. "And why did you fight the hollow, Kurosaki? You couldn't see and even sense it, you could've been in danger. You were lucky enough that it was a low class or else there would only be three Kurosakis left." Ishida-san sneered at the guy beside me.
I looked back at Kurosaki-san to see him clenching his fists as he glared at Ishida-san.
"Just because I don't have any reiatsu anymore doesn't mean I couldn't protect myself!" He growled angrily at our classmate.
"But could you say the same for Tanaka-san?" Ishida-san was quick to retaliate, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at Kurosaki-san grimly. It was a mixed of sympathy and anger.
I remained quiet since I really didn't know what to say. I could've defended Kurosaki-san but something told me that he won't appreciate it. He also saved my life and the least I could do was let him work this out by himself. We both knew nothing I say could help his case.
Finally, Kurosaki-san released a sharp exhale as he calmed down, not looking at Ishida-san or me for that matter.
"I get it, alright?" He mumbled softly.
Then he went to get my bags, he picked them up and tossed the umbrella to me. I almost didn't catch it, but fortunately, he didn't throw it too hard.
"Junko, let's go to the clinic already. Then you can go home." His voice was just neutrally soft and Ishida-san was eyeing Kurosaki-san intently.
I followed my orange haired classmate, bowing to Ishida-san along the way with a mumbled "Thanks." To which he nodded at. And I didn't question him about the thing he used to defeat the hollow. It looked some kind of energy-like weapon. My questions could take place later.
"Kurosaki." Ishida-san called.
Kurosaki-san stopped on his tracks but he didn't turn around to face Ishida-san.
"If it means anything, we're here." Our classmate said as he pushed his glasses up again.
I saw Kurosaki-san smirked as he looked at Ishida-san over his shoulder, the tension leaving his shoulders.
"I know." My orange haired classmate simply replied before resuming our walk. I nodded once again to Ishida-san who returned it with a kind nod of his own before turning around and walked the opposite direction from us.
"Kurosaki-san?" I called out hesitantly as I followed him.
"Ichigo."
I blinked.
"What?"
He raised an eyebrow at me with a light smirk.
"Just call me Ichigo, Kurosaki-san makes me feel like my old man." He told me as he shrugged.
Remembering how he just saved our hides back there, I assumed that it's the least I could do for him. Does this mean we're friends? Regardless, I found myself grinning up at him quite childishly.
"Then Ichigo-san it is."
It would seriously take some time to get used to calling him that.
It had been five days since the incident.
Ichigo-san and I hadn't really talked about it. But he did explain the concept of the spirits to me, though when I asked him how he came to know it, he refused to tell me. I just shrugged it off since it seemed to bother him. Even though I considered us friends, I didn't have the courage to really approach Ichigo-san in class or outside for that matter.
So I spent my lunches either in the library or benches outside the gym on my own.
There were times that Orihime-san had urged me to join them but I always refused since I felt very awkward every time I saw Ishida-san. Curiosity was eating at my insides very slowly like some bacteria but I was too intimidated by Ishida-san (even though he just saved me) to really question him about it. So I was left stewing in silence, always wondering what was he and that energy he used to kill off the hollow.
But I was shocked when two days ago, Ichigo-san joined me in the library. I even gawked at him like an idiot when he sat across from me, as if he was another entity from outer space that had just landed in front of me.
It went something along like this.
"Wha–?" I choked out in surprise. "Are you lost?" I blurted out the first thing that came to mind. Why would he be lost in the first place? He's been attending this school longer than I managed to be enrolled in one.
He raised an eyebrow at me.
"You're not serious, are you?" His brows furrowed. "Do I look anything close to lost to you?" There was a hint of incredulity in his question.
I blushed despite myself. How did I always manage to make myself sound so foolishly stupid every time? It was a very disheartening notion on my part.
"Then what are you doing here?" I asked, perplexed as I openly stared at him with huge eyes.
"Am I interrupting something?" He quipped back with a question.
"No! No! I just…well, why are you even here, Kurosaki-san?" I shook my head to clear it from confusing thoughts.
He frowned.
"Do I really need a reason? I thought we're friends. And it's Ichigo to you, Junko." He reprimanded jovially, his lips almost twitching to a smirk.
"Kurosa–"
"Tanaka-san." He interrupted as he crossed his arms over his chest, though it was kind of weird to hear him calling me anything other than my first name.
I frowned at him, flabbergasted.
"You didn't answer my question, Kuro–"
"Tanaka." He cut me off again. This time, he was serious, judging from the starting signs of a scowl on his face.
Rubbing the back of my neck anxiously, I pursed my lips at him disapprovingly. He just cut me off two times!
"Fine," I exhaled as I glanced sharply at him. "Ichigo-san, you didn't answer my question." I repeated pointedly as I narrowed my eyes at him. My shock already gone replaced by annoyance.
He scratched his head idly with a hand as he grabbed a book from the pile that I was reading. Though he did raised an eyebrow when he saw it was the book for our math subject. What? I had nothing better to do so I just did something productive on my part.
"You waste your time for lunch just to read this?" Was that disbelief I hear? Yes, it was. He even looked at the book on his hands skeptically, as if it was just a joke I'm trying to pull on him.
"So what? I like reading." I replied rather defensively as I tried to snatch the book from his grasp. I couldn't keep the offended tone from leaking into my voice.
Kuro–I mean, Ichigo-san managed to pull back my book just in time to take it away from my reach.
"I like reading too but even I won't waste my lunch time–where I could be feeding my malnourished and hungry body with food instead of trying to implode my brain with unnecessary reading. We haven't even discussed anything properly yet." He shook his head wryly at me, dryly eyeing the book in his grasp.
I couldn't help it when my jaw dropped. Was he mocking me?
Wait, did he just imply that I was malnourished?
"Are you kidding me?" I breathed out, I was starting to get lightheaded from the sheer incredulity that was Kurosaki Ichigo.
He inclined his head to the side.
"It depends on what you're talking about, you have to be more specific." He told me as he leaned back on his chair, tilting up the wood contraption backwards.
I felt my face redden. But it wasn't determined yet if it was from anger or embarrassment.
So I did the only thing that first came to mind. I chucked a book at him.
"Jerk!" I berated him.
Like I expected, he dodged it easily.
So since that uneventful encounter, he made it a point to just sit across from me in the library. Like a lingering presence that I couldn't shake off. And sometimes, he would join me in eating lunch outside the gym. I knew that we were friends but I really didn't know what compelled him to hang out with me. Why couldn't he just join Orihime-san and the others? Not that I didn't appreciate his company or anything.
We encountered another hollow on my third day to school and at that time, I did my job well of guiding him to fight the creature if I do say so myself (even though my knees shook in nervousness). Thankfully, it was another low class and Ichigo-san managed to finish it using a pocket knife I didn't even know he had with him. Slashing its mask cleanly in half that even I was impressed. Yasutora-san arrived after, only to look at Ichigo-san skeptically when I mentioned that the hollow's already gone.
The reaction seemed to irritate Ichigo-san.
I was starting to worry for him, couldn't he see that his friends were just worried for his safety? It was only a low class hollow and we (he) could barely fight it. What if something higher appeared? Then we're screwed. I just knew it.
Now though, we were on our way home. Specifically, I was. Ichigo-san just went along with me after Kojima-san and Asano-san went somewhere else.
"Oi, Junko…" He called as I looked up at him with curious eyes.
"What does the great Kurosaki Ichigo-san need?" I asked dramatically with a tilt to my head.
By now, I was getting comfortable around him that I could joke stupidly like this.
He scowled.
"Would you stop that?" He demanded, annoyed.
"Sorry, sorry. Just couldn't resist the jab." I grinned at him widely, not looking repentant at all.
But it was true, every time I was at school, he seemed to enjoy bossing me around. When we're in the library, he was the one who would pile the books that I should read instead. When eating lunch, he would be the one buying the drinks (not even asking me if I prefer what he bought).
He scoffed at me, clearly disbelieving.
"Yuzu and Karin wanted to meet you so I'm inviting you to dinner." He stated nonchalantly as if it wasn't such a big deal.
"Tomorrow?" I asked excitedly.
"Not tomorrow but dinner tonight." He corrected casually.
I stopped on my tracks.
"Tonight? And you just told me now?" I questioned with wonder mixed with a heavy sense of incredulity as I stared at him wide-eyed, how could this guy be so relaxed about this! It was a good thing that Shuichi would be staying at a friend's tonight for some group report.
Ichigo-san frowned at me.
"What? Don't make such a big deal out of it. My sisters just wanted to meet you." He spoke, slight amusement in his tone.
"You should've said something a while ago. I could have bought something for them." I mumbled quietly, giving him the dirty eye through my bangs.
"It was supposed to be a surprise." He shrugged coolly before flicking me on the forehead.
I blinked at him.
"Wha–?" I was so stunned by the action that I just stared at him.
"You always got that stupid look on your face when you're surprised. It's worth it." He smirked as he strode ahead, leaving me behind.
I gaped at his back.
Then I ran to catch up to the guy. Why was he even enjoying my plight?
"You're such a jerk, Ichigo-san." I told him with a pout as I crossed my arms over my chest almost petulantly.
"Nothing I haven't heard before." He waved off dismissively, a dry look on his face.
Did he just make fun of my disability in insulting him properly?
So after that, I refused to utter a word to him. That's one of the easiest part that I can do that had aggravated him to no end. It seemed he wasn't one for awkward silences, especially stubborn silence that I was exuding.
This must be what it means to be friends…
When we arrived at their house, I was still surprised when Isshin-san attacked Ichigo-san.
Though Ichigo-san managed to dodge and retaliate with a punch, I was still horrified to witness him harming his father and vice versa. And I just stood there and watched with wide eyes as Isshin-san tried to catch Ichigo-san into a headlock to no avail.
Forcing my eyes to turn away from the spectacle, I sighed to myself.
"Ohayo!" I turned to the entrance at the end of the living room just to see a girl with short light brown hair. She had the same brown eyes as Ichigo-san. Wearing an apron, she smiled at me as she bowed. "I'm Kurosaki Yuzu!"
I felt a grin form on my lips as I returned the bow politely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yuzu-san. I'm Tanaka Junko." I introduced myself, though it was eerily similar to my first day in school, this was a lot warmer than I anticipated.
As I straightened, I saw her eyes brighten as she clasped her hands cheerfully to her chest, a large wooden spoon in her left hand. But when I blinked, she was already in front of me that I was stunned into silence. Like usual, I had my mouth hanging in awe as I stared at the girl.
"Wha–?" I furrowed my brows in confusion. "H–How did you…? But–" I tried to ask but the only thing that would come out of my lips were jumbled words, not enough to be considered coherent.
"You're Ichi-nii's friend?" Yuzu-san instead asked with a wide smile.
"I think so–" Why was it suddenly hard to admit? "I mean–yes, I'm his friend." I cleared my throat.
My eyes momentarily stared at Ichigo-san just to see him trying to kick off his father who was currently hugging him around his left leg. Though it was a comical sight, I had to admit. So I couldn't help it when a giggle escaped my lips.
"They're so silly, aren't they?" I looked back at Yuzu-san just to see her gazing at her older brother and father fondly with a soft smile.
"Boys." I heaved a large sigh but a grin tugged at my lips.
Yuzu-san turned knowing eyes at me.
"I'm sure you and Karin-chan will get along." She commented at me as she turned her gaze back to the fighting men.
"How would you know?" I asked with a raised eyebrow, I was honestly curious. We'd just exchanged three or so lines and she could already tell?
She was about to open her mouth to answer–
"Yeah, Yuzu, how would you know?"
–but an amused drawl made us both jump. We stared at the kitchen's doorway just to see another girl Yuzu-san's age. It seemed she was the one who inherited the looks from her father from dark hair, dark eyes and sharp but oddly soft visage.
I hastily bowed at her courteously.
"Tanaka Junko."
"Yeah, yeah. Ichi-nii's friend. Kurosaki Karin. Yuzu's been wanting to invite you to dinner ever since Ichi-nii told us about a new friend." She waved off dismissively, her eyes flickering to her older brother. I blinked at her, Ichigo-san spoke of me?
Then I recalled speaking of him to Shuichi. I wondered when I could get Ichigo-san and my brother to meet.
"He said that, huh?" I murmured to myself softly. Then I turned to them with a widening grin of my own. "It really is nice to meet the two of you." I told them sincerely.
Karin-san's cheeks turned slightly pink then she looked away as soon as she stared at me. Yuzu-san, meanwhile, beamed at me with a white smile, stretching widely as her eyes sparkled with some emotion I didn't manage to catch.
Then both of them turned to go to the kitchen, I silently trudged after them.
Karin-san looked over her shoulder.
"Oi, Goat-face, you attacked Ichi-nii while we have a guest, show some respect." She reprimanded calmly but her eyes narrowed at Isshin-san who froze from aiming a punch at Ichigo-san's face. "And dinner's ready." This time it was directed to Ichigo-san who nodded with a grunt.
But Isshin-san just stared at us with tears threatening to spill from his eyes as his lower lip trembled. Then he ran to a giant framed picture of a smiling, beautiful woman. Yuzu-san looked a great deal of her so she must be their mother.
That thought sent a pang of pain through me that I ignored, there's always later.
"Oh, Masaki! Look at how our children treat their good, old Daddy! They made me looked like an idiot to a possible new daughter! The pain! The misery!" He wailed as he clung to the photo.
I sweatdropped. I turned to Ichigo-san and his siblings just to see them ignoring the man and continuing venturing into the kitchen. As if it was normal and you just had to ignore it to bear with it. I knew the expression quite well.
Dinner, thankfully, wasn't of awkward silences or formal quietness. It was just a normal one.
"How's your shoulder, Junko-chan?" Isshin-san asked me with a grin though his eyes became sharper.
I smiled at him as I remembered how he had helped heal that.
"It's almost healed now. Thank you for asking." I nodded to him a little respectfully, for all his childish antics, I've got to admit that he's one of the most dedicated doctor I've encountered. Not to mention I owe him.
"Oh! Anything for my new daughter!" He laughed uproariously, sending bits of the rice in his mouth shooting out. Though I didn't understand why he kept insisting that I was to be his new daughter.
Yuzu-san frowned at him.
"Manners, dad." Her voice still had the same sweet tone but it had a slightly menacing hint that took me by surprise. Guess she and Karin-san aren't too different after all. "Don't talk when your mouth is full."
Then she turned to me, smiling serenely once again.
"So, where were you from before you moved to Karakura?" Yuzu-san asked me over the table.
All of their attention swivelled to my direction as I felt my cheeks blush a little.
"Well, our last stop had been Kawaguchi. Now though, I live with my younger brother." I answered truthfully with a shrug, though I did left some details out.
"Didn't you say that you and your brother live with your aunt?" Ichigo-san questioned confusedly, brows furrowed.
"She had to be somewhere else." I replied with a forced out chuckle. I wondered–
"Don't you dare talk back to me!"
–what she thought about us but I ignored the sudden rise of panic in my veins when they mentioned her. She was a very sensitive subject along with my parents. My aunt…
I saw Ichigo-san's family staring at me skeptically but I just forced my grin to stay in place.
As much as I hate lying to people, they didn't need to know.
Turning back to my food, I consumed a large amount of rice to occupy my mouth. I might suddenly blurt out things I wouldn't be able to explain without being a whimpering mess. As I started devouring (or timidly chew in my case) the food, I turned to the cook.
"This is so delicious!" I praised to Yuzu-san whose anticipating smile broadened into a satisfied grin.
"Thank you, I made dinner to be especially delicious for Ichi-nii's friend! A friend of nii-chan is a friend of ours, right Karin-chan?" She turned to her twin sister (which I noted that they looked and acted nothing alike).
Karin continued eating.
"Whatever." She mumbled but I noticed that she didn't deny it.
Silence prevailed again. The only sounds were the chopsticks and clanking of metal against porcelain.
"How old is your brother?" Ichigo-san then turned to ask me since no one from his family seemed to be willing to do so now.
"He's thirteen." I told him with a fond smile, remembering Shuichi always made me feel happy.
Ichigo-san blinked.
"Oh, he's only a year older than my sisters." He pointed to the aforementioned two who were now peering at us with curiosity. "What school does he attend then?"
"Mashiba Middle School," I answered somewhat unsurely. Why did he want to know?
My confusion must have shown on my face.
"Just asking though Yuzu and Karin goes there too." He shrugged, the frown on his face lightening somewhat. "Whe–"
Ichigo-san was unfortunately cut off as an exclamation interrupted our talk.
"Yuzu-chan! This is so yummy!" Isshin-san declared loudly as he held the bowl of soup up reverently in his grasps.
"I just recently learned to make that from one of mom's recipes." She instead stated with a winning smile.
I saw Karin-san and her older brother suddenly looked at their soups as if asking why it didn't show up earlier. Then they both took their spoons and took a careful sip of it and saw their eyes glint with warmth.
Tentatively, I took a spoonful of the hot, yellow creamy liquid. My mouth practically salivated at the taste, it was generally sweet but there were some salty ingredients blended in that seemed to melt in my mouth.
I grinned to myself for a while, it was on par with Shuichi's cooking!
But then, I felt it.
The growing throb in my throat was very familiar to me from past experiences when I had been too careless, like now. I could feel the muscles around my esophagus swell painfully. My spoon clattered on the floor beside me as I coughed.
My left hand gingerly held my neck as I abruptly stood up.
Ichigo-san was instantly on his feet as Yuzu-san looked at me with concern. Even Karin-san.
"My bag…" I choked out weakly as I turned to go to the living room where I left it a while ago.
I was just two feet away from my chair when my feet wobbled and I collapsed on my knees. The pain soaring as I wheezed and coughed. My eyes teared up as I found it hard to breathe, just like those other times.
Ichigo-san was now sitting on my side and I found myself not surprised to see Isshin-san occupying my other side with a serious expression on his face.
"Junko, what's wrong?" There was an edge of panic in my classmate's tone.
"Does…the soup have…cheese in it?" I wheezed out forcefully, tears streaming down my cheeks.
"…Yes." Yuzu-san hesitantly answered.
I hissed as my throat constricted painfully.
Cheese. I always had the horrible luck in the world. I knew that good things will never last but why me? And I was stupid enough to eat so casually without even asking. Now I must had made the poor girl guilty for this. Not her fault though.
But still.
I'm allergic to cheese.
"Allergic reaction." Isshin-san concluded as he brought his left arm under my knees while his right supported my shoulders and lifted me up as my sight blurred. "Ichigo, prepare the clinic." I vaguely heard him instruct with profound urgency and seriousness.
I just dazedly reacted to them as I wheezed and forced myself to take in oxygen to no avail.
Breathe, I needed to do just that.
So I breathed.
I had been excused from school for a day to rest.
Thankfully, Ichigo-san managed to find the medicine I always had with me in my bag just in case something like that happens. Isshin-san told me to take it easy since the lack of oxygen had knocked me unconscious–which had been a bad thing considering my airway had been blocked due to the swelling around my throat. Though I had been weakened considerably and was bedridden for a full day, I was now active and discharged by Isshin-san to go to school.
Yuzu-san had cried and apologized profusely for what happened which I kept saying that it wasn't her fault at all. Though I had to 'forgive' her just to calm her down. Even Karin-san had checked up on me occasionally, saying that I gave them quite the scare.
I felt like I had burdened the Kurosaki family.
Not a pleasant feeling at all since they had been nothing but nice to me every time.
I was currently sitting on my seat as we waited for Ochi-sensei to arrive. I find it kind of unusual since she was always punctual and never wasted a minute when it came to teaching. I idly fiddled with my hands.
As if just waiting for my mind to conjure her up, Ochi-sensei entered our room looking oddly flustered.
She cleared her throat loudly as she stepped in, getting all of our undivided attention. I blinked at her curiously, raising my eyebrows.
"I'm sorry for being late but the principal called me to fetch your new classmate!" For someone who forced herself to be ignorant of us, she sure seemed peculiarly perky. But as her words registered in my head, I frowned. Another transfer student?
But then inwardly brightened, I won't be so left out of this class anymore by being the only transferee!
So I sat at the edge of my seat, waiting with bated breath as I looked at the doorway.
Then a tall guy entered the room. I noticed that Ichigo-san, Orihime-san and some of their friends were tensed, as if ready to spring for action if something happens. And if I didn't know any better, they were readying for a battle of some sort. But why?
My emerald green met a pair of light blue orbs staring me straight in the eye.
I jumped a little at my seat, stunned and a little intimidated. Did I have something on my face? I wondered as I nervously smoothened non-existent tangles in my dark blue hair, not used at the abrupt interest.
Our new classmate was very tall. Even taller than Ichigo-san and had a lean but definitely athletic build. He was currently dressed in the male's school uniform with a dark blue under shirt as he slouched, as if bothered by standing. Light blue spiky hair adorned his head like a crown, blending well with his eyes.
I didn't even know why he was looking at me.
He bowed in front politely with a lazy smile.
"Ezekiel Hernandez."
He just stated his name, no pleasantries but straight to the point. His voice was deep and slow, like a drawl that conveyed boredom and laziness.
As Ochi-sensei gestured him to take the remaining empty seat, I realized with a start that the only one was next to me. And I didn't know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. As he walked the isle to the seat, his eyes never left mine and I twitched anxiously.
Why was he staring at me?
He stopped in front of my desk and smirked before bringing his hand in front of my face.
"Nice to meet you." He simply said, what was his name–Ezekiel Hernandez, oh, he must be a foreigner. But his accent didn't sound too different than a natural Japanese.
I stared at his hand as if it was a new invention I had no idea how to use.
So instead, he grabbed my hand and forcefully shook it with his as his smirk turned into a grin. Now I was kind of terrified, and not in the good way.
Then I noticed Ichigo-san looking back at us with wide eyes, but anger and confusion stood in them.
I turned my gaze back to Hernandez-san just to see that he had let go of my hand and had already went to sit down on his seat. The tension in the room was palpable but others didn't seem to notice other than I, Ichigo-san and his friends.
Just who was this transferee?
AN: I intend to continue this story and thanks for those who bothered to read it. Please review this time, 'kay?