Long time no see, I guess.
Enjoy reading this chapter and I've got an update for both of my Bleach stories. Updates from me have always been slow and I'm pretty sure that many of those who are following both, "Light in the Dark" and "Survive", already forgot that they even exist. I'll make this quick and cut to the case. Since Bleach isn't my main interest anymore, I've got problems getting inspiration to write for it and so my main focus lies on my How to train your Dragon fic, which means that one will probably (or not because I know myself) be updated more often.
The last time I updated anything for this fic, it was to tell you that I wanted to try updating with a concept. It didn't work exactly out like I planned it to, and I'm still trying to follow my plan but I had this chapter lying around for a few months now and I saw that I was getting nowhere so I just thought it would be better to publish it instead of letting it gather dust in the corner for a few more months until I get off my lazy ass and get the other chapters done.
Alright. That's actually it. Have fun reading.
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Chapter 2 - Missing Him
The clashing of swords echoed through the wast landscape.
Kisuke Urahara stood on one of the many boulders of his underground training room, watching as his newest apprentice sparred with his oldest friend. He observer her very closely as she slashed, dodged and paried. The young woman was determined. She learned well and put her everything she had into her training. She may not have been at her late brother's level of skill, but she had his stubbornness. And the will to continue no matter what happened.
He remembered the day Isshin Kurosaki had come looking for him. He had asked for help for he feared for his two remaining children. Kisuke didn't know what made him agree. Maybe it was the way his friend held himself. Determined, yet wary of the world. The warmth had left his eyes and was instead replaced by sorrow. He had looked old and broken. In the end, it was agreed that Karin Kurosaki would be trained in the art of the Shinigami. If only to protect herself and her sister form the fate their brother had suffered. When Ichigo had not come back from school one day, nobody had been concerned at first. It wasn't unusual for the teenager to stay away from home for a day or two, especially since he had been more withdrawn than usual at the time. But when three days has passed without a word from him and even the others were didn't know anything, they went out looking for him.
They had managed to track the missing teen by tracking what little of his Reiatsu he had left within him.
But all they could find was blood. Lots of it.
The place was filled with traces of Hollow Reiatsu.
The Kurosaki family was hit the hardest. Yuzu wouldn't stop crying, Karin simply stopped talking and Isshin would stare at nothing for hours until someone snapped him out of it. Ichigo's friends would argue, put the blame on each other and themselves as they all felt they had failed their friend.
Kisuke himself had locked himself in his room and tried to deny the truth. He had tried tracking his student and only went out to search the town again and again. He always came back empty handed. He even tried to contact the Visored. Most of them had been welcomed back into the ranks of the Gotei Thirteen. Their "crimes" had been pardoned and they were highly valuable allies for the Seireitei. Hyori and Shinji were among the few that had stayed in the living world. They didn't want to return to a place that would turn on their own in a heartbeat.
And even though Ichigo had changed a lot in the time he was a Shinigami, the Visored didn't trust the Gotei.
But contacting them hadn't been as easy as he'd imagined. Their new duties as Captains and Lieutenants had taken up a lot of their time. Not to mention the fact that they were now under the jurisdiction of the Captain Commander and the newly instated Central 46. Leaving and going as freely as they were used to wasn't possible anymore.
In the end, Shinji and Hyori weren't able to help either, so he had requested the aid of the Captains who were close to their missing friend.
"Kurosaki Ichigo has been killed by a Hollow, his soul is lost to us." The Captain Commander had said. "It will reappear here in the Soul Society as the Hollow is slain. We have no choice, but to wait."
Kisuke had been furious at their response. No one of the other Captains had tried to reason with the old man. No one had suggested hunting down the Hollow. Of course, finding one Hollow out of many others would have been a pain, but Ichigo would have done it. He would have marched right into Hueco Mundo and single handedly found the Hollow and cleansed it himself if it had been one of them.
To see not one of the Captains be willing to do something like that for the one they had hailed as a hero only days before had felt like a betrayal.
In the end, he had no choice, but to accept that facts. Ichigo had been declared dead and his soul lost. The funeral had been a small affair. Only his close family and friends had attended. No Shinigami was present.
Not even Rukia or Renji.
…
His attention snapped back into the present, as a sharp cry pierced the air. He looked over at the women just as the younger one jumped into the air and brought her Zanpakuto down, only to be caught in the palms of Yoruichi. She smirked up at Karin and changed her grip on the sword to throw her over her shoulder and smash her into the ground.
Yoruichi stood at the edge of the small crater she created and looked down at the beaten shape of her student.
"Ma, ma, Karin. What was that? You're usually better than this. Get yourself into gear and show me what you can do!", she criticized. Piercing, golden eyes locked with his for a moment. "And you, Kisuke! What are you just standing around for over there? She's your student, too you know."
His fan snapped open as he smirked back at his friend. "I'm quite happy where I am, my dear Yoruichi-chan! But she's right, Karin-san", he said, turning to the young woman who was just now struggling to get out of the crater. "Your performance just now was poorly at best. May I ask what it is that is distracting you so much?"
Karin looked over briefly before turning away from him. "It's nothing. I guess I'm just tired."
Kisuke internally sighed. Sometimes… she was just like her brother.
"Let's call it a day, then. Get some rest and tomorrow, we'll continue.", he told her uncharacteristically soft. Karin looked alarmed.
"W-What? No! I'm alright. I can still train. I'm not weak!" The young woman would have continued if not for the hand that landed on her shoulder. She looked beside her and met Yoruichi's stern gaze. No words were exchanged, but it seemed to be enough. In the end, Karin huffed out a quiet "Fine…" and went upstairs to get herself cleaned up.
The two older Shinigami bid her farewell at the entrance of his small home and watched her leave.
"It's that time of the year again, isn't it? Time sure does fly by…" Yoruichi said, somber.
"Indeed it does."
The pair went back inside. It was starting to rain. Tessai made them a warming tea, feeling the subdued mood in the room. "She's so much like him, isn't she?"
Kisuke gave no reply, it wasn't needed anyway. That sentence ran through his head whenever he was watching her fight. Karin never relied on pure instinct in battle like Ichigo may have, but she was his sister. He practically raised her and Yuzu by himself – Isshin wasn't in the right mind to look after his kids for a long time after Masaki passed – so it was only natural to have picked up some of his habits. It only increased more after his death.
The determination she showed when fighting, her whole style was similar to his and more often than not she found herself in trouble for running headfirst into things. She even adopted his permanent scowl.
The former Captain wasn't as harsh as he was with Ichigo in her training, though. Mainly because he was worried that she might not be able to handle things as her brother did, much to her protest. It didn't mean that the pair went easy on her. No, if anything, the former Captains were even harsher on her than their former student. And while there was time for things to be taken slowly, as not threat lurked on the horizon, weakness or slaking off were not tolerated. Kisuke made a promise to Isshin. Kami knew the man wouldn't survive losing another member of his family because of his carelessness.
But he took time in showing her the art of the Zanpakuto, letting her form a deep bond that progressed as time passed and showing her the finer aspects of the art so she could eventually create her own fighting style. Yoruichi took care of the basics of hand-to-hand combat while Tessai was patiently teaching her Kidou.
It turned out, being bad at Kidou was in the Kurosakis' blood.
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The rest of the day passed uneventful as did the following night. Many would even claim it to be peaceful. But the Kurosaki household was anything but. Nightmares plagued the minds of the two younger siblings. Even after almost a decade, that fateful day never let go of them.
Karin sat upright in her bed, having just awoken from a particularly horrifying and graphic dream. A look over to the empty bed on the opposite wall told her that her sister must have had a similar problem. The young woman took deep and even breaths. She could hear her Zanpakuto whisper comforting words from her inner world. This must have been how he must have felt like for years after their mother's death. He was right there when she left their world.
It must have been a nightmare. A nightmare no child his age should have lived through. She remembered the shell he had been for weeks afterward to this day.
Ghostly hands touched her shoulders. "Sleep, my child… I will keep the horrors of the night back once more for you."
Karin exhaled shakily. She would trust her inner spirit. As she always will. For it will never lie to her.
"The truth of the night shall be revealed in time…"
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I hope you enjoyed it, and don't forget to review on your way out. :)