Fourth chapter
Fourth chapter! Everything here (almost) will be about Tatsuki and Orihime's adventures with the Lach. But first…
Oh, and there will be a time-skip here (meaning at the start of the chapter they're still 10 and after the first part they're older) so there are definitely going to be changes in their attitude.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed!
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It was another peaceful night at the Kingdom of Karakura. The sun had long set, the shops had now closed, parents are now relaxing at home, and the trouble-making ten year old's are now in their beds, recuperating their energy for the fun-filled day tomorrow.
Yoruichi sat on her chair as she looked out of the window. Indeed, it was a peaceful night. The moon shone brightly, casting light on every object on the face of this part of earth. Nocturnal animals were alive and kicking, their cries blending together, making the relaxing evening music of nature. And, even though it was summer, the gentle breeze entering the window is enough to cool anyone who yearns for it.
"Sure is peaceful, huh?" Soi Fong entered the room, sitting beside the purple-haired woman.
"Are they asleep?" Yoruichi turned to the other woman, who nodded.
"Yep, the other bed was empty though."
"What?!" Yoruichi stood up. But before she could run any further, Soi Fong grabbed the back of her shirt. "Calm down. I checked the other bed and both of them were there."
"Thank goodness." The other woman sighed with relief.
"I overheard them talking about some scary story." The dark-haired woman explained.
"Oh." Yoruichi said, piecing together the events. Remembering that Orihime is easily spooked, the purple-haired woman concluded that Tatsuki let the other girl sleep with her for comfort.
"Are we really teaching them right?" Soi Fong asked from out of the blue.
"Of course we are! Orihime's as normal as possible and Tatsu-chin's mastered fighting styles people twice her age don't even know about!"
"I don't mean that…I mean the normal…family stuff…"
"Soi, we already taught them how to do chores, remember?"
"I don't mean that either…"
"Stop beating around the bush and tell me."
"Yoruichi-sama…what was the first thing you learned about a family?"
"The fact that a family has a mother, a fa--" Yoruichi's eyes widened. "Oh…you're worried about that?"
"Yeah…The girls don't know what it's like to be in an actual family…Basically they just live with us." Soi Fong looked out the window, her cheek resting on her hand.
"Oh, come on! We're an actual family." Yoruichi put her hands on her hips, earning a look from the other woman.
"No, we're not. Other people will basically consider us to be two women taking in two girls."
"OK, Soi. It's my turn to ask a question. What is the one and only thing that brought the mother and father together?"
"Love." Soi Fong answered.
"And people say that that can be in different forms, correct?"
"Yes."
"So…don't you think what brought us together is the same thing that brought your typical parents together? And what we're giving to Tatsuki and Orihime is basically the same as what any ordinary parent is giving to their child?"
"I guess…" The other woman said, her expression lightening to a little smile. "Yoruichi-sama can be pretty wise at times…when she needs to…"
After a brief moment of silence, Yoruichi snickered, capturing the attention of Soi Fong. "You, know Soi…we are basically the same as ordinary parents…so…" the purple-haired woman trailed off, the remaining words can be read in her smirk.
"Yoruichi-sama…"
--
Orihime snapped her eyes open. The room was dark. Yoruichi or Soi Fong must have closed the door when they were asleep. Now the only light source would be coming from their window. Then, she heard a sound.
"T-tatsuki-chan!" the orange-haired girl yelped, trying to wake the girl beside her.
No reply. Orihime jumped as she heard another sound.
"Tatsuki-chan!" she called again, shaking the spiky-haired girl harder.
"Ngghh…" Tatsuki groaned as she turned her back on the girl.
"Tatsuki-chan!!"
"Zswha…?" Tatsuki snorted as she woke up. Rubbing her eyes, she noticed the other girl was trembling. "Wha tis it?" she managed to yawn.
"I heard something…" Orihime held onto the other girl's arm. "I-It could be the Grand Fisher they were talking ab-bout!"
"The thing that got Ichigo's mom?" Tatsuki looked around. "No one's here but us, go back to sleep." The spiky-haired girl resumed resting her head on her half of the pillow, but she soon found herself sitting again as Orihime pulled her up.
"But Tatsuki-chaaaan…" Another sound. "There it is again!" Orihime whined, latching onto the other girl's neck.
"Shh. I won't be able to tell if you keep screaming off that head of yours." The spiky-haired girl, realizing that getting to the bottom of this will be the best way for her to get back to sleep, covered her Orihime's mouth.
Both of them listened as a cloud covered the moon. For a moment, they were in complete darkness: A perfect time for any enemy to attack. Tatsuki sharpened her senses, trying to detect any sign that might give away the attacker's position. Then, a sound. The spiky-haired girl jumped off the bed, initiating a high-jump kick aimed at the enemy's head.
Orihime, on the other hand, was unable to do anything. Half the reason would be she was paralyzed with fear and the other half would be she doesn't have the faintest idea on how to fight. She just closed her eyes as she felt Tatsuki leave her side, and prayed that the Grand Fisher, or whatever it was, would leave them alone after the other girl had kicked its behind.
The cloud passed, rendering the moon to cast light on the room once more. Orihime only stared at Tatsuki, who had only hit air when she kicked and then hit the floor with her backside when she fell. "What the heck? There's no one here! Orihime…!"
"B-but I swear! See!" Orihime said; a sound following after she spoke. After that another sound followed, but this time it was more understandable, as it was a very, very loud "Yoruichi-sama!"
Tatsuki grunted as she made her way back to her bed. "Crazy girl, it's just their kind of night. Go back to sleep." The spiky-haired girl said as she got under the covers.
"So…There's no monster?"
"The only monster here would be those noises that Yoruichi-sensei and Soi-sensei are making in the other room." The spiky-haired girl said, weakly wacking the other girl with a pillow. "Now let me get some sleep!"
--
…WROOOOOAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH…
"What was that?" Soi Fong sat up, hearing the strange racket.
"What was what?"
"There was a roar…"
"Oh, Soi…Don't tell me you got spooked too?" Yoruichi chuckled. "And I thought you'd be too tired to think after--"
…RROOOAAAAAAAARRRRGGGGGGHHHH…
"Told you." Soi Fong smirked as both of them got up. She then raised an eyebrow when Yoruichi did not pick up her clothes. "Yoruichi-sama? You're not thinking of going out naked, are you?"
"Of course not." Yoruichi made her way to the dresser, digging in the bottom shelf. She grinned, as she was able to find the things she was looking for. "Here!" She handed one to Soi Fong.
"What the…you brought these with you?!" the dark-haired woman said in surprise, staring at the black garment, their old uniforms.
"You didn't notice?" Yoruichi raised an eyebrow. "To think, after all these years you didn't know that our old uniforms were just in the bottom drawer."
"Probably because you told me never to open it." Soi Fong argued as she started putting it on. "Still fits like a glove."
"Mine too…nee, Soi…still remember this?" Yoruichi turned around, showing the other woman the butterfly symbol on her back.
"Wasn't that when you were teaching me on how to release my zanpakuto?" the dark-haired woman said, recalling the sparring session years ago.
"Yep. That was also the time you found out that these 'thingies', as you called them, couldn't be removed with soap and water."
"Yeah but it proved useful when I needed to know where you were."
"Oh the times when you were stalking?" Yoruichi grinned, earning a glare from her companion. "Yoruichi-sama!"
"Alright, alright!" Yoruichi chuckled as they made their way out the window. Soi Fong landed on a tree branch as Yourichi landed on the grass, both of them making their way towards the faint roars of a possible enemy.
Soi Fong arrived first, jumping out of the trees and landing perfectly on the ground. Yoruichi followed, emerging from a clump of bushes. "Well, well…we haven't seen these in a long time…"
What they were facing was a human-like creature, except for the fact that it had spines on its thick neck. It had markings all over its body, colored in blood red. Its face cannot be seen, as its head had a mask painted with the same bloody lines.
"Hmm… a Fishbone Hollow…" Soi Fong remarked as she got closer to the beast, as it prepared to throw a punch in her direction.
"They're still that slow? This isn't going to be fun…" Yoruichi said as she saw the other woman jump to dodge the punch, and retaliate with her own, sending the enemy to the other side of the meadow.
Hollows were created a long time ago…when Yoruichi and her age group were still teens. These masked creatures were a result of a crazy man attempting to create the 'perfect' human being. Of course, there was a big explosion, scattering dangerous chemicals (each one equipped with a superhuman trait) that turned the surrounding village into these masked creatures.
Fishbone hollow, as you may have guessed, is a subspecies of hollows. They were the people that had been hit with the chemicals designed to enhance a human's aquatic ability, or have gotten killed or injured by another fishbone hollow.
"Soi!!" Yoruichi called to the other woman, throwing something in the air. Soi Fong caught it and unwrapped it in mid-air. "My zanpakuto!"
Zanpakutos. They were originally created as a special arsenal on vanquishing hollows. Each sword had its own name, and also obeys only one person. Some were even blessed with divine power.
"Jinteki Syakusetsu, Suzumebachi!" Soi Fong shouted, her sword reshaping, wounding itself to her arm. It covered her forearm, a chain connecting it with a golden blade located on her middle finger.
The dark-haired woman ran towards her opponent, hitting it once, twice…then a third time. She and the hollow went to the opposite sides of the meadow; Soi Fong was unscathed while the Fishbone had Suzumebachi's marks on its back, left leg and mask.
"Time to finish this horseplay!" the dark-haired woman rushed to the hollow, intent on hitting one of the three targets…
…But before Soi Fong could get to he opponent, the Fishbone's mask was split in two, stopping everyone in their tracks.
Soi Fong and Yoruichi could only watch the hollow disintegrate, getting a feeling of de ja vu. "That style…" Yoruichi said, her eyes wide. "Isshin!"
The said man landed on the grass, wearing a black loose outfit similar to Yoruichi's and Soi Fong's, only designed for men. "If it isn't the cat and the bee! How've you two been?" Isshin said, smiling as he sheathed his sword.
"We're fine…But it's been a long time since our last hollow encounter." Yoruichi shrugged. She then turned around, and suggested the two adults follow her. "Come on, we can't catch up here…It's cold!"
--
"Aren't they cute?" Isshin said as he peeked at the slightly open door, smiling at the sight of the two girls sleeping. He then closed the door, knowing that the girls might wake up if he didn't. "They kinda remind me of you two when you two were at that age."
"Nahh…Neither of them serves the other anyway…" Yoruichi said, drinking her cup of tea.
"Both of them are from noble families…so they aren't like us at all." Soi Fong added as she sat beside the purple-haired woman.
"…I heard about Kisuke." Isshin said after drinking. "And they checked for survivors. I take it that you didn't just leave our hometown just to escape the war?"
"You were always good with this kind of stuff…" Yoruichi sighed. "You got us. We're--"
"Raising the princess." Isshin finished her sentence. "In other words, Masaki's and my niece."
He then paused to scratch his head. "But who is the other girl? You said she was from a noble family?"
"You remember the refuge center, right?" Soi Fong asked, earning a nod from the king. "That girl was a survivor, as well as the heir to the Arisawa clan."
"The Arisawa Clan?!" Isshin's eyes went wide.
"Look at her stomach. Heirs are always marked in hidden parts of the body so that they can't be recognized…from what Kuukaku's told me." Yoruichi said. "Oh, right! I overheard the girls talking about…Grand Fisher? And how it got Masaki?"
"Yeah…" Isshin sighed. "Seems they're targeting royalty now. That was probably the same reason on why there was a Fishbone heading in to this house."
"I better start teaching Tatsu-chin how to battle them…" Yoruichi said to herself.
"Which reminds me…" Isshin stood up, and made his way towards the door. "I'll be…taking Orihime with me two years from now. More hollows might start going after her if she stays here…Oh, and how about you two join the scouts once in a while? There have been new hollows roaming these parts and I want to keep you guys in the loop." And with that, he closed the door.
"Damn his 'no arguments' tone." Yoruichi said.
Soi Fong turned to the purple-haired woman. "Two years? Why can't he leave Kisuke's kid with us?!"
"Because…we're not that efficient in dealing with hollows anymore…" Yoruichi explained, earning a look from the other woman. "I mean…look at that battle a while ago. Usually you hit hollows with only two blows."
"Well, that was because I haven't seen or used Suzumebachi for years!"
"Exactly. Isshin is testing us. He wants to know if we can prove to be good guards for his niece."
"So…if we can prevent any more hollow attacks…he won't get Orihime?"
"Hopefully…But, we're not really sure on how Isshin's mind works, are we?"
--
"Tatsu-chin! We're leaving!" Yoruichi shouted.
"Say, when will you two be getting back, anyway?" Tatsuki asked as she picked up some books lying around.
"A few days--Oh crap!" Yoruichi remembered. "Soi!"
"Huh?" Soi Fong set the pack on the horse then went to the doorway. "What's the matter?"
"Well…we sort of…forgot that these two can't look after themselves…"
"Eh? I thought you taught Tatsuki how to cook?" Soi Fong raised an eyebrow as Yoruichi's eyes widened.
"Ahehe…Oops…" Yoruichi rubbed the back of her head.
"Yoruichi-sama!"
"Sorry, Soi…But it was either that or Projectile Weapons…You know I can't resist long-range sparring…" the purple-haired woman scratched her cheek.
"Well…we obviously can't let Orihime do the cooking…" Soi Fong sighed.
"Oh yeah…" Yoruichi agreed, remembering the last time they let Orihime cook. Let's just say that Ryuujin nearly burned the house (as well as the surrounding forest) after eating.
"Well, I guess we have no choice…" Soi Fong shook her head. Then she went in the house, where Tatsuki, Orihime and Ryuujin were.
"Tatsuki, do you have any friends you can stay with for a few days?" the dark-haired woman asked. She then noticed the bags on that the two girls were holding. "What are those for?"
"Yeah. Rukia's place." Tatsuki said simply.
"Kuchiki-san invited us to a sleep-over." Orihime explained.
"Yeah, but she shouldn't have called it something else…since we're practically staying there for at least a week!" Tatsuki said.
"That's good." Soi Fong nodded, although she was surprised that the girls didn't tell them. "But wait, what about Ryuujin?" she asked, pointing to the white dragon, which now had grown twice as large as it was before.
"Rukia says we can come back to feed him. Since he's too big and might probably scare Michiru to death." Tatsuki explained, earning a giggle from the orange-haired girl beside her. Soi Fong nodded and made her way out.
"So, what did they say? I guess we'll have to talk to their friend's parents first, huh?" Yoruichi asked.
"Actually, they were already planning at staying at another house. Even if we weren't leaving…"
"Eh?!" Yoruichi said incredulously.
"Orihime said they were invited to Kuchiki-san's place for a week…" Soi Fong explained.
"Oh no! They're already drifting away from us…Oh, what are we to do…." Yoruichi said dramatically.
"Yoruichi-sama, have you been talking to the village parents again?" Soi Fong shook her head.
"If you consider Isshin as a village parent, then yes." The purple-haired woman answered, nodding as she earned another shake of the head. "Hey, at least I don't keep a tapestry of my dead wife and worship it every time the girls do something without me." She joked.
"Probably 'cause I'm still alive." Soi Fong added as she chuckled.
"Yoruichi-sensei, Rukia's here." Tatsuki said, gesturing to a dark-haired girl beside her.
"Yoruichi-sensei, Soi-sensei, this is Kuchiki-san. Kuchiki-san, this is Yoruichi-sensei and Soi-sensei." Orihime said, pointing to each person as she mentioned their names.
"As you can see, we live with them since neither of us has living parents." Tatsuki added.
"I'm Kuchiki Rukia. Nice to meet you." Rukia bowed, introducing herself.
"Err...Nice to meet you, too." Both Yoruichi and Soi Fong bowed.
"I take it that Tatsuki and Orihime will be staying at your place?" Soi Fong asked.
"Yes. I hope I'm not taking them without your approval…" Rukia said politely.
"Well, no. It would be very convenient…since we will be gone for a few days." Yoruichi said. "So I hope they will be on their best behavior." The purple-haired woman turned to the two girls.
"We will, Yoruichi-sensei." Tatsuki and Orihime chorused.
"Thank you. Shall we go then?" Rukia asked, earning nods from the girls.
--
Yoruichi and Soi Fong watched as the two girls leave with Rukia, the dark-haired girl leading the way, Orihime in the middle and Tatsuki at the back, carrying all the bags.
"Say…she looks just like her doesn't she?" Soi Fong noticed, smiling a little.
"Yeah…Wait! Didn't Rukia say that her last name was Kuchiki?" Yoruichi tuned to the other woman.
Soi Fong's eyes widened. "Wow, this really is a small world."
--
"And here we are!" Rukia shouted as she opened the door to her house.
"Oof." Tatsuki placed all their bags on the floor. "Say, Rukia. Why'd you do that 'good girl' act of yours a while ago?"
"Well…I thought they weren't gonna let you guys go. Soi-sensei looks a little strict."
"Not really. Soi-sensei's a little soft when it comes to us…" Orihime giggled.
"That's why she tends to worry a lot." Tatsuki added.
"Hmm…I guess there's more to them than I thought." Rukia tapped her chin, thinking.
"Hey, guys! Or should I say girls?" Mahana barged in. Her big brother followed, carrying his little sister's stuff. "Er, Onii-san, you can put my stuff down now."
Chad did what his little sister said and turned to the girls. Giving Mahana a pat on the head and a nod to the three girls, he then made his way back to the town.
"Whoa, you didn't even thank him." Tatsuki said.
"Hey, I tried to tell him I can do it by myself, but he just grabbed the bags without hearing what I have to say!" Mahana huffed, crossing her arms. "Onii-san is so over-protective!"
"Tell me about it…" Rukia mumbled out of earshot.
"Pardon, Kuchiki-san?"
"I-I said it was kind of like what Tatsuki's doing to Inoue?" Rukia laughed nervously.
"I thought I made it clear to everyone that I'm a girl!" Tatsuki shouted as Orihime giggled.
"YOU LADIES READY TO--Ow!!" Chizuru entered, her words cut off by Ryo hitting the red-haired girl with her book. "Hey!" Chizuru shouted, her hands on the top of her head.
"Please remember that you are in another person's house and not in the mountains." Ryo reminded, opening her reading material.
"Haha…Hello, everyone." Michiru said uneasily. "Am I late?"
"Nah. Just the last one to arrive." Rukia said.
"That's good." Michiru replied. Her eyes scanned the other girls and then noticed another thing. "Hey…She isn't here?" The brown-haired girl asked, turning to Chizuru.
"Meh, she's going to be here. Fourth day; said she didn't want to draw 'suspicion'." Chizuru shrugged.
"Huh? But the gang's all here!" Tatsuki turned to Rukia. "Who are they talking about?"
"You'll see." Rukia smiled. "Now, why don't we put these upstairs?"
"Rukia." A voice said. The girls looked at one another, and found out that it didn't belong to one of them. Then, turning to the stairway, they found out that the voice belonged to a dark-haired man.
"Oh. Good morning, Onii-sama." Rukia greeted him, looking a little relieved.
"I take it that these will be your guests for the rest of the week?" Rukia's brother eyed the girls. The four girls, the blacksmith's daughter, the baker's only child, Honsho's only daughter, and Kunaeda's eldest child, had been here before. His eyes then went to the orange-haired girl beside his little sister. His eyes widened when he saw the child on the orange-haired girl's right. A child (probably a girl, since he explicitly said that there will be no boys entering the house) with dark, spiky hair which, when hit by light, turns dark purple. She was wearing pants, the reason why she probably stands out, since her companions are all in skirts. But, what stunned him the most were her eyes, which were an all-too-familiar shade of blue (1). "Rukia, who are they?"
"Oh, right. I forgot they have never been here before. They are--"
"I want them to speak."
"I-inoue Orihime…Ni-nice to meet you…" Orihime said uneasily, bowing.
"Charmed. And you?" He turned to the other girl, his tone demanding rather than asking.
"Arisawa Tatsuki, sir." Tatsuki said, trying her best to stay calm. After bowing, she almost gasped, as his eyes were still on her.
"Kuchiki Byakuya." He introduced himself. "Rukia, Hisana is asleep. Be sure you don't wake her up, nor cause any trouble the week I'll be absent."
"Hai, Onii-sama. Have a good trip." Rukia said as Byakuya opened the door, and shut it without a sound.
--
Byakuya leaned on the door as he sighed.
"Luckily your little Kaida didn't get them …" He said to no one in particular. And with that, he started walking towards the palace.
--
"Whoa." Tatsuki sighed, still looking at the closed door.
"Th-that was scary…" Orihime managed to say.
"You'll get used to it." Ryo said. She and the other girls looked unaffected.
"Does he always do that?" Tatsuki asked.
"The part where he goes down the stairs unnoticed and gives you a scare, yes. But, come to think of it…Kuchiki-san let Rukia-chan introduce us…" Michiru said, tapping her chin.
"Yeah. From the looks of it, he was awfully curious about you guys…" Mahana added.
"Oh, no! He was probably ogling my Hime!" Chizuru said, earning a very strong hit on the head from Tatsuki.
"In case you didn't notice, Chizuru, he was looking at Tatsuki. He sorta seemed shocked too." Mahana pointed out, making all the other girls look at their spiky-haired companion.
"Hey, don't look at me! I don't know him!" Tatsuki said.
"I've never seen Onii-sama look so surprised before…" Rukia said.
"Say, maybe your Dad knows him?" Ryo asked, her interest now moving from her book to the conversation.
"I don't have a dad." Tatsuki said simply.
"Then what about your Mom?"
"I don't have a mom either, one that's blood-related anyway…" The spiky-haired girl answered, scratching her cheek.
"Eh?! You don't have parents?! Then, how did you--" Chizuru exclaimed, Ryo cut her off by hitting her with her book once more.
"Well…it's a long story."
"We've got the whole week."
Tatsuki looked at Orihime. "Why not, Tatsuki-chan? They're our friends after all." The orange-haired girl smiled.
"I guess…" The spiky-haired girl turned to the girls. "You see, Yoruichi-sensei and Soi-sensei were leaving their hometown. You see, Orihime's Dad, who was apparently the king of the place, sent them with 60 day-old Orihime, so that she can escape the war. When they were reaching the outskirts of the town, they found out that everyone in the refuge center was killed. Well, except for me. They found me in the bushes, and decided that they'd take me in, since my parents were probably killed and a 45-day old baby can't just go out hunting for food."
"Wow."
"I barely understood that. Good thing Rukia's drawings are always a great help!" Chizuru gave a thumbs-up. Tatsuki looked behind her, and saw Rukia holding up a sketchpad.
"So basically, you and Orihime have two moms?" Mahana tapped her chin.
"I guess." Tatsuki shrugged.
"Aw yeah! I knew there were people like me!" Chizuru punched the air.
"Lucky you! Now we won't have to chase you with pitchforks anymore!" Tatsuki said sarcastically.
"You guys are going to chase me around? Aww, I didn't know I was popular enough to get fangirls…especially one like this..." Chizuru shot back, acting flattered as she got closer to Orihime. She was about to claim her prize when a very angry fist made its way to her stomach.
"Touch her and you die!" Tatsuki snapped, triggering another bicker session with the red-haired girl.
"It's amazing how those two still can't get along after two years, isn't it?" Mahana sighed.
"Eh? It's been two years already?" Michiru replied, looking surprised.
"You mean you haven't noticed?" Ryo asked. "Didn't you turn twelve last week?"
"Oh, right…I guess I forgot…" Michiru rubbed the back of her head.
"Kuchiki-san!" Orihime called, trying not to draw any attention from the two arguing girls, more specifically the spiky-haired girl.
Rukia turned around. "What is it?"
Orihime then started whispering something in the dark-haired girl's ear.
"Eh??" Rukia's eyes widened. Orihime put her fingers on her lips, indicating that the other girl to keep quiet.
"I'll go pass this around the other girls." Orihime said softly as she winked.
"Yeah. Let's plan later." Rukia winked back as she smiled. "Of course we'll have to tell her about this as well."
"YOU CRAZY LITTLE PERV!!" Tatsuki shouted angrily. The spiky-haired girl had Chizuru in a head lock and now proceeded to knocking some sense into the red-haired girl's skull, literally.
"Oh my, everyone's rather energetic today, aren't they?" Once again, everyone turned to the stairs, seeing a second Rukia smiling at them.
"Onee-san(2)!" Rukia said. "I'm sorry. I guess we were too loud…"
"Not at all. Actually, a bluebird entered my room and accidentally knocked off something on the desk. A few minutes later, I heard shouting. Then I remembered that we'll be having your friends over. So I decided to greet you girls." The older version of Rukia smiled at their guests as she made her way down the stairs. She put a hand on her little sister's head as she noticed that there were two more kids in the room. "What do we have here? New friends?" She smiled. The two girls smiled back, Tatsuki getting a feeling that she's seen the woman before.
"Hai." Rukia smiled. "They're Tatsuki and Inoue. I told you about them a few times, remember?"
"Ah! So the one strangling Chizu-chan is Inoue, since you say she's rather affectionate!" Rukia's sister pointed out. Tatsuki let go of Chizuru immediately. Orihime giggled.
"Err…Onee-san…you got it wrong."
"Ah, sorry…So this one is Inoue." She put a hand on the orange-haired girl's head. "And this one..." She then approached the spiky-haired girl, who made eye contact. The woman stopped in her steps for a moment, but she managed to regain her composure. "...is Tatsuki?" she asked, getting nods from the other girls.
"I'm Kuchiki Hisana." She said, smiling once more. "Now, why don't we get something to eat?"
--
"Rukia." Tatsuki said as they made their way towards Rukia's house, which was on the outskirts of town, since it's too big too fit in the space beside the palace. A few minutes after eating, Rukia, Tatsuki and Orihime were sent to get some groceries from town.
"Hm?" Rukia turned to the spiky-haired girl.
"Does your sister ever go out of your house?" she asked, earning curious glances from the other girls.
"Tatsuki, my sister is not a vampire." Rukia giggled. "Why do you ask?"
"I keep getting a feeling I've seen her before." Tatsuki then turned to the orange-haired girl beside her. "Have you ever seen her around our place?"
"I don't think so. You should try asking Yoruichi-sensei and Soi-sensei." Orihime shook her head.
"I guess." Tatsuki said as Rukia opened the door. What awaited them was a sight that was rather…shocking.
"What…the hell?" was all Tatsuki could say. Chizuru was on the floor, her collar at a rather odd angle and one of her arms outstretched. Her glasses, which probably fell off, were a few feet from her. And on top of the red-haired girl was Ryo.
Rukia approached the pair quickly. Pulling Ryo up to her feet, she then turned and did the same to Chizuru. "Alright, Chizuru. Where did you put Ryo's book?" she asked, handing the red-haired girl her glasses.
"All of that for a book??" Tatsuki recovered.
"Yeah. Back when you guys haven't met us yet, Ryo was usually the one to control Chizuru." Rukia explained. "Instant restraints in just a swipe of a book."
"Oh, good! Rukia-chan! Please put the groceries here!" Hisana called from the kitchen.
"Hai, Onee-san!" Rukia went into the kitchen, Tatsuki and Orihime following suit.
"Oh, what were Ryo-chan and Chizu-chan doing? They looked like they were having fun." Hisana asked.
"Yeah. Fun…" Rukia pretended to laugh.
"Ryo-chan? Chizu-chan?" Orihime asked.
"Oh, Onee-san has a habit of giving nicknames." Rukia explained.
"Well, why don't we have nicknames?" She asked again, pointing to herself and Tatsuki, who was busy unloading the groceries with the help of Mahana and Michiru.
"Onee-san tends to take these sort of things very…seriously, so she thinks it through." Rukia replied. "Oh, right. Have you told Mahana and Michiru yet?"
"Uhuh." Orihime nodded, a smile appearing on her face. "Mahana-san even suggested that we should talk when Tatsuki-chan's in the bath."
"Ah. So we'll talk about it tonight then?" Rukia said.
"Yes. Ryo-san says we should start planning as soon as possible, since it's in a few days." Orihime tapped her chin. "Should we let Hisana-san in on this?"
"Well…About that…" Rukia rubbed the back of her head.
--A few minutes after breakfast--
"Rukia-chan, what date is it?" Hisana asked as she and her sister put away the plates.
"Let's see…Michiru turned 12 last week, so…it's about July 11, Onee-san." The dark-haired girl tapped her chin.
"Oh! So that must mean your friend there is turning twelve soon?" Hisana pointed to Tatsuki, who was wiping the table.
Rukia's eyes widened. "Onee-san, how did you know? I just found out a while ago! And I'm pretty sure none of us has mentioned anything about it when we were eating."
"It's nothing. Your friend just looks like a July person that's all." Hisana smiled.
--Present--
"Wow! Does your sister have some sort of super power?" Orihime said, amazed.
"Inoue, we're witches, not mutants." Rukia sighed as she shook her head. She then wore a serious expression. "Though I have a feeling there's something she isn't telling me…"
--
Mahana opened the door slightly. Poking her head out into the hallway, she looked left and right. Then, she closed the door and made her way back to the girls. "Everything's clear." She said triumphantly.
"OK. Now, on to the current matter: Tatsuki's Birthday. I assume Inoue mentioned this to all of you?" Rukia asked, receiving nods from the other girls, except one. "Chizuru?"
"It's not my fault. I was being strangled remember?
"That's right!" Rukia remembered. "Oh, well. You know now, right?"
"Yeah. Let's get Operation Birthday going!" Chizuru exclaimed. Mahana covered the red-haired girl's mouth once more.
"Shh! It won't work once Tatsuki knows about it!" Mahana said softly.
"Mph." Chizuru nodded.
"So. Let's start."
--
"Hah...It's a really nice feeling to get rid of all that dirt…" Tatsuki stretched her arms as she got out of the bathroom. She was wearing her nightclothes, a sleeveless shirt and loose shorts. She was holding the clothes she wore during the day. Her towel was on her shoulders. She walked towards Rukia's room, where all of them would be sleeping. She was about to open the door when she heard something.
"Alright so first we do that…Then we do this…After that Chizuru will…Then she'll get…Ryo will…And…." Rukia explained, her voice soft, so that no one from outside the room will be able to hear what they were planning.
Everyone then looked up, seeing Tatsuki opening the door quickly. The girls stood up, not knowing how to cover up their plans.
Orihime was first to move. "Tatsuki-chan! We-we were just playing this really great game! Wanna join?!" the orange-haired girl said a little too loudly.
Tatsuki didn't say anything. Her eyes scanned the room, going from one thing to another. Then, they finally landed on something.
"T-tatsuki! L-look I'm gonna do something!" Chizuru said as she pretended to attempt a glomp attack on one of the girls.
Again, Tatsuki paid them no heed. She then wore an angry expression, rushing to the window. "YOU LITTLE MAGGOT! YOU ARE NOT GONNA GET IN HERE!" Tatsuki yelled at the trees.
For a moment there, the girls thought that Tatsuki had gone crazy. Then they saw a leg amongst the leaves. "Hey, it's Keigo!" Mahana pointed out, recognizing the green pants that Keigo always wore.
"H-hey girls! I was just wondering--" Keigo tried to excuse himself.
"WHEN THEY SAY GIRLS ONLY, IT MEANS GIRLS ONLY!" Tatsuki went out the window, standing on a little platform that contained some flowers. She then proceeded to stepping on the branch, and of course, beating up the little intruder.
"Whew." Mahana sighed, falling onto the bed. "I thought she found out."
"Yeah. That was a close one." Chizuru nodded, relieved.
"Well, let's just leave the plan at that for today." Rukia shrugged. "Inoue's too distracted right now."
"Tatsuki-chan! You might fall!" Orihime shouted by the window as Tatsuki made her way back to the bedroom.
"Heh." Chizuru snickered. "Yeah, let's."
"Say, why are you guys still awake? We've got stuff to do tomorrow." Hisana said as she checked on the girls.
"We were just waiting for Tatsuki, Onee-san." Rukia turned to the door.
"OK then. Good night." Hisana said, closing the door.
--
"Ahhh…Two days to go…We've got everything planned right?" Michiru stretched. Three days have passed. The girls spent most of their day doing stuff around the house, and their nights were spent planning for the upcoming event that was Tatsuki's birthday.
"Yeah. We just need to wait for one more…" Rukia said as somebody knocked on the door.
"HUH? WHAT THE--?"
"And I think she's here now." Rukia smiled.
"About time!" Chizuru shouted as she made her way towards the door, and a very surprised Tatsuki.
"Hiya!" Tama waved as she grinned, carrying her bags.
"Hey." Chizuru greeted casually, returning the grin.
"T-tama?!" Tatsuki exclaimed.
"What?" Tama looked at the spiky-haired girl, tilting her head. "Oh right! I forgot to tell you my last name, didn't I? Honsho Tama! I'm Chizuru-nee's cousin!"
"What the hell?"
"Hey, Tama! You've finally made it, huh?" Rukia made her way to the door, greeting the newcomer.
"What kept you so long?" was Mahana's greeting.
"Ahaha...Suki stuck to me like glue for the past few days…Seriously, I had to pretend to have chicken pox just to get her away from me…" the blond rubbed the back of her head.
"Could someone PLEASE explain to me WHAT THE CRAP IS GOING ON HERE?!" Tatsuki shouted.
"Whoops. Tatsuki, meet the secret member of the Lach." Rukia explained, pointing to Tama.
"Say what?"
"In other words, Tama is a spy." Ryo pointed out.
"How do you think we know where those girls hang out all the time?" Rukia asked.
"You see, Chizuru-nee and I met those girls when we were playing by the river. Miki was about to give Chizuru-nee the thumbs-up when the 'skirt incident' happened." Tama explained.
"Ahh…Memories…They were yellow, right?" Chizuru turned to her cousin.
"I think so…Anyway…after Suki screamed her head off, Chizuru-nee pushed me towards Suki and Suki 'accidentally' buried her face in my neck."
"Chizuru…you…" Tatsuki felt her temper rise.
"Wait! Let her finish first!" Chizuru shielded herself.
"Strangely enough, that made Suki think I was comforting her. And that made Miki say I was in. A few days later Chizuru-nee saw Rukia and then dragged me along as she followed her. That was when we met the Lach. After introductions, Renji said he saw me with those girls. I was about to get dumped on when Chizuru-nee said they could use me to spy on them."
"That would probably be the smartest thing she ever said." Ryo said.
"You see! I can be pretty smart when it comes down to it!" Chizuru grinned, a triumphant look on her face.
"But can you say anything smart without being perverted?" Tatsuki asked, shaking her head.
"Things only become perverted when the ones who hear them think they are." Chizuru shot back.
"Ay-yayay…" Mahana shook her head.
"Tatsuki versus Chizuru-nee round…round…What round is it?" Tama asked.
"7176" Ryo said, flipping a page.
"Round 7176." The blond placed herself between the two girls, who were too busy arguing to notice. "Ready…Fight!"
--
"Tama-san!" Orihime whispered as she shook the said girl gently.
"Hunh...? Wha…" The blond snorted awake. "Orihime…? Why did you wake me up…? It's still a good 10 hours before I come to my senses…" she asked, rubbing her eye.
"Come with me for a second…" Orihime whispered.
"Orihime…I think your confusing me for Chizuru-nee…I don't swing that way y'know…" she yawned.
"It's not that! Besides, Chizuru-chan's already there! Now come on…" Orihime pulled the other girl up to her feet. "Please follow me and try not to wake Tatsuki-chan…" She added.
"Huh--" Tama was then dragged along as Orihime opened the door and went into another room. "What…are you girls doing here...?"
"Good. Everyone's finally here. Now…let's continue." Rukia said as she grinned with excitement.
--
"Orihime."
Huh?
I'm getting a bad feeling…
"You're coming with me."
Why?
No, you moron! Don't do it!
""
Wh-where am I..?
We're in trouble now…
""
I don't like it here…I wanna go home!
Be brave!
"This IS your home. From now on."
This isn't my home!
That's the fighting spirit! At this rate, we can come out soon!
"Correct. This is your NEW home. And you are not allowed to go out of here. Ever!"
SLAM
Help! Someone, anyone!
Ah crap. She's wavering…
""
Sado-kun! Kojima-kun! Abarai-kun! Mahana-san!
We're…fadi…ng…
""
Kuchiki-san!! Kurosaki-kun!! Tama-san!! Ryo-san!!
""
Yoruichi-sensei!! Soi-sensei!!
""
TATSUKI-CHAN!!
""
…where are you…?
--
Orihime sat up, her eyes wide. She was panting; her mouth hung open, as if she was silently screaming. 'That…was scary…'
The orange-haired girl looked around, hoping that one of the girls was awake. Unfortunately, Rukia was sleeping contently on her bed. Michiru was muttering something inaudible as she turned. Ryo pulled her sheets over her head. Mahana had crossed over to Tama's sleeping place; their position looked like she was putting the blond in a headlock. Chizuru was drooling, hugging her cousin's leg.
Orihime looked at where the Tatsuki was sleeping. The spiky-haired girl had a serious expression, the one she had on whenever she was in a fight.
The orange-haired girl smiled, forgetting all about the nightmare. Crawling from her place to the spiky-haired girl's, she knew she was always welcome beside Tatsuki.
'Tatsuki-chan would understand…She always does.'
--
Tatsuki opened her eyes, hearing the sounds of crickets and frogs making their way through the night. Moonlight shone through the window, casting light on the other girls. 'It's today isn't it?' she thought to herself. 'Another year older, huh? Well, it's good that I'm the only one who's remembered. It'd be too much trouble if they did.' She thought, looking at the other girls, although she failed to notice that one girl wasn't there.
Tatsuki almost jumped when she felt something move against her back. "What the…Orihime, Don't go sneaking behind other people."
"Sorry." Orihime giggled, staring at the other girl.
"What is it? Is my face still dirty?" Tatsuki raised an eyebrow.
"No. It's just that…you don't seem to change."
"Huh? Orihime… that's impossible. Nothing can stay the same forever."
"Yeah, but…you're still taller than me. I'm still older than you. And…well…" Orihime looked down, her cheeks turning red.
"And what?" Tatsuki asked.
"You still make people get that warm feeling…" Orihime said. "You know…like Yoko-san…and…"
"W-well…I guess I'm just scary..." The spiky-haired girl looked away, attempting to scratch her pink cheek. She found out she couldn't as Orihime was holding her hands. "Why are you telling me that now, anyway?"
"You know why." Orihime smiled. "Happy Birthday."
"You remembered?" Tatsuki said.
"Of course silly! It's only 15 days after my birthday after all." Orihime huffed as she pouted.
"I know."
The two were silent for what seemed like hours. Neither of them said anything, only able to stare in the eyes of the other. That is, until Orihime sighed. "Say, Tatsuki-chan…"
"Yeah?"
"When was the last time we were like this?" the orange-haired girl asked. "You know. Just us, no teasing, and certainly no dragon getting in the way…"
"I don't know…All I could remember would be that pout of yours when I tease you…" Tatsuki grinned.
"You like it?" she asked.
"Nah. I like that grin you wear right after better." Tatsuki chuckled.
"Haha…"
"….Nggghhhh…Hiiimmeeeeee…" Chizuru muttered as she turned in her sleep, a content grin on her face, making Orihime tilt her head while Tatsuki clenched her fist.
"That girl…" the spiky-haired girl growled. Orihime just giggled at her behavior.
"I wonder…how long this might last…"
"What?" Tatsuki turned to her.
"Well…you said nothing can last forever, right? I was just how long it will be until we can't see each other anymore." Orihime said with a sad look on her face.
"Now, don't say that."
"Why?" Orihime looked at the girl beside her. "What if…something happens to one of us? What'll happen then?"
"Orihime…"
"What?"
"Let me rephrase that. Nothing can stay the same forever. Nothing has stayed the same forever. At least, not yet."
"Huh?"
"Because…" Tatsuki closed her eyes for a brief second. She then snapped them open, meeting with Orihime's brown ones. "No matter what, I won't let anything hurt you. That's what I've been training for. And if us being apart hurts you, then…I'll do everything in my power in order for us to stay together." Tatsuki smiled.
"Promise?" Orihime said.
"Promise. I won't swear on it. But I promise." Tatsuki then yawned. "Now can we please get some sleep? It won't be sun up for at least a few more hours…"
"Yeah…" Orihime rested her head on the pillow.
"Orihime…Why are you still here? And why the crap are you hugging me?" Tatsuki asked, feeling uncomfortable.
"Just in case." The orange-haired girl hugged tighter. "You won't be able to protect me if you die before I do."
"Then I'll rise from the dead and kick the butt of anyone who dares to lay a hand on you. Just promise me you'll break this habit of waking people up in the middle of the night." Tatsuki huffed, trying to break free. She stopped in her tracks when she heard the other girl whimpering.
"Please…I have this really awful feeling…"
"Fine, fine…Just…please remember you have those now."
"Huh?"
Tatsuki coughed as she pointed to the other girl's chest, which had grown considerably for the past two years.
"Oh. Sorry." Orihime said, loosening her grip as she closed her eyes.
"Good night, Orihime." Tatsuki yawned as she did the same.
--
"Oooh…"
"Hehe…"
The minute she woke up, Tatsuki knew this was going to be a weird day. For one thing, when she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was Tama's grinning face, her short blond hair unruly and spiked up in places. "Goo-d morning."
"Err…yeah…Good morning to you too, Tama." Tatsuki said, gently pushing the blond out of the way. She then realized that the other girls were there, also having ear-to-ear grins. "Alright. What's going on?"
"We should be asking you that question, Tatsuki." Mahana giggled. "What IS going on?"
"If this is a mind game…I give up."
Chizuru just snickered and pointed to the spiky-haired girl.
Tatsuki looked, and gasped. Her shirt had been unbuttoned up to the third button. The bottom of her shirt was now on her rib, revealing her mark. She tried to move her right arm, but found that she couldn't because a sleeping Orihime was using it as a pillow. The orange-haired girl was dangerously close to Tatsuki, her nose almost touching the spiky-haired girl's neck. But what's made this position more awkward was the fact that Orihime's hand was resting on Tatsuki's stomach.
"…Kinda makes me wonder what really happened last night…" Rukia said, raising her eyebrows suggestively.
"It's too bad the only light sleeper here is Tatsuki." Tama added.
"That's so unfair! If you guys were gonna do something like that, don't leave me out!" Chizuru whined.
"…what's all the commotion, Tatsuki-chan?" Orihime woke up, looking up curiously at what was happening.
"An epilogue of your nocturnal activity." A smirking Ryo answered for the spiky-haired girl.
"Huh?" the orange-haired girl sat up, finally freeing Tatsuki's right arm. The spiky-haired girl did the same, fixing her shirt in the process. "But all that happened last night was me having a nightmare, and Tatsuki-chan comforting me…"
"I don't think comforting is the right word…" Chizuru snickered, her glasses glowing. "It should be YUR--"
The red-haired girl was interrupted by a red Tatsuki's punch. "You little…Doing this early in the morning…"
"Relax, Tatsuki! She was just giving you a little warm up!" Mahana said, putting a hand on the angry spiky-haired girl. "This is a special day after all!"
"What?!" Tatsuki's eyes widened. "H-how…?!"
"Surprise, Tatsuki-chan!" Orihime said, hugging the other girl from behind.
"Orihime…you told them??"
"Yep." The orange-haired girl nodded.
"Now…" Rukia smiled. "Why don't we start celebrating?"
--
Tatsuki sat down on one of the chairs. Orihime and others have gone out; there was something they had to do in town. And since it was the spiky-haired girl's birthday, they insisted that Tatsuki sit back, relax and let them do their work. She was about to stand up when her eyes were covered from behind. "Guess who?"
"Rukia, you guys are back already?"
Tatsuki heard a giggle. "Wrong. Guess again?"
"Hisana-san." Tatsuki mentally sighed as Rukia's sister let go.
"I just wanted to greet you. Happy Birthday!" Hisana smiled, handing the spiky-haired girl a small box.
"The girls told you too?" Tatsuki eyed the box. "You didn't have to…"
"No, no! It's alright! One should keep one's promises, don't you think?" Hisana said, earning a curious look from the younger girl. "Don't mind me! Go on! Open it!"
Tatsuki did what she was told to do. In the box was a white glove, which had five holes, one for each finger. The spiky-haired girl put it on, and adjusted the strap at the bottom. She moved her fingers, realizing that it didn't restrict any movement. The spiky-haired girl's eyes widened when she looked at the back of her hand.
On the glove was the symbol of the Arisawa clan, which was colored red.
In other words, the glove once belonged to Tatsuki's immediate family, the main line of the clan. "Hisana-san…Where did you get this?"
"Kuchiki Hisana knows how to keep her promises." The older woman winked and went upstairs, preventing Tatsuki to ask anymore questions.
--
"Hey, dragon head!"
"Huh? What?" Tatsuki looked behind her, seeing that the girls were back from their chores.
"You were staring at my sister's bedroom door ever since we got here." Rukia explained.
"Which was about five minutes ago." Tama added.
"What's the matter, Tatsuki? Getting the urge for a little lolico--"Chizuru was cut off by Tatsuki hitting her on the head.
"Where the hell did Chizuru-nee get those terms?" The only blond in the group asked, curious about where her cousin got the word.
"Probably from the time Rukia sent her on an accidental trip to another dimension using a portal spell…" Ryo shook her head. "She spent days spitting jargon about something called manga and doujinshi…whatever those are…"
"You should treat people with birthdays with some respect." The spiky-haired girl sighed as lightly knocked the other girl on the head.
"Just because we're the same age now doesn't mean that I should be calling you 'Tatsuki-sama'." Chizuru shot back.
"Ay caramba…bicker session…" Mahana, along the other girls, shook her head as she viewed yet another debate…
--
Hisana only giggled as she watched the scene from her slightly open door. Closing it silently, she approached the desk, and opened one of the drawers. The drawer was filled with dust, indicating that it had not been opened for a long time…at least, until early morning today.
Hisana sighed to herself as she looked at an old piece of paper, probably a letter she had received years ago. "Mi-chan…I'm happy to tell you that your daughter is growing into a girl version of her father…"
--
"Thank you for taking care of the girls, Hisa-san." Yoruichi said, smiling at the woman in front of the house.
"Oh, it was nothing at all…It's good to know that you two are in the neighborhood as well!" The dark-haired woman smiled, happy to see her old companions.
"Did you know that Yoruichi-sensei and Soi-sensei know Hisana-san?" Orihime turned to Tatsuki, who had put her hands to the back of her head.
"Nope." The spiky-haired girl shook her head as the four of them set off towards their home.
"Bye, Hime-chan!! Be good, Kai-chan!!" Hisana waved both her arms, shouting her goodbyes with the energy of a ten year old on a sugar rush. "We hope to see you here again!!"
"Tatsuki-chan?"
"Hmm?" The spiky-haired girl turned to the other girl.
"Why is Hisana-san calling you Kai-chan?" Orihime titled her head a little.
"I have no idea…" the spiky-haired girl shook her head once more.
"We should ask her the next time we go to Kuchiki-san's!!" the orange-haired girl said, already imagining what's to happen with eight energetic girls and a twice as energetic woman living on the same roof for a few days.
"Heh, why not?" Tatsuki smiled. "I've got some questions of my own too."
--
(1) In the manga, Tatsuki's eyes are blue.
(2) I used Onee-san here. Using Onee-sama would be too Marimite-ish. Plus Hisana probably won't like it.
…I'm sorry for not updating for a long time…so many things to do for school…oh wait…I REACHED HOW MANY WORDS?! Crap…correction: THIS is the longest chapter I've ever written.
This is a sort of filler, with a few canon stuff, since Yoruichi and Soi Fong will be serving the palace from now on, Byakuya and Hisana are now introduced (although I'm not sure about their characterization), and I've given you a hint on who Tatsuki's parents are. You're free to guess (since it's probably obvious), but I won't be revealing who they are until much later in the story, so keep your guesses to yourselves (or PM your guesses to me if you can't hold it in), ok?
Watch out for the next chapter, with a focus on Ryuujin and Ichigo's adventure inside the palace. Also, a oneshot on Chizuru's 'trip to another dimension', since I think a few of you are curios to what actually happened.