Hi again everyone!
Hyoka wishes to thank everyone who read this story even though he finds it weird that we're creeping on his life.
Anyway, enjoy the next chapter.
Edited: 4/08/13
So, I ended up living with Ichigo for a grand total of a week and three days. It was the worst week of my life. That meaning I think that he was beginning to grow on me. I was actually laughing at his dumb jokes and every time he opened his mouth I had déjà vu. He was even popping up in my dreams sometimes even though none of them made sense.
When I pieced together my dreams it felt like I was seeing snippets of another person's life. I had read my dream journal over and over again – yes I was that bored – and it seemed like my brain was subconsciously trying to narrate someone else's life. I saw faces, places, heard voices, and so on, but none of it made sense. The flashes were too brief and too jumbled up for me to make anything out of it. Maybe I was destined to be a writer or something when I grew up; I was creating people in my dreams.
On the bright side, I had no panic attacks for the entire time I was there and neither did I have that nightmare with the creepy, brown-haired dude. However, when my subconscious mind was tired of creating characters for my upcoming bestselling novel it was submerged in snow. I kept on dreaming of the blizzard except each time it was more violent than the last, almost as if the snow itself had a sense of urgency. After those dreams I woke up with my heart racing a mile per second and I felt the beginnings of a panic attack, but it never developed into the full thing. Which in itself was odd because the day I went home and had the same dream I woke up in cold sweat and curled up in my sheets – with Hyourinmaru of course – until the panic subsided. Coincidence? I think not. Ichigo was doing something to me, okay that sounded wrong. He was hiding something and I was going to find out what.
Apart from that the week and three days had been really long; I think the longest I have ever been through. Ariwa and Kasai came to visit every day and so did Hagino-san – well not every day but she did come once or twice. I had gotten several get well soon cards from people who I had never talked to in my life such as Teito's co-workers and the people who lived in the apartment next to us. Heck, I had even gotten one from the landlord; I guess being hit by a car was pretty big news. Ichigo called it my fan mail and it just amused him even more when Ariwa showed up with letters from Rei every day; I didn't even bother to read those.
Ariwa and Kasai kept me entertained by telling me what was going on at school. Even though it was nothing much; Adachi never acted out when I wasn't there. Ariwa always made sure I stayed on top with the homework, unfortunately. Near the end of the week, when my bruised hip healed enough to permit me to walk, Ichigo let me come into the house part of the clinic rather than sitting all day in a hospital bed. I met his two sisters properly; I had heard of them before but never actually met them in person. Karin coached soccer at an elementary school and Yuzu owned a catering company; I liked both of them instantly. Neither of them still lived there but visited a few nights a week. Karin was the most laid back adult I had ever met and there was nothing not to like about Yuzu; she kept on giving me food. Who the hell would hate someone that gave you food and pretty good food at that? I think she would give Teito some competition. I also met Ichigo's father and praised whatever god was up there that he was retired; the man was worse than his son. If he was the doctor taking care of me I think I would have committed suicide a long time ago – try as soon as I met him. I thought Ichigo was bad, but I could see where he had gotten it from though.
I think I had annoyed Ichigo enough with all my questions by the end of the week. Every time he saw my mouth open he took a deep calming breath. I asked him everything I could about hollows and the quote on quote 'spiritual world' and had gotten next to no answers. He was a master of evasion, but I was not deterred easily.
After the one week and three days I was allowed to go home, but I needed another week of bed rest. Well, house rest, 'cause face it there was no way I was staying in bed for a week even if my hip hurt when I walked around too much. On the bright side, however, I would have the entire apartment to myself for the majority of the day, that is, if Mikami didn't take time off from work to 'take care of me'.
...
"Hyōka, you're not wearing that tonight!" Mikami exclaimed looking at my t-shirt. "The Kurosaki's and Teito's new girlfriend are coming for diner."
I glanced down at the grey shirt I had on then at Mikami's navy blue cocktail dress. Okay, I admit the shirt was a little ratty. "But I can't put anything else on with the cast; it gets in the way."
She sighed, "Go find a better shirt and I'll help you put it on then. I don't know why you can't ask for help in the first place."
I had no idea how making dinner for Ichigo had turned into a dinner party. I went back to my room and chose a pinstriped button down shirt. Hopefully it would pass Mikami's test. It did and she helped me put it on grumbling that the cuff couldn't button around my cast. I don't see what she was complaining about. She wasn't the one who couldn't use her left arm for three weeks.
"I don't see why I have to dress up for your friends; you never do anything special when Ariwa or Kasai comes over." I complained. I really hated house parties or any type of party for that matter.
"When you get a girlfriend, Koko-chan, then we'll do something special," Teito joked as he passed by my bedroom rubbing his wet hair with a towel.
"Well sorry if I don't move as quickly as you," I spat.
"Who's quick? We've been here for nearly five months," he threw the towel at my head. I caught it with my good hand but hissed as I moved in a way I shouldn't have with so many healing bruises.
Mikami shot Teito a dirty look he just shrugged innocently. She turned back to me and ran a hand through my hair. "Do you think you'll be okay tonight? Do you need any pain killers?"
"No, I'll be fine as long as I don't have to catch anything."
"Okay, then," she looked like she didn't believe a word I said about being alright.
"Hey, Mikami did you heat up the appetizers?"
"Yep they're in the oven."
I blinked; Teito had actually trusted Mikami with his food? Plus, had he really made appetizers for a dinner of eight people? I shot him and incredulous look. This girlfriend of his must be pretty hot for him to go through all of this trouble. Heavens knows he wasn't doing all of this just to say thanks to Ichigo. He said that they had been dating for around five weeks now and she was dying to see his family. I sighed as I pulled myself onto a stool in the kitchen and watched Teito move about. Even with all his culinary enthusiasm I could tell that he was exhausted and I wondered if that was my fault. Both he and Mikami seemed more tired than usual lately. Yeah, who am I kidding, it was my fault. They both needed to get out more and do something with their lives, especially Mikami; she was twenty-seven for god's sake and I had never seen her leave the apartment for anything other than work no matter how much I tried to push her out. Her excuse was that she didn't want to leave me alone. Despite what people may have thought I'm not selfish. I hated when Mikami and Teito had to give up stuff just to take care of me. That was why I was so reluctant to ask them for help with anything; it felt like I was holding them back from their lives.
"Koko-chan, can you set the table?" Teito asked while he stirred a pot of... something on the stove.
I nodded and hopped – more like wobbled – over to the dining table. While I was carrying the heavy glass plates Mikami appeared out of nowhere and plucked them from my arms.
"Before you hurt yourself, go sit down," she pointed to the couch. I scowled at her; just because I was wobbling did not mean I was in danger of dropping her precious china. I had not totally lost my sense of coordination.
Around five minutes later the Kurosaki's arrived. Ichigo, Karin, Yuzu and Isshin sat on the couch talking to Mikami while Teito eagerly awaited his girlfriend. He was a bit too eager if you ask me he seemed almost desperate. While Isshin and Mikami were in a heated debate on some medical topic that I couldn't care less about there was a knock on the door. Teito practically leapt across the room. A few moments later he came back with a smiling woman on his arm. I had to do a double take; not only was she one of the prettiest women I had ever seen, but I got the feeling that I had met her before. It wasn't as bad as how I felt around Ichigo but I felt as if I had met her before or she was very similar to someone I had met before.
She had wavy dark brown hair and really big boobs, but there was something about her eyes. They were this shade of grey-blue that was so familiar it was scary. I wracked my brain thinking of anyone I knew with those colour eyes it wasn't a common colour either. As far as I knew I had met no one with those colour eyes, but then why were they so familiar? It didn't help either that I kept on thinking of strawberry blond hair and the colour pink. Okay, so the person I knew that had grey-blue eyes, blonde hair and liked the colour pink. I almost growled in frustration; no one I knew fit that description. Just then I felt someone poke me lightly. I glanced around to see Teito's girlfriend standing in front of me smiling. I hastily stood up and bowed politely.
"You're Hyōka, right?" She asked.
I nodded. "It's nice to meet you... um..."
She smiled."You can just call me Kamiko. Teito was right; you're the most adorable little boy ever. Here, I brought you something."
I blinked, she had brought me something? And what was with that tone? She was talking to me like I was six or something. While she was digging through her bag I shot Teito a scowl. Not because of her, she seemed nice enough, but one; he had been talking to her about me and two; he had called me adorable. He just smiled back and ruffled my hair.
My attention was pulled back to Kamiko when she stuffed a chocolate bar and a small bear into my arms. I raised an eyebrow. I understood the candy bar even if I hated sweet things, but a teddy bear? I turned to Teito again. He hadn't told her how old I was, obviously. This is why I hated my height sometimes... all the time. People always thought I was so much younger than I actually was. Still, I couldn't refuse the gift especially as she was staring at me expectantly.
"Um, thank you," I mumbled.
Kamiko looked like she wanted to grab me in a hug. I wearily took a step backwards.
"You're so cute," she giggled and patted my head. This was getting old really fast. Okay, I admit that I looked young, but could I really be mistaken for a five year old? I hoped to dear god that that was an exaggeration. She turned away and began to talk with Mikami, Karin and Yuzu. Teito picked up a conversation with Isshin.
I caught Ichigo snickering behind me. "Now Hyourinmaru can have a little friend," he whispered.
I glared at him. "Shut up. I told you not to make fun of him."
"So I take it that was the first time you met Kamiko as well?" he asked plopping back down on the couch.
"Do I really look that young?" I asked turning to face him.
"Um, kinda, I thought you were at least seven. You are small for your age; it wasn't her fault."
"Yes, but young enough to give me a teddy bear?"
"I wouldn't say that young, but I would never have guessed you were twelve."
I sat down next to him.
He raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, what was the whole staring into space about? If I didn't know any better I would have thought that you were staring at her boobs."
I punched him in the arm and he laughed. "I'm not a pervert like you. I don't know why I spaced out; she seemed familiar, but as far as I know I've never seen her in my life. It's like she reminds me of someone, but that someone is also a person I have never met. If that makes any sense."
"It kinda does. Can you describe this person? Maybe you have met her before."
"I doubt it. And if I have then I don't remember. She has the same colour eyes and long, blonde hair I think and she may have liked pink... and she has big boobs as well."
Ichigo started to laugh.
"What?"
"The woman sounds real enough. Maybe you have met her before."
"But I think I would remember someone like that."
He just shrugged.
"It's weird," I mumbled.
The snow was blinding; I had to shade my eyes with my arm from it. The flakes fell in torrents almost like a curtain of white falling from the black sky. The wind was so strong that it caused the snowflakes to sting my face. Its deafening roar was all that I could hear. The snow piled up around my calves soaking through my pants and I pulled my jacket more tightly around me and watched as my breath came out in thick white puffs, but I wasn't cold. Sure I felt a small sting every time a snowflake came into contact with my bear skin, but other than that I felt nothing else. I had been wondering about this plain of ice for a very long time now. I had gotten used to the rolling hills in the distance and the frozen tree a few miles off. Everything about this landscape was familiar to me by now. I even felt like I had a connection with the falling snow. Yet, I had never been out in a blizzard this strong before. I should have been freezing; I should have been worrying for my life. Instead I felt this calm come upon me and I had never been more at peace in my life. I threw myself down in the snow and watched as the flakes covered me almost instantly. My dark pants turned white; white to match my hair and I closed my eyes for a second to just enjoy this feeling.
Then all of a sudden there was something like a vibration that ran through the snow right into my chest. It was like a loud bang except without the noise and with the bang came a feeling of urgency, longing like if I was trying to get an important message across but no one was understanding me. I sat up and looked wildly around. The feeling kept on getting stronger. My head started to pound and it got really cold rather quickly. The sky became even darker and the wind more wild. Snow was being blown up from the ground in violent sprays. There was even thunder and lightning in the distance. I clutched my jacket tightly around me and my teeth began to chatter. It was only then that I became aware of how underdressed I was for this situation. I felt my heart thud in my chest as the unexplained feeling of frustration overtook my mind. Why wouldn't he understand?!
I paused not quite sure where that came from, but after that all of my thoughts were put on hold when I heard a roar. It was very faint and barely distinguishable from the howling wind. My ears pricked up and I scanned the area again. The snow was blowing in every direction possible and it was hopeless to even see a foot in front of my face. But I had heard something and something was out there. I scrambled to my feet, spinning around in slow circles. It roared again this time louder and I felt aggravation accompany the sound. Whatever it was it was angry. The cries became louder and louder until they drowned out the wind. I clutched at my ears and shrunk into a ball; my legs were drawn tight into my chest and I placed my head between my knees. Then the roaring stopped. I waited a minute or so for my breathing to calm down then slowly looked up. There was a sudden flash of red, my heart jumped to my throat, and I screamed.
...
I woke up thrashing around in my bed with the sheets strangling me. My breath caught in my throat and I was breathing like I had been running for my life. I fought down the rising panic and wiped away a few beads of sweat that had gathered on my forehead. It was just a dream I repeated to myself as I willed my breathing to go back to normal. I took deep even breaths through my mouth and untangled the sheets from my limbs. As I did so, however, I noticed that my breaths were coming out in white puffs and goose bumps covered my arms and legs. What the hell? It was the beginning of fall there was no reason for it to be this cold. I glanced around the room to see a layer of frost covering almost every surface. And a frigid, light breeze blew through my curtains and tousled my sheets.
That was when all my efforts of calming myself flew out the window. I slipped my legs over the side of the bed, shivering as they touched the cold floor. I realised that I had been shivering for some time now. I reached behind me and picked up the lump of blue fabric that I knew to be Hyourinmaru. I clutched the dragon to my chest and slowly stood up. I stumbled over to the window pulling apart the curtains only to find that the window was firmly shut. The glass was frosted over and everything. So then where was the cold air coming from? What was going on? I turned my back to the wall and slid down to the floor. Panic rose in my chest and I scrunched my eyes shut. This was all just too weird. I bit my bottom lip and hugged the dragon as tightly as I possibly could. My heart pounded in my chest with rib-breaking force and my throat grew suddenly dry. I buried my face in Hyourinmaru's fur as I tried to ready myself for the oncoming panic attack.
There was another flash of red, but this time I was able to make out a serpentine eye. I think I fainted after that because the next thing I knew I was waking up in my bed. The room was a comfortable temperature and a cool breeze blew in from my open window. I sat there just staring; had everything been a dream? The frost all over my room and the freezing air had it all just been in my head? It had all seemed so real, though. I slowly got out of bed and examined my room. The mat beside my bed felt slightly damp. I frowned and brushed my hands over various surfaces in my room. The curtains were damp as well and a puff of glacial air escaped from the closet when I opened it. Okay, things were starting to get weird. This hadn't been the first time when one of my dreams had manifested into reality, but never before had I woken up to an indoor snowstorm – minus the snow. Plus, how had I gotten back into my bed after I had gotten out to investigate? I knew that I had gotten out of bed because Hyourinmaru was lying under the window. The dragon was also wet, cold, and his tail drooped more than usual. I picked him up and cradled him against my stomach with my good arm. What was going on? How could it have possibly gotten so cold last night? I had been dreaming of the plain of ice but there was no way that I could control the weather, right?
A knock on my door disrupted my thoughts. Teito pocked his head into the room.
"Hey, Koko-chan..." he paused and looked around. "I will never understand how you can stand the cold like this; it's freezing here. What did you do sleep with the window open and the AC on full blast? You're going to get sick if you keep on doing this."
I turned to face him probably with the most confused expression I could have managed on my face, but before I could say anything he cut me off.
"But as a matter of fact you do already look sick," he sighed. "Come here."
I hobbled over to him and he put a hand on my shoulder and led me out the door. "Your body temperature's way too low right now. Mikami, come here a second!"
She was in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal. "What?"
"What else would it be? Koko-chan, of course." I rolled my eyes.
"What's wrong with him?" she asked putting down her cereal and coming over to us.
"His room was freezing this morning and I think he's got hypothermia."
"I do not," I snapped
"Why was his room so cold?"
"I don't know; I left the window open I guess."
She frowned. "You need to be more responsible for your health, Hyōka. Anyway, go take a warm shower; you're coming to work with me today. I've been sensing hollows all around the apartment last night and I would have to be crazy before I let you stay here by yourself."
So he's beginning to remember stuff, especially Rangiku, I mean who could ever forget her. And now Hyourinmaru... the actual zanpakuto not the stuffed animal is becoming restless. Ichigo is going to have a hand full sooner or later ^^
Anyway, thanks for reading and feel free to leave any comments.
-Mymomomo
