Ichigo sat at the table drinking tea, completely calm, which shocked the hell out of everyone else. When they had awoken and come to the dining room Ichigo was already there, the complete opposite of his state that he was in last night, there may have been a few thoughts going around that the orange haired teenager had gone completely insane, but here they were now simply sitting across from a completely calm Ichigo. They didn't know whether to be worried for his sanity or scared that he could snap at any moment. He sighed as he placed his cup of tea down on the table.
"Miya, I'm going to need a favour." Ichigo told her making Miya look at him.
"Oh? What would that be Ichigo." She questioned.
"The rule about fighting... I'm going to have to break it, several times when my father's here." They all rose an eyebrow at that. "It's a long story, but my old man thinks it's great to see how my skills are holding up, don't be surprised if he randomly jumps me at random times. It's just always been like that, so I do apologise in advance and I'll make it up to you." He said bowing his head to Miya. "Anything you want I'll do it for you as my punishment." He finished.
"Miya!" Uzume squealed her hands held tight to her chest. "Take the deal! You can make him do anything!" She giggled pervertedly making Ichigo sweat drop slightly at the brunette's perverted side, it was just as bad as Kon if not more so.
"Since you did warn me Ichigo, I will allow it, however I will be having a chat to your father about the rules here. Ok?" Ichigo nodded his head in agreement, slightly relieved that now he wouldn't get into too much trouble for smashing his father's face in... oh how he was hoping his dad would attack him as soon as he saw him, nothing like beating his old man senseless in self defence... oh the joys of father son bonding.
"Miya!" Uzume exclaimed with wide eyes. "You could dress him up in just a bow tie! Hehe... and nothing else... Ow!" She whined holding the back of her head where Karasuba had just hit her. "What was that for!?" She whined out turning to Karasuba who simply crossed her arms and looked away.
"What time are they coming do you know?" Karasuba asked him but he shook his head with a sigh.
"All I know is that he'll be here today, then he'll be a pain in the ass like he always is." He growled out and was surprised when Karasuba stood up abruptly.
"If that's the case then, I want to have a spar with you since I've only been sparring with Miya and havn't had the chance with you yet." Karasuba told him making his eyes widened slightly. "And I've decided."
"Oh? What's that?" Ichigo questioned.
"That I'm going to force you to bring out this Bankai of yours." She told him, determination in her eyes as she looked down at him.
"What's a Bankai?" Uzume questioned making Ichigo face palm.
"I did tell you I would show it too you didn't I?" Ichigo asked her as he pushed himself up from the floor.
"Where's the fun in that?" She asked with a small smile towards him before it turned into a frown. "If I can force you to bring it out it means that I'm strong enough to be your Sekirei." Karasuba told him.
"And if you can't force Ichigo to bring it out? Then what?" Miya asked making Karasuba dart her eyes to the purple haired Sekirei. "Does that mean you're not strong enough to be his Sekirei." She questioned once more, slightly intrigued.
"Exactly." Karasuba nodded her head without hesitation. She turned to Ichigo who was also now standing and scratching the back of his head, he sighed before a smile came to his face. "What?"
"Look, don't be too disappointed if you can't force me to bring it out. The last two years I've been training not to rely on it that much. So, if you can't force it out then..." He trailed off.
"No." Karasuba simply told him with narrowed eyes. "I won't simply allow you to show me it."
"That wasn't what I was going to say." Ichigo chuckled lightly. "I was going to say, I'd help you get stronger." Karasuba's eyes widened at that, along with Miya's and Uzume's. "You and Miya have both said it yourselves. This is a game. The stronger the players the more chances there are to win."
"You're aiming to win?" Uzume asked surprised. "From how you've been acting about the entire thing I pegged you for just going along with the flow." All eyes were on Ichigo who had a small smile on his face which only made them more intrigued.
"Weather I like it or not, weather you guys like it or not. We're apart of this game now. Why play if you're not in it to win it?" Ichigo questioned, Karasuba's smirk grew as Miya frowned. "However..." He shook his head. "This game isn't right, I won't sit by and simply let the Sekirei be killed off one by one. Being dragged into this wasn't their choice, Minaka had no right starting a game like this." He growled out with narrowed eyes. "When I meet Minaka for the first time. I'm going to kick his ass of that damn tower he lives in."
Karasuba grunted as she hit the ground again, sweat dripping down her forehead as she looked up at Ichigo who was standing in his Soul Reaper uniform, his Zanpakuto resting against the side of the house as he held a practice sword in his grip. Unlike Miya who simply dodged around her attacks, Ichigo was fighting her back, pushing her to her limit, pushing her like nobody had ever before. Not even Yume had pushed her like this.
She growled as she pushed up from the ground, Ichigo standing a few meters away, the wooden sword resting on his shoulder as he watched her get up. She grabbed the hilt of her sword as she rose and held it up in front of her, wiping some of the dust of her cheek with her shoulder the grin forming once again on her face.
"You know, that grin reminds me of someone." Ichigo smiled making her raise an eyebrow and her eyes went wide open as he reached into his shihakusho and pulled it down revealing a massive scar down the side of his body. "The same person with that grin gave me this scar." He told her.
"You didn't have that the other day when we were in the bath." Karasuba said surprised making Ichigo blushed lightly at the memory and turn to see if Miya was around to see if she had heard, he was lucky that she wasn't. "Do the scars not affect your human body?" She asked him, highly intrigued.
"From what I can tell no, subconsciously I can still feel where they are but they aren't visible." He tried to explain to her. "When I run my hand down where the scar is I can feel it though... It's hard to explain." Karasuba nodded her head as he covered his chest again.
"So this guy with the crazy grin." She flashed him a grin that could match Kenpachi's. "Was he a good fight?"
"He's the craziest son of a bitch I have ever had the chance of fighting." Ichigo chuckled. "Every time I see him, he's always wanting to fight me." That made Karasuba raise her eyebrow once more.
"He's alive? After he gave you a scar like that?" She asked making Ichigo nod his head.
"It's a long story, we fight on the same side now. Although with him he's on his own side I guess, whoever is worth fighting he'll fight them, just for the sake of having a good fight. Be on the same side or the enemy, in enemy territory or some place random, doesn't matter to him." Ichigo shrugged. "He's got the same blood lust that you have." Karasuba stiffened
"How long have you known?" She questioned her eyes lowering making Ichigo smile softly at her.
"I've known since the day we met that you've had blood on your hands, everyone who carries a sword usually does. The look in your eyes told me of the horror's you've seen, done..." Ichigo trailed off looking out over the fence and into the sky. "We've all got our inner monsters... I don't know your past so I have no right to judge you on them, bad, good..." Ichigo shrugged as he looked back to her. "I don't know your past and you don't know mine, we don't know the reasons why one another fought in the past, that doesn't matter. What matters now is how you fight from here on." Karasuba smiled at him, he was accepting her.
"It seems you've matured somewhat." Ichigo's head shot to the new voice to see his father standing in the house, a smile on his face before it turned into a full blown grin. "My Daughter!" Before Ichigo could react Isshin was across the yard hugging Karasuba much to the Sekirei's shock, as he rubbed his stumble covered cheek in across her smooth cheek. "Karin said you were the one who made Ichigo into a man! You have my thanks! You're forever my third daughter! You can call me Daddy, Papa, or even old man whatever it is you want!" Isshin cried out in joy.
"Get the hell away from her!" Ichigo roared going to punch his father in the face to get him away from Karasuba but she beat him to it. In a matter of seconds the hilt of Karasuba's sword and hit him in the gut, making him let out an 'oof' before her elbow slammed into the back of his head sending him to the ground before resting her foot on the back of his head, her heel pressing into him making him groan out in pain.
"I take it this is your father?" Karasuba asked turning to Ichigo who was slamming his hand into his forehead over and over again at his Dad's antics.
"She's much stronger than she looks." Isshin groaned out against the ground. "I think we may have a better candidate than Rukia here." Karasuba removing her foot from his head and glancing out the corner of her eye at Ichigo, Kon had told her a little about the so called 'Goddess' that was Rukia Kuchiki.
"I was never with Rukia!" Ichigo shouted at him. "I thought we went over this!" He groaned out.
"She lived in your closet for months without supervision and you expect me to believe nothing happened between the two of you!?" Isshin cried pushing up from the ground. "I dare say if that is the truth then you are nothing but a... a... a..."
"Say it and I'll kick your ass!" Ichigo growled out with narrowed eyes making Isshin grin.
"Fag." Karasuba watched as Ichigo disappeared before reappearing before Zangetsu and disappearing once more Zanpakuto in hand. When he reappeared again it was before his father Zangetsu raised high above his head, an evil glint in his brown eyes as he swung downwards. She watched in fascination as Isshin used the same technique as Ichigo and disappeared, reappearing in the house sticking his tongue out and pulling his eyelid down acting like a child.
"Gah!" Ichigo shouted. "You're an impossible child!" The two heard his laughter come from inside making Ichigo growl as he rubbed the sides of his head messing his hair up in irritation, before slumping over with a pout. "I didn't even know he could use shunpo in his gigai." He mumbled out. Karasuba placed a hand on his shoulder making him turn to her as she sheathed her blade.
"Did you mean what you said, before?" She questioned. "About..." Ichigo nodded his head.
"People can change Karasuba, the bad to good, the good to bad the line between can simply be blurred." He shrugged before smiling once more. "You just have to take that first step in the right direction." He said scratching the back of his head awkwardly as he looked at her before she smiled grabbing the front of his shihakusho and pulled him forward, her lips smashing against his.
"Ichigo! That's so gross! Making out in front of your sisters with your girlfriend!" Yuzu called out making Ichigo pull back and look over to see his sisters standing there, he sweat dropped slightly when he saw Yuzu looking out at them, the only one she was seeing was Karasuba who was slightly surprised that one of his sisters couldn't see him. He watched as Karin just shook her head.
"Get in your body idiot, Yuzu wants you to introduce the three of them properly." Karin said leaning against the wall, acting as if she was bored but both Ichigo and Karasuba could tell she was happy to see him.
"Karin I'm so jealous! Why can't I see Ichigo!?" She whined stamping her foot like a child, the two were fifteen now. Before Ichigo had left he had been with Chad, glaring down at a group of fifteen year olds who had followed Yuzu home after her first day of High school. "It's nice to meet you!" Yuzu waved at Karasuba. "I'm Yuzu! Ichigo's sister, and this is Karin, you spoke to her on the phone." She explained, the cheery smile never leaving her face.
"It's nice to meet you both, I'm Karasuba." She bowed her head slightly before checking that her sword was sheathed properly and walked over to them Ichigo simply standing in the yard, slightly embarrassed that his sisters... or well sister had caught him kissing someone and had called him out on it. He sighed before walking to the house, passing Karasuba who was practically being dragged down the hall towards where he could hear Miya and his Dad talking, by Yuzu. He walked past Karin and ruffled her hair up.
"Heard from Toshiro?" Ichigo asked as she fell into step beside him, a scowl crossing her face as she glared at him from the corner of her eye.
"What's it to you." She asked with a hint of annoyance.
"Well... it seemed that the two of you were getting... chummy..." He said with a slight smirk. "He did come to your birthday after all..." He trailed off with a knowing grin.
"Says the one who has three girlfriends and was making out with a girl in the back yard!" She growled at him. "And he only came because Yuzu invited him!" She huffed out making Ichigo chuckle as they began to walk up the stairs.
"I do believe I saw the two of you exchanging cell numbers, and you asking Kisuke to allow you to contact members of Soul Society if need be a few days prior."
"Shut up, it's none of your business!" She growled at him making him chuckle as they reached the second floor.
"Captain of a Soul Reaper Division or some high school kid that you happen to have your eye on..." Ichigo started with a smile towards her. "They break your heart I'll break their legs. That's if you don't do it first." Karin chuckled before punching Ichigo in the arm.
"You're such an overprotective older brother you know that, what are you going to do when Yuzu gets a boyfriend?" She questioned.
"Make sure he knows that he doesn't just have me or Dad coming after him, but he's got you after him if he hurts her as well, I don't know which he should be more afraid of." Karin just smirked as they headed down towards Ichigo's room where he had left his body. As they passed a door it slid open making Karin look back and for her eyes to shoot wide open and gasp as she saw Uzume standing there, her hair a mess as if she had just woken up, a flimsy shirt with frills outlining it and a pair of white panties.
"Oh, hello." Uzume waved. "Oh! You must be one of Ichigo's sisters!" She said excitement lacing her voice as she ran to Karin and gripped her hands in her own. "I'm Uzume! One of Ichigo's girlfriends! To be more accurate, we haven't made it official yet. He hasn't kissed me." She pouted at Karin, Ichigo standing behind his sister who had slumped over, his back to both her and his sister. Karin smirked as she looked over her shoulder at Ichigo's slumped over form.
"Well, Ichigo's pretty dense in these sorts of matters. You have to be the one take charge or nothing's ever going to get done." She said turning back to Uzume. "You have to be direct with him."
"She's already damn direct!" Ichigo growled in his mind, not even wanting to glance back at the two. He had heard Karin's gasp, that only meant one thing, and that was that Uzume wasn't properly dressed. "I'm going to get back in my body. You two... get acquainted or whatever."
"Let's go have a bath!" Uzume cheered.
"It's the middle of the day..." Karin trailed off but Uzume didn't care and dragged Karin off down the hall.
"I'll be back for that kiss Ichigo!" Uzume called out making Ichigo sigh before heading for his room. He just hoped that everything would go alright while his family was here. He opened the door to see Kon standing on the windowsill staring off into the city, his head lowered as Ichigo entered.
"What's the matter with you?" Ichigo asked looking at his body that was on the bed.
"The day has finally come." Kon said turning around. "My arch nemesis has come it's going to be a hard fight, If I don't make it out of this alive... I've been captured and have been forced to wear a dress... but don't cry for me... I'm just one soldier. Don't do anything rash and try and stage a rescue..."
"I won't." Ichigo simply told him walking over to his body.
"No... no words, this is hard on you... I know." Kon said, nodding for some reason Ichigo didn't know. "We've been together a long time now." Ichigo entered his body before sitting up. "This is a battle that I must do alone." Kon said raising a paw to his forehead in a mock salute. "I'll go down fighting if I have to."
"Yeah you do that." Ichigo said closing the door behind him, hearing Kon's cries of stuffed animal abuse as he made his way down stairs only to stop as he saw Isshin give Miya some money. "Hey what's that for? I've got no trouble paying for rent." Ichigo called out to them making them turn and look up at him.
"Oh don't worry my boy!" Isshin laughed. "That was a week's rent pay for your sisters and I!" He cheered making Ichigo stop, all colour draining for his face.
"A week?" He squeaked before falling back, fainting as he heard his father's laughter.