Me: … Yay! I have a new laptop for my school.
S.A.N.: Yay! This means you can work on stories in school!
C.T.E.: So that means that you can just slack off and type chapters in class?
Me: No! I'm not that kind of person!
C.T.E.: Right…
S.A.N.: (sigh)… Animefreak doesn't own Bleach.
Chapter 14: Final Day
"Karin-nee-san! Yuzu-nee-san! I missed you!" A plushie toy jumped out of the back pack that belonged to the Kazeru boy, but Karin punched the face in annoyance. Heiwa face-palmed with a sigh, and Natsu scratched his head in confusion.
"How come every time I stuff him in my bag he always gets out?" Karin sighed and shook her head.
"That is what I was thinking. I guess he has his ways since he was with Ichi-nii." She grabbed Kon by the head and brought him up to her scowling face. Kon started to sweat a bit, seeing her look toward idiots like him and her father.
"Listen up, Kon. I hope you know what's going on here because we all are going to need you, Inu, Chu, and Neko for this." Heiwa's bag started to move side to side until another plushie popped its head out. It was an orange cat that has three black vertical stripes on its head. It also has two black horizontal stripes on its arms and legs. There were also huge horizontal ones on its back, and the tail looked like a pattern of black and orange until the tip of the tail is completely black. Yuzu's bag also moved, but it was a bit stronger. Yuzu quickly opened the clip, and two other plushies popped out of the corners.
"How come I can't go into Karin's bag? I don't see why there is a problem to it." Inu whined because two plushies in one bag can cramp Inu and Chu.
"Inu-chan, we don't know what would happen after we, four, agree to the contract. I think it would be wise if you stay with me in case something happens to Karin's soul before the tournament," said Yuzu.
"Anyways, you, four, are going to be in those plush bodies until the evening. We'll call you when we gather around somewhere deserted." Karin gave the order, and the plush dolls saluted her. Heiwa looked at her watch and warned them.
"We have to hurry. School starts in less than ten minutes." Karin, Yuzu, and Natsu had their jaws dropped and madly dashed on the sidewalk. Natsu grabbed Kon from Karin's grip and stuffed him in his bag while the other three toys slipped back in the now secured bags.
"Kuso! Four-eyes! Why didn't you say anything?! The guys are going to kill us if we are there late!" Karin shouted in the front.
"How the hell should I know that you let them went before us?! You should have told me that in the first place, Soccer Ace!" Heiwa shouted from behind the group.
"You, two, shut up!" Natsu shouted while trying to catch up the same pace as Karin.
"SHUT UP, NATSU!!" The two girls shouted at the same time as the group made a sharp turn around the corner.
"Less shouting, more speeding!" Yuzu scolded the three as they were near the school.
0000
Somewhere in another school, there was a martial arts class that was occupied by many people who were training for school. A giant with brown hair was observing the training between the trainees. They were using the gym for practice since there was a problem in the other room. His brown eyes scanned around the place, feeling calm for the moment.
Ring
Ring
Ring
Click
"Hello, Tsuyosa Kazeru speaking." A gigantic man picked up his cell phone from the table. Some of the students paused from what they were doing, but he hollered at them to continue. Everyone went back to their training, and Tsuyosa talked on the phone again.
"Sumimasen, Isshin. I'm busy right now…" His lips lined tightly when he was hearing his friend.
"So, Karin-san and Heiwa-chan have decided… All right. We'll chat in another time." He closed his cell phone shut and sighed, continuing to watch his students.
"Kazeru-sensei?" A boy walked up to the giant, timidly. The man raised an eyebrow and stared at the young child.
"Is Heiwa-sempai and Natsu-sempai coming here to practice? They said that they'll train me to be stronger like onii-san." His eyes softened a bit to hear this from a young child. Even though Natsu was a reckless boy without any rational thoughts and Heiwa was cold to the core, those twins secretly act like their mother: kind, promising, loyal, overprotective, and concerning about others than themselves.
"They will. They are studying to try their best in their school. It is hard for them to go through school, so be patient." He assured the child. The little boy nodded and went back to his sparring partner. Tsuyosa sighed after the child was back to practice. It was going to be hard to let go of them.
0000
Karin fiddled her bag when she was riding in the bus with her teammates. All the girls, except the captain and vice captain, were excited and nervous about their last game. They were talking with excitement and discussed things to keep their minds from their fear.
Karin, however, was fidgeting on her seat. Her hands were twisting the bag, and her knuckles turned white. She bit her lip in anxiety, and her heartbeat increased every ten miles closer to the stadium. Many thoughts ran through her head with doubts and possibilities.
She felt a hand on her head, startling her out of her thoughts and glanced to her left. The brown-haired girl sent a bit of her reiatsu on Karin's mind, and the raven-haired girl began to calm down and relax. Whatever was in her mind disappeared, and her doubts flew away from her head. Karin felt Heiwa's hand off her head, and she turned her head to give the sour look.
"What the hell was that for?" Heiwa closed her eyes and removed her glasses.
"I was calming you down since you looked nervous. Don't worry about it. I'll back you up."
"I never asked for your permission." Heiwa smirked and opened her eyes.
"Deal with it."
"Oy! Karin-sempai! We're here!" One of their teammates shouted and everyone through the windows to see the field. Everyone was amazed by the size of the stadium. They could imagine the enormous field they are going to compete on, and everyone from two high schools is there. There were many cars parking in the parking lot and the students from their school are lined up outside.
The students cheered as they saw the soccer girls' bus. The girls waved their hands in excitement and greeted their companions in the bus. Karin looked everywhere to find her friends, but they were nowhere to be seen. Probably, they were mixed in the crowd because everyone from their high school is gathering around. Karin felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked at the Kazeru girl who had a smirk.
"Good luck, Karin-taichou." Heiwa joked, and Karin grinned at her, getting the joke from somewhere.
"You too, Heiwa-fukutaichou."
0000
Isshin sighed and moved his shoulder around from carrying the heavy boxes. His gigai was aging like his soul, but his Shinigami form was still young… just a few years younger. Rukia was checking on the other patients, and Ichigo was changing one of the patients on the bandages. His employees were working on the other patients as well, so Isshin carried the boxes by himself.
"Oy! Otou-san!" The goat father turned his head to the side and saw his orange-haired son and a man with a sandal hat.
"Mr. Hats-and-Clogs is here." Ichigo said. Isshin nodded and relaxed from delivering boxes to the cellar.
"Hai. Arigatou, Ichigo." The man turned around and exited the room, leaving the two men to discuss a certain topic. Urahara smiled.
"You're definitely growing old, Isshin." The former captain Kurosaki chuckled and retaliated back.
"Same goes to you, Kisuke." Isshin's smile faltered and he crossed his arms.
"So… has Karin agreed yet?" He said with a serious tone. He was okay with this training and the decision his children made. He was a little worried about the timid Yuzu, but he knew that she was going to be protected. He didn't need to worry about Ichigo and Rukia because they were already strong.
Karin, however, was the person he was worried about the most.
Kisuke nodded with a smile. "Hai. Yoruichi already overheard their conversation. Tomorrow, they will all be here. I'll get Hitsugaya-taichou and the others. You, Ichigo, and Rukia will come over after Karin has her Shikai." Isshin nodded with a smile.
"Understood. However, I already called them, and Ichigo and Rukia knew already." Urahara tilted his hat to the side with a smile on his face.
"Arigatou. Also, there's something else you need to know." Isshin's face frowned and let him continue.
"It seems that Karin has more potential than just a captain or general captain." Isshin's eyes widened and asked.
"What do you mean?"
0000
Shuuhei bit his thumbnail with anticipation and anxiety. He remembered the meeting with a crystal clear mind. His mind was blank after the discussion. He felt many emotions that he hadn't shown to anyone: anger, happiness, fear, shock, and relief. He wanted to go to the real world, but he must have the general's permission on doing so. His friends already knew what Shuuhei was thinking, but they couldn't do anything about it, not even Shuuhei himself could do anything about it.
"Oy! Hisagi! You okay?" His mind was disrupted through the voice of his drinking friend. He looked up from his paperwork and sighed, relieved to see Kira instead of any other captains or vice captains. If they caught him dozing off, they would give him more paperwork. He couldn't slack off on his work, but he couldn't block the image of his dead friend.
"Hai. I'll get over it." Kira frowned and sighed. Hisagi was hard to deal with when a certain someone was in his mind. He drank sake after their dear friend's death, and yesterday, he drank too much that Kira had to bring him back to his room all the way from the restaurant. Kira looked at the frame that hung on the wall and smiled.
"You know. The girl, from Yamamoto-taichou's description, acts like her and used shields in a battlefield, Hisagi. It may be possible that she might be our friend." Kira stated with a bit of hope before he exited the office. Shuuhei sighed and reluctantly agreed. There was no doubt her personality and usage in the battlefield was similar. The girl was definitely who Shuuhei was thinking. He recalled his memories about her and her voice.
"What are you doing, Hisagi-kun?"
"Just shut up and take it. I'm not into this… holiday."
"Hisagi no baka Don't worry about me. This wound is nothing compared to my experiences."
" No, no, NO! You, dunce! How could you write that demonic spells are sword fighting!"
"Do you know how worried I was? If you fight the Hollows alone again, I'll make sure you have more than a bruised cheek."
"Listen. If I die, don't grieve over me. I'll come back. I swear."
"Nasake…"
0000
"Where's Karin-nee-san and Heiwa-chan? Aren't they ready yet?" Yuzu looked through the entrances to find a single life in the shadows. Yuzu and Ururu dragged the two protesting boys to the game to watch their last tournament for the year. Toshiro wasn't one of the boys because he was going with them, no matter how useless it was.
"Don't worry, Yuzu-chan. Neither of the teams is ready, yet. They are going over a little chat before they start the game." Jinta assured her with a smile. Toshiro was sitting on the end and three seats away from Natsu. Even though their duel ended for a while, the three sat between the two boys because they were still at it.
"Over there!" Ururu pointed at the team Karin and Heiwa were in. The crowd erupted into cheers as the two opposing teams entered the field.
"Go, Nee-san!"
"Karin-chan! Heiwa-chan! Good luck!"
"Karin-nee-san! Heiwa-chan! Over here!"
"You better not lose!"
Toshiro felt like leaving the place already. It was too noisy and lively and was giving him a little headache. The people next to him were standing up to cheer when the teams were out of the building. However, he spotted Karin who was looking around with a bit of loss. The Kazeru girl tapped her shoulder and pointed to the audience where the group was occupying. Karin spotted Toshiro and waved her hand in the air with a happy expression. It didn't matter if the atmosphere was noisy or the people next to him are jumping wildly. Karin's relief and smiles were all that mattered to him.
The two teams formed one single line on two sides and ran ahead with their hands up. Each teammate said good luck to their opponents before breaking the line to their assigned positions.
"It looks like they are about to start." Natsu grinned before the crowd sat down on the bleachers to watch the game. Heiwa and Karin were on the field with their teammates, but they were in different assigned positions: the Kurosaki girl was offense and the Kazeru girl was defense.
Omake:
"When are we getting out? I'm getting cramped here." Kon asked quietly while being cramped in the bag. Since the bags were left in the bus, they were allowed to talk a bit. However, they were not to make a noise during the soccer game or after it.
"Itai! That's was my nose, you jerk!" Inu growled at the mouse with a bit of anger.
"Please, be quiet. Do you want Heiwa and Karin to get in trouble?" Chu hushed.
"I wonder how long this game last. Last time, it took more than four hours for them to finish." Neko sighed.