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Spring Rain

Chapter Four

His face was inches away from hers and Urahara was discovering things he never knew about Katsumi. Her eyelashes were long and curled at just the right angle. Her hair was immaculately tied up into a ponytail with her signature braids running down the middle, save for the two strands of hair that framed her face. Putting his hand up to her face, Urahara grinned a little to himself over the fact that her face was about the size of his hand. It was no wonder he would fall for her. Though, it had been so long since they last saw each other, Urahara wondered what kind of reaction he would have seeing Katsumi again. Opening her eyes suddenly, Katsumi leaned forward and threatened to bite Urahara's hand only for him to thwack her right in the head with his cane.

"Concentrate, Katsumi-chan."

"How could I when you are clowning around?" Katsumi asked. "And how does meditating help?"

"Again with the questions," Urahara tutted, wiggling his index finger from side to side. "What did I say before? Just do as I say, no questions."

Wearing the same unimpressed look reserved specially for Urahara, Katsumi closed her eyes again, rubbing the top of her head to ease the pain. She never liked that trait of Urahara's, how he never explained everything with details. She especially hated the phrase he always told her, 'You would know when you know'. Still, she placed her hands on top of her zanpakuto in her lap and let out a deep breath, trying her best to think of nothing but the name Harusame. Slowly, Katsumi felt as if she was drifting away, as if she was falling asleep. When she opened her eyes again, however, she was standing on a wooden platform in the middle of an endless ocean.

Sitting by the edge of the platform was a woman with long black hair reaching down to her waist, half of it tied up into a bun and secured with four golden pins. She was wearing a teal-coloured, off-the-shoulder kimono. She had her hand dipped in the water though as soon as she sensed Katsumi's presence, she pulled her hand out and turned her head slowly. There was a certain charisma about the woman. She was neither smiling nor frowning but the look in her eyes seemed to be drawing Katsumi in. It was then she finally understood the term 'breath taken away'.

"It's nice to see you, Katsumi," she said softly, standing up on the spot. "I didn't think you would come. I didn't think you even remember me."

"You are...Harusame?"

"No points for getting my name," the woman smiled. As she started walking towards Katsumi, however, her smile dropped and was instead, replaced with a cold (almost murderous) expression. "After all, you've abandoned me for a hundred years. You've left me to rot, left my blade to rust. So...don't blame me for not welcoming you here."

Reaching behind her back, Harusame gripped onto the hilt of her katana and pulled it out of its sheath with lightning speed. Katsumi mirrored her actions and pulled out her own katana, just about blocking Harusame's attack as she swung hers from the side. Without another word, the two engaged in a sword fight. Just like from her memory before, Katsumi was on the defensive. Harusame landed blow after blow but all she could do was dodge and block. It was hard to keep up with Harusame; her movements were so swift and so fluid. There was no weak nor blind spot either. This was a lost battle even before she even came into Harusame's world.

Without showing any mercy, Harusame forced Katsumi to the edge of the platform. There was absolutely no way out of this for Katsumi. And while she remembered Urahara so cheerfully saying that she would not die, there was still that fear in Katsumi because what if Urahara was wrong?

Before she could finish processing all the 'what ifs', however, Harusame's blade pierced right through her heart. Katsumi let out a blood curdling scream but it only put a smile on Harusame's face as she pushed the katana further into Katsumi's chest. She was still very much alive but the pain was so unbearable for Katsumi that she was starting to wish that Urahara was wrong. "What shall I do with you now?" Harusame hummed, twisting the katana and letting out what sounded like a giggle when Katsumi screamed once more. "How about a hundred years of pain? That should pay off the negligence." Gripping the hilt of her katana tightly, Katsumi gathered what strength that was left in her and stabbed Harusame in the shoulder.

At the same time, another blade pierced through the other shoulder from the back.

Tilting her head slightly so she could be seen, Kagome greeted the two with a smirk. Katsumi's eyes widened at the sight of Kagome. Not too long ago, she found out she had a twin sister. The one sacrificed for her. Yet, it felt so surreal to see her actually standing in front of her. There was no denying it, however, because Kagome was an exact copy of her. From their hair to their nose, even down to their height. Everything was the same. The only difference being that Kagome sported blood red eyes. "Well hello there, my dear sister," Kagome greeted with a little wave. "It's been a while, hasn't it? A hundred years? No, more than that. But you don't remember me, do you?"

"Kagome..."

"Huh, well what do you know..." Kagome mumbled. "They did always say you were the smart one."

"I do not understand...you are..."

"Of course you don't." Pulling her katana out, Kagome grabbed Harusame by the shoulder and threw her back, letting the spirit slide along the platform to the other side while she walked up to Katsumi. Even with their faces inches away, it was still hard to believe for Katsumi that the person standing before her was her own twin sister. "Because mummy and daddy kept you in the dark. And your beloved brother, he wiped your memories. Gave you fake ones."

Picking herself up, Harusame grabbed her katana and charged at Kagome. Without turning, Kagome kicked Harusame in the stomach and brought her down to her knees. With a blow from her heel, Harusame was knocked down on the platform. As she glanced down at the spirit, Kagome stepped on her neck with one foot, perfectly subduing Harusame underneath her. Katsumi could only watch in fear. She was having a hard time fighting against Harusame just moments ago. She could only hurt Harusame after she was pierced through the heart herself. Yet, Kagome had Harusame laying underneath her foot so effortlessly.

"Do not hurt her."

"That is so typical of you. The princess everyone adored who is so full of compassion. Who only knows mercy when it comes to her enemies. Did you forget that she was trying to kill you, hm?" Kagome pressed her weight down on Harusame, wiggling her foot about. "You do realise that I could just break her neck now, right? You're the only one who needs her. I don't need some goddamn zanpakuto spirit to help me. I don't mind getting rid of her once and for all."

"You cannot!"

Just as she was about to open her mouth to say something, Kagome looked off to the distance. "Well, something more fun just popped up in the real world so I will spare her pathetic life." Letting her foot off Harusame's neck, Kagome kicked the woman to the side before looking to Katsumi. "You stay here for a while. I'm going to take my body back for some fun."

~Meanwhile~

"Sorry for being late, Ichigo."

Having arrived to save Ichigo, Orihime, and Chad, both Urahara and Yoruichi stood between the large sized arrancar, Yammy, and the beaten down Ichigo. "What the hell? One persona after another getting in my way. But cutting ahead just means that I'm going to kill you first!" Raising his fist, Yammy held a confident grin as he brought it down on them. Just before he could hit them (even before either of them reacted), his fist was stopped by a single tiny palm. "Yet another measly human for m-"

Half way through his sentence, Yammy suddenly let out a shout. With her fingernails digging into his hand, Kagome gripped and twisted his hand, yanking him forward during the moment of surprise and roundhouse kicked him in the face. She let go of his hand, turning around in the blink of an eye and jammed her elbow in his stomach, knocking Yammy back. She flashed in front of him, grabbing him by the neck and threw him up into the air before jumping up herself. Twisting her body midair, Kagome brought her leg down in the middle of his back, kicking him down into the ground before landing perfectly on her feet.

"Looks like I still got it after all these years," Kagome smirked, stretching her arms into the air and bent a little to the sides.

"Aren't you supposed to be training back at the store?" Yoruichi asked, attending to Orihime as she did.

"You're not allowed to be out...Kagome."

As she met Yoruichi's eyes, the older woman finally took notice of the bright red eyes staring back at her. "You expect me to stay back and watch Katsumi's sorry ass be kicked around by a spirit while you two old farts get to have all the fun? It's like you don't even know me, Kisuke. Don't worry, I'll return your precious princess after I had my fun. I'm still waiting for you to beg after all." With a smirk, Kagome turned back around and looked to the other arrancar who had only been spectating all this time. "You," she pointed. "You're much stronger than this pathetic little thing, aren't you?" There was no reply from the arrancar. Instead, Yammy started moving, pushing himself up from the ground. "Oh wow, you're like the cockroach. You just don't die."

What Kagome expected, was definitely not a Cero aimed at her. By the time it was shot, it seemed a little too late for her to be dodging it.

"You are so reckless, Kagome-chan," Urahara tutted. "We wouldn't be begging for your help if you died here."

As the dust settled around them, it was clear to see that Kagome was unscathed; Urahara stood just a step in front of her with his zanpakuto out. "Who are you? What did you do? How did you survive my Cero?" Yammy bombarded Urahara with question after question, unable to accept the fact that his Cero did not even give them a scratch. Tilting his head slightly, Urahara only smirked in response.

"If I had repelled it, it would have endangered us all. I simply hit it with something similar to cancel it. Would you like to see it again?"

Without warning, Urahara used his zanpakuto's ability only to have it deflected by the other arrancar, Ulquiorra. "What is your name?" he asked, looking to Kagome. Unhappy that Urahara interrupted his fight, Yammy started protesting only to be struck in the stomach. "You fool. You're too hot-headed, Yammy. That's Urahara Kisuke and Shihoin Yoruichi. At your level, as it stands, you can't beat them. We're withdrawing."

"Running away?" Yoruichi taunted.

"Such a taunt is unlike you. If the two of you want to fight me while also trying to protect the trash dying there, I'm sure you realise which of us would have the advantage. We've completed the mission we were given. We will report to Lord Aizen. I will tell him that the shinigami he has his eyes on, is trash that isn't even worth killing."

"Hey! Get back here! I haven't had my fun yet! I don't give a fu-"

Urahara grabbed Kagome by the shoulder, stopping her from going after the two arrancars. "That's quite enough, Kagome," Urahara said, in a tone of voice that no one would ever associate Urahara with. "Please kindly return Katsumi."

Katsumi never found out what type of 'fun' Kagome borrowed her body for and Urahara would not tell her either. All she knew was that when she woke up, she was back at her room in the Urahara Shop, her body aching like she had been intensive training for a whole week non-stop at a military camp. Even as the days passed, it still ached so much that it would hurt for her to raise her arm. She came to realise, however, that whatever 'fun' Kagome went for, Ichigo and Orihime were involved. They were absent from school and came back a few days later, thanking Katsumi for her help.

If they knew it was really Kagome who help, would they still be thanking her?

If they knew she only went for the entertainment and coincidentally helped them, would they still thank her?

But Katsumi could not bring herself to explain that the person who helped them was not her, because even Katsumi herself was not quite understanding. Kagome was supposedly sacrificed to save her, but why? She had no memories, because her brother locked them away. But why?

Frozen in front of the blackboard with the eraser in her hand, Katsumi was snapped out of her own thoughts when she heard a commotion coming down the hallway. The door to their classroom slid open and in walked a group of five people. They were wearing the school uniform but Katsumi had never seen them before though Ichigo seemed to recognise them. Some form of conversation went on between them before someone else came in through the window and took Ichigo away. Or well...took his soul away.

"Are you friends of Kurosaki-kun? Where is she taking him?"

"You...saw that?"

Before she could get her answer, however, the other students in the classroom were murmuring between themselves. They were just as confused as Katsumi was though she was the only one who could see Ichigo's soul. The murmurs grew and soon, the students were discussing the five who waltzed into the classroom until they mentioned the bald one. That seemed to have set him off as he started threatening them with his wooden sword. Grabbing him by the wrist before he could hurt anyone, Katsumi looked up at the man.

"Please stop."

"Huh? Who do you think you are, ordering me around? Let go of me before I hurt you!"

"Please stop." The man was still glaring but Katsumi did not move. She did not even flinch from his loud voice or when he yanked his arm away. There was something about the look in her eyes, a look that he could only describe with nobility and authority. And for some reason, he submitted to it. "Whoever you are, you are in a school. Please refrain yourself from violence and hurting others. If you may, school has already ended and Kurosaki-kun is not here. Please leave."

Although none of them was thrilled with taking orders from a high school student, neither of them argued with Katsumi either. They left the classroom, as loud as they did when they came but peacefully. Once they were away from the school, however, they had a serious look on their face.

"Did you see the name on her uniform, that girl?"

Rangiku spoke first, breaking the silence with a question that they were all itching to ask. "Yeah...Ukitake," Ikkaku muttered. "It's just coincidence, is it not? She can't be related to Captain Ukitake." No one spoke up at that comment. "What if...she is related to Captain Ukitake?" Ikkaku asked. "Damn...I threatened her as well. What if Captain Ukitake finds out?"

"Don't fret, Captain Ukitake is a nice man. I'm sure he wouldn't do anything too bad."

"I feel like I've seen her somewhere before..."

~.~

Moving with the katana felt so natural to Katsumi. It seemed like the muscle memory was there, all that was needed was some training to bring it out. For the past few days, despite her whole body aching, that was what Urahara had been doing with her. He had been training her swordsmanship, getting her into Harusame's world, even training her in Hakuda because 'there will come a time when you can't use your zanpakuto and kido. When that time comes, you will be thankful that I taught you Hakuda'. With all these training, however, Katsumi could only imagine the kind of fight they were preparing for.

Just as she was about to enter Harusame's world, Katsumi felt something she never felt before.

Reiatsu, that was something Urahara had been teaching her about too. Since her training with him, she had been able to feel reiatsu of others'. But this one felt different. And there was more than one of them.

Instinctively, Katsumi held onto her zanpakuto and dashed out of the lair. She ran past Ururu who called out to her but Katsumi ignored the girl, running out of the shop. She was only a few steps out when she stopped, looking up into the sky where a figure stood above. Her hand wrapped around the hilt of her zanpakuto, ready to unsheathe whenever they attacked. Her breaths were quickening and her heart was starting to beat hard and fast. This was what she had been training for but Katsumi only ever fought against Urahara, Ururu and Jinta. They would never hurt her, not seriously anyway.

"A pretty lady like you shouldn't be out here. Too bad I'm going to have to kill you."

"I will take it from here, Ukitake-san," Renji said, putting a hand on her shoulder and pulled Katsumi back. "I promised Urahara-san that I would protect you, after all."