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Spring Rain
Chapter Six
"Penny for your thoughts?"
A cup of tea was placed next to her on the veranda as he sat down next to her. She looked to the cup, picking it up gently and took a sip, a smile taking place on her face as she looked up to him. Her troubles seemed so far away just having him there, as if he had cast a magic spell on the tea to take them away. He always knew what to do to comfort her because that was what an older brother was for.
For the first time in a long while, she had a dream about her brother. For the first time in a long while, there was a feeling of warmth remembering him instead of spite.
That particular dream/memory hung on Katsumi's mind all day long.
She was granted a day's rest. I have some matters to attend to, were Urahara's exact words before leaving. With nowhere particular in mind, Katsumi left the shop for the first time in almost a week. She had not been to school though she was not quite bothered; she had not been there long enough just yet to have people worrying about her. Wandering the streets, Katsumi soon found herself walking down a rather secluded road alone.
The feeling of being followed crept up on her. She turned her head from side to side, looking over her shoulders to check that no one was there yet she could not shake off the feeling. Her pace quickened though when she rounded the corner, she came face to face with someone familiar. Her muscles clenched and her hand tightened around her zanpakuto with which she had become inseparable, ready to fight whenever he initiated, having remembered their last encounter. Shinji, however, seemed nonchalant leaning against the wall. Like he knew she would be there and he had been waiting.
"Hirako-kun."
"Katsumi-chan," Shinji grinned. "I've missed you at school."
"I have not been well."
"Well, I'm glad to see that you're all better now." Noticing the way she was tensed up, Shinji stepped away from the wall and held his hands up in the air as if to show her that he was not armed. "How about a date, Katsumi-chan? It would really make my day to go out with my first love." As Katsumi took a step back, Shinji caught her by the elbow, his grin still plastered on his face. "You don't really have a choice in this, Katsumi-chan. I'd go with it if I were you."
Katsumi was not quite sure what it was but something deep down was telling her to go with it as Shinji told her to. He led her away from the town, arriving at an abandoned space. Instantly, Katsumi could feel that something was not quite right. Shinji walked up to a specific spot and a doorway opened in what seemed like a barrier, revealing a warehouse hidden behind. Beckoning her over, Shinji allowed Katsumi in first and the barrier closed behind them.
Stepping into the warehouse somehow got Katsumi's heart racing. She was pretty sure the seven pairs of eyes watching her every move was the reason why. Shinji nudged her gently on the back, making her stand right in the middle of the warehouse, as if she was standing trial in front of a jury. Saving her from the awkwardness was the entrance of another person. Walking into the warehouse was a certain orange-haired high school student with whom Katsumi was in the same class. Both of them locked eyes, each surprised to see the other.
"Oh, just in time, Ichigo. I was starting to think that you wouldn't be able to find us. Have you finally decided to become one of us?"
"Screw that," Ichigo replied. "I'm not here to become one of you. I'm here so I could use you. I'm not going to join you but I'm going to have you teach me how to suppress the hollow inside me."
"Huh...well I'll be damned," Shinji mumbled, though he was soon smirking. He placed an arm around Katsumi's shoulders, looking over to Ichigo with a tilted head. "You might not even have to worry about suppressing that hollow in you, Ichigo," Shinji hummed. "You may be able to return to a normal life even. That is...if we could get that information out of the precious Chuya princess right here."
Chuya...
That was the second time Shinji referred to her by that name. She meant to ask before but they were preoccupied with a fight and she had thrown it to the back of her mind since. "You have the wrong person," Katsumi stated, shrugging Shinji's arm off her shoulders. "I am no Chuya. My name is Ukitake Katsumi, Ukitake." The look on Shinji's face, however, had Katsumi doubting herself. She kept telling herself that he was mistaken; she was the sister of Ukitake Jushiro after all. She had no recollection of ever being anybody by the name of Chuya though that was when it hit her.
Her memories had been coming back to her in pieces, like they were slipping past a barrier. What if, the memories of being the sister of the thirteenth squad captain were planted? What if, she was Chuya Katsumi like Shinji said but those memories had been sealed away?
"Say it again," Shinji said. "What's your name?"
"I..."
Katsumi looked from Shinji to Ichigo, then to the others. How could it be that her entire life was a lie? How could it be that her brother...was not her brother? So many questions were running through her mind at the same time and Katsumi pressed her palm to her forehead, trying to find the answers to her questions. There was only one question, however, that she needed the answer to the most.
Why?
Why were her memories sealed away? Why was she sent away to live under a different name? Why did everyone she knew lie to her about her life?
In the midst of her desperation to find answers, Katsumi's head was suddenly grabbed and she was forced to turn around, facing a big man. He examined her, turning her head from side to side before humming softly knowingly. "Just as I suspected," the man nodded, letting go of Katsumi as he spoke. "There is a barrier in her mind, a seal. Her memories are locked away and fake ones had been put in place instead. I could remove the barrier but the aftermath of it would be too much for her to bear." With a bow, the man retreated, leaving Katsumi just as confused as before.
Out of nowhere, however, Katsumi was attacked.
Slicing through the air and aimed at Katsumi's head was a katana though she dodged it perfectly. Her body was moving on its own, thanks to all the training she had done with Urahara. "I've had enough of this. Seeing your face really pissed me off. I don't give a damn about no barrier, I'm going to beat it out of you." Not hesitating for even a second, Hiyori charged at Katsumi. "You're the reason we're here! So why do you get to live a damn normal life while we gotta hide like we're some monsters being hunted? This is so typical of a Chuya...if you aren't going to talk then just die!" As Hiyori went for a kick to the head, Katsumi drew her zanpakuto from the sheath just in time to block the kick.
"Cry, Harusame."
With the release of her zanpakuto, a cloud started forming in the warehouse and rain started to fall. Hiyori was distracted for just a second by the sudden rain but it was more than enough time for Katsumi to flick her across the warehouse, putting distance between them. Each and every time Hiyori tried to lunge at her, Katsumi simply flicked her wrist, not allowing a single chance for the girl to get close to her.
Frustrated, Hiyori placed a hand in front of her face, dragged it down in one motion and a Hollow mask appeared. Taken aback, Katsumi was distracted for just a second when Hiyori suddenly appeared right in front of her. Just before she could move her arm, Hiyori grabbed onto her wrist and jumped into the air at the same time, landing a kick. Katsumi managed to block with her other arm though she was kicked across the warehouse. As she raised her hand to use her shikai, Hiyori once again appeared in front of her with frightening speed. Just before she could attack, however, Katsumi felt a hand on top of hers.
"The Katsumi I know isn't this weak," a familiar voice whispered. "If you are afraid to hurt others, then you can never fully use me."
"Harusame?"
"Let that fear go. Only then will you unlock my potentials. Remember, Katsumi, I will always be here for you."
The feeling of Harusame's hand disappeared but at the same time, Hiyori was once again, flung in the opposite direction. Pointing her hilt at Hiyori, Katsumi pierced forward, freezing Hiyori on the spot. As Katsumi started rotating the hilt anti-clockwise, Hiyori's arm started drying up and shrinking. Harusame's words kept repeating in her mind: Let that fear go. However, the instant Katsumi laid eyes on the pain expression Hiyori wore, she could not bring herself to hurt the other girl. Snatching the opportunity, Hiyori managed to break free and charged at Katsumi. Reacting a second too late, Hiyori was able to slash her across the back.
Jumping out of the way, Katsumi touched her left shoulder where the cut started. Stumbling a few steps back, Katsumi suddenly collapsed only to get up the next second. As she lifted her head, however, her eyes were bright red. A wave of reiatsu was released from her body, knocking everyone in the warehouse back. This was a intentional display of her power; a power that Shinji was rather familiar with.
Kagome touched her left shoulder again, bringing her bloodstained finger to her lips before licking the blood off. "You'll pay for that." Inserting the hilt of her zanpakuto into the sheathe, Kagome did not give even a second for Hiyori to respond when she suddenly appeared just an inch in front of the hollowfied girl. Hiyori's right shoulder was pierced with the long blade, pinning her to the wall. At the same time, Hiyori stabbed through Kagome's left shoulder though it seemed to have done little deterring her. "Katsumi's afraid to hurt you, but I'm not. And I'm going to tak-"
Stopping mid-sentence, Kagome pulled away though she jolted forward suddenly, falling on her knee. Taking her chance, Hiyori swung her zanpakuto only for it to be caught by Kagome with just a hand. As she stood up, an immense amount of reiatsu was released from her, even more so than before. Pulling Hiyori forward, Kagome grabbed her by the throat once again as a white mask was beginning to form over her face. Her eyes were no longer red but instead, a telltale bright yellow. A menacing smirk spread across her face as her grip on Hiyori's throat tightened by the second.
In a split second, Kagome was surrounded and pinned to the ground with half a dozen katanas pointed right at her. Shinji poked at the quarter of a white mask over her face with the tip of his katana. As if fallen under a spell, Kagome was knocked out cold. Though, that was when they finally noticed it.
"Is that what I think it is?"
"Oh my God..."
"Is this for real? That is real, right?"
"So that's how she survived."
"Hey Hachi, isn't this like a wet dream for you? Seeing this?"
With her shirt ripped from Hiyori's attack, Katsumi's bare back was exposed and with it, an intricate seal that covered her entire back was revealed. Where Hiyori slashed, the seal was slowly repairing itself. "That is a Chuya seal," Hachi confirmed. "I never thought I'd be seeing one in person but this is truly magnificent."
"Katsumi is one of you? What the hell is going on here? Will someone tell me something?"
"Her name," Shinji sighed, forgetting for a moment that Ichigo was also with them, "is Chuya Katsumi. She's the princess of the Chuya Clan, one of the four great noble families in Soul Society. She is also the first known case of a soul going through Hollowfication and surviving it, even though the Chuya Clan did the perfect job of hiding it. We had to dig deep to find out the truth. Well...now we finally know how she managed to survive. Sucks for you though, Ichigo," Shinji smirked. "Chuya seals are for Chuya's only, and only a Chuya would know how to make one. A seal of this level would require at least two of them and we only have one."
"What the hell are you talking about? Isn't Katsumi an Ukitake? She's the sister of Captain Ukitake, right? Who are the Chuya Clan?"
"A bunch of assholes, that's who they are," Hiyori sneered.
As he walked past Hiyori, making his way over to Ichigo, Shinji smacked the back of Hiyori's head. "Have some respect, we have the Chuya princess in our presence," he smirked, before looking to Ichigo. "Like I said, the Chuya Clan is one of the four great noble families in Soul Society. They are the oldest noble family and possess an unique reiryoku which I'm sure you failed to notice. It's the reason why they are the experts in seals and barriers. They also happen to be...assholes, as Hiyori has so nicely put for us. Because of their nobility, they look down on us.
"About 110 years ago, the main branch of the clan was murdered. No one knew who did it. The princess, however, was missing. Our dear Captain Ukitake took her in, gave her the Ukitake name, and kept her hidden away. He always had a soft spot for her despite our hatred for the Chuya Clan. Then again, the princess is a little hard to hate on; she was always nice. Whoever murdered the Chuya Clan was after the princess, specifically that seal on her back. And they'll be back for her. They did so well concealing her existence so why expose her now?"
Watching Ichigo train from inside a barrier, Kagome rolled her eyes and returned to throwing her shoe at the barrier wall, catching it as it bounced back. The hollow was suppressed but the cut (courtesy of Hiyori) across her back had disrupted the seal, so Kagome was still in control. Not wanting another incident, however, Shinji had asked for her to be placed in a barrier.
A gentle knock on the barrier had Kagome looking up to see Ichigo on one of his rare breaks. Taking note of his presence, she soon went back to tossing her shoe. "That's some interesting training you're doing there," Kagome pointed out. "You do realise that it's all pointless, right? Even if you learn to suppress the hollow and even use it, you're still different. You're still the freak with a monster in you."
"You're not Katsumi."
"Did blonde Beatles over there tell you?"
"No, I can tell. Katsumi has green eyes, yours are red. And your reiatsu, it feels different."
"Well you're not as stupid as I thought you were," Kagome smirked, catching her shoe before finally looking at Ichigo properly. "Blonde Beatles and his gang wanted to know how Katsumi survived with the hollow in her. They think the seal on my back is the answer but they're wrong. Even if they got their hands on a Chuya seal, it would never work. The seal is essential, no doubt, but not the key."
"What's the key?"
"Do you have a twin to spare?"
"You're Katsumi's twin."
It took a moment for her words to sink in but when they finally did, Ichigo's eyes widened a little. Kagome smirked at his reaction, returning her little game of shoe throw. It felt odd, hearing someone state the fact that she was Katsumi's twin. Since the day they were born, they were never viewed as equal. Katsumi, older by two minutes, was hailed as the princess of the Chuya Clan. Kagome, on the other hand, was shunned from the very second she was born. The only reason why she was kept alive when she would have otherwise been killed as an omen, was because it was foretold that twins would be bestowed upon the family and both had to be kept alive for one to survive. Katsumi was obviously chosen for survival.
She was never Katsumi's twin sister, she was simply Katsumi's spare. Kagome never came to terms with that statement. She never understood why Katsumi was so loved while she was cast aside when she was younger. She still could not understand why and what exactly determined that she was an omen yet at the same time, Katsumi's saviour, simply because an old woman foresaw.
"Whatever happened to Katsumi, it's not your fault." The comment from Ichigo was unexpected. So much so that Kagome missed catching her shoe as she looked up at the orange-haired boy.
"I never said it was."
"I can tell," Ichigo said, taking a seat outside the barrier. "Because I was just like you. I blamed myself for my mother's death, I still do. I can see in your eyes that even though you keep up that facade, you feel guilty for whatever happened to Katsumi."
She was speechless.
No one ever knew. No one ever thought to even know about it, yet this boy she had just met saw right through her. It was true that Kagome hated her family and her twin sister. But it was also true that there was a guilt ingrained in her since the day Katsumi was carried back half alive. A guilt that manifested from a secret she kept from everyone. A secret that she had tried so hard to forget, and even justify, though it had been eating away at her for a hundred years.