Chapter 11: Death and Strawberry
Walking home from school was never a dull thing when it came to either of the twins, whether it be Ichigo and Verena or Karin and Yuzu. However, unlike the older pair, the younger were less violent in taking care of bullies; usually. Today the two sets had met half way home, unusual because the twin girls usually had after school activities that they joined in on. As they turned down their street the came in contact with a group of boys that were standing around, but it was Ichigo that suddenly got upset.
On the side of the street was a vase with a flower that had been tipped on its side. A child spirit stood nearby looking frightened. Karin pushed Yuzu to the side where the spirit was as Ichigo proceeded to begin beating the teens up. "Question one! What the heck is that?" he yelled at the boys that stood dumbfounded at seeing their friends getting beat up by an orange haired kid. "You there, stinky looking one!"
The older boy pointed at himself. "Me?" he asked, all three girls could've facepalmed at his question. "An offering to the kid who died here recently?" he answered with a question.
"Great answer!" Ichigo stated as he did a flying kick to the face of the larger teen sending him sprawling on the ground.
"Mit! Bro-." his friend began only to be interrupted.
"Question two!" Ichigo yelled gaining the three of the four punk's attentions.
"Mit?" the skinny friend questioned his friend to see if he was okay.
"Then why is the vase..." Ichigo began as he glared at the group of boys. "knocked over?"
All the boys began to feel nervous. Who was this kid? Could he be one of those people? "T-That's cuz we knocked it over..." the skinny kid answered. "while skateboarding."
"I see..." Ichigo's voice sounded dark and dangerous. "Then shouldn't you apologize to her!" he yelled while pointing to the child standing close to him, her face was bloody and clothes stained from being injured, though the boys couldn't see her.
"Otherwise..." Verena began as she put her two cents in. "She may begin to haunt you and drag you to hell with her." she said darkly.
All four young men fell to the ground in fear. "I'M SORRY!" they began repeating over and over. "WE WON'T DO IT AGAIN!" they then turned and ran from the Kurosaki twins.
Yuzu burst out laughing next to Karin. The spirit child giggled as well as the boys vanished down the street. "Tch." Ichigo groaned as he picked up the vase and flower. "Sorry I had to use you like that."
"It's okay." she told them. "You were the one to bring me flowers in the first place." she said "It's only right that I cooperate in the end."
"I'll bring you some flowers soon." he promised the child as he waved good-bye to her.
"Thanks mister!" she grinned. "Now I can spend my time quietly."
As they neared home, Yuzu grasped Ichigo's hand. Looking down as she looked up at him, Ichigo gave her a grin as she gave him one. Looking up at the old sign that read Kurosaki Clinic, Ichigo felt a deep ache within himself. He wondered what goatface would've said or how he would've reacted had he learned of the many things he and Verena could do now. Protecting spirits was only one of many things they did these days. Grinning he could practically hear him making jokes about it. "We're home." he announced as he opened the door.
"You're late." he looked up to see his mother standing in the hallway before suddenly she hugged all four of them at once.
"Mom..."
"Mother..."
"Argh, Mom..."
Each child began to groan out at the embarrassing hug, though they secretly enjoyed it. Seriously though, did she have to always hug them when they arrived late. "It was Yuzu's fault." Karin stated.
"Nuh-huh." Yuzu said in defense. "You wanted to wait for Ichi and Vere." she told everyone.
Karin flushed. "Did not!" she yelled before turning on her heel and running upstairs.
"Is something going on with her?" Masaki asked her two eldest who gave each other a look.
"We think she's beginning, if not already, to be able to see spirits." Verena answered as she sat her book bag on the floor. Stretching out she grasped the hairtie in her hair and pulled it out. Her long orange hair cascaded down her back. "I'll go talk to her." she told her mother as she walked up the stairs after Karin.
"Karin has been able to see spirits for awhile." Yuzu stated as she began to stir the hot pot on the stove.
Pulling a chair out at the breakfast nook, Ichigo sat on the stool. "How long?" he inquired, worry eating at him as he fingered the ring on his hand.
"Hmm.." Yuzu thought as she blew the spoon before licking it. "A year." she answered. "I'm just beginning to see blurry images myself, but they don't look like anything to me." she pouted.
Ichigo stretched his senses out and sure enough could tell that Yuzu's spiritual pressure was beginning to rise, but not by much. Frowning, he stood up and grasped a piece of bread and dipped it into the soup before leaving both his mother and sister to finish up dinner as he got to watch television for a moment. Taking his ring off, Ichigo looked at the gem within it and wondered just how this tiny thing could possible block all his power from escaping.
Upstairs Karin was still fuming. Why am I even mad? she asked herself as she sat on the bed. It's not like it's not true. So why did I- her thoughts came to a sudden screeching halt as a woman in a black hakama and top came through the wall of her bedroom. Who the hell- she began as the woman spoke. "Wha-" was all Karin could say as she stood suddenly, the strange woman looking around her room and walked right passed her.
"It's near..." she said not even seeming to notice Karin in the room.
Annoyed as she was, Karin picked up her soccer ball and yelled, "Near my ass!" and kicked the ball hitting the strange woman in the back of the her head. "Are you a burglar?" she asked angrily. "It doesn't matter! Get the hell out of my room!"
"Y-You can see me?" the black haired woman asked as she looked at Karin while rubbing the back of her head. "I mean, you just...with a ball?" she looked confused as she looked between the object that had hit her and Karin.
Now it was Karin's turn to be confused. "What the heck are you talking about?" she asked. "Of course I can see you." Wasn't that obvious?
The door suddenly opened. "Karin!" Verena yelled happily, "I just-"
"Can you see her?" Karin asked her sister.
Verena turned her head towards the young woman on the floor. Of course she could.
"Normal humans cannot see me." the woman explained to Karin. "I am a Shinigami."
Verena shut the door behind her and walked up to the black haired woman and touched her shoulder and leaned forward. "I guess you could say," she began before her voice turned a bit darker. "I'm not a normal human either."
The woman's eyes widened further as she felt a sudden presence that was unlike any other she'd ever felt. Those in this house... she thought. Such power. But how?
Verena rubbed the bridge of her nose as Karin spoke. "So you say you are Shinigami, who came from Soul Society to exterminate an evil spirit." the woman on the ground nodded. "Like I'd believe that shit."
"You can see spirits but you don't believe in Shinigami?!" the woman asked flabbergasted.
"In the year that I've seen the spirits, not once have I ever seen a Shinigami!" Karin yelled. Then she paused before looking at Verena. "Are they real?"
"Of course we're real!" the woman yelled out seeming to be getting annoyed. "You spewing nonsense!" she suddenly moved her hands in a way that Verena had seen Kisuke and Tessai do when using kido. "First restraint! Obstruction!"
Karin cried out as suddenly her arms felt tied to her back. Crying out in more fear than pain, she fell to the floor.
Shit. Verena rushed over to her sister. "It's okay Karin, don't be scared." she said. "This is a type of kido. Just don't move."
Karin tried calming herself down. "O-Okay." she mumbled.
Verena heard the sound of a sword releasing from it's sheath. Damn it. she'd gone and given the Shinigami woman a perfect target. Her back.
"How do you know of Kido." she asked Verena, her eyes narrowing at her.
Verena smirked. "Shinigami, aren't the only things out there." she answered as she popped into her mouth a tiny pill. Separating from her body, Verena was in her own spirit form, she looked like a Shinigami, but with a white and blue cloak on her shoulders that stopped at her knees; it held the Quincy cross upon its sleeves and back. "I am a Quincy/Shinigami." In her hand was a glowing white bow as on her hip was a sword with a chain wrapped around it and it's sheath; as if it was sealed away.
The Shinigami's eyes widened. "A Quincy and a Shinigami?"
Shinigami are real. Karin realized as she watched her older sister confront the other woman. And my sister is one of them! Of course she knew about her older siblings Quincy training, but shed never heard anything about Shinigami. Why had that part been hidden from me?
A sudden screech was heard, shaking the entire house. "What was that!?" Karin screamed gaining the attention of both women in the room.
The black haired woman felt her breath escape her. "A hollow." she gasped.
"You led a hollow here!" Verena yelled at the woman. "I've got two other siblings and our mother! You bitch! Why didn't you pay attention?"
"I don't have to answer to you, Quincy!" the woman yelled at her.
"Vere!" Ichigo suddenly came into the room and came to a screeching halt when he saw the Shinigami in the room. "What the hell?" he questioned his sister when he saw Karin on the floor. "Fuck."
Verena held her hand up at her brother. "I've got this. Go protect mom and Yuzu." she told him, her eyes never leaving the Shinigami's.
A scream had both siblings suddenly freeze. It was Yuzu's.
"Yuzu!" Karin screamed as she stood up, sweat breaking out across her face.
Such spiritual pressure. the woman thought as she watched the girl struggle to remain standing. "Stop it!" she yelled at the girl. "You cannot break that incantation with a human's power! Your soul will-" she gasped as suddenly the kido spell she had used was destroyed by Karin's will to get up and help her sister.
As Karin ran off both Ichigo and Verena smiled at each other. "Told you so..." he said to Verena.
"Hn." she acquiesced as they followed their sister and the Shinigami downstairs. This was about to turn out to be an interesting evening after all.
In Urahara's Candy Store two children and two adults froze at the sudden feel of a hollow's power as a familiar power began to rise near the clinic where a very special family lived. Tipping his hat back, Urahara Kisuke looked up at the clear night sky and sighed. It would seem things were about to begin to get complicated once again. Ah well, I've been waiting for something like this to happen for awhile. he thought. Should be interesting as to who was sent this time. He grasped his cane, just in case it was needed and began the short journey to the Kurosaki household.
M-Angel: I cut this chapter short because the next one is going to be from Rukia's POV. Quesion, I forget, but was it an order from Yamamoto who ordered Ukitake to send Rukia to the World of the Living or was it just an order from Ukitake for her to do this stint in the World of the Living? Anybody know?
As for the question about Yuzu gaining Quincy powers? Hmm... I have not thought about that as of yet. Let's see where this takes us with Karin first. ^_^