Many confusing realizations

She was wiped out from all the things that had happened to her so far. The next week her ankle healed quickly. In less than two weeks after she was attacked, her injury was finally healed enough for her to walk. Mostly she helped around the store and kept Jinta in line.

One week later…

She was walking around, trying to find a bike shop. She may have lost her original bike thanks to the Hollow, but that wasn't going to keep her from riding! She convinced Urahara to let her get a new one…and in return, she'd make deliveries for the store. As she wandered around, she finally found the Kanji she was looking for! She walked in and after choosing the bike, paid and left the store with two new items; a bike and a helmet. She returned with a grin.

-----

"Wow, Kari-chan! Looks like you finally found that store you were looking for!" joked Urahara. (She told them that they could call her Kari-chan if they wanted.)

"Yup…though it took me over three weeks to find it!" Kari laughed.

"At least now you're familiar enough with the town to deliver. Which reminds me; the Kurosaki's asked if we'd deliver their groceries to the clinic since the kids are at school."

"Sure. Just fill up the bag and put it on the back. I'll make sure they get the delivery!" Kari said with a grin. She got on the bike and headed to the Clinic with the bag. She was greeted by Ichigo's father, who was still surprised that they started making deliveries! As she headed back, she noticed that the atmosphere had changed drastically. She paused…it was exactly like the first night she came to Japan; which meant that a Hollow was nearby!

-----

"Damn…I better get out of here while I can!" Kari muttered. She rode fairly fast and unfortunately, it was right in the Hollow's path! It roared and began to chase her; she went directly for the store and came close to actually making it.

"Woah…looks like you brought a friend home, Kari-chan!" said Urahara.

"Har-har. Mind getting rid of him for me? I have no idea how to kill these things without having my bike destroyed and being bed-ridden in the process," she joked.

"Ururu, would you like to get rid of this one?"

"Hai, Kisuke-san!" she said before she attacked the Hollow.

"Thanks, Ururu. I don't get it…why did it only follow me?!" Kari asked confused.

"It's probably a coincidence. You just happened to be at the wrong place."

"I wish. The minute I felt its presence I immediately tried to head here. But it cut me off and tried to attack me!"

"I think it was just a coincidence, Kari-chan," said Urahara.

"If another Hollow comes after me, then is it still a coincidence?!"

"Then it would mean that you're being targeted," said Urahara.

"Any more deliveries?"

"Nope…that was the only one so far. You can help restock until we get another one," suggested Urahara.

"Sure…I'll put the bike up."

XxXxX

She spent the rest of the day helping restock the store. When she did finally get another order, she promptly brought and went back to the store…and once again, a Hollow chased her all the way there.

"Do you still think it's a coincidence?"

"This could become a problem. It seems that now is a good time to help you get something to defend yourself against the Hollows…"

"Yeah. So when do we start?"

"After you're ready. Unless you get another order, you'll be training to attack Hollows. Does that sound fair?"

"Yeah! It definitely gives me something to do!"

It took them three days to figure out an attack she could use; and it involved her old bike. The chain went around her waist like a belt, and it could come off when she applied spiritual energy. It whipped around and struck anything within reach, and it also applied to Soul Reapers! (This mildly surprised them both.)

XxXxX

Another week passed, and every time she left to deliver something, a Hollow went after her. By that time she had grown so used to them that she attacked without hesitation and went back to work. She was getting plenty of work too!

"What's for dinner, Tessai-san?" asked Kari.

"We're having ramen. What are you planning for dessert?" asked Tessai. (He did the dinner and lunch while she did breakfast and dessert. She specialized in sweets!)

"I was thinking peanut butter cookies. Do we still have all the ingredients?"

"How many deliveries do you have left?"

"I think only 4 more. I'll be back soon… (I hope!)"

As she pedaled around town with the packages, she noticed that the atmosphere had changed yet again…but it was different. It wasn't hostile or cold…it was warm and strange. She never felt anything like this before. She quickly delivered the third order and was about to finish her job. That was when she saw it; a black cat with yellowish eyes and a mischievous look.

"Hello kitty…are you lost?"

It made no reply, but it began to walk towards her. She grinned.

"I have only one more left before I'm done for the day. You can ride on the rack if you want," Kari said amused. It jumped onto the rack; she had the items in her left hand and finished her run for the day. She returned to the store and called, "I'm back! Urahara-san, I found a Kuro Neko I think you should see!"

"A black cat? Why'd you bring it back with you, Kari-chan?"
Urahara came to the front and paused the moment he made eye contact with the feline in question.

"Welcome back, Mr. Yoruichi!" he said with a grin.

"I knew there was something off about this cat! The minute I spotted it, the atmosphere changed," said Kari.

"I'm surprised she sensed me," commented Yoruichi dryly.

"You done with the deliveries for today? I got six more for tomorrow," said Urahara.

"I'll go put this up while you two catch up," grinned Kari.

"Urahara, that girl…"

"I know. Her spiritual pressure is different than a normal human. I think it has something to do with the fact that she's a foreigner who decided to live here with us," said Urahara.

"Foreigner?"

"She came from another country originally as a regular tourist…instead she was attacked the first night she came and has been here ever since."

"What attacked her?"

"A Hollow. And here's the strange part…not only did she remember even after her memory was replaced, but she also got rid of the Hollow with an ordinary bicycle chain."

"How could she remember what really happened when her memory was replaced?"

"Well, perhaps remember isn't the right way to describe it. She didn't know that her bike saved her until we told her, but she got the rest of the details correct on her own."

"Why do I sense that there's something else that you're not telling me?"

"She knew all of our names without us even telling her. This is the first time she's left her own country, so we've never met her until recently."

"Odd…"

"Oh, and since Urahara-san forgot to mention this, I think it would be wise for you to know that I happen to love cats…especially black ones," said Kari from behind them.

"That slipped my mind," admitted Urahara.

"You never did tell me your name."

"You can call me Kari."

"Her real name is Anne, but she prefers being called Kari instead. Don't ask me why though," said Urahara.

"Dinner is almost ready, Urahara-san. Kari, shouldn't you be…?" said Tessai.

"I know. I just have to bake them and then they're done. That shouldn't take too long," replied Kari. She left and baked the cookies which were cool enough to eat after they finished dinner. (They had some amusement when Yoruichi tried her cookies and had a majority stuck to the roof of his mouth.)

"Why didn't you warn me that they were peanut butter?!" hissed Yoruichi annoyed.

"She didn't tell me what kind she was baking…otherwise I would have told you," said Urahara.

"Actually, I didn't think it would get stuck so bad in your mouth, Yoruichi-san."

That night, Kari had a strange dream.

She was surrounded by nothing but darkness all around her. The air itself seemed to grow thick and heavy…she was beginning to have trouble breathing. Then she sensed something behind her.

"Who's there?!"
Silence was the only reply. She was starting to worry about where she was. Normally she enjoyed darkness and complete silence…but this felt wrong. She tried walking when she realized she couldn't move at all! The presence was back…and there was another behind it.

Wait…this is a dream, isn't it? So that means I'm the one who controls this world, not the other way around! This thought immediately crossed her mind a moment before the presence attempted to attack. She dodged and looked behind her; she almost gasped as she realized the thing was a Hollow, one whose name immediately popped into her head.

"Grand Fisher," she said in a whisper.

"Impressive. You know who I am. Too bad you shall die!"

"You picked the worst place to attack me, you slime-ball!" she smirked.

"And what is that supposed to mean, little human?"

"It means that I'm not afraid of you. You shouldn't have chosen this particular place to attack me," said Kari calmly.

Grand Fisher only laughed as he struck again; she ducked, narrowly avoiding his attack. Kari had had enough of this by that time; she calmly focused on one thought which manifested itself in her hands. Since she was already surrounded by the darkness, the Hollow never saw it coming; a single black feather struck him and he howled into the abyss from the pain.

"Leave now while you still can," she said coldly.

"You think that one lucky shot can intimidate me?"

"Maybe not, but you should really choose your battles more carefully. If you hadn't picked this particular place to try and kill me, then you might have had a chance. I welcome the dark silence…it knows me and so I belong. You don't, which means I have the advantage."

"Maybe, but you still won't live to see tomorrow!"

Grand Fisher used his secret weapon; the one thing that had kept Soul Reapers from getting rid of him for over 50 years. It was…the lure. It quickly turned into the one person she could never attack…too bad there was just one problem!

"You're joking, right?"

Grand Fisher was confused. She didn't seem the least bit hesitant…though why this was so went beyond him.

"You just don't get it, do you? You can't harm me within the dark silence. And as for your precious lure…consider it obsolete. This is MY realm, not yours. I control everything, including…you!" said Kari as she made the Hollow attack itself.

"Impossible! How are you doing this…?!"

"Be gone, heartless abomination!"

"NOOOO!!!!" cried Grand Fisher as he was forced from the world.

"I…am the dark silence. And it is me. As it is, and as it shall be forever," whispered Kari before she woke up.

XxXxX

The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was…Yoruichi staring right back at her.

"Wha…!"

"Your spirit energy spiked last night while you were asleep," explained Yoruichi.

"Is it possible to be attacked in your sleep by a Hollow?"

"I've never heard of it before, but there's nothing to say that it can't happen," said Yoruichi.

"Then that really was…"

"Was what?"

"Grand Fisher… he appeared out of nowhere in my dream and tried to kill me!"
"What…!"

"Apparently he's a fool. Attacking me in my dream would never work," said Kari coolly.

"What do you mean, he attacked you?!"

"I mean he showed up, and attempted to devour me. I'm lucky he chose to try that in my dream, otherwise I'd be toast."

"You're not making any sense," said Yoruichi.

"I'm still trying to make sense of what happened," replied Kari as she got up and made breakfast. She made the six deliveries that were already lined up and then told Urahara that she'd take the rest of the day off from riding the bike.

"I was wondering when you'd finally take a break! That gives us time to talk about what happened last night," joked Urahara.

She sat down and then told them exactly what happened to the best she could remember. When she finished Urahara was both surprised and confused.

"So let me get this straight…you went to bed last night and end up confronting a dangerous Hollow in your dreams? And you just happened to defeat it?"

"I didn't get rid of him; I only sent him away. Is it really so hard to believe that I can control my dreams?" she retorted.

"Yup."

"Well…I've always been able to control my dreams. I can turn a nightmare into something not so frightening. That's how I'm able to sleep even after an all-night horror movie marathon," Kari said amused.

"I've never heard of someone controlling how their dreams go. Nor have I ever heard of a Hollow attacking through one."

"Kari-chan, what did you mean when you said that the 'dark silence' was your friend? What is a dark silence?" asked Yoruichi confused.

"I think I can answer that one," said Urahara, "She has a hard time sleeping with the lights on and noise nearby. She usually asks Tessai or Jinta to turn down the TV; not to mention the fact that if you turn the light off at night her room is pitch-black."

"He still can't figure out how I see my way in the room at night," laughed Kari.

"So by dark silence you meant that you're used to being in a quiet and dark place."

"At night, yes."

"So how were you able to control it?" asked Yoruichi.

"Part of it was probably because it was in my dream; I think it was mostly due to the fact that I am familiar with the silent darkness and he wasn't."

"So what are we going to do now? If Grand Fisher really did try to attack you in your dream last night, then he might try again during the day," said Urahara.

"I doubt your little chain can handle a fight with him," said Yoruichi dryly.

"I know. The only reason I was even able to get rid of him was because he was on a terrain he wasn't familiar with. But if he came after me in the real world, I doubt I'd survive very long."

"You do know what that means, right Kari-chan?" said Urahara with a mock-grin.

"Uh-oh…a temporary loss of the delivery service," said Kari in mock-horror.

"Why did you start delivering to begin with, Kisuke?" asked Yoruichi.

"It was my idea actually," said Kari.

"We couldn't figure out a way for her to both stay in Japan and still be able to have fun when she got better, so she came up with the idea of making deliveries for the shop. It seemed like a very good idea at the time, so I agreed," said Urahara.