A new familiar and a new Sword!
I am…Hikari Kage. If you want to live, shout my name!
"Embrace the darkness, Hikari Kage!" cried Kari as she drew her sword. A dark aura enveloped the sword as it went from katana-like to what Yoruichi thought was ninjato (or close enough to one.)
"Impressive. You certainly found your Zanpaku-to's name fast," joked Yoruichi.
"I would say thanks…but I have no idea what'll do when I release the pressure."
Yoruichi used Shun-Po to get out of the way as she released the power within the sword. What happened next neither of them could remember clearly as they couldn't see within the mixture of pitch-black darkness and blinding light. When it was all over, Kari was fast asleep; Yoruichi grinned as she said, "Lesson three, finally over with."
-----
"Well look what the cat drug in! Where'd you two go anyway?" asked Urahara.
"Har-har..." said Yoruichi.
"That's for us to know…" started Kari.
"And you to get your ass kicked by a girl," finished Yoruichi with an evil grin.
"Oh-ho! So little Kari thinks she can beat me after only three days of training, eh?"
"I don't think…I know," grinned Kari.
"All right then! Let's see how good you got after only three days!" said Urahara.
They went downstairs and waited until Urahara gave the signal to begin; Kari waited patiently until Urahara came within striking range. That was when she drew her own sword. Urahara's eyes went up a bit in surprise at the sight, but he dodged anyway as she struck.
"Looks like Yoruichi gave you a Zanpaku-to. Care to explain why?"
"That's not mine, Kisuke. That's hers."
"Sure it is…" said Urahara as he started to attack; Kari ducked and dodged with practiced ease.
"Knock out her soul and see for yourself if you don't believe us."
"Fine by me," said Urahara as he turned her from human to Konpaku. (He thought he saw her chain of fate attached; it only kept their illusion from falling apart!)
"I knew it…she's still not a Soul Reaper yet."
As the fight continued, it was clear that it was a stalemate. Finally, Kari decided to amuse herself.
"I forgot to tell you Urahara, but after hanging with Yoruichi for 3 days, I'm ready for lesson two."
"In that case, I'll have Ururu get the shaft ready."
An hour later…
"Lesson two, begin!" said Urahara with a theatrical wave of his fan. Kari fell down at least a mile deep into the shaft. (Tessai had already severed the chain.)
Urahara anticipated the first encroachment within minutes; instead what he got was a very large and disturbing fox-like grin from Kari.
"What the…?"
"Oh…I forgot to mention something before. Kari's no longer the only thing you have to contend with when it comes to fighting…" said Yoruichi.
"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?"
"If Kari-san is not longer the one we have to worry about fighting, then who…?" asked Tessai.
"Wouldn't you like to know…" grinned 'Kari'.
"Who said that?" asked Urahara.
"That…would be the thing you now have to worry about," said Yoruichi.
"You can call me Kit…or Kitsu, whichever you prefer. I don't particularly care what you mortals call me," said the fox.
"This is getting very confusing…" said Jinta.
"Not really…do you know what a familiar is, Urahara?" asked Kari as she came up from behind.
"Oh great…it's bad enough with only one of you, but two?"
"Is he always like this?" asked Kitsu.
"Yes," said Yoruichi and Kari in unison.
"Will some one PLEASE tell me what is going on?!"
"If you really want to know, you'll have to turn me into a Konpaku," said Kari.
Urahara knocked out her soul before she could blink. He shook his head in annoyance as he realized she had already finished the training.
"What did I tell ya? It was more amusing to do this without letting him in on it!"
"So true. Surprised, Urahara?"
"That you two acted without telling me and then decide to annoy me? Not really…both of you are skilled at head-games."
"I was pretty surprised at her Shihakusho when she first came out. It looked almost identical to the one I had when I was Commander of the Special Forces," said Yoruichi.
"That's it… who wants to go upstairs and explain things?!" said Urahara.
XxXxX
"I can explain why I'm here after I get out. I recommend you stand a good distance back unless you want to have your head knocked off," said Kitsu.
"Wha…!" said Urahara as something four-legged and (what appeared to be a 4-tailed) jumped out of the shaft. When the dust settled, Urahara's eyes widened as he realized he was staring at an orange, four-tailed, evil demon fox!
"What the…! Kari, why is the thing who pretended to be you a…?"
"Demonic Fox? Yoruichi still can't figure that out either. But he is pretty cool looking, isn't he?" joked Kari with a grin.
"I'll say! He be an evil demon but he still looks cool!" said Jinta.
XxXxX
Back upstairs…
"So let me get this straight…the fox-demon-thing is really a tailed beast who was imprisoned inside some kid."
"Unfortunately…" grumbled Kitsu.
"And Kari's Shihakusho for some reason looks more like the one the Commander of the Special Forces wears, and not one that a normal Soul Reaper has."
"Yup."
"To top it all off, Kari's Zanpaku-to has a double initial release command."
"That sums it up."
"That makes about as much sense as Kari not wanting to be called by her real name!" snorted Urahara.
"Kari isn't your real name?"
"I liked the name Kari more than I did Anne. It sounded a LOT better than my real name anyway," shrugged Kari.
"What really confuses me at this point is why you have a fox demon as a familiar. What's up with that?"
"Becoming her familiar was the only way for me to remain on the mortal plain with my own body. If I had any other choice I might have done something else."
"Possession was out, since it wouldn't be much of an improvement from his current situation."
"What was your previous situation?" asked Urahara.
"I was stuck behind some bars and a seal thanks to some damn jutsu! To top it off, the brat I was sealed in is a complete idiot! The fool just pulls pranks on his fellow villagers instead of becoming stronger!" grumbled Kitsu.
"That doesn't explain much."
"He was sealed inside some kid for over twelve years and he couldn't do anything about it. I gave him a chance to be free…er, at least freer that he was. He agreed, and we came up with the idea of him becoming a familiar."
"So you gave him the opportunity to get out and he took it, even though it meant he'd be under your control instead of the other way around? That must have been a hard pill to swallow," said Urahara.
"Not particularly…she showed more potential as an ally than I've seen in centuries. Not to mention the fact that she showed a great deal of respect when we first met."
"Besides, it's not like I'm going to be a jerk to others. I happen to like foxes…the fact that he's an evil nine-tailed demon fox was just a bonus!"
"You mean four tailed," corrected Urahara.
"No, she means 9-tailed. It was either I become a fox with four tails or nine. Since a four-tailed fox wouldn't attract nearly as much attention as a fully-grown, nine-tailed demonic fox, I went with four."
"You're a nine-tailed demon fox?!" said Jinta.
"His proper name in Japanese is Kyuubi no Kitsune. Besides, even I know that four is considered very unlucky in the Japanese language!"
"That was the main reason why we went with four tails instead of five or six."
"I guess this means we won't be training underground anymore," said Urahara.
"When should we restart the delivery service?" asked Kari.
-----
Delivery service?
Yeah…in exchange for me living here, I make deliveries for the store. It was the only way he'd let me get a new bike and keep it here!
I sense you'll tell me more later?
Sure.
-----
"How does a week sound? Since you went behind my back and became a Soul Reaper without letting me know, you can't ride until we restart making deliveries," said Urahara.
"Fair enough. What time is it?"
"Almost 9 at night…why?" asked Tessai. Before she could say anything, the lights went out…again.
"Not again! Call the electrician," griped Urahara.
"Are you sure the bulb didn't blow?"
"It shouldn't have…you just replaced it five days ago remember?"
"I forgot… Ururu, see if the plugs work," said Kari. (They didn't work.)
"Figures…for once it's not the bulb that's gone bad."
"So you know what happened?"
"If it's not the bulb, then it's probably the fuse. If not, then we call an electrician. Where's the fuse breaker?" asked Kari. (Has the best night-vision in the room.)
"Beats me… I can't remember where the other guy goes before you came. He used to go into one of the rooms for around 25 minutes before he changed the bulb," said Urahara.
"Which room?"
"It was your room, Kari-san," answered Tessai.
"Figures… Urahara, do you sell fuses in the store?"
"What's a fuse?"
"You don't know what a fuse even looks like, do you?"
"Not a clue."
"Great… I'll go to the hardware store and get some tomorrow. Until then, I think we all need some sleep," said Kari.
"That reminds me…! I still haven't made dinner yet!"
So what's the deal with this 'fuse' thing?
I don't know what fuses actually do…all I know is when one blows; the electricity to the room goes out.
I've been away from the mortal world for too long…
…
"Just my luck…you don't sell fuses. I'll be back in a little bit, okay everyone?" said Kari as she began to head out the door. Urahara stopped her before she opened the door.
"What?" asked Kari without turning.
"You can't go outside alone. What if a Hollow attacks you while you're out? You don't have the chain on to protect you!"
"What's a Hollow?"
"Kitsu, do you think you can kill something that's already dead? You know, spirits and the like?"
"Don't know…I've never tried before."
"Well, if nothing else I can ride Kitsu from here to the store and back," grinned Kari. (Even the fox had to admit that she had a point.)
"Um, Kari-san? I brought your chain out," said Ururu. She handed it to her; Kari put it in her usual place around her waist.
"Any more excuses?"
"Just be careful, okay? You don't have any Gikongan to go Soul Reaper in case something happens," said Urahara.
"You think I don't know that?! Don't worry, Urahara! I'll have Kitsu with me…and I did swipe something that will help just in case something does happen," grinned Kari. She walked out, Kitsu at her heels like a puppy. The walk to the store was uneventful, the return trip, on the other hand…
-----
Kari…there's a disturbing change in the atmosphere.
Oh hell no…they would have to pick now to come after me again!
Who?
Damn Hollows…I don't know why they only come after me. Come on Kitsu…let's find someplace to deal with this nuisance.
What the hell is going on?!
-----
They went to an abandoned warehouse a few blocks away. Kitsu was still trying to find out what exactly was going on; his questions were answered a few moments later. A horrific monster with a white mask and hole in its chest emerged. He sensed Kari tense as she recognized the beast.
"No…it can't be!" she said in a horrified whisper.
"Well, well…we meet again, little mortal. Only this time you won't be so lucky!" chuckled Grand Fisher coldly.
"Kari…do you know this…this thing?!" asked Kitsu with concern.
"His name is Grand Fisher…he's a Hollow who's evaded the Soul Reapers for over fifty years. The last time I saw him was when he tried to kill me in my dreams…"
"You were lucky the last time we met…this time you won't escape!"
"Kitsu, run!" said Kari as she took off the chain and prepared to strike the beast.
"And leave you to die? I think not. Don't forget, if you die, I get stuck back inside the dobe again with no one to talk to!"
"It seems I'll have two meals for the price of one!" laughed the Hollow evilly. Kitsu may not have known what the deal was between them, but he was beginning to like the Hollow less and less.
That was when Kari charged at Grand Fisher and attempted to strike him with her chain; he caught her weapon and had her firmly in his claws. Kitsu had two choices…either he allowed his new friend to die at the hands of the monster or he could save her. (He choose the latter.)
"Let the girl go, freak!" growled Kitsu.
"Or you'll do what? Kill me? I've faced stronger opponents than you, foolish fox!"
"What did you just call me?!"
"A weak, pathetic fox. So what?"
"I don't care what the hell you are…no one calls me a weakling! YOU WILL DIE!!!!" roared Kitsu pissed. He charged at the Hollow, oblivious to Kari's cry of horror. Right before his claws could make contact, Grand Fisher sent him flying into a wall. He got up and tried again…only to find out that his attacks had no effect on it.