Chapter 3

Something Doesn't Feel Right

The tall boy crossed his arms and smirked. "You always get so mad when I do that." He inched closer to the small captain and his young sister. "But seriously, what the hell are you doing here!?"

"Lower your voice, Ichigo. You will wake the entire town with that careless yelling." Toshiro shot a warning glance to the fuming boy before moving to retake his place on the edge of the roof.

"I will lower my voice when you answer my damn question!" Ichigo threw his hands down to his sides, clenching his fists.

Realizing she needed to step in before her roof turned into a fighting arena, Karin approached her older brother, carefully considering her choice of words. "Ichigo, he's here to monitor me." She watched her brother's jaw fall to his feet.

"Wh-what!? What for!?" Ichigo darted his eyes frantically between the two, aggravation building at their calm composures.

Toshiro bent one leg at the knee, moving it close to his chest. He rested his small hands on top of his knee. Sighing, he tilted his head back slightly to take in the dark sky. After a few moments, he began to speak. "Have you not noticed, Ichigo?"

The question was asked with rhetorical intentions, but Ichigo was too flustered to realize. "Noticed what? Is Karin in danger?!" He looked to his sister, sensing her judging his actions.

"At the moment, No." Toshiro placed his head on top of his hands, refusing to meet eyes with the confused boy.

"Toshiro," Ichigo's voice dropped to a low, intense whisper, "I want you to realize that this is my little sister we are talking about here. So, I would appreciate it if you would give me a straight answer." Ichigo moved his eyes from his shoes to the back of the captain's head.

Karin was beginning to think that, no matter what was going to be said, her brother was going to blow up. She watched as he silently walked towards her friend, intensely shaking with rage. "Ichigo!" Karin raced towards him and clumsily grabbed at his arm. "I'm not in danger! I just have high spiritual pressure! So, he was sent here to find out why!" "Don't start a fight you idiot! He's a captain! You will get crushed!" Karin tugged on Ichigo's sleeve until he turned to face her. She moved her eyes up to his worried ones.

"Is that true?" Ichigo kept his eyes locked with Karin's but directed the question to Toshiro.

"Yes." Toshiro glanced back to the two siblings, guilt creeping up at the sight of them. Ichigo's brightly-colored bangs masked his eyes as he kept his face directed at the ground. Karin was lightly tugging at his sleeve, brows furrowed. A sudden change in her spiritual pressure caused the young captain to smile.

Karin's eyebrows began twitching. She sighed in annoyance and let go of her brother's sleeve. She blatantly lifted her leg and swiped it against Ichigo's legs, knocking him onto his back.

"Ow! What the hell was that for!?" Ichigo bolted up and began rubbing his throbbing back.

"Quit moping," Karin demanded then wandered off to her window, leaving the two boys to settle their differences.

"Brat," Ichigo grumbled as he continued to massage his sore back. He moved his eyes back to Toshiro, noticing the small boy's muscles tense. "What's up?" He slowly trekked across the roof to sit beside his friend.

"You know just as well as anyone else that having high spiritual pressure could be very dangerous." Toshiro kept his gaze locked onto the sleeping town.

"Yea, I know," Ichigo answered softly, leaning back on his elbows.

"I would assume that her spiritual pressure if that strong because you are her brother." Toshiro peered down and rolled his eyes at Ichigo's lazy appearance.

"Well, if you know the reason, then why don't you start doing whatever it is you have planned to help her?" Ichigo straightened out his arms and moved them behind his head. He let his eyes wander to the stars.

"I'm going to, but…" The white-haired boy's words trailed off.

"What?" Ichigo rolled his head over to the direction of the captain.

"Something doesn't feel right."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo pushed himself up and turned his body towards the captain. He watched as his friend closed his eyes while guiding his hand through his spikey hair. "Is Karin really in danger?" Ichigo didn't try to hide the panic that was building in his voice.

"I don't know." Toshiro rested his chin in his palm. "I've had this odd feeling ever since I arrived."

"Does Karin know?" Ichigo could sense Toshiro's frustration even through his subtle actions.

"No. I don't want her to worry. If it becomes serious, then I will tell her. Until then, I will do whatever I can to protect her." The small captain spoke quietly. "I've been training to become stronger. After Aizen's battle, I realized that, for a Captain's rank, I'm weak."

Ichigo wanted to protest but thought better of it. He was aware that it wasn't easy for his friend to admit to being weak.

"So, I focused my training on basic swordsmanship. I rely too heavily on Hyōrinmaru."

"How did the training go?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"It went well. I feel stronger and more independent. I should be able to fight more accurately for a longer time before turning to Hyōrinmaru." Toshiro looked at Ichigo confidently. "Therefore, I promise to not let anything happen to Karin."

"I know. I trust you." Ichigo stood up. "I'm going to bed. Do you want to stay in my room tonight?"

"I'm fine here."

"Fine. Just don't let anyone see you because you look like a creep sitting up here." Ichigo moved to his opened window, laughing as he watched Toshiro scrunch his shoulders in irritation.

Karin quickly ducked down under her window to hide from her brother. She peeked over to see him climb into his bedroom. She then shifted her eyes to Toshiro, now wearing his all black Shihakushō. She watched as his captain's haori stirred in the breeze. He sat with his legs crossed, his zanpakutō resting in his lap.

"Is he meditating?" Karin mumbled to herself. She watched as he delicately laid his hands on his sheathed sword. "Hmmph, I don't understand soul reapers." The young girl stole one last glance at the peaceful-looking soul reaper before climbing into bed. "What did he mean something feels odd?" She groaned and pulled her blanket up to her chin. "I can't ask him. He will know I was eavesdropping." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I just have to trust that he will tell me soon." She rolled onto her side and allowed herself to fall into a deep sleep.

There's chapter 3! Hope everyone likes it! And, thanks for the reviews, favorites, and follows!

Bleach-Tite Kubo