Chapter 4: Way Ahead of You
In a matter of minutes the small group found themselves on the steps of the Kurosaki residence. All of the widows were dark, save one small window that Rukia pointed out as Ichigo's room. "Okay, here goes nothing," were the words that left Rangiku's mouth. With that thought, Rukia's hand went foreword to press the doorbell lightly, but before she had the chance to touch it, the door opened from the inside …
The room was dark, just how she liked it. She watched as passing car headlights reflected across the crimson red, glossy walls as they drove down the street next to her room. She sighed as she sunk into her silky black bed sheets, letting her wrists come to rest on the deep red, suede comforter that covered her body from the cool air that emanated from the air conditioning vent directly above her bed. She inhaled the soft scent of jasmine-vanilla candles that she had recently extinguished upon retiring to bed. She stared at her black ceiling, trying to will her restless mind to sleep. Try as she might she could not find rest, only succeeding in giving herself a head ache from trying to rest her eyes. Tonight's just not the night for sleep, she decided, pushing herself into a sitting position in her bed and reaching for a rubber band on her nightstand, glancing at the clock as it read 10:37p.m. Yup, it's still early enough… she thought to herself.
After using the rubber band to work her hair into a neat bun at the nape of her neck, she gently tucked the shorter layers of hair behind her ears. Her hair had grown lighter with time and was now a rich, chocolate brown, which made her twin sister Yuzu extremely jealous for her own hair was still the same sandy brown it had always been. But Karin loved her sister's hair for it suited her face well.
Giving up on sleep completely, Karin threw back her covers and stepped out of bed, her feet, clad in white no-show sock, meeting the cool hard wood floor below. Walking to her closet, she grabbed a pair of tight black leggings that hit just below the knee and stepped into them quickly, pulling on a pair of red athletics shorts over them. She removed her baggy soccer jersey and replaced it with a black fitted t-shirt with a red K on the front. I really need to get some new clothes… she thought as she rolled her eyes at her attire. Oh well, they'll do for tonight.
She scampered over to her dresser and put on an extra layer of Jasmine Orient deodorant before grabbing her keys and making her way out of her bedroom door. As she walked down the dark hallway she noticed that the light in her brother's room was still on and decided to check in on him. She taped lightly on the door. "Yeah?" answered Ichigo's voice from behind the cherry wood door.
"Can I come in?" Karin inquired softly, so as not to wake any other members of the dysfunctional family.
There was a moment of silent pondering before he answered, "Yeah, sure."
She slowly pushed open the door, squeezing through the tight opening, careful not to open it further to avoid creaking hinges. Her father was a very light sleeper. She padded lightly into the room, noticing her brother's back to the door, sitting at his desk, a book in his hand, obviously concentrating on the plot. She smirked at the sight and walked softly over to sit on his bed and observe him until he was ready.
A few moments later he closed the book and set it next to his desk lamp, swiveling in his chair to face her, reclining with his feet propped on the desk and his hands behind his head. "Sorry, I wanted to finish the chapter. Is everything okay?"
She smiled at his concern, "Yeah, sorry to disturb you. I just couldn't sleep."
He looked at her slightly concerned, "Is everything okay? Did you have a nightmare or something?"
She shook her head reassuringly and replied, "Nah, just restless. You know how it is. Too much on your mind and can't seem to completely relax…"
"And you end up giving yourself a head ache for trying to go to sleep…" he offered.
"Exactly." She said, "You know me too well."
"That and I understand where you're coming from. I went through years of it when I became a Substitute Soul Reaper." He stated before looking her up and down, "You going somewhere?"
She rolled her eyes and jingled her keys in front of him, grinning at his cocked eyebrow response, "No, Ichigo, I'm just walking around, carrying my keys for pleasure."
He smirked in return, "Where are you really going?"
"Out for a run," she said, "I was just checking to see why you were still up. I didn't know if you were in the same boat as I was with the not-being-able-to-sleep thing. Guess not. Looks like you were just enjoying a good book. What are you reading anyway?"
He turned to pick up the book and held it out in front of her; "It's called What My Mother Doesn't Know by Sonya Sones. It's pretty good, my philosophy teacher told our class to read it."
Karin cocked a brow and rolled her eyes, "Trust you to be reading a middle school reading level book."
He laughed and said, "Blame my professor. She recommended it. Anyway, enjoy your midnight jog."
"Oh, I will," she said, "They're my favorite kind."
And on that note she stood and walked to his door, "Goodnight, kid!" he called after her.
"G'night, Ichi." She replied closing the door tightly behind her.
She crept silently down the hall, tiptoeing to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, tucking it under her arm as she headed for the front door. She stepped into her black, no-tie jogging shoes, wiggling her feet to get them all the way in, hating how the heels always wanted to bunch in the wrong places when she didn't put them on right. Walking it off, she put her thin lanyard cord of keys around her neck and unlocked the front door. She checked to make sure no one was awake as she slowly pushed the door open, only to collide with a warm body…
The small group was shock, jaws dropping when the door opened outward as if pushed by some phantom. It knocked painfully into Rukia, throwing her slightly. The figure turned and, with a look of shock and amazement said frantically, "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!" As the girl turned to face the group, only Rukia distracted her. "I'm so sorry I didn't…see…you…. there…"
Realization slowly dawned on the young woman's face, "OH MY GOD, RUKIA!?"
Rukia slowly seemed to realize something herself and her jaw dropped in surprise as she threw herself into an embrace with the woman. "Oh my goodness, I haven't seen you in ages! How have you been? You were not who I expected to run into tonight at all."
As the two had their small interlude, Rangiku and Toushirou watched with curiosity. As the two didn't seem to be stopping, Rangiku took the liberty of clearing her through just loud enough to get the couple's attention. Rukia suddenly remembered the rest of her group and turned to Karin. "You remember Vice Captain Matsumoto and Captain Hitsugaya, don't you?"
The girl's eyes widened. "Oh my goodness, of course. Rangiku and Toushirou, how could I not have noticed you before? I'm so sorry to freak you out; I couldn't sleep so I was just heading out for a nighttime jog. What brings you all out here? Is this all of you that came?"
Toushirou watched as the girl shifted her weight from foot to foot messing with the heels of her shoes. He wondered who this girl was, for he didn't recognize her as a Kurosaki. This girl was about 18 or 19 years old, 5'5", curvy, and very pale. Her hair was a deep brunette, but what got his attention the most was a shock of bright cherry red hair that was half hanging in her face and half tucked behind her right ear. As she turned her head he noticed that there was a smaller chunk of equally red hair on the opposite side of her left part. Who was this girl?
He didn't notice that he was staring until he was asked a question that jolted him back to Earth. "What was it that you guys needed, Toushirou?"
She had just called him by his given name. That in itself was odd. Anyone that knew him knew to call him Captain Hitsugaya. "We're here to see the Kurosaki family. We have urgent summons from the Seiretei."
The girl's eyes widened, "Ooh, sounds pretty important. Want me to go wake everyone up? I'm sure Ichi's still awake."
She turned and reopened the door, holding it open so the others could enter, turning the kitchen light on as she went. "You can have a seat. We'll all be out in a second." She said before stepping to steps to the right, leaning her head out and yelling, "DAD! YUZU! ICHIGO! GET UP! WE HAVE COMPANY!!"
That was subtle…Toushirou thought to himself.
He didn't have time to think much more as lights began to turn on and doors began opening and closing. "Karin Kurosaki, what do you mean by this!"
Now 18 year old Yuzu entered rubbing her eyes, wrapped in a pink bathrobe over her white PJs, her bone straight sandy blonde hair lying limp on her shoulders as she continued to rub the sleep from her eyes. She plopped onto the couch without ever looking straight at anyone and let out a small shriek when she finally did. "Oh my goodness, I didn't think there really was someone here. I thought she was just being rude and peppy like Dad."
Karin snorted, "You compared me to that bearded weirdo? Thanks a lot. Hey Ichigo! Sorry to run out then right back in but these friends of yours were at the door. Kinda pummeled into Rukia with the door. Sorry."
The tall, red-haired Substitute Soul Reaper stopped dead in his tracks as he took in the sight of the group gathered before him. "You all…wait…why? Oh to hell with it."
After stuttering a small broken sentence out he ran to Rukia and embraced her tightly. "What are you all doing here!? Is something wrong? Did something happen in the Soul Society? Is something bad about to happen?"
Karin was rolling her eyes at this point; "You do realize that if something was really wrong that they wouldn't have just come knocking on our door at night. They would have used the window. And they wouldn't have knocked."
Toushirou was starting to realize something. This girl and Ichigo looked a lot alike. Could she be…?
"Okay, Karin, I get the picture. Now what seems to be the—"
"GOOD MORNING, ICHIGO!"
All people could see was Ichigo side step and allow his father to come barreling through, miss him and take an effortless punch square in the face from Karin, who was now seated at the table, her chin resting in the palm of her hand supported by her elbow.
So this is Karin Kurosaki…My how different she is from the last time I saw her…well, it has been six years. I'm not sure why I expected any different—
"Deep in thought again, Captain?" Rangiku interrupted his thoughts again.
As he shook himself from his reverie, he looked up to see none other than his former captain, Isshin Kurosaki staring directly at him. "Whoa, hey there Toushirou! Long time no see." He said, becoming serious all of a sudden, "It must be pretty important for them to zap you all the way out here. Last time you were out here was when those filthy arrancar were invading the city. What seems to be the issue now?"
The young Soul Reaper Captain stood and walked to Ichigo. He pulled the letter of summons with his name on it out of his haori. He slowly handed it to him and said; "Vice Captain Kuchiki will explain it to you."
Rukia rose and escorted Ichigo into his room to speak with him about it privately. The group heard him muttering, "A Vice Captain, eh? Wow, you really moved up…"
As they heard the door shut tightly behind the two, Toushirou sat back down at the table across from Isshin. "So what's this all about?" The Former Captain inquired.
Toushirou took a breath and explained, "The Head Captain Yamamoto has summoned Ichigo to the next Seated Officer Meeting in the Seiretei. They wish to offer him a spot as a Vice Captain in the 5th Division Squad of the 13 Protection Squads. They are hoping that he will accept this offer considering the fact that the 5th Division Squad lost both its Captain and Vice Captain in the war against Aizen…"
Toushirou's voice faded out as he fought the anxiety that was taking over…Why do I still feel like this?...Why can't I just move on? … I thought I was past this…
He fought to not lose his composure and, clearing his throat, he moved forward. "He is one of the most talented young Soul Reapers in the history of Seiretei and they don't want to see a potential like that wasted."
Isshin smiled slightly, "There was only one other prodigy of this time. You know who I'm talking about, Toushirou Hitsugaya. How old were you when you became a Captain?"
"It would be considered 15 years in the World of the Living, Sir." Toushirou hesitantly replied.
He watched as the two Kurosaki girls' jaws hit the floor. Karin was the first to speak, "Damn, why didn't you tell me that the last time that I saw you, Toushi? Maybe I wouldn't have made fun of you about being in Elementary School…"
His mind stumbled slightly, thrown a bit at the new pet name; "I guess it wasn't on my mind at the time…"
As soon as there was a moment of silence, the air began to feel heavier. You could almost cut the tension with a knife. Finally Isshin exclaimed, "Hey, why all the glum faces? Aren't you all supposed to be a bunch of party animals nowadays?"
Rangiku was the first to giggle. "Well, I try not to be when I'm on the job…"
As she and Isshin began to laugh, Karin rolled her eyes and rose from the table. "You guys are too much for me. I'm going check on Ichigo and see how he's taking the news."
As she walked off Toushirou remembered the second part of his mission. Rising from the table, he waited a moment before starting after the dark haired girl.
She walked down the hall, eager to see her brother's reaction to the news that he was needed in the Soul Society. Does this mean that he will become a full Soul Reaper? She thought to herself excitedly. But wait, does that mean that he's going to go and never come back?
She reached his room and grasped the doorknob firmly, turning it slowly so as not to disturb the occupants of the room. She slowly pushed the door open enough to stick her head in and get a peak. As soon as she looked she immediately closed the door as quickly, but as quietly as she could. Mentally she wished that she could claw her eyes out. Why do they have to do this now? Has my brother lost his mind? And they didn't even lock the door! Oh God…that is going to be stuck in my mind for the rest of my life…
As she tried to clear her mind, her concentration was interrupted by a familiar voice. "Karin, can I have a word with you?"
Her eyes shot open as she turned to the voice. None other than Toushirou Hitsugaya was standing in front of her. She attempted to peel herself off of her spot against the wall as she nodded and walked him outside in front of her house.
The moon was completely out and the stars were slightly less obvious under its hazy glow. The neighborhood was very quiet. The air was warm and mildly humid, just enough to be slightly uncomfortable and place a light sheen of sweat on both of their bodies. She sat down on the front step, beckoning him to join her. As they sat side by side, they allowed themselves to think back to that crazy day six years ago that formed a strange and humorous friendship between the two of them. Just as Toushirou thought that the silence was going to kill him, Karin shattered it into a thousand pieces. "You've changed a lot, Toushi. You were the last person that I expected to see. Truthfully, I half expected to never see you again…"
He frowned slightly and retorted, "Sorry to disappoint you…"
She giggled for a moment and punched him in the shoulder, catching him completely off-guard. "No, you dummy, it's quite a treat actually. I've missed you."
He turned to look at her and met her eyes, realizing just how dark they really were, almost obsidian. So much like….NO. "You have…?"
She grinned and nodded, "Mhmm. I used to think about you a lot. There were so many questions that you left unanswered and I was twelve and curious and didn't like not knowing everything there was to know. You were the most mysterious one and that drove me crazy not being able to understand you. It reminded me of myself. It was frustrating."
He nodded and allowed another moment of silence to pass before changing the subject to one of the more serious nature. "Before I came here, my Head Captain pulled me aside and asked me to do a favor for him. I couldn't refuse, being his subordinate. But it was a private favor and none of the others that accompanied me know of this secret task I was given."
He took this time to remove the second letter from his haori. Grasping it in his hand he finished, "I'm not sure what it says because I did not read it, but I have my ideas. All I know is that it is a letter of summons to the next Captains Meeting in the Seiretei and that it is addressed to you."
With that, he placed the letter in the open palm of her hand and waited for her to read it, anxiously awaiting the contents himself. As she lifted the seal and removed the note inside he watched her eyes scan the page as she began to surprisingly read it out loud.
"Ms. Karin Kurosaki, It is with great honor and pride that I invite you to attend the upcoming Captains Meeting this following Friday. If you choose to attend you will be escorted by none other than – yours truly—Captain Hitsugaya. This is a serious affair and will be treated as such. The reason for your summons is directly related to your brother's summons. If your brother chooses to travel to the Seiretei and become a full Soul Reaper and accept the position as Vice Captain of the 5th Division Squad, you will be requested to fill his position in the World of the Living as a Substitute Soul Reaper. If you choose to honor this request, you will report to the Soul Society and undergo training from three of our finest masters in kido, zanpakuto, and combat. I look forward to seeing you at the upcoming meeting. Until then, be safe and well. –Head Captain Yamamoto."
Everything fell silent for a moment. You could have heard a pin drop. Toushirou had a million thoughts flying through his head, but only one really stood out. He must really see something in her to go through all of this trouble to meet with her and try to make her into a Soul Reaper. Wow…I really didn't see this coming.
Karin's breathing had changed and he glanced at her to gauge her reaction. Slowly a smile spread across her face. Confused, Toushirou spoke, "What is it…?"
She started to giggle, shocking him further and finally said, "Normally I would be jumping at this but…I already beat him to it."
Yet another moment of silence followed as Toushirou the meaning of what she had just said sink in...