Chapter Two
With her blue skirt bouncing up and down freely, Masaki cheerfully skipped down a street towards home. Luckily, she lived so close to her elementary school that her parents didn't need to worry much when not picking her up. She knew people along the way like Ishida and Orihime. They would sometimes come over to pick her up and drop her off. When there was no one though, she headed straight towards a little shop just a few meters away from school. Masaki was to continue her cheerful skipping into the shop, but she saw somebody there already!
Masaki quickly stopped along the side of a grove and peered over. Oh! It was nothing. Just another high school boy looking into the shop and seeing if that hot shopkeeper was there. Typical. He looked so nervous too! His tie was not neat and his shirt hung out very loosely. His hair was so messy too! Not a very prospective suitor! He would definitely ruin Naori's day!
She silently crept up to the boy and lightly tapped his leg. She innocently asked, "Mister? What are you doing here?"
The boy suddenly blushed and stammered back, "Oh-Oh me! I'm just looking into this new shop! I-I heard the bread here is very good!"
Masaki peered in past him. She only saw Naori unloading boxes of what seemed to be candy. Masaki smiled back at him. "Oh I know her! She's my Auntie!"
"Oh really?" His face simply lit up in happiness.
"Mhmm!" Masaki nodded back. "And I'm going to have an uncle soon! He's very, very smart!"
"Oh." Dejected, the high school boy left.
Feeling very accomplished, Masaki quickly ran up towards the shop.
Naori finally placed the last bits of candy and was ready to throw the box out when she saw a little thing scamper across the yard. She had to squint a little, but that orange hair gave it away. "Masaki-chan? Come here to visit again?" She asked and picked up the young child.
"Yeah." Masaki replied back, smiling. But, she then cupped her hands up to her mouth and whispered, "Lucky for you, I scared away another one of those pesky boys. He was peeking from the bushes over there." She pointed that out.
Naori looked over and looked back at the grinning child. "So you're telling me, you scared off a high school kid? A paying customer?"
"Yeah!" Masaki started to enthusiastically reply, but seeing Naori's sullen face promptly told her that this woman was not playing around. Masaki started to whimper. "Why do you look so mad? I thought he was going to hurt you so I scared him away!"
Naori sighed and patted the child's head. "I'm not mad at you. It's just that Urahara-san is going to have my head if customers don't come by every now and then. Thank you for worrying about me though. But I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself. I'll be more scared if you got hurt talking to a stranger like that."
"I'm sorry Auntie Nao." Masaki apologized near tears.
"It's okay. Don't cry." Naori gently wiped away the small droplets of water. She would correct the child about her title, but seeing Masaki now, she'll let it slide. "So…tell me. How did you scare away that big, bad high school kid?"
Masaki suddenly perked back up and began to ramble. "It was so easy! I caught him staring at you while you were working. So I went up to him and said 'I know her! She's my Auntie!'"
Naori chuckled at the child's enthusiasm. "I doubt that really scared him away."
"No! That's not it. Then, I said that I was going to have an uncle soon. That really made him leave." Masaki concluded.
"Masaki-chan, I'm not getting married." Naori pointed out.
"I know. But you see, that man in my dreams showed up again. And I heard you talking with him. I couldn't see his face really, but I know he is really, really smart." Masaki said. "Something like a pro-prod-prodeeg…"
As the little kid tried to pronounce that last word, Naori only sat there in shock. She knew what Masaki was talking about. She knew that last word was 'prodigy'. But it happened again! Those strange dreams about her captain! She was still dreaming about him! In a panic, Naori quickly jabbed Masaki at her neck. The young girl fell unconscious and her body became still in her arms.
Naori laid down the toddler gently on a mat and quickly ran to the back of the shop. "Urahara-san! Urahara-san!" She loudly called and pulled out one of the doors. "I need you to check something out!"
Noticing her shouts, Urahara quickly came out from the back door. "What is it?"
"It's Masaki-chan. She's been having dreams about Soul Society."
"Dreams?" Urahara walked over to the young toddler and carefully checked on the young one. "I sense a little bit of spiritual energy in her."
"What?" Naori exclaimed. "But everyone was careful not to expose her to any spiritual pressure?"
Urahara skeptically glanced at her. "Oh really? Where did Masaki spend seven months of her life at?"
"Oh…" Naori sheepishly laughed. Okay…maybe that did trigger something from little Masaki. Who knew that a baby could absorb in spiritual energy at that age? But that's something to be expected from a spawn of Ichigo and Rukia. Naori suddenly walked over to Masaki and placed her hand on Masaki's forehead. "In any case, we can't have her dreaming about these things. I'm going to have to wipe her memory clean."
Just as she was about to release her electricity, Urahara quickly reached out and wrapped his finger around her wrist. "I don't think that's a good idea. It's not going to stop her dreams because she already has enough spiritual energy to have those visions again. Besides, you might make it worse if you put your spiritual energy into her."
"But what can we do? Soul Society is going to kill me if she goes around leaking spiritual pressure." Naori complained, so annoyed that she was already attempting to pull out of Urahara's grasp.
"There's nothing we can do. Masaki was born from two strong shinigami. It's perfectly natural for her to develop spiritual energy, albeit it's strange that she's getting them early. Oh well, she's a special kid. Besides, she's so young that I bet she can only see spirits when her spiritual energy is at an all time high." Urahara coolly waved the concern off and walked away. "When she gets older, we can start worrying about that stuff."
"Masaki-chan…" Naori stared at the sleeping girl. She slowly picked up the child and carried her to the back. It would be strange for any customer to see a passed out kid on the shop porch. She found a comfy looking pillow and carefully placed the girl's head on the soft surface. She was about to leave, but she suddenly heard a quiet shuffle.
Masaki groaned. She opened her sleepy eyes, rubbed them with her small fists, and yawned really loudly. Her amber eyes darted around until she found her favorite aunt about to leave. "Auntie Nao!"
"Yes Masaki-chan? Are you okay?" Naori asked, sitting beside little Masaki.
"Hm…it was so strange. I remember talking to you and then, I'm sleeping in here."
"You fainted. Have you not been getting enough sleep?" Naori sheepishly laughed.
"Oh! Now I remember!" Masaki exclaimed, gleefully looking at Naori. "That man in my dreams…I know you know him. I heard you talking to him! Who is he?"
"Uh…"
"Auntie Nao!" Masaki whined.
"Alright, alright. But you have to stop calling me your aunt." Naori commanded and she took a deep breath. "That man in your dreams is actually a close friend of mine. I believe your father was about to tell you, but I rudely cut him off. Sorry about that."
"It's okay! So how is he? Are you really close friends? How did I dream about him? Is he good-looking? Why does he wear such old clothes? Is he your number one person?"
"So nosy…" Naori mumbled, but she smiled it off. "He's just a friend of mine. It's as simple as that. There's nothing special going on."
"But you don't sound like it." Masaki commented and Naori froze up. She luckily didn't notice and continued badgering the shinigami with more questions. "What kind of a guy is he? Is he really, really smart? Is he nice?"
"Yeah, he's really smart. He's actually younger than me by a couple years. His personality…well…he's hardworking, very serious, and very mature for his age."
"Wow… He's the complete opposite of you." Masaki commented again. "But I guess you like that kind of person. You're always telling me to work hard and get good grades even though I'm only five. But it's strange…I feel like I known him for a long time."
"You're quite the perceptive one." Naori remarked. "And those dreams are probably repressed memories of that time we took care of you." Naori suddenly replied, a careless mistake, something she found out too late.
"Oh! So there is more!" Masaki smiled and Naori's face grew more flustered.
"Um…well…" Naori nervously trailed off on that last sentence. Should she reveal about all those things that happened when Masaki was a baby? Doing that might be dangerous. But seeing that desperate look on Masaki's face made her comply. She finally replied, "This happened when you were just a little infant. Your parents had to go on vacation so they asked us to baby-sit you for a while. When they came back, they saw how well you were treated. Ichigo and Rukia decided to make us your godparents."
"That means!" Masaki anxiously asked and Naori nodded. "So I really do have a godfather! Are you married to him? Where did you guys take me?"
"We're not married!" Naori stated in all seriousness that it was enough to quiet down Masaki. "We took care of you at his home. He lives really far away in this old-fashioned area. That's why you see him wearing old clothes. I'm from the same place so that's why I'm always wearing a kimono."
"Ah! He sounds so cool! I can't wait to meet him Auntie Nao!" Masaki squealed.
"Godmother. Not aunt. How many times do I have to remind you?" Naori sighed. "The reason I tell you this over and over again is because you already have uncles and aunts. I don't want you mixing up your family members."
"What! I have an uncle that I don't know too!" Masaki loudly gasped out that she was rattling the table dishes.
Naori felt her sweat uneasily drop down her face. At times like these, she really needed to learn how to keep her mouth shut. At this rate, she might as well tell Masaki all about Soul Society. The shinigami girl tried her best to come up with an acceptable response, "Um...you have an uncle from your mother's side. I actually don't know much about him. That's something you'll have to ask your mother. But I know he's extremely wealthy and really strict."
"Scary!" Masaki tightly hugged into her pillow in fear. "Daddy must have been pretty awesome to convince that guy so he could marry Mommy."
"I imagine he was..." Naori remarked back. In actuality, she wasn't there when that whole engagement mess happened. She remembered she was doing a hollow hunting mission at that time. Besides, nobody would have known since that thing was kept under wraps courtesy of the Kuchiki influence. She only knew because Rukia had shared that story to her during her first year here. It was actually pretty funny. She'll have to use that one against Ichigo once the truth comes out.
Masaki innocently asked another question. It was quite a simple request that Naori knew how tot answer. "What is my uncle's name?"
"Kuchiki. Byakuya Kuchiki."
"Kuchiki? That's a really pretty name! I want that last name." Masaki sighed with her face lighting up as if she was in lala land.
"Rot wood? I don't know about that." Naori commented. "What's wrong with your last name? I think 'Kurosaki' is a fine name."
"But it sounds so similar to my first name. My whole name sounds so weird!"
Naori frowned. "Don't be like that, Masaki-chan. Your father will get upset if you keep acting like this. You do know you were named after your grandmother."
Masaki nodded, "Yeah I know that. Grandfather always talks about her and he shows me pictures. She's really pretty. Everyone says I look exactly like her."
"Yes. So stop complaining and be proud of your name." Naori scolded. She playfully pinched Masaki on the cheek, causing the little girl to cry out in pain.
"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Masaki quickly pulled away and rubbed her red cheek. "Hey! Since I asked about my uncle's name, what about my godfather? What is his name?"
"Uh..."
"Hello? Is anybody here?" She suddenly heard someone call and the front door bells ring. That was just the distraction she needed! Quickly, Naori jumped up from her sitting position and walked out from the back room.
"Hello! How may I help... Jinta-san! Yuzu-san!"
"Hey store mannequin. What's up?" Jinta coolly greeted her.
"Honey! That's not a way to greet your friend!" Yuzu scolded. "Hi! It's been a while. How are you?"
"I'm fine. You?"
"Couldn't be better!" Yuzu smiled and hugged her newly wedded husbands arm.
"Oh! You guys came at the right time." Naori turned inside and loudly called, "Masaki-chan! Your real aunt came to visit!" Naori turned back to the newlywed couple. "She'll be out in a moment."
They have grown a lot. She never expected Yuzu and Jinta to make it this far as a couple. She thought they would never spit out their feelings for each other. She was wrong.
When Naori first arrived here, she was the only high school student. All the elementary kids from before had already began college. She especially remembered Jinta poking fun at her for only being a high school student and Ururu helping her with homework. Though in Jinta's case, all she had to do to make him stop was mention Yuzu. Before she knew it, he would be groveling at her feet. That was always fun!
But they've done it and got married. They'd probably have a few kids or something. Their wedding last year was spectacular. It was small but a lot of close people were invited even Naori. She was surprised that she even received an invitation. But she unfortunately didn't know anyone there so she spent the reception watching Ichigo glare at Jinta in the typical big brother fashion. And she talked with Karin. She's really nice.
A small shuffle of feet was heard from the back door and it was thoroughly yanked out, revealing a small body. "Auntie Yuzu! Brat Jinta!"
"What did you say?"
"Masaki-chan! It's so good to see you!" Yuzu squealed in delight. She clamped her arms around the five year old and started spinning her around like a teacup.
He growled, "That little... She must have learned that from Ichigo. That bastard."
Naori chuckled, "Come in for some tea. I'll make your favorite."
"You still work here?" Jinta questioned and Naori confirmed. "I thought you would go to college. I mean, with your grades, you could've made it into Tokyo University."
Naori replied, "Being a shinigami is a full time job. How was Hawaii?"
"Amazing! I have some pictures too. It's beautiful over there." Jinta dug into his pocket for a camera and flipped through a bunch of photos. Everything was lush green and colorful. All the beach sand was white and the ocean was a bright blue color. It was a bright and sunny day in every picture. It would be an ideal place to spend a vacation.
Naori spoke back in awe, "It is beautiful. It's something Ichigo-san would like to see."
"Hey let's visit Ichi-nii! He'll love to see those!" Yuzu exclaimed with a pretty tired out Masaki in her arms.
OoOoO
Ding! Dong!
"Coming!" The door opened, revealing a surprised Rukia. "If it isn't the new happy couple. I see Masaki went to play at Urahara's again."
Naori held up the young child. "Every single day."
She suddenly saw Ichigo enter the doorframe. "Hey Yuzu. Back already?"
She nodded.
Ichigo gestured inside. "Why don't you all come in? Except the brat. He stays outside." He glared right at Jinta who promptly shot daggers back.
Rukia reached out and grabbed onto Naori and Yuzu and she pulled them in. "Why don't you boys settle your problems outside and let us enjoy our time?" She called back, which Ichigo agreed. He was probably going to pummel Jinta into a pulp or something.
The entire evening, she was sitting on the couch bored out of her mind. Rukia and Yuzu were enjoying their time looking through old photos and gushing about babies. Stuff that Naori didn't care about. That's why she didn't speak a word. She watched the young mothers flip through page after page of old albums. She watched Masaki curl up into a ball and nap in her mother's lap. She watched Ichigo give a huge lecture to the unfortunate husband outside. She only watched. What was she doing here?
Naori suddenly stood up. "Excuse me. I'm going to the bathroom." she quickly walked down a dark hallway and out of sight.
Yuzu looked at her in worry. "Is she okay? She wasn't acting like herself when I came over."
Rukia sighed, "She hasn't been acting like herself for a week. This is the worst case I've seen her in. She's never gotten this homesick."
"How many more years does she have to endure?"
"Who knows? It's until this whole family passes away. She may as well be stuck here for over half a century."
"Poor girl." Yuzu sighed unhappily. "She must feel so lonely. And she never adapted to this world to begin with. She's still wearing such old style clothing. Maybe that's what's reminding her of her old home."
Rukia turned towards Yuzu and her attention lifted off from Naori. "In any case, let's just let her solve this out on her own. She wouldn't want us to feel sympathy for her because it would make her feel bad."
"It's okay Rukia-san. You've already helped me out enough." Naori muttered to herself from within the shadows. Slowly, she walked a couple more feet and closed the bathroom door from behind. Outside she could hear Ichigo and Jinta come in arguing and after that, a lot of familial chatter. It was something Naori could never be a part of no matter how hard she tried.
She just stood in front of the sink and continuously splashed water in her face, letting the icy fluid stream down her face. Rukia was right. She did indeed feel homesick at this moment. Even though everybody in Karakura Town welcomed her with open arms and took her in, she still didn't feel like it was her home. It can never be her home. She didn't belong here. She belonged in Soul Society, her real home. She missed that place so much. She missed the people in it. She missed visiting Hinamori. She missed watching her lieutenant have morning hangovers. She missed most of the captains and their lieutenants. She even missed her captain barking orders at her.
For this once, she just wanted to go home.
Naori reached her hand out and promptly slapped herself in the face. Okay! She shouldn't be acting so sad right now. She didn't want to spoil the happy mood at the moment. She quickly dried her face and fixed her hair. Her hand grabbed for the doorknob, twisted it out, and stepped outside.
She smiled before the crowd, "Hey! So what did I miss?"
Too bad that everybody probably knew she was faking it but they didn't say a word. They already knew that it's a part of her personality. She would look warm and caring to most people, but inside, she was cold, colder than ice.
It would take one person to spark a fire in her and they were not that person.
OoOoO
The next day, a kimono-clad girl rushed around the entire store with boxes and boxes of merchandise. Her tabi feet shuffled quickly over the wooden floors. She was careful not to bump into any tables or counters that held more merchandise. At this time of day, there were usually more customers than usual. That's why she was working very hard today.
Urahara rang up more customers and called for the only employee available there. "Naori! Get me three more boxes of bean buns! Now!"
"Yes sir!" Naori ran back and came out with those three boxes. She quickly went to an empty shelf and started filling it up.
"Miss, would you like some help?"
"No. It's okay." Naori replied and forced out a smile back. Thank goodness Rukia taught her how to act.
Soon, the story emptied out all of the customers. Most of the high school students were walking home while enjoying their pastries, food, and other supplies. Urahara had prospered so much that he was able to buy decent merchandise so people buying stuff for the stuff and not to see the eye candy. At this rate, Naori could retire as a mannequin and work as a regular employee. Once everyone was gone, Urahara spent his time counting the profit and Naori cleaning up the mess. She would sweep outside and, by Urahara's prediction, attract more customers.
"Hm…today seems to be a slow day." Uarahara remarked and placed the bills away.
"It's a Friday. People have stuff to do." Naori replied as she untied the apron off of her. On usual days like these, she should be doing Bankai training.
Urahara quickly stopped her and pointed at the bags of trash with flies flying around. "Since you have so much time, throw out the garbage for me?"
Naori gave a questionable look at him before walking over to the bags. She was about to bend out and grab one when an agonizing stench reached her nose. "Blegh! Urahara-san! What is in this?" She cried in a nasally voice. She had to cover up her nostril so the stench wouldn't reach her.
"Failed experiments."
"How long has this been here?"
Urahara shrugged, "I don't know. Please throw it out. The dumpster is around the corner."
"Why do I even listen to him?" Naori muttered. Her kimono was hiked up to her knees and her sweaty arms were gripped onto the knots of the plastic bag. She hauled those bags, one by one, around the corner and tossed them into the dumpster. Each bag, flies and all, flew right into the dumpster. Naori brushed her hands and clapped them together on a job well done.
"Back to Bankai training." Naori was about to wander off, but someone's nonexistent presence disturbed her. "Where's Masaki-chan? She's late. I guess her parent's picked her up."
"Auntie Nao!"
Naori's ears rang at that voice. Quickly, she turned around and saw the owner of that voice. Little Masaki running up towards her and she was only a street away. Poor girl.
"Masaki-chan!" Naori shouted, fear evident in her scream.
Soon, everything felt like it was happening in slow motion. Masaki was running across the street to meet her. Naori was howling at her. Flies were flying off from those dirty trash bags. At this moment, everything was hopeless. If only she looked both ways and took notice, Masaki would have taken one step back. Reckless child. She took two forward. Her golden eyes widened once the little body appeared on the pavement. She heard the screech of a car trying its best to stop.
Hopeless.
Naori would run. But she didn't. She collapsed down and ducked her head, staring into the ground. Was that right? Yesterday, she wanted to go back home. That child had to die for that to happen. Was it a curse? A jinx? Was she the cause?
"No. It was her fate." A sweep of someone's black pants brushed past her face. She looked up, but only saw sunlight and a dark shadow shaped like a pineapple.
Naori felt a shadow creep up behind her. But when she even reacted to turn, something stiff was shoved through her forehead. A smaller and younger version of Naori popped out with her shinigami garb and all. She rubbed her aching forehead and slowly looked up, seeing a familiar hat and cane figure. She was about to shout their names, but a surge of her familiar spiritual pressure ran right through her body. Naori managed to choke out only a few words. She fell down to her knees once more. She quickly pulled her neckline out and that was the final line. No tattoo. No limiter. No holding back.
Everything was about to change.
Shinigami Cup!
Naori cleared her throat before the two parents. "I'm here to inform you that Masaki-chan has passed away due to a car accident."
Rukia gasped, "How?"
"She didn't look both ways before crossing the street." Naori reported.
"Reckless child." Ichigo sighed. "So where is she now?"
"I don't know where Lieutenant Abarai took her. Urahara-san sent me here to complete the other mission." Naori dully replied. "You guys have to disappear. And I don't know about you, but I can just 'move' out of town. But you two are pretty well known in these parts."
"Got any ideas?" Ichigo asked but Rukia shook her head.
Naori's eyes lit up and she snapped her finger. Idea! All electrical wires were cut and a sudden fire popped out of nowhere! Also, an earthquake happened.
"You got five minutes to pack up and haul ass before this place buries you!"
Yeah. This chapter and the one before are pretty sad and drama-packed. That's definitely not how the story is going to be! It's going to be just as lighthearted and chill like the last one. But, for now, it's a little sad.
Review!