Chapter 3

Ichigo was helping me wash the dishes as dad and the others moved into the living room to watch something on TV.

"Your mother's beautiful," Ichigo began and I smiled at him.

"Yeah, she is." I said.

"Is everything alright?"

"Tonight's my last night looking like this," I sighed suddenly and put away the dishes.

"Do you get to choose what you look like?"

"No, my father's in charge of that."

"So, if you had kids, you'd choose what they looked like?" Ichigo asked and I shrugged.

"Depends what happens tomorrow," I replied.

"Why's that?"

"It's... complicated." I sighed and stared at a vase of flowers.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"It's not that I don't want to tell you, it's just that I'm not allowed to. Family secret."

"That's understandable," he said and I looked at him and somehow, I believed him.

I leaned against the sink and picked at my nails. "Why? Do you have a family secret?"

"Actually, it's a secret I haven't told my family. Only a handful of people know about it. But then again, they have secrets too."

"It's a conspiracy and I'm not in it. Damn."

"How about we exchange secrets?"

"I'm sorry, Ichigo. You need to be either a part of the four families or a very special person."

"Four families?" Ichigo questioned and I nodded.

"They have the same traditions because they fought with our ancestors as well. You have Hiromasa, Nagataka, Shihobu, and Kimura. It's gets incredibly complicated after that."

"Your family seems interesting."

I looked through the archway to see my dad sling his arm over mum's shoulders and I smiled.

"Yeah, they are. That's what makes life exciting, you know? I mean, you never know what's going to come. Love, betrayal, everything that you can think of. It's just a matter of time before it becomes reality," I laughed hesitantly and my smile disappeared when I remembered my birthday. It seems that I let go of everything when I'm with Ichigo.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked and placed his hand on my arm. I looked up at him with a blush before throwing the washcloth into the sink and grabbing Ichigo's hand. "Where are we going?"

"Shhh. I'm taking you to my favourite place."

I dragged him up the stairs and made sure no one was there before opening up the window at the end of the corridor and pulling myself onto it before leaping gracefully to the tree branch close to it. I turned around at the bewildered Ichigo.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"You just leapt from here all the way to there!" He gasped and I smirked.

"That's what long legs are for. Come on! I'll grab you," I smiled and he climbed onto the window sill before lunging at the branch. He managed to grab it but I had to help him up onto the branch. "Men have no sense of balance. Come on."

I began climbing up the tree without a single noise. However, Ichigo was different. Every time I reached a branch, he'd curse and something would snap on the branch below me. It was so funny!

We got up to the top and Ichigo was a little stunned at the view.

"Whoa." He whispered and I nudged him.

"This isn't the place. Just watch," I informed and without hesitation, I raced across a small branch and leapt back to the house, grabbing the gutter along the roof and hoisting myself up with little effort. "Now you."

"That little branch won't hold me up!" He snapped and I giggled.

"It will. Trust me. Just run and jump." I insisted but he didn't move. "I won't let you fall, Ichigo. Now move."

He did. He raced across the thin branch which stayed sturdy and leapt. I grabbed his hands before he almost missed the roof altogether and helped him up onto the roof.

"So much for peace. The others will know we're up here," I grinned and sat him down next to me. "Isn't it beautiful? I always come up here when I'm troubled. It seems to make everything just... go away, you know?"

"I can see why. You become so captivated by the view, you just forget about everything else." Ichigo said in awe and I looked at him as he stared out at the view.

"Exactly. My dad told me to come up here and that's what I've been doing for years. I thought I'd show you before tomorrow."

"Why's that?"

"I can't... it's–"

"Complicated. So you've said," Ichigo replied dully and I placed my hand on his cheek and directed him to face me.

"You cannot believe how much I want to tell you, Ichigo! I want to tell you everything but..." I trailed off and slid my hand away from his face before looking out. "I feel trapped, I guess. I'm stuck in a world that isn't meant for most people and I'm terrified. But when I'm here... I feel so free, like everything was like this big ride with no worries."

"Seika..."

"Ichigo! Where are you?" Isshin shouted and Ichigo peeked over the roof.

"I gotta go. How do we get down from here?" Ichigo asked and I pointed to the other side of the house.

"There's a ladder over there." I informed and he went red.

"You made me go through that tree when there was a ladder to begin with?!"

"Think of it as a bonding experience, Ichigo. I'll see you on Valentine's." I smiled and he sighed before waving and climbing down the ladder.

"Seika?" Dad called.

"Up top, dad!" I shouted back and heard the tree twitch a little before dad was sitting next to me.

"How are you?"

"Scared, excited. It's not a good feeling when you're feeling two opposing emotions."

"There's something else, isn't it? Something about the boy?" Dad guessed and I sucked on my cheeks.

"I want to tell him but I know I can't. It's so frustrating! I feel like pulling my hair out!" I growled and put my head between my knees.

"You remember your knowledge of the Soul Reapers and Hollows?"

"Yeah, sure."

"How about the Soul Reaper spells?"

"Like the back of my hand."

"Good. You'll need it from now on. Oh, and the red box in your room is from the twins and this is from Takashi," dad said and handed me a small blue pouch. "They won't be able to join us tomorrow, no matter how much they try. So they decided to give your presents now."

I opened up the pouch and smiled as a cold pendant fell into my palm before the cold chain attached to it. I shone the pendant up to the moon; it was a silver crescent moon with a teal coloured stone embedded near the bottom point attached to a small silver chain. Dad grabbed it from me and clasped it around my neck. It wasn't that long since the pendant rested just below my collar bone.

"Just to let you know. We need you to be ready in the basement before quarter to seven tomorrow night because that's when you Alter," dad informed.

"Why such a specific time?" I asked.

"That was when you were born, kitten. The Alteration takes place at the time of birth."

"That specific, huh?"

"Go to bed, you need the rest."

"Yes, dad." I smiled and kissed his smooth cheek before going down the ladder.

Hooonk! Hooonk!

I shot up and fell off my bed at Haruka's feet. He began to laugh but dropped the air horn and ran when he saw my murderous glare. I stood up and dusted myself off before grabbing a change of clothes and headed off to the bathroom.

"I'll kill him. I swear I'll kill him." I muttered as I checked the clock at six in the morning.

I had a relaxing shower, brushed and flossed my teeth, and pulled on a strapless blue summer dress that flowed over my curves gracefully before racing back into my room to put Takashi's necklace on and grab my sneakers.

I almost slipped down the stairs and ate my breakfast in a hurry while throwing most of it at Haruka across the table. Mum would snap at him for throwing food but I got away with it.

"Did you open your father's present? It was from both of us but he found it." Mum asked and I nodded before showing mum the small charm bracelet around my wrist.

"It's beautiful, thanks." I said.

"And what about Daijiro's and Kyouhei's present?" Mum asked.

"Yeah, it was fantastic! I got this outfit that the boys wanted me to wear when I went out on jobs and these really cool daggers with the hilt coming back up to the blade in the shape of a cobra. I love them!" I grinned and flicked a spoon full of rice at Haruka.

The other present from the twins was a black outfit; a black midriff top with the front of it only being held over the breasts by a black ribbon that crisscrossed over itself to show bare skin and cleavage. A pair of black jeans with the left leg cut off and then reattached with the same criss-cross of black ribbon, showing skin like the top and a dark purple belt with a silver buckle that had a strange symbol on it. A pair of dark purple knee high boots with two inch heels and silver buckles over the zippers and a long black coat that touched the ground. It had two black straps around the upper right arm and left wrist cuff and a black strap across the chest, just above the shirt.

"Uh- do you see what she's doing?! She's throwing food at me!" Haruka snapped.

"It's called target practice. Now stand still." I replied as I loaded my spoon with more rice.

"Seika, hurry up and eat. Your father's in his office waiting." Mum informed and I choked.

I scoffed down the rest of my meal and cleaned myself up a bit more before racing up to dad's office with Haruka and mum just as the doorbell rang. We waited at the top of the stairs as mum went to open the door before three familiar men walked into view.

"You made it!" I squealed and slid down the stair railing before colliding with the raven haired Daijiro. The familiar smell of apples and dusty books comforted me. Then I hugged his brown haired twin, Kyouhei, before finally curling into the warm embrace of the eldest red head, Takashi.

"We wouldn't miss this for this world." Takashi smiled and stroked my hair.

"Let's go, lil' sis. It's time you became a real member of the family!" Kyouhei beamed and raced me up to dad's office.

Dad was busy sterilising his equipment and the inks as we all bombarded into the room.

"Well, well, well. The jungle has taken back its animals, I see." Dad grinned and got me to lie down on his table.

"Why do I have the feeling that I'm going to regret this?" I asked innocently as dad cleaned around my left eye. "And why are you cleaning there? Shouldn't it be my back or someplace less sensitive?"

"Seika..."

"I know, I know. Sorry."

"Just be very still and don't move. No matter what you feel, don't move."

the hair scissors and checking the dye before he smiled to the oncoming traffic of boys.

in front of the sink.

"This is really uncomfortable." I pointed out and mum lifted my head so Kyouhei could slip a towel underneath.

"Hush you. Just relax."