• • •
Well, this was strange.
I never thought that I would live to see a peaceful day here in Karakura Town. So far today there have been no Hollow attacks, so we've been in school all day long. Even class was boring today.
I yawned, hiding it behind my magazine that I was reading.
Turning the page out of boredom, I felt myself glaring. Horoscopes; they were my least favorite part in magazines like this.
Well, they didn't bother me that much. I just thought that they were a load of bull. After all, there's no way that the position of stars could determine what happened in anyone's life. But, I decided to read it anyway.
Hey, I was bored. No judgment people.
Let's see; I was a Virgo, wasn't I? Yeah, that's what it is…
"What are you reading?" Rukia asked, taking the seat next to mine as she studied the cover of my magazine. She was probably wondering if she needed to snatch it from my bag later…
"Well, I just got to the horoscope section." I explained, lightly rolling my eyes. "I don't believe in them at all. I just read them so I can prove them wrong."
My eyes scanned the description for Virgo's, making me scoff.
"See! Now, that's a load of crap!" I exclaimed, shaking my head. My bangs fell in my eyes, so I had to push them away.
"Let me see! What are you?" Rukia excitedly asked, snatching the magazine from my grip.
"Virgo." I mumbled, crossing my arms and leaning back against my chair as I turned my body to face Rukia.
"'Like a dance instructor who still loves the basic steps, you can get everything done and have brainpower left over to guide others and tell jokes. Social interactions with your Cancer make for an interesting week. Use your brainpower and you'll be able to land your Cancer hook, line, and sinker.'" Rukia read, eyebrow raised. "Well, it does sound like you. You're always being sarcastic and providing some comic relief. And you are quite smart, especially in battle."
I sighed, lightly shaking my head. "That part might be true, but the last part is way off the deep end." I shook my head once more. "Besides, I don't even know any Cancers. And if that's the case, how am I going to get one in a week? See? Nonsense."
"Well, mine sounds about right. I'm a Capricorn." Rukia said, pausing as she read her horoscope. I stood up and leaned over her shoulder to read her horoscope as well.
"You two actually read that garbage?"
I jumped at the sound of the voice, my hand immediately going to my heart to try and calm it down.
"W-What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to steady my heart beat after that surprise appearance. Boy, Ichigo sure knew how to pop in on people and give them a heart attack.
Ichigo's brown eyes narrowed as he stared at the magazine in Rukia's hands. "Horoscopes; they're a bunch of trash."
"I don't believe in it either. I just read it in order to prove it wrong." I explained, as Rukia closed her eyes and shook her head. She handed me my magazine back, muttering something about me being childish.
"Let me see that." Ichigo said, taking the magazine from my hands. His eyes scanned over the page for a few seconds before he snorted.
"What?" Rukia asked, raising her eyebrows in confusion.
"It's written that this week's gonna suck for me." Ichigo explained. "But I'm not worried about it at all, because I don't trust it one bit."
I smiled, rolling my eyes. "Well, read your horoscope out loud. I wanna hear what it says."
Ichigo's eyebrows rose in amusement as a smirk appeared on his face. He cleared his voice, trying to be funny, before he began reading. "'Geez, what can I say? In any case, terrible stuff will happen in continuous succession for the rest of the week. Heads up, your life may spiral into despair. Lucky number is six-six-six; lucky color is red on black.'"
"Hey, those are my colors!" I exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at the strawberry. "My stupid horoscope didn't even give me a lucky number or color, the cheap piece of crap…"
"Whatever," Ichigo muttered as he tossed the magazine into the air. Luckily, Rukia managed to catch it before it hit the ground. He turned towards me and smirked. "You're just easily amused." With that said, he turned and walked over to his own desk and conversed with Keigo, Mizuiro, and Chad.
"I'd take that as a compliment." Rukia advised me with a smile.
"Hm, yeah, I guess so. I mean, it's true." I said, sighing as I laid my head down on my desk. This day was just so boring… It seemed like school would never end..!
• • •
[Kuchiki Rukia's Point of View]
Was it just me, or did Ichigo and Jun seem like they were getting along much better than they ever have before?
Actually, Jun has even begun calling Ichigo by his first name recently. All she ever call him was 'Kurosaki' before. I wonder what happened between them. They don't seem as tense as they did before… They actually seem friendlier towards each other now…
I shook my head; now wasn't the time to dwell on thoughts like that. If anything happened between them, they would both let me know.
Opening up the magazine, I decided to pass the time by looking through it. I always looked through the stuff that Jun brought, hoping that it would help be become better informed about normal human life.
Oh, horoscopes again?
I scanned through them based on a gut instinct, and I felt my eyes widen.
Ichigo is a Cancer?!
That couldn't be possible, could it?
Although, it did seem to be a little bit true.
If there was ever a chance for Ichigo to date, I would probably guess that he'd go out with Jun first. They just seem similar in so many ways. And what they aren't similar in, they complement each other.
Besides, they have been acting friendlier towards each other. I've noticed it, and probably others as well. However, I doubt either one of them have noticed anything different.
Both of them are as dense as rocks when it comes to love.
And when I thought of Ichigo and Jun being together…why did I feel a twinge of jealously? It's not as if I was jealous of Jun for Ichigo choosing her. I didn't like Ichigo in that way. But…
They are both so much alike; I feel that when they realize it, I'll be left out. Both of them belong here, in this world.
I do not belong here.
I was lonely.
• • •
[Kokawa Jun's Point of View]
"Jun-Chan!"
I turned at the sound of my name, seeing Orihime and Tatsuki running in my direction. Orihime was beaming as she skipped. When she stopped in front of me, she immediately crossed her arms in an 'X' shape.
"Bohahaha~!" Orihime laughed, copying the laugh of Don Kanonji; the host of a phony ghost show on prime time TV.
"Eh, what a weak reaction…" Orihime observed, withdrawing her arms as she looked at me curiously. "Don't you know what it's from?"
"Yeah, I do know what it's from. 'Ghost Bust,' right?" I asked, cocking an eyebrow at the auburn haired girl in front of me.
"Bingo! You are correct!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down in excitement from my correct answer.
"Yeah, well… Sorry to disappoint you, but I hate that show." I explained, shaking my head as I sighed. I already knew that she'd take this badly…
"Eh?!" Orihime asked, eyes widening dramatically. "How can you hate it?! It's a wonderful show!"
"I just don't like it. I think it's a bit strange…" I explained, dismissing it with a quick wave of my hand. Seriously, was this really something to get so worked up over?
"B-But you do know that they're doing a live shoot here, in Karakura Town, next week, right?" Orihime asked. "You'll come with us, won't you?"
"Come with you guys?" I asked, eyes widening in shock. "Why would I want to go to see it?"
"Because Tatsuki-Chan and I will be there! We're both going, so you can come along with us, too! Besides, I heard that Rukia-San is going to come, too! Come on! It'll be a lot of fun! We can even invite Kurosaki-Kun as well!" Orihime gushed.
"Oh, alright." I sighed and caved. If I had refused, Orihime would have just kept on bugging me no matter what. This way saved much more energy and time. "You can count me in."
"Great! It will be amazing, just you wait and see! We'll have so much fun together!" Orihime exclaimed, beaming once more. "Now I think I'll go and ask Kurosaki-Kun!"
I sighed, putting my head down on my desk.
Just what had I gotten myself into..?
"You know, it's really good that you're going to this. You should find more time to relax and just have some fun." Rukia advised.
"Sure; when you put it that way, it makes so much sense." I replied, my words dripping with sarcasm. "Besides, if I took your advice, I'd be gone to the nearest beach…"
"I'm not going!"
"Gosh, Ichigo has a loud voice…" I murmured, causing Rukia to laugh.
Ichigo was with Chad, Mizuiro, and Keigo. That group was always loud whenever they got together; well, excluding Chad. And Mizuiro wasn't that loud… So it was mainly just Keigo and Ichigo.
"Why?!" Keigo exclaimed, turning his gaze from outside the classroom window to the strawberry. "Don't you know?! A popular show representing Japan is coming to our town! If you don't go to watch this, you're as good as dead as a Karakura resident! From tomorrow on, you'll be known as 'The Guy Who Didn't See It!'"
"How creative…" Ichigo muttered, dodging around Keigo to lean against the windowsill. "Anyway, you're from Naruki City. What's with this 'our town' stuff? It's only right now that you pretend you're from here." Ichigo lazily waved his hand, dismissing the conversation.
"Ugh, why… why you're so harsh~!" Keigo whined, "I went to… I went to all of the trouble to invite Kuchiki-San! Aaaand! Jun-Kun is going, too!"
Keigo wildly gestured over towards Rukia and I, who were in the middle of a conversation about how weird he was. So, naturally, we both blinked dumbly at him.
"What are you guys even talking about?" I asked, blankly staring at the group of guys near us. "Rukia and I just heard our names, so what's up?"
"You're both coming to the live episode of 'Ghost Bust,' aren't you?" Keigo asked, running over to us.
"Unfortunately, yes. Orihime and Tatsuki asked me, so I said that I'd go." I explained with a sigh. "However, I'll probably bring a book or my iPod to keep me busy…"
"But-!" Keigo began, eyes wide. "Once you get there you'll have tons of fun! I just know it~!"
"Mhm. Sure I will." I sarcastically said, rolling my eyes.
"And Kuchiki-San! You're going too, right?" Keigo asked her.
"Oh, yes! It'll be so much fun~!" Rukia replied, bringing her hand up to her fake smile, giggling a bit. Okay, her acting hasn't improved as much as I had thought it would.
"Come on, Kuchiki-San! Bohahaha~!" Keigo laughed, urging Rukia to laugh along with him. His arms were crossed the same way that Orihime's were, and he laughed just like Don Kanonji.
"Oh, my!" Rukia fake-ly exclaimed, seeming to blush and cover her face. "I can't! I'm too shy!"
Okay; maybe I was wrong. Maybe she did add some more stuff to her arsenal of acting skills…
Please let this week go by quickly…
• • •
Next Wednesday
7:29 PM
"I don't want to go..!" I whined, being pulled by Tatsuki towards the huge crowd that surrounded the old abandoned hospital in Karakura. And when I say huge, I mean more like it was a sea of people. They were like cockroaches! There was no end to them..!
Why were people gathered around an old and abandoned hospital in the first place?
This is where tonight's episode of Ghost Bust was going to be filmed LIVE at. Stupid Don Kanonji…
However, I wasn't the only one here.
Tatsuki, Orihime, Rukia and I traveled together. Across the street we saw Keigo, Mizuiro, Chad, and even Ichigo! Needless to say, I was once more drug around; this time towards the group of guys.
"I'm surrounded by idiots…" I murmured, my left eye twitching. Everyone, save for Ichigo, got into Kanonji's signature pose. "Kill me now..!"
"Oh, come on." Rukia murmured, dropping her arms and glancing at me. "Let loose and have some fun, for once! That's what we're here for, at any rate. Think of it as a vacation."
"A vacation..?" I asked, a deadpan expression on my face. "What ever happened to going to exotic beaches during vacations..?"
"You came!" Keigo and Mizuiro shouted in unison, being dramatic and pointing at Ichigo. I guess they were surprised that he showed up.
"Shut up! Be quiet! I'll kill you!" Ichigo threatened, crossing his arms and glaring at his two best friends. Some friends they were…
Keigo and Mizuiro shrunk back, cowering in fear of the bloodthirsty strawberry. He seemed to be in an even shorter mood than usual tonight.
"See?" Rukia asked, pointed at the orange haired teen. "Even Ichigo came tonight. Now, cut loose and enjoy yourself!"
"But, I don't wanna!" I explained, crossing my arms and glaring. "This is so annoying. I hate crowds. I hate hospitals, too."
"You hate hospitals?" Ichigo questioned, his ears perking up once he heard that.
I nodded, shivering at just the thought of those buildings. "Yeah, they bring back tons of bad memories. So, in a sense, I hate them."
"Well, I highly doubt that anything will happen here." Rukia said, observing the old hospital.
"Well, this is Karakura Town. Stranger things have happened." I blinked, then gestured to Ichigo with my thumb. "That's the perfect example."
Ichigo sneered at me, narrowing his cinnamon tinted orbs. "Please, like you have any room to talk."
"Well, I do." I nodded, putting my hands on my hips before smirking. "I'm trendy and scene. You, sadly, aren't up to par with the newest fashion crazes."
"Mhm," Ichigo sarcastically hummed. "You're someone who dresses in flashy scene clothes, dyes their hair with unnatural colors, and has tons of piercings. I doubt you have any room to talk."
"Hm, but you know all of that makes me special." I nodded, smiling. "Besides, people love me for being me, right? I'm trying to lighten the mood, anyhow! And you're not helping any..! This is supposed to be a 'vacation'!"
"Yeah, well, I don't want to be here either! I'd rather be at home." Ichigo said, once more crossing his arms and glaring at the surrounding crowd.
"Then why did you come?" I asked, moving my hands so that they were behind my back, grasping one another. I rocked back on the heels of my black converse, looking up at the strawberry.
"Yuzu and Dad are big fans of the show." Ichigo explained, as he gestured over to his younger sister and Dad. "Karin could care less, but she came because Yuzu did."
"And you still came, even though you don't like this kind of stuff?" I asked, putting my finger to my chin as I thought, trying to find the right words. "That's…sweet?"
"Yeah, well… I thought that they'd look pretty stupid if they came here alone." He explained, his cheeks lightly heating up. However, I wasn't sure if he was blushing or if it was from the dim light; the street lights were just beginning to flicker to life.
"Ah! The lights finally came on! Now I can read..!" I happily squealed, digging through my bag until I pulled out a new edition of my favorite manga.
"Manga..?" Ichigo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Mhm! New material, too. I've been waiting for this for a while; it's quite difficult trying to get it smuggled into Soul Society…" I mused, smiling as I opened it up. "More like expensive. They charge you an arm and a leg for the newest stuff…"
"You two are pathetic!"
Ichigo and I jumped at the loud voice, only to find that it was Rukia.
"We came here to have fun! What's the point of even coming if you don't have any fun?!" Rukia asked, placing her hands on her hips in a stern manner. I felt as if I were being scolded by my Mom..! "Besides, the two of you must be exhausted from balancing school work with Shinigami work all of the time. Use this chance to spread your wings!"
Eh?! Rukia was actually concerned?!
Was this the end of the world?!
"By the way," Rukia added, looking curious. "What in the world is this festival about?"
"You came here without even a clue?!" Ichigo roared, eyes seeming to pop from his sockets. Before he could lunge at Rukia, I decided to grab his forearms and hold him back; it wouldn't be good to attack her in front of this large crowd..!
"Rukia," I calmly tried to explain, my eyes narrowing towards her, "This is a TV show, not a festival!"
Ichigo's eyes narrowed as well, but he stood still. At least he wasn't trying to lunge at her anymore. "Yeah, a really stupid one where they try to exorcise ghosts and stuff like that. The paranormal stuff that he pulls totally reeks of fakeness!"
"I see…" Rukia murmured, nodding her head as she brought her hand up to her chin in thought. "It's a 'tee-vee' show. I understand!" Rukia brought her fist to her hand in triumph, "And so, it's a festival of that!"
"She doesn't get it at all…" I sighed, dropping my hands from Ichigo's arms as I let my head fall to my chest.
"But still," Ichigo asked, "Is there really a spirit in that abandoned hospital?"
"What do you mean?" Rukia asked, turning to look at us with a curious expression.
"It's pretty standard for a psychic show, but…" Ichigo began, lightly scratching the back of his orange hair, "But if that type of spirit was here, you Shinigami would have taken care of it, right?"
"I wouldn't say that exactly," Rukia muttered, her gaze drifting towards the abandoned hospital once more. "In this sort of place it's usually an Earthbound spirit. Earthbound spirits are naturally assimilated with the land, so Soul Society and our sensors rarely pick up on them. The one circumstance where an Earthbound spirit shows itself is-"
"Coming through!"
We were all ushered out of the way as the camera crew rushed past us; they were trying to set up different cameras so they'd have different shots of tonight's show.
"More to the right!"
"Back, back!"
"Put it towards the center!"
As a cameraman rushed closer to the hospital's grounds, the second the sole of his foot landed on the property a terrifying scream resounded through the area. I dropped my manga in surprise, as I quickly covered my ears, blinking.
"Only when a human trespasses on its territory!"