I guess 2 reviews per chapter is about all I'm going to get, but that's definitely better than nothing at all, haha. I'm glad that everyone enjoyed the chapter.
Elfen Children: Thanks for reviewing as always XD And I'm glad you enjoyed that twist. Having Hiyori enter the story was decided at the very last second, but I'm happy that it worked out!
Kaneko Aikawa: I enjoyed the last chapter myself, haha. Writing about Nanami and Hiroshi is fun because they can't seem to make up their minds about how they feel yet. The back and forth will be worth it in the end.
Just like last chapter, I got an additional review, but it was the fifth chapter. I really appreciate your review! And, yes I know my grammar was horrendous… Thanks. Lmao.
Anyway, this is what I've got for you!
Enjoy!
. . .
Chapter Thirteen: What About Your Past?
The rest to my day consisted of helping Mom around the house and taking Yui to the store I had mentioned earlier. She could hardly contain her excitement. I was happy to do something like that for her, because I felt bad for her—and Kon, too. I'm sure having your soul trapped in a tiny pill was horrible. The fact that they act so lively when they are in control of a body—plushy or human—is great, because then they won't last out like Kon did when he first got to control my Dad's body. That second chance was my Dad's gift to Kon, so that shopping trip my gift to Yui.
The outfit she picked out was a dress, but it was much less flashy than the previous green one. She told me her favorite color was green, so we picked out a green sundress with a pink flower on it.
When we got back home, the house was in a fluster. The twins were home from school and demanding a snack. Izuro was happily watching TV on the floor, though mom had just walked up to take the remote out of his mouth. It looked like she had been trying to do laundry while entertaining her children, but the clothes were anything but folded.
Despite how crazy it seemed, Mom still smiled when I walked into the living room.
"Nanami, you're home earlier than I thought you'd be."
"Yeah, I didn't think I would be back yet either. "
It was at that point the twins realized I was standing there and ran up to me.
"Nanami, where have you been all day?" Yuta asked, hugging me around my waist.
"Yeah, you were gone forever. Where did you do?" Kana joined him, and hugged my other side.
"Mom said you were doing a job for her. Did you bring something back for us?"
"Why do you have an alligator doll?"
I hugged them both the best I could and tried not to roll my eyes. "Ah…well…"
I looked over at Mom, hoping she could help me out. But she only stood by ideally and tried to hide her laughter behind her hand. She noticed my glare and quickly went back to doing the laundry, as if she hadn't seen my plea for help.
"Why don't we play outside?" I suggested, hoping they would drop the 'where have you been' subject. "We can play that 'Tag' game, or something."
The joy that lit their faces would almost be worth how tired I would be after it was all said and done.
"Yeah! Let's go!"
"Yuta's 'it' first!"
"No, Nanami is! Playing Tag was her idea so she should be 'it' first!"
They ran toward the back door, calling for me to hurry up before I could even think about changing my mind. As I watched them fight over who would be 'it' first, I smiled. It was a genuine, happy-to-be-here-living-with-my-family kind of smile. I didn't even have to know what that kind of smile looked like because I felt it. It felt real and it warmed my heart in a way only my younger siblings could.
"You better go before the whole neighborhood hears them yelling." Mom motioned to the back door for me to go. "I'll finish the laundry and take Izuro out in a few minutes."
I felt bad for leaving all of the laundry for her to do, considering I was supposed to be helping, but entertaining the twins would help her just as much.
And so that's how I spent the next hour or so. I was 'it' for most of the time, because they would either say that just touching their clothes wasn't enough, or I couldn't tag them when they were 'safe'—a.k.a. touching the fence. I chased Kana and Yuta around the yard for about 30 minutes before Yumiko noticed that we were playing outside and came to join us. She was just as hyper and the other two and was happy to play 'it' for a few turns.
Soon after that, Tara showed up claiming she had finished her homework. I thought about letting her take over watching over them, but I realized that she came over to be a part of the fun, not the babysitter. So, I stayed a jumped in when I caught my breath.
I saw Mom come out with Izuro on her hip. I quietly excused myself from the game took Izuro in my arms. I still thought it was amazing that he came to me so easily. Mom and Dad assure me it's because he has no fear and is a very social baby.
Izuro laughed as I swing him around in my arms and placed him gently on him hip.
"You're keeping up with them pretty well," Mom says with a laugh. "I'm surprised you haven't given up yet."
I shrugged. "They aren't that hard to keep up with. I'm faster than them, after all."
She nodded, agreeing with me. There was a long pause as we watch the kids play on, oblivious to the fact that I was no longer running around with them.
"Ichigo will be home soon."
I only nodded. But on the inside, my mind and heart was in turmoil.
Does that mean she's curious about what I wanted to tell her earlier? I mean, obviously that's why. But…what if they think differently of me? I know now that the past is the past, however… I can't let it. Especially when it hurts so much.
I had barely noticed that Uryuu and Orihime joined us in the back yard. They talked briefly before I realized that Orihime was talking directly to me.
"Oh…sorry. What were you saying?"
She smiled. "It's okay. I space out sometimes, too. Uryuu and Hiroshi don't hesitate to remind me. In fact…I don't remember what I had asked you in the first place." She thought hard about it, whilst Uryuu shook his head in dismay.
"You were asking her how it went with the Hollow." The Quincy looked at me, pushing his glasses farther up his nose. "How did it go? You seemed to be releasing quite a lot of Spiritual Pressure."
I almost groaned. "I guess I attracted a lot more attention than I originally wanted." I laughed nervously when he gave me a quizzed look. "Well, I was actually releasing that massive amount of Spiritual Pressure on purpose."
His eyes widened—which was the reaction I was expecting. "What? Seriously? Isn't that a bit…dangerous?"
I nodded. "Yes, I guess it is. But I was than perfectly in control. With the training that I've received over the years I've spent in Soul Society, I've mastered control over my Hollow. I have no fear about losing control."
Even though that's not necessarily true… I thought to myself. I've lost control once, and I will never allow it to happen again. I promised her I wouldn't.
He looked impressed. "Well, you're already better than your father was when he was learning to control his Hollow. That's not saying he didn't take control when we had thought he had completely lost it. There were times we thought we had lost him. However, his will to keep fighting was astounding."
Orihime nodded. "Ichigo has a knack for fighting for something that's none of his business."
"What about me not knowing my business?"
Dad walked through the yard from the side of the house along the fence-line.
Uyruu, without missing a beat, said, "Exactly that: you can't mind your own business for your own good. And you pull the rest of us along with you."
Uh-oh. Here they go again. It seemed as though they couldn't get one word in before they were fighting again.
Dad glared at the Quincy and his oldest friend. "Hey! I didn't you pull anyone into anything! In fact, I remember saving your ass more than enough times, you bas—"
He was interrupted by Mom throwing a nearby toy at him, hitting his back. "Watch your language, idiot."
"Quit throwing stuff at me, midget," he retorted, though stopping his argument with Uryuu.
Well, that ended quickly, I noted, trying not to smile.
It was then that Izuro noticed Dad was home and immediately reacted for him. Dad smiled and took my youngest brother from me.
As they talked, Yumiko tripped and fell face first into the grass. Seeing as thought I was the only one that noticed, I rushed over to her. She was okay, and I kept her from crying by saying I fell on my face a lot when I was her age, too—which wasn't a lie. She laughed and got right back up and rejoined the game.
I took up and was about to rejoin the game as well when I heard something. I quickly looked over my shoulder, and movement caught my eye. I looked up at the house next door—the Ishida's home. There, in the window right across from mine, was the movement again. I barely saw it, but I know for sure it was Hiroshi. He had been on the roof that whole time and had made it back through his window as I stood up.
He came to the window and reached up toward his dark curtains. Our eyes met, and I felt that same tingle I had felt that morning. There was still something there, I could feel it. I just had to figure out what it was before it drove me crazy. Just as quickly as our gazes locked, the curtain was drawn closed and that was the end of that.
. . .
[A quick switch to Hiroshi's POV]
"Big brother, look! Nami is outside playing with Kana and Yuta! Let's go play!"
Yumi had wondered into my room, demanding that come play games with her. It never bothered me seeing as though there wasn't much I could do about the 10 year old bursting into my room. She usually won in the end anyway.
Today, of all days, she had to mention Nanami. I couldn't pin-point what it was about that girl that annoyed me with…didn't all at the same time. It was frustrating to say the least. This morning was…embarrassing.
When I got up for school, Dad asked me to run to the corner store that opened earlier in the morning to get wipes for Meimi. It was a pain, but I did it anyway. Mom obviously couldn't do it while she tried to calm the baby the best she could. Dad was still getting ready for work, and was already late. And there was no way I was letting Yumiko walk down the street in the dead of night. The things I do for this family…
As soon as I left the house, I could hear the Kurosaki's arguing about something, which was nothing new. As I passed in front of their house, I hadn't expected a black blur to come hurdling toward me.
When Nanami and I tumbled across the ground and into the street, my instincts kicked in. Without giving my body the okay to do so, I cocooned my body around Nanami's so that she wouldn't get hurt. I can see myself doing that for Yumi, Kana, Yuta, or even Tara. I've watched them all grow up and practically helped raise them. But…why did I do it for Nanami, a girl that waltzed into our lives and that we barely know? I'll admit, she's trying, but it's still strange. She was strange. And yet…
I shook my head to rid my mind of the events from this morning.
Yumi was tugging on my sleeve. "Come on, Hiro! Let's go!"
I sighed. "Not right now, Yumi. I have to clean my room. Remember the fort you made last night? Well, it was hard to sleep last night without blankets on my bed." I made a motion to my room, which was messy with random blankets, pillows and chairs from the house. And it wasn't a very big room to begin with.
She pouted. "Fine, I'll go ask mommy if she will go with me. Promise you'll come out later."
I glanced out the window and seen Nanami chancing Kana and tickling her sides. I looked back at Yumi.
"If I get my room clean before you come back inside, then I will. But since you aren't going to help me clean up, it might take a while."
She looked thoughtful about helping me clean after all, but quickly dismissed it. She was such a mischievous little girl sometimes.
"Okay! Have fun, Hiro!" And then she was gone. She raced down the stairs before I could change my mind and bugged our mother to go outside.
I shook my head and chuckled. "She's such a brat."
The cleaning itself didn't take long. I folded all the blankets and put all of the pillows in a pile on my now semi-cleaning floor. The annoying part was trying to figure out where the pillows and blankets originally came from. The cushions to the couch were also piled in the corner. I went up and down the stairs at least 6 times before I was finally done. The pillows and cushions were back on the couches, and the pillows and blankets Yumi took from her bed—as well as Mom and Dad's bed—were back where they came from. Once I finished making my bed, I was about to head down to the kitchen to make a snack.
That is until I heard her laugh. If the window weren't open, I wouldn't have heard it. When I looked out, I saw her laying on the ground on her back. The twins were piled on top of her, giggling and laughing, too. The smile on her face was real and genuine, and very hard to look away from. I only looked away when she got up off the ground and chased Yuta around the yard.
What…was it about her? She's a Soul Reaper—she's supposed to be my rival (according to my grandfather). This morning in front of her house… That definitely wasn't just me that felt something. I could see it in her eyes, hear it in her voice. She felt it, too.
I made my way up to the roof, just like I always did to think. However, I forgot that the side of the roof I usually sit on was facing the back yard, and I could also oversee the both of my neighbor's back yards.
My mind continued to spin as I watched the Kurosaki kids—plus Yumi—play in the yard. When she disappeared from view, I again turned to my thoughts. But they only turned around into thoughts about this morning.
Frustrated, I was about to get up and leave until I saw Yumi trip and fall. I saw the look she always gets when she was about to cry. Since I was sure no one had noticed, I stood up from the roof and was about to jump down when Nanami rushed to her side.
She asked Yumi if she was okay and told her some cheesy story about how she used to always fall down when she was younger. I was pretty sure she only said that to make Yumi feel better, and it worked. My sister smiled and got right back up to continue playing with Yuta and Kana.
Seeing as though my thoughts were everywhere and being in my usual spot wasn't helping, I moved off the roof and to my window sill. Just as I made it to the sill, my foot slipped. I scrambled to pull myself up so I didn't fall on my ass in Mom's rose bush beneath my window. When I got inside my bedroom, I turned around to close my curtains. As reached up, I saw her looking at me. Just like this morning, our eyes locked. And, again, I felt a tingle consume my body. Still frustrated and confused, I closed the curtains.
I stepped back from the window as though I expected her to come through it. My chest rose and fell faster than normal; my heart was beating erratically, as though I had just run a marathon. Every emotion buzzed through my body at light speed, and I couldn't even figure out what I was really feeling.
Annoyed. Frustrated. Fear. Happy. Sad. Love.
No, not love. They only people I love are Yumi and my parents. Ichigo and Rukia—they're just my neighbors. All of the people my parents know and hang out with are just friends of my parents, nothing more.
I couldn't possibly have…feelings for this Soul Reaper.
Could I?
. . .
[Nanami's POV again]
Once the twins and Izuro were in bed, Mom, Dad and I sat in the living room. It was an awkward silence at first. It seemed as though no one really know how to start.
After another long moment, Mom said, "So, Nanami, there's something you wanted to tell us? Something that has to do with…your past?" The look on her face told me she was a little worried, but it wasn't about what she was about to hear; it was worry for me and being able to handle it.
Dad looked from Mom then me, and then back to Mom again. "Wait, I feel like I'm missing something here. What aren't you telling me, Midget?"
Mom rolled her eyes. "I told you earlier when you got home. Clearly you don't listen to me when I'm talking to you."
Dad stared at her blankly. "What'd you say?"
Mom slapped him on the arm. Dad glared at her.
I waved my hand back and forth, trying to get their attention. "Uh…well, I do have something that I want to tell you. It's…nothing really bad, just a…heads up, I guess you could call it."
Their turned to me again, listening intently.
I took a deep breath. And then let it out.
"Well, first off, The woman who's been…interested in me for some time now is Sakura Katsuna. She's…she's a rouge Vizard."
Dad's eyes widened. "A Vizard. Does that mean she has some connection to Aizen?"
I shook my head. "I don't know. Whatever questioning they did in Central 46 was kept from me."
"She was sent to Central 46? And she's free?" Mom asked, eyes wide now.
I nodded. "Her accomplice is the woman that approached me earlier this morning. My guess is she was the one that broke Sakura out just after I left Soul Society."
"You were attacked this morning?! It would have been nice for someone to inform me that my daughter was attacked, especially since there is someone after her." It wasn't necessarily yelling, but he wasn't happy either as he glared at his wife. "Why didn't you call me, Rukia?"
I interrupted before Mom could answer. "It's not her fault, she didn't know anything about it. And I wasn't exactly 'attacked'; more like pursued. Kaguya, Sakura's accomplice, kept saying that she was only sent to find me. And I wasn't alone either."
"My brother is here," Rukia said, clarify my statement.
Dad immediately groaned in annoyance. Mom hit him on the arm. Again.
"Besides my favorite brother-in-law, who else is here?" Dad asked grugedly, rubbing his sore arm.
"Captain Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Matsumoto, Hiyori, and Shinji." I bit my lip and added, "And when I told Mom earlier that their original plan was messed up was because Shinji—"
Dad groaned yet again. "What did that idiot Shinji do now? He gave away your position, didn't he?"
I felt my eyes widen. I had expected him to figure it out. "H-How did you know…?"
He shrugged his shoulders lightly. "Just a wild guess."
Mom sighed. "That would be pretty predictable for Shinji."
"Well, he was checking up on me, so his heart was in the right place," I said in my teacher's defense.
They seemed to accept that, but the looks on their faces made me frown. "What?"
They exchanged a glance, and then Dad was the first to speak. "We, uh…we had wished for you to have a normal life, Nanami. None of this is what we had wanted for you. Soul Society isn't your home—this is your home. Because of our rash decisions, you were left to suffer through all of this. Going through the Academy, training to control your Hollow, suffering through whatever pain you went through in between there—we could have prevented that. And…we are so sorry."
From where she sat on the couch next to me, Mom placed her hand on mine. The eyes held pain and sorrow, but I seen love there, as well. "It's our fault this Sakura person is after you. Had we never sent you to Soul Society to be raised by my sister and Byakuya…none of this would be happening, and we could have been a real family."
I squeezed her hand reassuringly and smiled gently. "But…we already are a real family. I could never blame you for anything that was happened because I believe everything happens for a reason."
I felt my parents physically relax, as if a huge weight was lifted off of their shoulders. Mom smiled, and Dad put his hand on my shoulder and gave it a tight squeeze.
But…my smile faded because I hadn't told them all of what they needed to hear.
"There's…a lot more that you need to know."
Mom nodded. "We're here to listen, Nanami."
Another deep breath.
"Well, it's about a girl. Her name was…" My heart throbbed terribly as I slowly reopened this old wound. "Her name was Una Tanakashi. She was… Well, Una was my only friend. She joined the Academy at the same time I did, and we had many classes together. Because of my 'status' in the Kuchiki family, many people were afraid of me. No one wanted to get close to a Nobel's daughter, especially a Kuchiki heir."
"'Kuchiki heir' my ass…" Dad grumbled. One look from Mom quieted him again, and she motioned for me to continue.
"Una and I did everything together during our years at the Academy. We went to class together, ate together, trained together—we even had our own little spot where we practiced our moves and spared." A smile touched my lips as I recalled the good times. "She always told me that it didn't matter what family I was born into; what mattered was how I showed them a name meant nothing when it came to the skills and the will I had to keep going. She came from the same district that Mom and Aunt Hisana were from—District 78. She had nothing, but she still fought for what she wanted. But…" I swallowed back my tears that threatened to form. "She never got to accomplish her dream. She…She was targeted by Sakura, who killed my best friend right in front of me."
Mom's free hand flew to her mouth to catch her gasp. The hand holding mine tightened.
I felt Dad's anger radiate from him.
I pushed through the rest of my story. "Una…Una was never late for anything. She came to class on time, as well as all of our practices at night. One time, when she showed up late for our practices, she told me that she was robbed of all of her personal belongings, and I begged Byakuya to let her stay at the estate. But he wouldn't allow it.
"Just a few weeks before we were to graduate, a woman came up to me and asked how much I knew about my Hollow. Una knew, of course, but never told anyone about it, and very few people at the estate knew. How this random woman knew who I was is still a mystery. When I refused her, Sakura told me that I would regret it. And…she was right.
"Not long after that encounter with Sakura, Una missed class. She didn't show up to training or lunch either. I got worried and looked for her. I even rounded up Uncle—I mean, Lieutenant Abarai and Shinji to help me. We looked all day and straight through into the night. They agreed that it was best to report to Captain Kuchiki, and promised me they would look again at first light. But…for almost two whole days…she never re-surfaced. That is…until Sakura approached me with an offer: join her and lend my strength to her, or Una died."
The grip Dad had on my shoulder tightened again. "That…That's unforgivable!"
I nodded. "I didn't tell anyone about Sakura—not even the first time she came to me, or when Una went missing. I…I thought I could deal with it myself. I wanted to save Una myself…because it was my fault that she was taken as a hostage in the first place."
I could tell Mom wanted to argue with me, that it wasn't my fault. But I didn't give her the chance.
"No matter how you look at it, if I had said something—if I had spoken up about what Sakura had said in our first encounter—then Una would still be alive. She would still be here with me when I need her most, because I'm so lost without her…!"
I bit my lip to the point of almost drawing blood. It hurt so much to think about Una and what she could have accomplished had she been alive.
I felt Mom's arm wrap around me, and I was pulled closer to her. I didn't resist and leaned into her warmth, needing the comfort. My heart throbbed and overflowed with emotion. I couldn't keep it in any more and varied harder than I ever had. I clenched at her clothes as I cried heavy tears into her shoulder. My body convulsed from my sobs, and I had to keep my face buried, or else my cries would wake my younger siblings.
For what felt like forever, my parents whispered sweet words, rubbed my back and held me as I cried. Eventually I calmed down, and when I could talk again, my voice was scratchy and rough. I kept my eyes in my lap, afraid that if I looked up into their eyes than I would start crying again.
"I…I went to where Sakura wanted told me to go…alone. I wanted to be the one to save Una. When—When I got there…Una was tied to a tree, scared out of her mind. Sakura told me she would give me one chance to get away. When I refused to join her or leave there without Una, she preposed a battle. If I could beat her, than I could take Una and leave, and she wouldn't pursue me any more. Una begged me not to, she told me it wasn't going to be worth it if I lost control." I finally looked up, and even though I still had tears flowing from my eyes, I kept my voice evan enough to speak. "But…I did it anyway. I wanted to so badly to have Una back that I didn't want to turn down the chance, even though fighting Sakura could bring out the Hollow powers I dreaded to use. So…I fought Sakura. I used ever ounce of my strength to fight her without using my Hollow, but…I lost."
I turned to my father on my other side, knowing he knew exactly how it felt.
"I refused to use the Hollow—no matter how much she wanted out, no matter how much she clawed at me to escape. Sakura watched me resist and struggle against my other half, like she was studying me."
Dad slowly nodded, understanding what I was saying. "She was purposely trying to make you lose control. Taking Una…was a part of her plan to provoke the Hollow inside. I've been there—I know what that's like." He placed both hands on my shoulders, squeezing them tightly. "And I'm proud of you for keeping it together, because losing control will cut you deeper than anything sword ever could."
The pride that shown in his eyes was painful to look at, especially with what happens next in my story.
I looked away, down at the coffee table in front of the couch. I looked at anything but his eyes. "It…gets worse. When I collapsed on the ground, exhausted from fighting, Sakura turned to Una, her sword drawn. I screamed for her to stop, to kill me instead—I tried everything to keep her from killing Una. Much to my surprise…she didn't."
I took another deep breath to calm my emotions, because I knew there was going to be another storm of tears coming if I didn't.
"Sakura released Una, and let her go." Mom and Dad listened intently, waiting for me to finish. "Una ran to me, tears rolling down her face. She was scared, and not just for herself, but for me, too. I remember it clearly: Una came to me, helped me stand, smiling at me with pride… And-And then…"
I suddenly couldn't speak, my body consumed by pain, regret and fear.
Dad was the one who spoke up. "She…killed Una anyway…didn't she?"
I hung my head, letting the grief consume me. I swallowed back my tears yet again. "Sakura had intended on killing us both at once. Her sword slipped through Una's chest, and then right through mine…" I touched the spot where Sakura's blade pierced through my skin, and it ached at the memory. "I watched the life drain from Una's eyes before she slipped from my grip and hit the ground. I fell to my knees, and barely had the strength to look up at Sakura.
"'You failed because you refused to use your true strength', she said to me. 'You and your friend are dead because you didn't have what it took to protect her'."
I bit my lip, afraid to say what happened next, but my mother urged me to go on.
"H-How did you…?"
"How did I live?" I finished for her. I looked at my mother, pain and fear ripping at my heart. "I…I lost."
She put her hand on my cheek gently, calmingly. "You…lost what, honey? The battle?"
I shook my head slowly. "N-No… I…I lost…control. I lost the will to fight…and Hollowfied—I became my own worst nightmare…"
. . .
Yeah…I'm ending it there. Sorry!
I think I covered everything I was supposed to.
—Yui's shopping trip
—Another semi-fluffy moment with Nanami and Hiroshi
—story on Nanami's past and how she's tied to Sakura
Did I miss anything?
Let me know! And I'll fix it!
Thanks For Reading And Reviewing!
—Romni