Katsuko was walking home after being dismissed from the Vizards. Instead of forcing her to stay at the warehouse, she was allowed to leave and come back. Thank god. She missed her house after being gone and training all day. During the hardcore training, her Hollow actually came out twice. Knowing how her Hollow would shoot out lightning, Hachigen immediately restrained her with Kin which made it easier to deal with her. Once that was dealt with, she got back up and clashed her blades against Hiyori again.
The teen lifted her hands just as she passed by a convenience store.
Shinji told her that their method was the fastest way to increase her power.
So, this training is going to make up for what I lost after leaving the Soul Society…
She moved aside to avoid running teens.
Maybe even more than that too…?
It made her wonder what kind of class they were back in the Soul Society. Hiyori was tough. She was better than most Soul Reapers she fought. Perhaps better than a Third Seat? But wouldn't that make her something close to a Lieutenant?
"Mashiro was a Lieutenant…" Katsuko muttered to herself with her hands in her pockets. Her gaze was towards the sky as she pondered curiously. "So maybe it wouldn't be too much of stretch to believe that maybe Hiyori was Lieutenant. Kensei was a Captain too."
The Vizards were certainly not was she was expecting— okay no, she didn't know what she was expecting to be honest. After Shinji kept being secretive regarding her recruitment, what else could she think of aside from them being potentially dangerous. But they were normal people just living their life albeit in secret from the Soul Society.
They weren't bad.
August 31st
DAY 4
Katsuko returned to the warehouse after leaving her house a few minutes after her mother did. She brought the same bag that she brought with her when training with Urahara. She was dressed in a red t-shirt, a blue long sleeved flannel, the sleeves were rolled up to her elbows, she also wore dark blue jeans and black slip on shoes. On the way there, she was actually humming. Her phone was tucked in her back pocket and she listened to music on the way, a slight pep in her step as she walked.
The black haired teen held the door handle and opened it. The loud sound echoed in the entire warehouse, announcing her arrival to the others inside. When she turned around to look inside, she saw Mashiro first since she was watching TV near the entrance. If there was one thing she desperately wanted to know, it's where the hell the Vizards kept hiding all their furniture and shit. One moment a lounge couch was situated in the middle of the floor and the next it's gone and replaced by a whole dinner table.
"Oh," Mashiro blinked and smiled at her. She was lying on her stomach on top of a futon with her legs swinging back and forth. "Good morning, Kacchi." It looked like she was watching Super Sentai. Now she could see why Mashiro dressed the way she did.
"Good morning." Katsuko lifted her hand and briefly waved at her. She glanced around and saw Hachigen and Love brushing their teeth in a corner. She froze and narrowed her eyes. What the hell, was there always a sink there?! Maybe she should just stop thinking about it altogether...
She heard the door open behind her, startling her. With a yelp, she backed away rapidly, her movements almost erratic. Man, she was seriously jumpy. It was Shinji. He was coming back from the store with a magazine. She noticed that he really liked buying those fashion magazines. It made sense. He did dress up quite nicely. Shinji's mouth curled in amusement while Katsuko just clicked her tongue.
"You're really jumpy, Kacchi." Mashiro pointed out with a sing-song voice. There was a time when Rose snuck up behind her to ask her something and it had her jolting in shock and dropping her Zanpakuto. Seeing that and remembering how Katsuko yelped in the stairway confirmed for everyone that she could get jumpy. Mashiro, being the childish person she was, actually tested it out for herself and Katsuko nearly dropped a water bottle on Hiyori's head when Mashiro scared her.
"Anyway," Katsuko reached for her bag and pulled out a brown paper bag. She held it up for Shinji to see. "I went by the bakery this morning to snatch some bread since I wanted to eat some later. I bought some for you guys if you want it. Thanks for dealing with me."
"Ohhh." Shinji took a look inside and whistled. "Look at you, showin' off your gratitude. Didn't expect that from ya." He reached inside and pulled out the one he usually got from the bakery.
"I can take it back."
"No."
"Ooh! Bread!" Mashiro lit up like a child and bounced over to them after she bolted up.
"I'm not ungrateful, just so you know."
"That was rather nice of you."
Katsuko jumped and stumbled into Shinji who freaked when he nearly dropped the bag. They saw Rose standing behind Katsuko. Hachigen, Kensei and Love were standing a few feet away.
"Stop that!" Katsuko barked, embarrassed yet annoyed. She could see Love smirking in the back!
"Yeah, Rose! The bread nearly went to waste!" Shinji held up the bag that Mashiro was digging into, searching for something good like a kid looking inside a box of toys.
"Sorry, sorry." Rose smiled and patted Katsuko's head before taking a look inside the bag of bread. Katsuko gave the music-lover a side glance. She was sure he did it on purpose. Shinji walked further inside and allowed Mashiro to run off with the bag after he securely got his own piece. He looked at Katsuko who followed everyone further inside.
"We don't need to pay you back for this, right?" He was about to throw the bread back inside the back if so.
"Nah. I had enough money."
I had more than enough since I don't always spend. My wallet's a freaking bank.
"Thanks, kid. I'll eat one later when I get my milk coffee." Love placed a large hand on her head when he passed her by. The Vizards were fond of the bakery that Katsuko went to so they naturally wanted some.
Kensei just pulled out croissant from the bag and started eating. "Thanks."
Hachigen also expressed his thanks. He would eat his later.
Katsuko looked around when she noted that Hiyori and Lisa were absent from the little bread gathering. When she voiced her question about their whereabouts, Hachigen informed her that they were doing an early part time job and would be back some time after noon. This had Katsuko cocking her head with curious eyes.
"Who's going to train me?"
"Me."
Katsuko stiffened when she heard his voice. Low level panic bubbled in the pit of her stomach. She turned to look at Kensei. He was just chewing on his croissant, face still intimidating.
They stared at each other.
Aw man.
Urahara was a captain before and she faced him in her training. It wasn't so bad because he gradually built her up so she wasn't so scared. But this was Kensei. A though guy who looked like he could make a baby cry if he glared hard enough. Plus, now that she knew how to fight as a Soul Reaper, it made her feel a bit anxious about how he would be coming at her.
She crossed her arms. "He was a captain. There's a high possibility I might be dust later." she told Shinji who was chewing his food too. Shinji just gave her a look that said 'Oh really? Cool.'
Kensei rolled his eyes at her exaggeration. "Don't be ridiculous. I just won't go easy on you."
Katsuko sputtered and gave him an incredulous look. So, you're going hard on me!
"Don't you know? Fighting against stronger opponents sometimes helps people improve much faster. Well, in your case, you have to make it work." Love informed her nonchalantly. "Don't worry, if you want, you could switch back with Hiyori when she comes back. So, until then, just try to survive."
"Gee, thanks. So helpful." Her sarcastic tone only got a nod from Love.
"Don't worry, Kensei might look intimidating but he's a good guy." Rose reassured her when he saw her unenthusiastic demeanor.
"Yeah, he might look like a stupid meanie but he's not that bad." Mashiro said with a mouth full of bread. She had crumbs all around her cheeks from digging in. Kensei narrowed his eyes at her, scowling. "I'm standing right here. And stop talking with your mouth full, you're spitting food!"
"Boo!" Mashiro stuck her tongue out which made Kensei grimace at the food on her tongue. Katsuko sweat dropped.
Shinji started heading to where their hidden staircase was. "Let's just go already."
…
…
…
Fighting against Kensei was a big step up from Hiyori. A big one.
The first wave was something she had a hard time adjusting to. It took some time to stop hesitating and to fight back against his power. Mostly because Kensei kept yelling at her to do better and stop slacking. She was sure that she wasn't 'slacking'. His voice carried so much power that it shook her to the core and she wanted him to stop yelling at her. It felt like being yelled at by a superior, not that she ever experienced it, but she assumed that's how it felt like.
Arashihoro and Tachikaze were both swords that manipulated wind, but the latter was stronger since it could also use energy that could be explosive. His sword remained in its Shikai state which was a combat knife. Add his Shikai with his Hollow mask, there was no doubt that Katsuko had trouble against the former captain. He could only keep his mask on for five minutes but he still could do so much in less than a minute.
She once unleashed a powerful Bakuhou in his direction. Kensei had turned around so quick and slashed in her direction, unleashing his own wind attack that exploded, countering her wind, and it almost sent her flying back if get out of the way. She had to make quick decisions. Once the wind and explosion subsided, she was quick to position herself and throw Gengetsu Reppuu at him. It was different from the one she usually did. This time, she placed the tip of her sword against the ground and slashed upward, creating a large slash of wind from the tip of her sword that dug into the earth as it raced at him.
She was naturally responding to a much stronger opponent.
Katsuko aggressively came at him and slashed while he easily dodged her blades by side stepping. When he found the right moment, he raised his arm and swung his knife at her. He got her on the arm. As he swung again, she adjusted and made sure to block with her right blade.
She gritted her teeth as she stared at the black holes of Kensei's mask. She shifted her left blade and summoned wind around it to slash. Kensei just moved his footing and then rammed his foot into her center when she left an opening. She gasped for air and was sent flying onto her back. With a growl, she forced herself to move and continue fighting because he wasn't giving her respite anyway. His knife pierced the air and she side stepped while using her right blade to push his blade away and swing her left. The wind arc nearly cleaved off Kensei's ear if he didn't move.
Sometimes, her gradual adaptation had her being a little clumsy in her movements when she was too rash though. Her Hollow emerged three hours after she arrived. Kensei dodged the lightning whips while Rose and Love moved in to pin her down. Love grabbed the back of her neck and shoved her onto the ground while he sat astride on her back. Rose took his sword and broke off her mask to bring her back to her senses.
Love removed himself off her and she pushed herself up on her hands and knees, panting. "Fuck… I hate it when that happens!" She hissed with a growl, greatly annoyed. Her Hollow that chose to poke its head out also made her feel like it was wasting her precious seconds reserved for training. So she was thankful that they were there to stop her before she caused too much damage like last time.
She shook her head to shake off the remains off her mask, breathing heavily. Kensei observed her as she panted and tried to catch her breath. Her hand brushed off the mask pieces on her face. The Hollow's interruption and her own fatigue was evident. But that didn't seem like it called for a break just yet.
"Are you done?"
Katsuko lifted her head to look at Kensei who removed his Hollow mask. He was expecting a straight answer from her. She met his eyes with her determined ones.
The teen lowered her head and shook her head. "No, I can keep going."
"Then get back up. We're doing this again." He said with a voice that gave away his experience in giving orders to his subordinates.
She pushed herself back up on her feet and gathered her swords, nodding. "Yeah… Yeah, okay." her eyes gleamed with determination.
Shinji hummed when he saw Katsuko obediently follow Kensei's orders. Hachigen was sitting nearby and watching with him. The big Vizard observed the way Katsuko took in a deep breath and then got into a proper fighting stance to resume her training.
"I feel like Katsuko-san does much better when fighting someone stronger like Kensei-san." Hachigen commented. She was very serious when fighting Kensei.
"You think so, too, huh? The natural response against someone stronger is to push your limits even further to try and stand a chance…"
They've seen her get a beating from Kensei. He knocked her down. Cut her. He got her in the gut a couple of times and had her doubling over. And even though she sometimes writhed on the ground from the pain, she still forced herself back on her feet to keep fighting. She was doing her best and pushing herself. She learned from her mistakes and carelessness. Her determination to see her training through was commendable.
"Perhaps leaving her training to him would be a much better choice."
People create situations. Situations change people. Strength is not won without work. Strength is earned. Trial and error were necessary for evolution. Enduring and fighting back against overpowering strength incites change and improvement to gain strength. Fighting against a Captain class Soul Reaper gave her the taste of power that she never properly faced in the Soul Society. From there, a drive to get stronger emerged, she couldn't deny a certain greed to get stronger.
Hollows were a threat she once saw as the main threat to her life. She was lucky enough to have gained a sword to fight back against them. The second threat to her life were Soul Reapers. They threatened the life of her and her friends because of the goal they pursued. She became strong enough to support the goal. And now that she was back home, Hollows were her main threat once more. From what she could tell so far, Hollows didn't pose as much as a threat as the second one.
However, now that she was facing strength that was once again stronger than her, it made her rethink her previous thoughts about Hollows. She just remembered the Menos Grande that came to Karakura Town and the ones that appeared in the crack in the sky in the Soul Society, reminding her that there were other kinds of Hollows out there. They could be stronger than her just like how Hiyori and Kensei was. Did she have proof? No. But she now wanted to be prepared for that what-if possibility.
Honestly, there was nothing wrong with being stronger. If she wasn't careful and took it too lax, she might just regret it in the jaws of a Hollow.
During her break, she was told to go buy lunch with Rose. She hopped back inside her body and eagerly trailed after Rose like a puppy, excited to go outside. Staying cooped up in the underground training room sometimes made her want to breath in the fresh air. Rose was one of the laid-back members of the Vizards so she didn't have a hard time talking to him. He brought her to where they usually bought their takeout lunches. The place was near a Subway place. They parted ways after she expressed her desire to eat one of their sandwiches. She had her own money anyway because she carried her wallet in her pocket. There wasn't any line in Subway, thankfully, so she went ahead and ordered her food and left quickly. Rose was still ordering so she chose to stay outside and wait for him.
Leaning back against a wall, she was checking her phone for any messages that she might have missed. Haru apparently messaged them in their group chat and asked if they finished their homework for summer vacation. It had her smirking. The summer vacation homework she had to do was already done and shoved into her bag since she didn't want to deal with it at the last minute like Jun or Haru. She wasn't the type to let others copy her homework either. You didn't do it? Too bad. No help for you. Her best friends don't get the special treatment. She'll help, not help someone copy. No hard feelings though. This was also her way to encourage them to their own damn homework.
"Did you wait long?"
Katsuko looked up and found Rose standing next to her. He lifted one of the lighter bags for her to carry. "Nope. At least… I don't think so?" she took it and held it in her free hand.
"Which one is it?"
Katsuko smiled sheepishly and walked next to him. As they walked through the busy area, they heard local music playing. The song was being played several times nowadays, it was a viral hit. Dry Flower was the name.
Rose closed his eyes and let the music flow into his ears, nodding his head. Katsuko lightly hummed under her breath. She thought it'd be fine to softly hum the melody when they were surrounded by the bustling sounds of the crowd. The former captain took notice of this and couldn't help but look down at her, catching the way her discreet smile was on her lips.
"Katsuko-chan, do you like Dry Flower, too?"
Her humming ceased. She blinked and then looked up at him. He was looking at her with surprise and curiosity. He was giving her eyes of someone who discovered something interesting.
Her head nodded once. "Yeah. It's a nice song with a good melody. Do you like it too?"
"The singer is quite talented with his voice." Rose said as he nodded in agreement. His music switch was now flipped. "It gives me a nostalgic feeling." He put a finger on his chin. "Its melody has this power to attract the listener completely." He clenched his fists. "Your heart stops as it strikes you. It makes you feel almost helpless like as if you're hopelessly falling in love. That's what listening to a beautiful piece sounds like, it's a revelation. It's rich. It's poetry. Ah, music is truly a beautiful art."
Whoa…
Katsuko watched the way Rose's eyes sparkled, her eyes squinted as he shined brightly. He seemed really into it. This was the first time she was seeing someone look so passionate about a song. She never really fell in love, maybe a crush or two, so she was lost on his last words but she could understand the part about the power of attracting the listener. Her first listen had her frozen and listening attentively in awe.
"The lyrics tell a story." Katsuko remarked as the chorus played around them. Then she chuckled. "I've never had my heart broken before but for some reason it makes me feel sad as if I did."
Hearing this, Rose turned to her and smiled. "You should consider yourself lucky that your heart still bears innocence. It's not easy getting over wounds to the heart." He told her with concern. He placed a hand on his heart. "Cherish your scar less heart while you can, Katsuko-chan."
Katsuko half laughed with her shoulders. "Sure."
My heart has a scar but it's not the same.
"Oh, have you heard Betelgeuse?"
Katsuko's face lit up a little with a smile when she heard the title. "I have it on my phone, actually." There was always something exciting about sharing an interest with someone. This in turn excited him and he pulled up another song title. It was rare to get to know someone without hiding any secrets. Rose was enjoying this rare opportunity. Katsuko was enjoying being around these new people.
Unbeknownst to them, while they were busy chatting away about songs, someone was watching them. A tall dark teen with dark brown hair whose face was hiding behind his hair. He saw the way Katsuko looked up at the unknown man with a grin. He didn't recognize this man at all. He wasn't even a student. He was wearing all black with white frills. If he hadn't seen the grin on her face, he would have gone up to them and asked who they were since Katsuko wasn't the type to socialize with people who didn't look her age.
Katsuko dug in the bag and plucked one out. She read the label and then went over to Mashiro. "This one's yours…? Yeah, it is."
"Ooh!" Mashiro was salivating when she took the bento from Katsuko. "Thanks, Kacchi!" The black haired teen was amazed at how quick the green haired Vizard started eating her food. She must have been starving. The next box was Shinji's. As she read the label out loud, he raised his hand and called her over to hand him his bento.
"… Did we order an extra one?" Katsuko turned away from Shinji, pretending as if she didn't hear him. Rose and Love chuckled at this. She was feeling a bit playful.
"Gimme my food, you cheeky girl! I'm starvin'!"
When she pretended to ignore him once more, feigning confusion with that typical head scratch, she saw him getting ready to get up. She giggled in amusement and went over to him with a grin, making him sit back down. "I'm kidding! Here."
The last bento was for Kensei. She pulled out the box and then balled up the plastic in her hand, tucking it into her flannel pocket for now. She went over to him while she adjusted her grip on the bag carrying her own lunch. He was sitting back against a rock. Wordlessly, she stopped in front of him, looked at him and held out the bento. He put away his phone and took it. "Thanks." He opened it. "Don't take your sweet time eating, by the way. Once we're done, we're going back to training." He warned her.
"I know, I know." Katsuko shrugged with a sigh. She turned on her heel to walk away. However, she remembered something important. She was trying to find the perfect moment to say it. Now seemed like a good time. She stilled and turned back to Kensei who noticed her stop. She was smiling a little. "By the way, thanks for saving me. Y'know, from that Hollow?"
He remembered that moment clearly.
He raised his hand and waved it dismissively as if to say 'think nothing of it'. "I'm not going to watch a kid get gobbled up by a Hollow." He said as he started eating. "Now, go on and eat."
…
…
…
Katsuko was in charge of picking up the garbage since it was the least that she could do when they were helping her. No, she didn't offer to do it. Shinji just dropped the responsibility on her while she was still eating. The others were quick to agree. For some reason, she was getting the feeling that they were just too lazy to do it themselves. She responded with 'what, am I gonna be your errand girl now?' which he replied with 'pretty much.' It's not like she was annoyed though. It really was the least she could do.
As she picked up Mashiro's bento, she eyed her strangely for just sleeping on the floor once she got itis. Mashiro sure was a strange one. She couldn't count how many times on two hands when she found her body in a weird position. When she was about to walk away, Mashiro turned in her sleep and nearly knocked her off her feet, giggling. Katsuko fumbled with the empty bento boxes in a panic after she staggered away. "At least go sleep in a corner!" Katsuko hissed. "I don't want to eat a rock!"
Kensei passed by her while brushing his teeth. "Don't bother. She won't wake up even if you scream with a megaphone."
"The heck…"
The black haired teen spared one more glance at Mashiro. The sleeping Vizard rolled over in her sleep twice towards the left, leaving Katsuko dumbfounded. Instead of sacrificing her brain cells, she moved on to collect Rose and Love's trash. Rose was humming Dry Flower and strumming the melody on his guitar. The song must have stuck with him from their little trip. She picked up the trash while listening to Rose, ignoring Love who was muttering to himself. She wasn't paying much attention to him… except when he said the name of one her favourite characters with the word dead. Her eyes widened and she snapped her head towards him with a horrified look.
"What do you mean Kenshou died?" Katsuko picked up the last piece trash in their corner and stumbled over to stand behind Love, balancing the boxes in her arms.
Rose sighed tiredly and glimpsed at Katsuko's shocked expression. He too liked to read Shounen Jump. However, having a friend who just couldn't keep their mouth to not spoil for others exasperated him. It was especially annoying when he was the one who bought the week's Shounen Jump. Now, another poor soul was forced to endure the same pain as he had. He pitied her.
"Yeah, he got cleaved in half—"
"Why did you say it out loud?"
"What, am I supposed to keep my reaction to myself?"
"Yes!"
From afar, Kensei put a hand on his hip, twirling his combat knife on his hand while Katsuko peered at the magazine. Impatient, he frowned deeply when he saw her chatting with Love. He clicked his tongue. With a booming voice, he called her name, causing her to jump and stare at him like a deer in headlights. She met his impatient stare.
"Hurry up!"
"I'm coming, hold on!"
I got distracted by that spoiler!
Man, poor Kenshou…
The girl rushed off to dump the trash and then ran to grab her Gokon Tekkou. She actually brought the glove with her instead of the Combat Pass on a whim.
…
…
…
Hiyori and Lisa had returned from their jobs and was informed that Kensei would take Hiyori's place in training. The little Vizard was more than happy to switch since she was exhausted.
"How are you feelin' so far?"
"Okay."
Katsuko wiped her sweat covered face with her sleeve. Right now, she was on another one of her breaks.
Just before her break, her inner Hollow emerged again. It happened when Katsuko was blocking Kensei's blade. He wasn't fazed at all. He just knocked away her blades and thrusted his hand to grab her by the neck and then broke her mask off with a single blow. He was quick. It had her in a daze from how fast it happened. She ended up looking at Kensei with a dumb look, still not sure if whether or not she was possessed or not. Now, it was almost like as if it was standing behind her and following her, trying to seduce her into letting let go of the rope.
Those rough hours of hardcore training were forcing her to become stronger and Shinji was wondering how she was mentally holding up.
Actually, she was doing okay.
After that little trip outside, she was able to reset her mind and refresh before fighting again. She also came up with some new attack while she was parrying Kensei's attacks. She figured that cloaking her sword in wind would increase the impact of her blows. It did work to push him back. So, she would sometimes cloak her left blade in wind and then share it with her right to double the strength of her slashes.
She stared at Shinji with curious round eyes. "So, how am I doing so far? Bad?" she swung her legs.
"I wouldn't say bad. You're doing well in keepin' up with the trainin'. You're gettin' there. I'd give it at least two more days before we move on to the next phase."
So soon.
Well, he did say that it wouldn't be wise to drag it on…
"What happens in two days?" she stopped her legs.
Shinji trusted his back to the large rock behind them. "It's pointless to tell you now. You just focus on getting' stronger. You don't need any distractions."
Katsuko pouted a little and hunched at his response. "I was just thinking that I should mental prepare myself for whatever you have in store."
"Idiot, and I'm tellin' you that you don't need to think about it. There's no point unless you finish meetin' the requirement." He quirked his eyebrow at her. "You don't trust us after all this time?"
"No, no. Don't worry, I trust the wise old Vizards. I was just curious." She said while giving him a lazy thumbs up, grinning a little. She was hoping to at least get some sort of hint about what she would be doing. She didn't exactly fancy being left in the dark about what consisted of subjugating her inner Hollow. Were they going to manifest it just like how Yoruichi helped her manifest her Zanpakuto? She was curious. "By the way, do I have to get back on the dumb treadmill again?" she looked over her shoulder to check if Hiyori was listening.
"Forget it. We know approximately how much trainin' you needed." She was relieved about that. She hated that dumb machine with all her heart. A part of her wanted to just pick it up and throw it into the fire. But that would just end up with Hiyori getting on her ass, something she rather not deal with. "Just keep at it." The blonde told her as he shuffled off the rock to get up. He picked up the nearby water bottle and reminded her to hydrate herself lest she collapsed. After she picked it up, she saw him stop after walking a few steps away. "Just so you know, you can go to school tomorrow. You just need to show up after."
"Yeah, I was going to ask about that later—" she did a double take and gaped at him. "Wait, how the hell do you know about that? You don't know my schedule!"
Shinji placed a finger against his smirking lips, making her scowl. "I have my ways. Anyway," he pulled out his phone from his pocket. "Instead of leavin' in an hour, you'll stay until 9:30. I hope you didn't have anythin' planned."
He was making her train for a few more hours to make up for the hours she was going to miss. Fair enough.
"I'll just send my body home then." She dropped on the ground and sauntered to her bag.
She actually packed Aiza in her bag before leaving home as a precaution. She was surprised that Aiza refused to get out of her bag even to get some fresh air. She was so adamant about not being seen by the 'Hollow crew'. The soul pill was a little afraid. She wondered if she was shaking like a leaf in her bag.
When she pulled Aiza out of her back (even after she tried to resist) she grabbed her blue glove and poked her out of her plushy form. After dropping the pill into her mouth, her body jolted awake and then gazed around the training room silently with panicked etes. Mashiro expressing her curiosity only had Aiza flinching and inching behind Katsuko. Amusingly, Aiza glanced around cautiously while grabbing Katsuko's things before she all but bolted off in a panic. She told Aiza to go ahead and buy a bag of chips from the convenient store if she so wished.
"Don't run in the streets!" Katsuko added before Aiza disappeared from their sights. She lowered her hands that were cupped around her mouth and frowned. I wonder if she heard me…
"Funny soul candy you got there." Rose remarked.
"She's just a little… uneasy out about the Hollow-Soul Reaper thing."
"It is illegal. I suppose they would regard us as criminals."
September 1st
DAY 5
…
…
…
Fuck… I'm so tired.
Katsuko sat in the back of the bus looking absolutely tired. This morning when she woke up, her body felt as heavy as lead from how sore it was. The training coupled with how she had to wake up early to go to school just made her feel heavy. She also had to run back to her house after making it halfway to the bus stop when she realized she forgot her pencil case, making her even more tired. Her elbow was set on the side of the window and she pushed her cheek onto her fist. Hopefully she'll be awake by the time first period was over like always. She wasn't too concerned about falling asleep in class today since it was just the first day of the semester. Unless her teacher was a sadist, she wasn't going to drop a fat essay on their heads.
"'Morning, Katsuko."
Actually, their teacher was a 'my-pace' kind of person so it was unlikely that would happen.
She blinked tiredly and sighed.
Tired...
"Katsuko?"
Katsuko blinked again, surprised this time. She removed her cheek from her knuckles and perked her head up. She turned to find Ichigo sitting next to her with a lifted eyebrow. Upon seeing him, her face brightened up and she smiled happily. Damn, seeing a friend in the morning like this definitely woke her up a little.
"Oh, good morning, Ichigo. I didn't realize you were here." He must have taken one of the free seats in the back after he noticed her.
"I can tell. You look out of it." Ichigo said bluntly. She was drawling despite the smile on her face. "You slept late again?"
Yes, but that's not why I'm dead.
"You know me well." Katsuko said with a playful tone. "I'm such a night owl."
"Yeah, I know. I'm wondering when you're just going to pass out though."
"No, I won't. I eat breakfast so I got that energy boost!" she fisted her hand.
Ichigo just sighed and leaned back in his seat. "For now, at least." Her easy going attitude didn't exactly convince him. She didn't know that he was glancing at her abdomen, shoulders and hands. He could feel it. That's where the lingering traces of Hollow-like spiritual pressure is at its strongest. Did she get hurt? But he didn't sense any Hollows during the evening yesterday. It was a supernatural-less day yesterday.
Katsuko didn't say anything about the Vizards to him. Why? Yesterday, when she was about to leave, she informed Shinji that she had a friend who had an inner Hollow too. She was hoping that they could help. To her surprise, he just told her that he was aware and was going to talk to him too, adding that she should not interfere with their methods. He knew Ichigo had an inner Hollow and had planned on talking to him since the very beginning. This only made Katsuko feel suspicious of him. He seemed to know quite a lot about them. Why was that?
He just told her to leave it to him since he had a trump card.
Katsuko had zero faith in the man.
… It wouldn't hurt to just check on him though.
Katsuko lowered her arm. "So, are you still okay with," she softly poked his chest. "your Hollow?" she was speaking in hushed voice to not disturb other fellow passengers.
He wasn't expecting her to bring it up out of no where. "Yeah. You?" That was a lie. His Hollow was actually getting louder in his head. It was concerning. But he didn't want her to worry about him.
"Yup, I'm doing okay." That was half a life.
I can feel it now, but I'm doing my best to keep it under wraps.
He looked relieved for her. "That's good." The inner Hollow was probably the reason why he could feel it on her. "Just tell me if things get worse, okay?"
Seeing the genuine concern in his eyes made her avert her eyes. When it came to her close friends, she sometimes didn't want to keep things from them because their sincere worry made her a bit weak. That's how she felt when Jun showed immense concern when she almost became a victim of bullying in middle school. She had recounted to him how girls made fun of her for tripping in the hallway once and would imitate her whenever she saw her, purposefully 'bumping' into her too (more like shove) as they cackled away. He had gone silent for a second and the admitted that he felt like crying when he saw her troubled face and urged her to do something about it, begging almost. She couldn't lie to him and say she'd be fine, not when he looked like that. She went straight to tell on them without a care in the world and they were forced to write letters of apology which she instantly pitched into the garbage. It wasn't sincere anyway. But it did the job.
"… Okay, fine. The Hollow is more apparent now. I can feel it." Katsuko admitted with a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest.
"What?"
She quickly reminded him that she was doing okay like she said. There was no need for concern. But even with that, Ichigo's stare lingered on her for bit. It looked like as if he was gauging her honesty. It made her pout. "I swear, I'm okay."
Perhaps that was what he was sensing on her then.
He breathed through his nose. "Well, you do seem fine. So, that's good."
"Yep. We're both doing fine." Katsuko gave him a small smile. If they're both doing okay so far, then all was well for now. That was the signal to wrap up the subject. "Oh, did you play with Yuzu when you got back?" she wondered curiously.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. She's happy now. But for some reason, she wouldn't let me have Karashi Mentaiko until I did…" Karin was the one who had to tell him that it was his punishment for breaking his promise with her. It was pretty obvious from the way she kept childishly ignoring him. Thankfully, that was all over once he fulfilled his promise.
Katsuko remembered the time she met the twins at the grocery store and how Yuzu dropped the items in her basket with a pouty look. It was endearing that Yuzu just wanted to spend time with her big brother.
…
…
…
Ichigo sweat dropped as he looked at Katsuko who walked by his side.
Katsuko rubbed her eyes.
"This is like the tenth yawn since we've entered the building."
He was wondering how much sleep she had gotten the previous night because she was actually fell asleep on the bus, which she never did before. She even dropped her head on his shoulder a few times. He actually just urged her to sleep on his shoulder since she seemed really sleepy. He knew she had the habit of sleeping late but that never stopped her from looking awake enough to function properly. She seemed suboptimal today. When they got off the bus, he actually wondered if she'd run into the door on their way into the building. He took a glance at her and saw her rolling back her shoulders and holding her head up high as if to get into minimum performance for the morning.
"Good to know you're keeping track of something so important."
"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Ichigo sweat dropped when she gave him silly drowsy smile. Seriously, he was worried she was going to fall over. She looked like she was slowly getting looser. And when Katsuko got loose, there was risk of her getting a bit loopy.
"I'll be fine after the first period~" she lifted her hands and lightly slapped her cheeks, blew a light raspberry and then blinked a few times. "I'll be fine." she repeated. The only reason why she was tired was because of training. If it weren't for that, she'd be perfectly awake since she was used to a bit of sleep deprivation.
"If you're too tired today then just stay in school when a Hollow appears. It would be bad if a Hollow smacked you mid-yawn."
"Maybe I'll do that for today. Sorry in advance for leaving it to you."
"Don't worry about it. Besides, knowing you, you'd probably be in such a panic to get the job done and get back to class." He snorted. "A few minutes away from class won't kill you, y'know?"
"Quiet. I've never skipped class in my life. Heck, I'm actually scared to. Feels like I'm committing sacrilege."
Ichigo smirked at her. "Goody-two-shoes."
"Carrot punk." Katsuko stuck her the tip of her tongue out.
Her eyes landed on something attached to his pants. She made a curious sound and hunched a little to get a better look as they walked. It was a red charm with a kanji on it. "Where'd you get this? Did you always carry this with you?" she poked it to see if it was attached to a string or something. No. It was really on his pants.
He put a hand over it, hiding it from her, and looked away. "My dad sowed it onto my pants this morning." He grumbled, cross. She just took his hand of it to take another look. "I didn't have time to take it off. I'll do it later though."
Katsuko straightened up and laughed a little. "Aww, and after all the trouble daddy went through to put it on you?"
"Believe me, it was no trouble at all. He did it in record time…"
Katsuko couldn't help but laugh at the scowl he had on his face as they rounded the corner. "I like your dad. He's funny and such a happy guy. Pretty wholesome." After hearing all the stories about his dad and seeing him in person several times, how could she not like his father? She almost envied Ichigo.
He scowled deeper. "Seriously?"
"ICHIIIIIGOOOOO!"
Speaking of getting attack… Ichigo thought with a scowl.
Katsuko sighed and side stepped into Ichigo's shadow. She was just in time to avoid Keigo's legs after Ichigo close lined him when the brunette came racing at them at full speed. She didn't know why Keigo liked running up to Ichigo when knowing full well he was going to get a face full of bicep. Based on the recent patterns, he liked running up to Ichigo on Mondays.
"Yo, Keigo." Ichigo stepped over his body like nothing happened.
Blinking, she looked down at Keigo who fell on his back with a pained groan. "Geez, Keigo. I'm starting to think you're a masochist."
"G-Good morning… Katsuko."
Katsuko trailed after Ichigo and stepped out from behind him and was just in time to see Mizuiro greeting them. He was walking their way. "Good morning, you two." He smiled at them with a wave. Katsuko perked up after seeing Mizuiro's calm greeting.
"Hey, Mizuiro." Ichigo waved and continued on to the classroom.
After all that happened in the Soul Society, it felt like she hadn't seen him in forever. It was nice to see her friends. Despite her grogginess, she gave him a friendly half smile and waved as she walked by him.
"Good morning, Mizuiro. Had a nice summer vacation?"
"Wow, you look like you're in a good mood, Katsuko. And yep, I sure did."
Keigo gasped on the floor when he saw the two interact. "What is this?! Why does he get the special treatment?!"
Katsuko peered over her shoulder with a scowl, looking absolutely tired and irritated. "Too much energy in the morning from you and I'm already exhausted." Then she looked at Ichigo by her side and gave him an amused grin, commenting on how his close line timings were perfect. Ichigo just reminded her that Keigo was the perfect dummy to practice on.
"You two…! You hate me, don't you?!"
As the two Soul Reapers entered their classroom, they were greeted by Inoue, Chad and Ishida. The Quincy immediately commented on Ichigo's messy hair when they got closer which only annoyed him.
"Hey, Katsuko, Ichigo." Jun greeted her as he made his way to the door. Haru was following closely behind. He was smiling at her. They must have arrived earlier.
"Hey."
"Hi." She grinned at them and watched them leave. They usually lingered around the hallway until it was almost time for class to begin. Something about enjoying last bits of freedom?
Katsuko dropped her bag on her desk on the way to Ishida's desk where the Soul Society team gathering was being held. She looked at Ishida curiously when she noticed something lacking from him. For some reason, his spiritual pressure felt very… weak. Odd. Why was that?
"And you look even more tired than usual."
Katsuko blinked when she realized Ishida was speaking to her. "Me? Oh, I guess. Wait, what do you mean usual?"
He pushed his glasses up as he recounted his observations. "You usually enter the classroom with a tired or apathetic expression but today your movements are sluggish."
That's because I'm sore, dude!
Katsuko feigned surprise and clapped her hands together. "Wow, Ishida! You're quite attentive when it comes to your classmates! I'm so glad to have a friend like you that cares about me!" she turned to Inoue with her fake amazement. "Right, Inoue?"
Seeing her smile prompted the busty teen to smile as well, nodding her head. "I think so, too! Ishida-san is very kind!"
Ishida's hand twitched and he looked at the black haired girl who was smirking, sputtering. "No, that's not it—!" Ichigo smirked at the way he became flustered from Katsuko's teasing and Inoue's compliment. Katsuko couldn't help but tease the boy who always looked so cool and unbothered.
"Is it because you were with your boyfriend?"
Katsuko looked at Chad quickly, shooting him a puzzled look. "Huh?" He was just standing there emotionlessly.
"Ehh?! Hiragi-san, you have a boyfriend?!"
Surprised, Ichigo blinked and looked at her. "Since when did you get a boyfriend?"
"That's what I wanna know." Katsuko looked at him with her eyes slight wide. How the heck did Chad come up with this? She looked back at Chad and cocked her head curiously. "What do you mean by boyfriend?"
"It's just that I saw you with a guy yesterday."
Katsuko stiffened when she realized he was talking about Rose. You were there?! She wondered if Chad thought she was with some random stranger at first.
"You two were buying lunch together. You looked like you were having fun."
"That was my cousin." Katsuko shrugged in a blasé way. "Pretty flamboyant guy, right?" He nodded when he remembered the long hair and frills.
"Wait, so your boyfriend… is your cousin and he's flamboyant?"
"The heck? No, Inoue. I don't have a boyfriend. He was my cousin."
"Morning, Hime!"
Katsuko grimaced and stepped away when Chizuru did her signature grope hug from behind. However, a powerful force was stomping their way. Familiar with the upcoming danger, Katsuko quickly shuffled to the side to avoid a flying Chizuru that slammed into the wall at the end of the classroom. She could have sworn her head smacked the ground. Did she ever get concussions from Arisawa's kicks?
Soon, the teacher entered the classroom which was the signal for everyone to get into their seats to start class. Katsuko took her seat in front of Ichigo and just leaned back in her chair to stretch out her legs as the teacher went ahead and took attendance. She could really feel it even when she stretched her arms at her sides.
"Today, I have fantastic news for everyone! We have a transfer student!"
"Ooh!"
Hardcore training to improve her swords skills and spiritual power really made her feel so sore.
But I guess that soreness is just one of the signs that I'm getting stronger.
Katsuko's eyes widened when she sensed something outside the door. It was suppressed. But how could she not recognize it after spending so much time around it lately?
Why the hell was he here?!
"Hollow! Hollow!"
The sound of Ichigo's Combat Pass going off made the two Soul Reapers jolt in their seats. Ichigo let out a scream while Katsuko just yelped. A sudden badge just going off loudly behind her was a definitive way to get her startled. She looked down at her bag on the side and noticed hers going off too albeit muffled. She looked at Ichigo behind her and then looked at his Combat Pass that was going off. The eyes of the skull were flashing a light. When Katsuko shot him a befuddled look and all he did was mirror hers.
This was the first time the Combat Pass was going off like this. Usually, she just relied on her senses to know that a Hollow was in town.
"What's wrong with you two?" Mizuiro asked after seeing the panicked look on their faces.
"Ah… no… nothing." Ichigo laughed nervously. "I just had a stomach ache."
"Or are you guys having a stroke?" Haruki snickered from the right side of the class.
"Man, shut up." Katsuko spat at him and reached for her Combat Pass inside her bag that was going off. Knowing that ordinary people couldn't see it, she took out her pencil case along with it so it wouldn't look like she just grabbed air.
As soon as Ichigo bolted out of the classroom, Chad and Inoue followed after him for some reason. From what she could tell, there was just a single Hollow out there. It should be no problem for a guy who fought two captains in the Soul Society.
And then we have this other problem…
Her teacher looked into the hallway. "Huh? Where did the transfer student go?!"
What the hell are you doing here?!
The familiar presence disappeared from school right after Ichigo left. It didn't return even when Ichigo, Inoue and Chad returned from their 'trip to the bathroom'. Class went by smoothly as it should for a first day of the semester. Still, it didn't appease her curiosity nor her annoyance she felt. After school, she was seriously going to have a bone to pick with that guy.
During lunch, Katsuko took a spot next to Mizuiro on the roof and kept looking over her shoulder to check if anything note worthy was appearing at the entrance. Keigo called out her weird meerkat behaviour along with Haru which caused Katsuko to finally settle down and forget about it. She didn't want her friends to give her a reason for acting suspicious. Jun asking if she was looking for someone made her think so.
As long as he didn't show up again, she supposed that it wouldn't be a problem…
…
…
…
He showed up.
After lunch, the supposed transfer student from this morning showed up and apologized for being late due to a family matter. He came in, introduced himself after writing his name (backwards) on the board. Seriously, the moment he sauntered into the classroom she just wanted to get up and throw her Combat Pass at his head.
"I'm Hirako Shinji! Pleased to meet you!"
Katsuko gaped at Shinji who bowed stupidly in front of her class. Was this guy serious?!
"Hey, Hirako, Hirako!" Her teacher put her hands on her hips and pointed at the board. "It's backwards!"
"Pretty good, right? I'm good at writin' things backwards!" he gave the teacher a jolly grin.
"Ah, so that's it. Well, you'll be sitting—"
"Ohh! I'd like sit next to a cute girl!"
She knew exactly where he was going to be sitting. An empty desk was placed next to Ichigo's during lunch time. Whoever was sitting there now was in the far back of the classroom!
And just like Rukia, he's pretending to be something he's not.
You chose to be the class clown?!
God, he looked ridiculous with that overly happy and goofy look on his face. Her eyes eyed him with annoyance when he walked in between the rows where her desk and his was. She narrowed her eyes at him when he got closer but he just smiled and waved at her like an idiot. He greeted Ichigo with the same attitude when he took his seat.
"Let's be friends… Kurosaki."
"Uh… Yeah, nice to meet you."
"Hollow! Hollow!"
Again, the sudden cry of the Combat Pass startled the two Soul Reapers. Her Combat Pass was tucked in her pocket this time so it was pretty loud. This time, Katsuko slapped a hand over her mouth to stop herself from yelping stupidly again. This wasn't good. She needed to get used to it lest she looked like a jumpy idiot in class everyday.
"Sorry, sensei! Bathroom!"
"Ehh?! Again?! Wait, Kurosaki! Kurosaki! … Geez, what's wrong with him today?" Sighing in defeat, the teacher looked back at the board and resumed her lesson. She really was laid back with her students... When she wasn't looking, Katsuko turned to look at Shinji. The blonde Vizard noticed her stare and then brought his attention to her. She was looking at him with a puzzled face and she held out her hands as if to ask him 'why?!' However, he just winked and placed a secretive finger to his lips much to her exasperation.
Freaking Shinji…
"Hollow! Hollow!"
"Are you serious?!" Katsuko muttered when it went off in her pocket again. The first Hollow was somewhere in the east side of town while the second was showing up in the west.
I swear, if you Hollows are showing up for a party—
"Alright, alright." She whispered to herself when the Combat Pass wouldn't shut up.
If my teacher is this lax, I might as well commit sacrilege.
I can't just sit here.
After taking off her glasses, Katsuko pushed her chair back and started racing to the back door, startling the students near her desk. The teacher whipped around when she heard the noise. She just saw Katsuko's long black hair trailing behind her, disappearing into the hallway.
"Eh?! Hiragi! Where are you going?!"
"Bathroom!"
"You too?!"
She went into the empty club room where she dragged Kon into before and then jumped out the window. Quickly, she got rid of two Hollows and then bolted back to the school. She was running in the hallway to get back to class and caught up with Ichigo who had returned too.
Okay. For someone who was usually a goody-two-shoes, she had to admit there was something a little thrilling about skipping out on a bit of class time.
Their teacher called them out for having bladder problems though.
"Katsuko, can we come over and hang out?"
Katsuko looked at Haru with a little excited smile when he asked for him and Jun. School was over and they were all going down to the lockers to change their shoes.
"You guys don't have basket ball practice today?"
Jun shook his head and adjusted his grip on his bag. "Nah. It'll start tomorrow. Besides, we wanna chill at your place since we didn't hang out during summer."
Ah… but I can't hang out with anyone today.
Keigo pouted. To him, it felt like they were having some secret hangout that he was never invited to. "Oiii… Katsuko. How come Mizuiro and I haven't been to your house? Aren't we friends?"
"You need that membership pass." Katsuko smirked at him, patting his shoulder. He just whined about favouritism while tugging on her arm, trying to make her see how unreasonable she was. It was so fun to mess around with Keigo like this. He made it so easy too. Then she pointed at Mizuiro who was on his phone like always. "Mizuiro already came over once."
"What wait?! You did?!"
"Yeah. I went with Ichigo and Jun. You must have went home by yourself that day. Katsuko's mom is so nice."
Keigo grabbed his head, horrified. "First Ichigo, Katsuko and Chad are hanging around Inoue and Ishida and now you're telling me I'm the only person who never went to the secret hideout?! Why are all my friends leaving me out of the loop?!"
"Keigo, shut up." Ichigo bonked him on the head with his usual scowl. The brunette faced him with river tears, arguing that Ichigo and the others were leaving him behind, forgetting their best friend, getting up all in the ginger's space. Annoyed, Ichigo shoved his hand in his face and said 'too close!'
Jun sighed and pointed at the boy who wouldn't shut up. "Katsuko, let's just bring him over. Ichigo, you wanna come?"
The orange haired teen rubbed the back of his head after he finished unbuttoning his school shirt, revealing a t-shirt that wasn't part of the uniform. "Can't, sorry. I have to be home for a house call." He needed to be home because Ishida was coming over to fix up Kon's plushy body that got fucked up at some point during what was left of summer vacation.
"And…" Katsuko piped up. "As much as I'd like to have people over… I have to go somewhere."
That was surprising. "Oh, really?" Jun shoved his hands in his pockets and sighed a little from the disappointment. Usually, Katsuko was free so he wasn't expecting to be turned down. A shame. He was looking forward to just chilling together since practice usually takes up his time. "It's alright then. Haru, you wanna go to the arcade?"
"I'm broke, dude."
"Sad peasant life." Katsuko snickered with a smirk.
"You wanna pay since you're rich?" Haru shot back with a frown.
"Pfft, no. I'm not the one playing."
Keigo put his hands on Jun and Haruki's shoulders with a determined face. "I'll pay if you let me hang out with you guys!" Yes, he was willing to be used to secure his position in his circle of friends. It was almost pathetic.
"Ooh! Thanks, Keigo!" Haru threw his arm around him, laughing.
"What the hell were you doing at my school?!"
Shinji, who was still in his school uniform, looked to his left and found Katsuko approaching him with a peeved look on her face. He was currently walking out of a coffee shop that was on his way home. She was on her way to the Vizards' hideout, still in her uniform, and was just in time to catch the class clown.
"Oh, there you are. I was wonderin' if you went home." He said with a bored expression. "Hey, I didn't know you wore glasses."
"Don't avoid my question!" Katsuko reached to snatch his coffee out of his hands. She moved out of his reach when he tried to get it back
"Oi! I paid for that! You can't have any!"
She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I don't drink coffee." She poked him in the chest, hard. "You showing up at my school with that goofy ass look on your face… what are you doing?!"
"Dumbass, I told you I'd be the one to recruit Ichigo." Shinji grumbled, stealing back his fresh coffee. He went ahead and took a sip and then continued walking home. Katsuko took that as her cue to follow after the Vizard, dragging her feet. "That's exactly what I'm doin'. I'm not stalkin' you if that's what you're thinkin'."
"You're embarrassing to watch though."
"Pfft—! Geh, you think I wanna do this?" he wiped his mouth. "Goin' to school like a human just to recruit Ichigo is not a way to make good use of my talents."
She almost snorted and said 'what talents?'
"I don't know, you tell me. You seemed into the class clown act. You going," Katsuko imitated his goofy face when he was introducing himself. "I'm Hirako Shinji! Pleased to meet you!" she bowed and grinned. "Duurrr." She pulled a stupid face and made silly hand gestures, jazz hands, which made his face twitch irritably. She dropped the act and gave him a smirk. "It's ridiculous."
"I didn't look like that! And besides, a bit of humour helps integration, didn't you know that?"
"How does showing up as a student help?"
"It's better than approachin' him as a total stranger." Shinji retorted and then gave her a look. "You were willin' to listen to me because you knew who I was. Well, not really. But you get the point." Then she shrugged flippantly. "And with you there as my trump card, it'll work."
"So that's what you meant by trump card…" the girl shook her head. Maybe that's why he said she could still attend school...
"And Hiyori doesn't want a repeat of last time…" Shinji muttered, lifting his cup to his lips. Having Shinji go to school to be with Ichigo would prevent the days from dragging on. He remembered how aggressively she slapped his face with her slipper just to have him concede to the idea. Again, Katsuko was unimpressed. Tall guy Shinji getting dropped kicked by little Hiyori because he was taking too long to recruit her was what Mashiro told her when she was on her break. But now that she got familiar with the Vizards, she wasn't surprised. She'd be surprised if Hiyori didn't drop kick Shinji.
"I don't know how this is going to end up," Katsuko stuck her hand inside her school bag and then fished out her wallet. "It's either going to end up bad or badly."
"You have no faith." He scowled and then adjusted his bag on his shoulder.
"No. No, I don't." She snorted. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to buy some bread because I won't survive training with Kensei without food in me." She made a beeline to the nearby fast food restaurant that served coffee, donuts, croissants and other fast food items. It was one of her favourite places. She was craving for a chocolate glazed donut and their frozen coffee beverage that would inevitably get her tongue numb.
I don't know why Shinji went to school on the first day and then dipped before being introduced to the class. Instead, he showed up the next day. Odd. I changed that. This means, Shinji is confronting Ichigo tonight, Grand Fisher, and everything else happens.
Also, Chad was having a Todoroki moment with the boyfriend thing. "Secret love child?"
Anyway, Merry Christmas!