September 4th
DAY 8
6:30 PM
…
…
…
Katsuko kept her gaze fixed on Shinji who was seated across the table in front of her. He was innocently eating his meal with his chopsticks. Next to her, Rose was also eating. In fact, all the Vizards were eating their soups while Katsuko just sat there, deadpanned, with her hot soup untouched. Her hands were resting on her lap.
"What's the matter, kid?" Love wondered from the other side of the table. "Not hungry?"
Katsuko slowly turned her head towards him, face unchanging in the slightest. "You can't seriously be asking me that."
Shinji let out a satisfied gasp. "Oh, man. That hits the spot."
Katsuko directed her deadpan eyes at him. "Glad you're enjoying the free meal."
Currently, they were at some soup restaurant in the Mashiba area. Why? It all started when they went back up to the surface after Katsuko succeeded in controlling her Hollow. When they got there, they found Aiza, in her body, snooping around, worried and curious about Katsuko's absence. She couldn't enter because of Hachigen's barrier. Leaving without checking up on Katsuko was not possible, so she ended up staying hidden nearby. This obviously had Katsuko freaking out and scolding her because her body was hanging around a sketchy area all by herself in her school uniform. After getting back in her body, she turned to find the Vizards huddling together and whispering. That was already sketchy. Then, Shinji announced that they should get a meal to celebrate her success.
Despite her protests, Mashiro was practically dragging her along while playing with her brown highlights in her hair.
It wasn't until the orders were given and food was placed on the table that Shinji pointed out that no one among the Vizards was carrying any cash.
This 'celebration' was an excuse to get free food out of her.
If it weren't for her more civilized side, she might have reacted like Hiyori and thrown her school bag at Shinji's face. Instead, she chose to harshly stomp on his foot. Seeing him howl in pain just before he lifted his spoon to his mouth gave her little satisfaction, especially since he basically dipped the tip of his nose in his spoon.
"We didn't get to buy dinner because we were busy with your Hollow." Mashiro reminded with a mouthful of noodles. Kensei, who was sitting next to Shinji and across from Mashiro, flinched when a speck of soup touched his forehead. He growled in annoyance and hissed at her to stop talking with her mouth full. Katsuko snorted at the sight.
"I bought you dinner when you didn't show up." Hiyori, sitting next to Rose, reminded while eating. Yes, she was still sour about that. "It's the least you can do." Then she looked at Katsuko from Rose's side. "Especially since we helped your ass get stronger and control your Hollow."
"Think of it as your trainin' fee." Lisa added from Kensei's side. Hachigen, who was sitting at the other end next to Lisa, smiled at Katsuko and thanked her for the food.
After what Katsuko said to Hiyori about having more than enough money, they decided to go ahead and take advantage of that (Mashiro might have taken a look inside her wallet one time). Of course, they weren't cruel enough to go to an expensive place, so they chose the cheapest place they could think of. And judging from the sigh of relief after Katsuko whipped out her wallet in a panic, they made the right choice.
Still not cool though.
Rose smiled at Katsuko and patted her head amicably. "Just eat. You had an intense session and succeeded in controlling your Hollow, so be good to yourself and eat."
"Yeah, it'd be a waste to throw that away." Shinji nudged her bowl with his knuckle. "Eat up."
"I feel like grabbing you by the tie and throwing you in front of a bus." Katsuko spat without missing a beat.
Hiyori lifted her hand as she chewed. "I'd pay to see that."
With a click of his tongue, Shinji ignored Hiyori and pointed his chopsticks at Katsuko. "Don't be mean. Eat, goody-two-shoes."
"Fine." Katsuko pouted childishly and picked up her chopsticks. It did look appetizing. At least she ordered a small bowl. She still wanted to eat homemade dinner later. Shinji, who switched to eating the broth, just sighed through his nose a little as he watched her blow on her noodles. "Anyway, the harder part is done. All that's left is to show you how to use a mask." But even that was time consuming.
Katsuko paused her chewing. "You'll show me how to use my Hollow's mask?"
"Don't tell me you forgot." Shinji quirked a brow as he paused eating. This also had Kensei and Lisa looking at her which made her puff her cheeks a little. She didn't look away though. "No. It slipped my mind, that's all. Vizards are Soul Reapers who use Hollow masks. I know that." She just never actually gave it much thought. But after what happened recently, it would be a boon.
"… Ichigo… That kid's stubborn."
Katsuko blinked when she heard Shinji speak his name. They were talking about him while she was lost in thought.
"Because you didn't want to stay in that damn school like I told you to!" Hiyori hissed at him while being mindful about the other customers around them. Shinji looked away while resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He wasn't going back to that school. He didn't want to.
"Speaking of that boy," Rose blinked and curled some of his hair behind his ear as he bent his head down. "He's been rather inactive lately, hasn't he?"
"You noticed, huh?" Love swallowed his food. "He used to go out a deal with Hollows."
Katsuko stared at her soup as she chewed and listened to the Vizards talk about Ichigo. It was true. Ever since the encounter with the Arrancars, he never took on the form of a Soul Reaper. It was becoming three days since then.
"The Hollow, obviously." Kensei spoke. "Kid suffered a beating against those Arrancars so that just stirred the Hollow inside of him. All he's doing now is running away." He said before taking a mouthful.
"That's not makin' his situation any better." Lisa remarked with a scoff.
"It isn't." Rose agreed. The music lover looked at the human by his side. "Katsuko-chan, do you know what's been going on with him?"
Katsuko frowned and lowered her chopsticks to use her spoon. Three days was a lot. That was more time than it took for him to get back up on his feet when Byakuya and Renji beat him down that night. This time, he wasn't pulling himself together… but why?
She lowered her eyes. Her hand was lightly stirring her noodles with her spoon. "I thought he'd be able to get his spirits back up on his own. He's a strong person. I thought he just needed some time to recover…"
But he wasn't.
Shinji had the tip of his chopsticks in his mouth, staring at her silently. She took that as a sign to continue.
"After he failed to keep Rukia from going back to the Soul Society, he was a bit… I don't know, troubled? Hesitant? About the idea of going to save Rukia. But then he made up his mind. He didn't hesitate to become stronger to protect Rukia from her execution. He did everything he could to make it possible. Ichigo is… he's determined to protect others. That fight with the Arrancars… he couldn't really do anything so it really got to him. He… lost his spirit and blames himself. I'm wondering why he's not…" she trailed off when she remembered how down he looked. "He just isn't the type to go static."
That's what she believed.
Shinji lazily tilted his head as he rested his cheek in his palm. "Instead of tellin' us this, why didn't you tell him that?"
Katsuko blinked. "Huh?"
"The enemy won't wait for him to get his act together. Maybe if you had told him all of this earlier then maybe he wouldn't be draggin' his depressive state longer than necessary. "
Katsuko fell silent in face of Shinji's words. She had a lot of faith in Ichigo. There was no reason to doubt him after being around him. But even if he was, was she wrong to assume that Ichigo would always get back up on his own and without much support?
Her eyes lowered.
She did just kinda turn away and assumed he would be always fine on his own after basically saying 'cheer up, yeah?' and 'it's not your fault'.
It wasn't enough.
And assuming that he didn't need anyone to help him wasn't right. If it was, then he wouldn't have needed everyone to support him on that mission.
Everyone needs help sometimes.
That was the reason she went to the Soul Society with him. She wanted to help him.
At that moment, he didn't need someone to tell him not to blame himself. He needed something else.
Kensei and Shinji watched as she lifted her head and then pinched her cheeks as a light punishment.
"The hell was that?" Kensei spoke.
"A slap on the wrist." Katsuko huffed and picked up her chopsticks to resume eating. I'll talk to him tomorrow and help him get back up on his feet! She swore to herself and proceeded to shove some noodles in her mouth without a second though. Bad idea. She jerked in her seat when the heat set her mouth ablaze. Everyone at the table watched her fidget in her seat while making grabby hands in the air as she tried tolerating the heat. Worried, Rose pushed her cold glass of water closer to her. Hachigen had to tell a waiter that she was fine and not having some sort of seizure. Love, Lisa, Kensei and Shinji sweat dropped at the sight. Mashiro and Hiyori just stared, the latter smirking at her misfortune. Rapidly chewing, Katsuko's eyes clenched tightly and her hand slapped the wall next to her before she swallowed down her food. The heat was now traveling down her esophagus.
Good god, her life nearly flashed before her eyes.
"Are you okay, Kacchi?"
"… Yeah." Her voice sounded a little withered. Her pride didn't allow her to just spit out her food to make her life easier. Her poor tongue though.
"Blow on them next time." Rose advised with a light chuckle.
"Gee, I'll be sure to remember that."
Katsuko's eyes slid over to the entrance of the restaurant lazily.
Oh fuck.
Immediately, Katsuko dove under the table. Kensei could feel her forehead bump into his knee and heard her hiss loudly. "What now?!" He looked under the table and found her pressing a finger to her lips in attempt to silence him.
"Man, you're busy." Shinji also looked down. "The hell's wrong with you?"
"My classmates are there! Shut up!"
Hearing this, Shinji looked back and saw two black haired boys barely walking into the restaurant just enough to look inside. He recognized the two from the time he was at the school. If his memory was correct, they were Katsuko's friends. He spotted her eating lunch with them once she ditched him after showing him where to get his lunch. When their gaze landed on the Vizards' table, they recognized the familiar Vizard immediately. They nodded their heads for a polite brief greeting which had Shinji quickly put up his friendly persona as he waved and grinned at them. After that, they left.
Katsuko, who had been watching them from the gap between Kensei and Lisa, waited a few seconds before resurfacing. Her fingers gently held the edge and Kensei saw her eyes appear when she poked her head up with a perplexed expression. It was safe. She accidentally dropped her knee on Shinji's foot when she moved back up, causing him to hiss. He was convinced that what she did was not accidental at all.
She was wondering what prompted such odd behaviour from her friends.
"Was that really worth diving under the table for?" Kensei quirked an eyebrow while she fixed her clothes as she sat down properly. "Have you seen the people at this table? We have a giant man, some guy with a pointy afro, and Mozart over here."
Hachigen, Love and Rose stared at her.
"I didn't mean that in a bad way. It's just weird if I'm seen with you guys because they don't expect that out of me. To them, I'd be at home at this hour. I rarely go out and hang outside like this on a weekday."
"Right. Goody-two-shoes." Shinji remarked.
"Whatever."
"Why not just make up an innocent lie?" Rose suggested simply.
"Yeah, but then they'd bring up that lie if they got curious one day. It's going to be one lie after another. I'd rather just avoid the trouble." Katsuko coughed in her sleeve when she felt something in her throat.
…
…
…
Haru and Jun exited the store with their recently purchased juice boxes.
"Were we just imagining it?" Jun muttered as he poked a hole into the apple juice box.
With a confused sigh, Haru put away his change in his pocket. "Maybe… I don't know?" He didn't know how to answer, honestly.
Jun and Haru happened to be passing by the area after hanging out with the basketball team for a while. And when they got closer to the restaurant, for some reason they couldn't explain, they just had a feeling that Katsuko's presence was nearby.
It was different from when she was at school. Her presence didn't feel the same compared to when they got closer to the restaurant. Haru was the one who voiced what he felt, and somehow Jun felt the same. Out of curiosity, they peeked into the restaurant and looked directly where this feeling was strongly present. Katsuko wasn't there. Hirako Shinji was though.
Right. Katsuko wouldn't be there, especially not with Hirako, someone she barely knew. Yeah. They were probably just imagining it. Maybe it was the fatigue from basketball?
September 5th
DAY 9
LUNCH
…
…
…
"Ichigooo, Katsukooo!" Keigo's voice rang in the back. "Let's go up to the roof!"
Ichigo looked over his shoulder and saw Keigo waving his arm wildly with a huge grin. Haru and Jun were waiting with him alongside Keigo and Mizuiro. "Huh? Oh, sure." Lost in thought he was that he almost didn't hear his loud friend.
Katsuko grabbed her lunch out of her bag and shot up from her seat with an apathetic face. While holding his lunch, Ichigo was surprised when she whipped around so fast that her hair covered part of her face and dhe was looking straight at him. It looked almost eerie. His eyes darted to the side for a brief second before returning back to her.
Ichigo gave her a strange look when he leaned his head back a little. "Wh-What?"
She took her lunch in one hand and grabbed his wrist with her other. She began tugging him mildly with an insistent look. "Let's go."
He quirked a brow and stayed rooted in his seat. "Where?"
Katsuko just tugged him harder this time. "I have something to say to you." Ichigo's face comically skewed before yelping as she pulled him along almost effortlessly. Keigo and Mizuiro watched them with loud and quiet confusion. Jun and Haru were also wondering what was going on with them.
Jun and Haru backed away when Katsuko kept dragging Ichigo all the way to the door. From how they were seeing it, the poor bright ginger was being manhandled. After they left the classroom, Haru poked his head out with Mizuiro and he practically hollered in the hallway. "Where're you going?"
"Somewhere nearby!" Katsuko replied without missing a beat. "We'll meet you there!"
Keigo stared at the two of them running off with a dumbfounded look. "Okay! Ever since Ichigo and Katsuko came back from summer vacation, they've been acting really weird!" he exclaimed as his hands comically scratched his head in pure confusion.
Jun just watched her maneuver around all the students blocking her path.
"What?! Why can't you just tell me here?!"
"Nope!"
"Where are we going?!"
"Wonderland, duh!"
"Katsuko!"
Ichigo was strung along almost helplessly and was barely able to keep up with all the twist and turns she was doing. He started stumbling when she picked up the pace, almost running, to the end of the hallway when the rest of the hall was mostly cleared of students. This reminded him of how Rukia dragged him around.
Ever since she woke up, she wondered what she'd have to say to Ichigo to help him. It almost felt like she was getting ready to deliver a presentation for him. However, the longer she thought about what to say to make it perfect the more complex her little 'presentation' was becoming in her mind. She realized that was stupid.
Speaking from the heart seemed much better than speaking with words meant to be perfect.
"Katsuko! Slow down, will you?!"
"Shush!"
"Don't shush me!"
You should be used to getting dragged off with all the times Rukia did.
Katsuko ignored the stares of the other students around them in the hallway and promptly shoved him into one of the empty clubrooms, the same one she usually went to when it came to matters of Soul Reaper secrecy. The secret room as she liked to call it.
...
...
...
"… Well? What's so important that you had to drag me all the way here for?"
They were currently sitting across from each other with their lunches out. She was the one who insisted he might as well start eating despite his protests. Anyway, Yuzu packed him a good bento so he might as well just enjoy his lunch in peace and quiet for once.
"Alright, so you haven't turned into a Soul Reaper ever since that incident." Ichigo stilled with his chopsticks when she got straight to the point. And suddenly, he almost didn't feel like eating as his mood all but plummeted. His eyes slid over to her and saw her opening her juice box with her free hand, not looking at him just yet. "And your face is still the same."
Ichigo remembered the way she grabbed his face and stared at him that day.
"Yeah, well..."
"I just didn't think you'd be the type to lose your spirit for a long time." Katsuko then lightly tipped her head, and briefly looked at the window when she spotted a group of birds. "Well, I think it's a long time compared to last time." she lifted her hand and started listing down the following things. "You got beat up. Inoue and Chad got hurt. Arisawa was also in trouble. I had to step in to take over until Urahara-san and Yoruichi-san arrived, but even that wasn't enough so I got hurt too. Basically, you failed do anything because all you could do was watch on the floor. You couldn't protect anyone."
That might have been a little harsh. Maybe I should have phrased that a little nicer?
"Does that frustrate you?"
Ichigo's face had already twisted in frustration as flashes of that day appeared in his mind when she probed his memory.
She dropped her hand and frowned. "I asked you if that frustrates you."
He was going to listen to what she had to say.
"Of course, it does." He spit out, he clenched his chopsticks tightly. "I can't do anything because I'm weak. I was pathetic. I couldn't protect anyone at all." he bowed his head. Aside from apologizing, there was nothing he could do. He was weak, and his Hollow was not making things better.
"Were you frustrated when you failed to stop Rukia from going back to the Soul Society?" She asked her next question, setting aside his words, but not quite ignoring them.
Ichigo stared at her, a little confused about the sudden shift. She didn't give him time to reply even when she saw him open his mouth.
"If your loss and inability to do anything frustrated you then I'm sure you felt like crap when Rukia was taken back to die. And unless my eyes were closed the whole time, I remember you doing everything you could to protect her. You went as far as to face a whole ass military organization. I know this because I was, most of the time, watching you."
As if her words reached deep in his memory, he recalled all his training that secured Rukia's safety. He felt the feelings he felt when he failed her the first time. His frustration, his disappointment, his determination, and his unwavering conviction. And it was like she said, she was usually there witnessing him make good on his words to get stronger to save Rukia.
Katsuko was excavating his memories and laying them on the table to help him remember, to lay out the facts and show him what should have been obvious.
There was no lie in her words.
But the only thing he felt now was the first two of the aforementioned feelings.
Her hand reached out to hold his wrist as she looked at him, as if the gesture would help engrave her words into his brain. "The Kurosaki Ichigo that I know would have realized that if he was weak then the answer was simple. He should be getting stronger so that he won't fail again, so that the incident will not repeat, so that he won't just be sitting there and watching others get hurt. So that he could protect others."
Just like how you did with Rukia.
Ichigo lowered his eyes and stared at the table with a frown. "But I can't protect anyone with him getting in my way." He fisted his hands. His control was already was already slipping away. It was only a matter of time until he got swallowed by it completely. He looked up when he felt a somewhat harsh poke in the forehead after she released him.
She sat back in her seat and gave him a skeptical look. "If your inner Hollow is being annoying, then you'll need to face it. Don't let it do what it wants. I know you can overcome it. When I look at you, that's who I see. An amazing guy who can do anything to protect." Then she frowned at him and pointed at his face. "But you can't do anything looking like that! All I see now is a sad guy wallowing in his weakness! If that Ichigo I saw wasn't some freaking illusion, then what the heck are you waiting for? Christmas? Spring Break? They're not going to wait for you to get your act together, y'know?"
She was right. If he stayed like this then he can expect the same thing to happen again. It might even be worse next time. Ichigo didn't want to risk doing anything that would accelerate the Hollow's control over his body. That's why he did all he could to ignore it, muffling the sounds of it as he suppressed it. He'd reject its very existence. He even stopped getting out of his human body after the attack. It was all for self-preservation to protect others. That was his only way of protecting others now.
But that was obviously never going to work.
And he would never be satisfied with that.
The weak embers of what used to be his strong spirit suddenly sprang back to life, perhaps even stronger than before. Hearing the faith she had in him had stirred that flame. It began to show in his eyes as well. Katsuko blinked when she recognized that same determined look like he had when he cemented his decision to save Rukia. The somewhat depressing aura she could sense was receding. He exhaled through his nose heavily and smirked a little. "This is one of those times where you can talk a lot and make so much sense."
She stiffened with a start. When she recovered, her eye twitched and she scoffed. "Okay. And you looked pathetic for a week." She mumbled after a light scoff and grabbed her juice box. Her ears felt a little warm. She felt a little embarrassed by his comment. It made her wonder if she rambled at some point.
He rolled his eyes. "A week? Okay, someone's clearly forgetting things. You sure you don't need to check in with my dad?"
She stuck her tongue and lightly nudged his foot with her own. "Shut up, it was a joke. You looked like you needed one after being sad boy."
There was no counter for her words though. His whole moping thing did seem pathetic. If he was weak, then he just needed to get stronger. If something tries to stop him from protecting his friends, then he'll just have to carve a path through it.
"Still, thanks, Katsuko." He smiled a bit at her as he thanked her, easing the warmth she felt on her ears. Her hand had been fiddling with one absentmindedly.
His spirits were brought back up. Ichigo was back to normal. That was great!
"Hey, no problem. If you ever forget again, I'll be here to remind you again."
If he would ever find himself in this state again she would properly try to pull him back up until he continued walking forward again. Because in her heart, Ichigo was not someone that would stop in his tracks and be depressed over his own weakness. He was someone with an unwavering conviction to protect his friends that would overcome the walls that attempt to stop him.
And she will gladly help him as his friend.
And he was glad she was watching him and just being there.
"I'll get stronger and will protect you next time." He suddenly said just as she put her mouth on her lunch, surprising her. Obviously, she knew this wasn't solely addressed to her. This was a vow of his resolve to protect his friends, and most importantly, to himself. "You won't have to protect me like last time." This was just like when he spoke of protecting Rukia. That absolute certainty in his voice, that unwavering conviction that she was familiar with. Hearing that in his voice reassured her so much.
With a playful hum, she smirked a little. "Yes, please, I don't want to have to cover you all the time. I mean, you're Karakura Town's superhero not me. I'm just third-rate backup at most." She said with a dramatic sigh. She completely forgot about the Soul Reaper that was stationed in town to replace Rukia.
"Yeah right." Ichigo looked exasperated by her downgrading humour. "After what you did, you're not third-rate at all."
"Well, I would hope not…" Katsuko mumbled to herself, recalling the intense training with Kensei. There was no way she didn't get stronger with a captain-class Vizard busting her butt for over a week with intense training. She was training with her life on the line, literally. "Also, it's alright If I have to step in. I want to protect you too. If I see my friends hurt and could use some help, I'll obviously go and protect them. I don't want to just sit and watch. Get hurt? Then I'll support you. Can't move? Well damn, I guess I'll have to fight in your place. You'd do the same, right?" She paused, giving him a feigned look of concern. "Right?"
Of course, he would. No question about it.
The orange haired boy nodded with a small smile. "Obviously."
She hummed, grinning a little, satisfied with his answer.
"Okay." Katsuko put her hands on the table as she stood. Ichigo watched her pick up her stuff. "Now that sad Ichigo packed up and left. Why don't we go up and join the others? What?"
Ichigo was scowling again.
"I already opened my lunch and everything. You seriously want me to pack up?" he asked with a raised brow, pointing at his food with his chopsticks.
Amused, she slightly tilted her head with a grin. "Keigo won't shut up when we come back from lunch. So, let's go." She could already hear his questions and teasing.
"Forget it. I'm finishing my lunch here first." He scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Besides, a good knock on the head will get him to quiet down." he continued eating.
Mentally picturing a chatty Keigo asking questions only to be shut down by Ichigo's bonk had her huff out a laugh. With a feigned sigh of defeat, Katsuko settled back in her seat and continued eating her food.
"So, are things going well on your end?" he asked with curiosity while she chewed. There was still some worry in him about her association with the Vizards. Even though she told him they were fine, the first impression for him was already a bad one.
The Vizards... the only people who could possibly help him.
"Mhm." Katsuko crossed her legs, nodding. Her cheek rested in her palm when she leaned on the table. "Yesterday we more or less wrapped up stuff with a nice hot bow." Her expression turning sour was almost immediate when she recalled how she was basically forced to feed everyone and herself with a nice hot meal.
Though she didn't hint at anything relatively bad, Ichigo heard her tone become exasperated while her hand, the one holding her sandwich, drooped with disappointment. When her eyes briefly glanced over to him, she caught him squinting his eyes suspiciously with furrowed eyebrows. Rapidly sitting up, she waved her free hand dismissively. "Ah, but it's not bad. Like I said, they're not bad!"
This only made her friend sigh. "If you say so." he replied and looked back at his food. He saw her shrink a little in her seat before quickly speaking of her experience with them. Much like Keigo, Katsuko sometimes liked to talk about stories except that she was very much less annoying and less loud than the brunette. She was mostly rambling on about the odd and perhaps fun things that happened. One or two things might have been concerning, like that part where she ended up dazed after one of the Vizards literally grabbed her by the neck to smash her mask away…
"Alright, alright. I get it." Ichigo snorted as he got up from his seat and started packing up. She talked long enough for him to finish his food. Seeing him do so made her gather her own while also making sure to brush her side of the table for any crumbs. He waited for her to go around the table to reach the door before opening it and holding it out for her.
"Thank you." She said poked him on the side, making him jerk as she stepped into the hallway.
"Quit it." He lightly bonked the back of her head, causing her to make a sound similar to a crow's caw as she stumbled.
Her light steps echoed in the somewhat empty hall while she walked ahead of him. Soundlessly shutting the door behind him, he watched her back and was reminded of this back, smaller than his, that stood before him to protect him from those guys in white.
The enemy wasn't going to wait for him to get stronger.
He needed to be strong to protect instead of being protected.
He needed to be ready next time.
Haru licked his lips.
Katsuko took a bite from her pork barbecue stick.
"This is so good when you're starving." Jun moaned blissfully, staring at his stick as if he was in love. He was holding his with both hands as he chewed. He looked as if he was about to cry.
She quirked an eyebrow at his reaction. "You gonna make out with it?"
Haru snorted and nudged Katsuko's arm. "Y'know that Jun loves food… even Mayuka knows that. So, I'm pretty sure she'll understand if he wants a polyamory relationship if he meets a great chef." Haru grinned and he waved his barbecue stick nonchalantly.
"Okay, no." Jun deadpanned at Haru, causing the other two to laugh together at his face.
On the last day of the weekday, Jun and Haru didn't have any practice to attend to, giving them time to hang out after school. Katsuko was the one who suggested a place when she remembered the place she visited with her mother before the new semester. The place sold all kinds of street food that they could just buy and leave with, reviving that festival food vibe. Plus, Haru wanted to be around her a little since he basically missed hanging out everyday after school. It seemed like everyone was busy recently.
"So, what's going on with basketball?" Katsuko wondered curiously. She was never really keen on sports or any physical activity after elementary school since she mellowed out. But she did like to keep track of how her friends were doing in their basketball teams since they loved the sport so much.
"All good. We're actually playing against a school in a week." Haru pulled out the schedule that his coach gave him. Katsuko remembered Jun telling her that their team was filled with a bunch of kids who had the tendency to forget about important matches. They gave off that 'we had an exam today?' energy. The coach apparently had it with those kids and decided to print out a whole practice schedule for each week. It was normally placed on some pin board near the gym but some members could take one for themselves.
"Where's yours Jun?" Katsuko wondered.
"Somewhere in my agenda."
"Oh, you mean your binder."
"Yep."
So much for being organized. It's still a sneeze away from exploding.
Katsuko took the paper and read the details. "It's a little far." It looked like they were still going to be somewhere in the west.
"Yeah, but we're taking the bullet train so it won't be too much time spent traveling." Haru added, waving his transportation pass. "Oh, but Jun can't play though."
Katsuko looked at him curiously.
The taller of the trio just shrugged. "I have a doctor's appointment."
Haru twirled his empty stick between his fingers. Katsuko was looking at him strangely since she thought he still had so much left on that stick. She didn't know what kind of black magic he did to inhale all that food in one go. But he just held it up like a dart and tried pitching it into the nearest trash. Tried. Instead, it poked the edge of the trash and bounced off, only to land right into some person's foot who happened to be talking on his phone. Such skill.
"Oh crap. I'm sorry!" Haru quickly ran over, holding his hands up in apology.
"And here I thought Haru had a good aim when it came to throwing things." Katsuko mused while watching Haru pick up the stick. Feeling playful, she grabbed Jun's wrist and tugged him along in an almost hurried manner as she sped off. It didn't take long for Jun to pick up on her intentions.
Embarrassed, Haruki had turned around in quick strides in hopes of finding his friends to help him laugh off his current albeit small ignominy, only to find them gone. He stiffened in confusion. However, what could only be described as feeling of familiarity had him turning to the direction where his friends were, specifically Katsuko. He watched them glance back with grins. They looked like a pair of schemers in black cloaks blending with the crowds to watch whatever they instigated in complete secrecy.
"You serious?!" Haru jolted his school bag on his shoulder and ran after them. Thankfully, they did not run off the moment he went after them.
Jun slightly tipped his head as he looked at Haru, pointing his finger at the mastermind. "She dragged me."
"And you followed." Katsuko countered as she took her phone out of her pocket to keep track of her time.
Normally, she would have refused this little hang out so that she may head straight home and then go to the Vizards' place. However, as long as she showed up as planned, Shinji told her that she didn't have to stay longer or arrive without delaying too much because her Hollow was no longer an issue in terms of keeping her sanity. Now, the focus was using the Hollow's mask. It must be because the weekend starts tomorrow. They could 'torture' her all they want then. Fantastic.
But moments like these just felt good. It was great to just forget about Hollows and all the supernatural stuff, and feel like she was ignorant of it all. A break from it. It was good to feel like a regular human just living a normal life. Because after stepping into the world of Soul Reapers, it felt like things were beginning to pile up even though it should have calmed down.
First it was the inner Hollow, then it was the Arrancars sent by Aizen… what else was going to layer?
"Speaking of doctor, must be nice to have a friend whose dad is literally their pediatrician." Haru hummed thoughtfully as he concentrated on opening up the soda can he bought.
Katsuko raised a brow. "What do you mean?" she managed to say between her nibbles on her stick.
"You've been to Ichigo's house a few times before, right? You don't get checkups for free?" They stopped at a red light.
This made Katsuko laugh a little. "What, you thought every single time I go there his dad is just like 'let me give you a checkup?'" she pretended to hold up a stethoscope.
"No, that's not what I… Yeah, basically."
Jun peered to the side as the light turned yellow. He spotted a bike speeding to make it before the light turned red. Katsuko was closer to the street and it made him uneasy, so he grabbed her arm just in time to pull her away from street in the middle of her conversation with Haru. It startled the boy with the soda who nearly dropped it when she stumbled and accidentally knocked into him.
"Don't stand too close to the edge." Jun gently chided her as he hand went back to his side.
"My bad."
For as long as they've known each other, it was only natural that they look after each other like this.
But Jun was concerned for another reason.
"Just be careful, please."
…
…
…
"You know, I'm glad I'm not on that anymore."
"You did seem to hate it."
"Of course. I was bored out of my mind and I wanted to do something else."
"I don't think it's really that bad."
"This coming from the guy who wasn't on it. You were too busy reading Shounen Jump and you didn't see how dead I looked on it."
"But we did try to keep you entertained a little."
"And I said I didn't want to read erotic stuff."
Ichigo's eye twitched in annoyance and he whipped his head to the side where Katsuko, Rose and Love were. "Can you guys talk somewhere else?!" he snapped. The three of them jumped in surprise as he stared at them with annoyance. This only made Katsuko laugh softly at his expression.
Earlier, Katsuko arrived in her soul form and found Ichigo, also in his soul form, using the Super Dumb Treadmill. Apparently, he went to the Vizards while she was with Haru and Jun. The first thing she remembered feeling when she spotted him was extreme relief. Not only did he cheer up, but he was also doing what was needed to face his inner Hollow. There was no need to worry about her friend going mad with a mask. She wouldn't have to see what she saw in that pit again.
When she went further inside, Katsuko smiled and gave him a friendly wave to silently greet him.
As she waited for Kensei to finish doing something in a corner, she ended up standing on the side with Rose and Love, watching Ichigo as if he was some mythical creature that the circus managed to nab for entertainment.
The comments and his own irritation must have made him snap.
"No need to be so mean about it." Katsuko pouted and then slightly poked her tongue out at him.
"You're distracting me!" he snapped. She stood in front of him and leaned her weight on one leg while she held her left arm behind her back. "Nah, you're just annoyed because this thing is stupid, right?"
"What did I say about callin' it stupid?!"
Katsuko took one step back to avoid a flying slipper.
Ichigo gripped the handles tighter as he scowled and grumbled. "I don't get how this stupid machine is supposed to help me with my inner Hollow. I feel like a complete idiot."
This time, Hiyori threw the backscratcher, and it hit Ichigo. The speed and force in which the object traveled with nearly had Ichigo falling off the treadmill with a cry. He cradled his ear and looked at Hiyori who was just scowling at him. "The hell was that for?!" Rose and Love watched the little exchange with mild interest.
"For openin' your mouth and callin' it stupid, idiot!"
"Why you-!" Katsuko snickered and held him back when he tried to move off the treadmill. Ichigo's eye twitched when Hiyori scoffed at him, but he didn't make an attempt to move around his friend who just teasingly patted his shoulder. "Now, now, relax."
I basically started it though.
Kensei walked towards them after finishing up his task and saw the orange head fuming while holding his ear. The other human looked at him expectantly. "Alright, enough." Kensei gruffly interrupted, causing the taller one to look at him "Get back on it." he ordered Ichigo and then turned to Katsuko who was looking at him with amusement in her eyes "And you, let's go."
"Okay." Katsuko moved away from Ichigo to lightly toss the things back to Hiyori who was settled on the couch while Ichigo just got back on the treadmill with a grumble. Wordlessly, she followed after Kensei and was joined by Rose and Love who trailed after her as she obediently did with Kensei. Then she walked backwards and held up her thumbs for Ichigo. "Have fun on the treadmill because I sure didn't!"
Oh, he wasn't having fun at all.
Much like her, he found this training method absolutely ridiculous (because Hiyori still didn't explain it to him).
This is not what he imagined when he sought help to control his inner Hollow!
With a growl, he continued moving on the treadmill while Hachigen watched him with Mashiro at his side.
...
...
...
For a mask that seem to materialize quite easily on its own when things were dire, having to draw it out by herself proved much more difficult.
Kensei explained that it was always tricky to forcefully draw out the mask for the first few times as it was never supposed to be in the first place. They weren't Hollows, after all. But it eventually becomes effortless with practice. Some of them were lucky enough to summon it in one go on the first try. But even when one finally succeeds in materializing and maintaining the mask, it can never stay on forever. As such, it was important that they get used to taking it off and putting it on to conserve time.
That was all fine and dandy… but Katsuko was having trouble.
With a hiss, Katsuko dropped her hands on her knees as she leaned forward and gasped for air.
Sitting back against a rock with a Shounen Jump in hand, Love glanced at her while Rose, who was sitting nearby, fiddled with the watch Kensei lent to him. His hands would much rather be tuning one of his instruments. He had yet to use the timer.
"That was quick." Love commented before going back to his manga. Rose only hummed in response. Things weren't going as smoothly. Drawing out her mask was taking longer than they expected. She was capable of taking out at least thirty percent of it before suddenly giving up. She knew how to start summoning it, but she couldn't keep it on.
And they've been at it for a while now.
"What are you doing? You're supposed to materialize your Hollow mask, not give up halfway."
"I know, I'm trying!"
Kensei narrowed his eyes at her while she stared at the ground in her same position. "Taking baby steps isn't going to make things easier. Tough it out."
Katsuko lifted her head, her bangs messily covered her left eye. "It's not easy!" she practically seethed in annoyance.
"It's not supposed to be easy. Were you listening when I explained it?"
Katsuko made a face as she looked away from him.
"This is actually the easiest part, just so you know." They were going to go back to deadly situations when she got the hang of summoning the mask. It helped facilitate whatever came after.
Her head whipped back to look at him as she straightened up, face comically twisted in disbelief. "Easy?! I feel I'm getting ripped apart from the inside!" she made clawing motions in front of her chest.
"Stop exaggerating and complaining."
Maybe it was an exaggeration, but she wasn't lying about the discomfort! It felt like her body was resisting this mask. It was difficult just as Kensei said, and it felt almost tempting to just stop now that the subjugation was complete. Almost.
Kensei narrowed his eyes at her when she kept looking away with a frown on her face. He raised his head and stared her down, "So, what, give up?"
Lifting her head, she met his stare. Give up. Question mark. That only made her shut her eyes with a sigh before straightening up. Kensei must have caught on to her disliking that question. "I didn't say that." Her dark brown eyes opened to stare at the man apathetically. "And to be honest, putting on the mask is nothing compared to you putting me in near death situations on the daily."
"Don't worry, we'll go back to that once you get the hang of it. Now, again." Kensei hooked his finger into the hole on the handle of his Zanpakuto and pulled it out, flipping it in the air. "This time, we'll add some sense of urgency to help since you're slow." He caught it and readied himself. It was time to try something new.
"Oh joy, my favourite things jammed in one." Katsuko replied sarcastically as she lifted a hand over her face.
…
…
…
In another world meant for spirits who lost their hearts, the traitor of the Soul Society, Aizen Sousuke, was sitting on his throne of his palace in complete silence. His long fingers lightly rapped the armrest as three screens displayed three individuals: Kurosaki Ichigo, Inoue Orihime and Hiragi Katsuko. With a light tap of his finger, Ichigo's screen faded away. There was nothing more to see. That left the two human girls in front of him. It replayed what Ulquiorra had seen that day, and his eyes had noted every detail.
The one with the hairpins had a rather interesting ability for a mere human: an ability to reject events to return targets to their former states. That's not a type of power someone can easily can their hands on.
Aizen moved his finger to the side to slide away Inoue's screen so that Hiragi Katsuko's screen was directly in front of his eyes. It replayed all her movements, her expressions, her Zanpakuto, and the moment Ulquiorra decided to interfere the moment he saw the flickers of lightning on her scythe when she prepared to attack Yammy once more.
Ulquiorra and Yammy's orders were to look at Kurosaki Ichigo's current state and judge whether or not he would be a hindrance to them. If so, then they were to kill him. Hiragi Katsuko was only mentioned briefly because of her worth in comparison to Ichigo. However, Aizen did tell him to not brush her off either. As there was no specific order for Katsuko, Ulquiorra chose let Aizen decide after reporting back.
As Aizen closed his eyes, he recalled the time when he officially defected from the Soul Society.
…
…
…
Katsuko shouted with a face full of hatred for him, her body leaping towards him with her Zanpakuto tightly gripped in her hands. Such bare emotions that were so easy to fuel created so many openings for him to exploit. It was almost too easy for Aizen to take his Zanpakuto and slash her across her front.
It was impressive how quick one's expression can change. It was hatred, shock, disbelief, and then confusion.
Her body fell at his feet and she bled out.
Ichigo was calling her name as she just lied there. The boy had no idea just what was hiding within his friend. Aizen was actually wondering when she would finally give up the façade and come out. As if to answer his question, the young girl's body jerked, her hands clawed at the front of her Shihakusho and twisted it as she began letting out cries of pain. Her body was tossing around and her legs were kicking about as her body glowed bright blue. Her skin rippled with red cracks, a clear sign of the forceful ejection that was traumatizing the body.
The sudden force of spiritual pressure that came with the light expanded and gave hint to another soul appearing before them.
The light in Aizen's eyes flickered when he felt it.
Whatever retribution Chisaki wishfully thought she could enact was stopped by Katsuko and the appearance of the rest of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. It was all too late though. No one could stop him now.
As the three beams from the crack in the sky brought Aizen and his subordinates up and away from everyone else, Aizen left parting words for those who fell for his façade all these years, as well as the boy who naively thought he could stop him. "Goodbye, Soul Reapers. And goodbye, Ryoka boy." He was looking at Ichigo and Katsuko as he stood in the hands of the Menos Grande that were welcoming him to the other side. "For a human, you were quite amusing."
He looked at the girl who stayed by her friend's side, and he could see how she tensed when she realized he was looking at her.
…
…
…
Aizen opened his eyes. He rested his cheek in the palm of his hand as he kept watching Katsuko's movements on the screen.
His mouth curled.
"Unforeseen happenings are always so interesting."