"Freaking running..." Katsuko huffed. There were so many times when she wanted to just drop and sit on the concrete.
Before leaving the school, she quickly messaged her friends about cancelling before bolting to the bus stop. She caught one just before it was about to drive off. How lucky. Altogether took fifteen minutes. But at what cost? Her being exhausted. She seriously ran to Ichigo's street the moment she stepped off the bus. If only flash step was available in her human form. A pity, really.
And the clinic is in sight! Finally!
She was so out of it by the time she got closer that she barely caught her name being said. She stopped and looked around, confused. Who the hell said that? Her eyes instinctively looked down. Maybe she'd discover another talking cat like Yoruichi. Perhaps it would be a talking squirrel this time. That would be interesting to see. It would be just like that movie she once watched-
"Look up."
Obeying without questioning, she looked up, following the sound, at Ichigo's window and found Hitsugaya Toshiro sitting on his window sill. He was just staring at her form with his arms crossed. His gaze met her deadpanned face. For second, she thought her fatigue conjured up illusions. Then, his lieutenant, Matsumoto Rangiku, poked her head up and looked down.
She was pouting.
"Geez, what took you so long?"
Katsuko stared at the blonde woman, blinking. Surely the messy hair and sweaty face was enough to show that she downright speedrunned the travel route to the Kurosaki residence?
Hearing Rangiku's unreasonable complaint, Ichigo pushed himself off his chair to approach the window as he reprimanded her. Their school wasn't exactly nearby. It was surprising enough she made it just now. When he looked down, her head shifted a little as she spotted him. She looked pretty tired.
"I'll meet you downstairs." He pointed to where his front door was. Katsuko didn't say anything and just went straight to his front door. Seeing his door somewhat gave her more relief since she knew her journey was over. It was as if his front door was saying 'yes, come here, I will bring you relief'. While waiting for him she did her best to make herself look presentable. Checking her collar and straightening her uniform as if her mother just told her to fix her appearance, and dabbing her sweaty face with a tissue she had in her bag. She was in the middle of running her fingers through her hair when the door swung open.
"That was fast."
"I Sonic'd here."
"That explains the hair."
"I'm trying to fix it, so don't talk about it!"
She removed her shoes and neatly placed them on the side in the genkan. He waited up on her until she started following him inside the house. Already she could hear sound inside, mostly from a tv. It must be his sisters watching then. The door to the living room was open which allowed them to see her walk to the stairs. The cheerful twin exclaimed her name (Karin greeted her as well but quickly concentrated back on her the show) and rushed into the hallway to greet her.
"Hi, Yuzu." Katsuko gave her with a curt wave as she started going up the steps.
"Can I ask you for a favour?" She gave her puppy dog eyes; hands clasped in front of her with hope. Tipping her head curiously, Katsuko stopped and wondered what could she want from her. She was about to ask until Ichigo came back down a few steps to look at Yuzu. He sighed at her. "Come on, Yuzu, not right now. We're busy." He nudged his head towards his room as he told her. Then he was already moving up again, expecting her to back down once he made it clear. Katsuko looked at his back and then hesitantly back at the younger girl.
Umm... okay... uh.
The little sister pouted when he shut her down. Ichigo was right though. She didn't want to keep them waiting either. Katsuko continued climbing after Ichigo. "I'll listen to your favour after, okay?" she said while looking down at the younger girl and holding up a finger to emphasis 'wait'. That made her brightened up and nod before heading back into the living room. At least she didn't disappoint the little sunshine of the family.
Voices from his room could be heard before they could reach the top of the stairs.
"Could they make anymore noise?" Ichigo complained about the commotion going on behind his door. Seriously. He leaves for one minute, and it suddenly gets two times louder.
"I wonder what your sister needs." She looked at him curiously.
He looked at her and shrugged. "Beats me." He opened the door and let her go in first. Instantly, Katsuko was taken back by the crowd inside. There was more than just Hitsugaya Toshiro and Matsumoto Rangiku. Madarame Ikkaku, Ayasegawa Yumichika, Abarai Renji, and Kuchiki Rukia were all waiting for her. Why were they dressed up in school uniforms? She didn't know.
Katsuko smiled with surprise when she saw the petite Soul Reaper. "Ah, Rukia! You're here." She didn't think she'd see her again so soon, or see her again, period. The teen didn't realize she'd be this happy to see her again.
"Yes, it's been a while, hasn't it?" Rukia replied with her own smile while slightly kicking up her feet as she sat on Ichigo's bed. She was glad Katsuko and Ichigo were looking well. Katsuko also slightly waved at Renji who nodded in greeting with a smile.
Pretty guy is here too!
She greeted the others briefly until the small Captain decided to cut in before they shifted onto some random topic. Seeing everyone seated except for her and Ichigo made her look at the floor. They had things to say and she needed to listen. And frankly, she wanted nothing more than to sit down after her trip. She dropped her bag on the floor and was about to drop too until Ichigo picked up her bag. "Sit over here." Ichigo walked past her and casually pulled out his desk chair while setting her bag on his desk. Without a word, Katsuko took her seat in his chair while he took the spot where her bag was. Her body was crying with relief. Finally, some mercy for her legs and feet!
And then they began to explain the Arrancars that attacked them a few days ago. Katsuko already got the gist of it from Shinji, but Renji gave more detail to them.
"There was always been a small number of incomplete ones, but after Aizen brought the Hougyoku to them, they were able to completely transform into true Arrancars. Those two that you saw are those Arrancars. You two with me so far?" Rukia had pulled out one of Ichigo's notebooks and drew out figures that were supposedly Arrancars, she was showing it to them as Renji explained it.
Ichigo looked unamused by the drawings. "Yeah, but the doodles just make it more confusing." he spat. He should have expected his comment to displease Rukia. Katsuko moved an inch to dodge the flying notebook that hit him square in the face. She gave Renji a questioning look. "So, these True Arrancars that showed up are only that strong because of the Hougyoku? What about the ones that aren't affected by the Hougyoku?"
That was a good question. "They're strong, yeah. But honestly, they're the least of our concerns."
"Oh, uh, okay." The strength of a regular no-Hougyoku Arrancar piqued her curiosity.
Renji picked up where he left off. "In the beginning, the Soul Society planned to stay put until Aizen decided to take matters into his own hands since we're still recovering from the defection of three of our Captains. However, the fully transformed Arrancars appeared earlier than expected. They've already entered the Human World, so we couldn't sit back any longer. And that's when we were quickly selected."
"Chosen? By who?" Ichigo inquired.
"The other Captains?" Katsuko wondered, faces of those Captains appeared in her mind.
"The Captain Commander, specifically." Renji clarified. "He's the one making the decisions until Central 46 is no longer vacant. So, the one who knows you two the best, Rukia, was chosen." Rukia started at that, quickly objecting that her abilities was considered in the selection process. "Naogoma Chisaki was also selected, but she chose to remain in the Soul Society to help manage her Squad with her lieutenant because we're still recovering from our loss. So then, they started looking at the combatants they could mobilize. I was selected for being the closest to Rukia. Then I was told to choose those other than the Captains that I trusted most, so I asked Ikkaku to accompany me. Then Yumichika-san said had had to come along and Rangiku, who heard the uproar, said she wanted to come because it sounded interesting. Rangiku wouldn't be swayed, so Captain Hitsugaya was forced to come along to supervise. And so we're here."
There was a pause.
"What is this, a picnic?" Ichigo scowled, he didn't know if he should be amused or disappointed. Next to him, Katsuko was quietly thinking. So, we'd only have three Soul Reapers stationed over here to fight back against the Arrancars if they showed up again if not for that headache process? Is the current number enough to ward off another attack?
This talk about Arrancars was building some concern within her.
How strong are they really?
How worried should we be?
... And just how weak are we in comparison?
"Anyway," Toshiro intervened. "Aizen's definitely got his eye on you, Kurosaki Ichigo." He looked at Katsuko. "Who knows, perhaps even you too, Hiragi Katsuko." The girl played with her fingers and frowned when she remembered feeling Aizen's gaze on her before he left. What could a man like that want with some nobody like her? She doubted he would ever have interest in her. Ichigo was more worth the attention after all. "It's true that an Arrancar is born when the mask is removed from a Hollow. But removing the mask of your run-of-the-mill Hollow wouldn't get you much of anything. If they really want to start a war against the Soul Society, the ones removing their masks would need to be Menos or stronger."
Katsuko pictured that tall tree of a Hollow walking in Karakura Town.
"There are three categories of Menos. The first is Gillain. They're the weakest of all Menos. In human terms, they would be foot soldiers. There are many of them and they all look alike. In the Soul Society, these are the 'Menos' that are generally referred to in textbooks. They are the ones you fought before you entered the Soul Society."
"And the same ones that appeared in that hole in the sky when Aizen defected?" Katsuko spoke despite knowing the answer. It never hurt anyone to be certain.
"Correct. Gillains are huge, but they are slow and have beast-like intelligence. Any Captain would be able to destroy them with ease. The real problem is with the other two. The second type is Adjuchas. They are much smaller than Gillains and far fewer in number. However, they're much smarter and stronger than Gillains. They're often the ones who lead Gillains into battles. The third type is Vasto Lordes. The highest level. They are extremely small Hollows. They are equal to humans in size. There are said to be only a few of them within Hueco Mundo, but… I'll be blunt. These Vasto Lordes are stronger than our Soul Reaper Captains."
Katsuko closed her eyes and thought back to the day when those two Arrancars showed up. Those were Vasto Lordes, weren't they? Learning all this new knowledge had Katsuko feeling grateful they didn't have orders to kill them that day. The concern kept building with some stress sprinkled on top of it.
"The power gained by the Menos by turning into Arrancars is unknown quantity. Three of our Captains have defected to lead the Menos, this is a fact. If Aizen now has more than ten of those Vasto Lordes under his control then it'll be the end of the Soul Society."
The air was tense. Katsuko looked away from the Captain and stared at the floor. Aizen already had two of them. He was a smart man who did as he pleased with Hollow experiments without anyone's knowledge for more than a hundred years. She could remember feeling the helplessness Chisaki felt in front of Aizen. Perhaps she was being pessimistic, but she wouldn't doubt him having more of those Vasto Lordes at his command. If he wanted to make sure the Soul Society didn't get in the way of whatever he had planned, then he needed to strength to rival or even overwhelm them.
Somehow, I just know that Aizen would be prepared for that.
I'm worried.
I just know things are going to get worse.
And also, I'm a little scared of what he might do… This is Aizen after all.
Ichigo heard Katsuko's nails grip the edges of his chair. When he looked at her, he saw the familiar silent worry on her face. There was no effort to hide it.
"Hey."
Katsuko blinked. He pulled her out of her stressful thoughts. She looked at him curiously. He was giving her a small reassuring smile.
"You don't need to stress so much. We'll be alright."
We'll be alright.
She could sense Rukia and Renji watching her as Ichigo said that. The others were talking, filling the room like white noise to her. With a brief pause came a slow calmness to her heart that she didn't know was beating rapidly from her own stressful thoughts. It's okay. Relax. Katsuko managed a small smile of her own, nodding softly with a hum.
They came from the Soul Society to warn us.
We're being prepared this time.
I should be glad for that at least.
…
…
…
After a bit more discussion, the tension finally lifted. It helped calm her heart a bit. Right now, Renji and Rangiku were busying themselves by messing around with Kon, while Ikakku, Yumichika were talking with the little Captain. Katsuko scooted her chair closer to Rukia while Ichigo joined the conversation with Toshiro to ask more questions.
"You're staying to defend this place in case of a next Arrancar attack, right?" Katsuko got up from her seat to turn around the chair so that she could lean her chin on it.
Rukia nodded. "Yes. Until the Arrancars are dealt with then we'll have to keep this place safe since Aizen was interested in Ichigo." Urahara was the one who informed them of what Aizen's subordinate said prior to leaving for Hueco Mundo.
Katsuko frowned and leaned her head to the side. "It sucks that we don't have a drop of information on their strength since Ichigo and I basically got our asses handed when they showed up. The person I freaking cut was a hot-head so I had an easier time hitting him. But I don't count that so I can't give you anything useful. Sorry."
Rukia just shook her head, smiling as she gave her shoulder a reassuring pat. "Don't worry about it. It is unfortunate that we lack information on the enemy, but that doesn't mean things are not in our favour. We'll just have to wait until they strike again."
"Yeah, I know. I just don't like it." Katsuko scowled. They basically get to have the first move all over again. She straightened up in her chair and sighed. The two girls suddenly heard Rangiku whining.
"Then what good are you?"
"What… What good am I?! Ask yourself that! Don't think you can just stay here like a bunch of freeloaders!"
"Ah." Katsuko scoffed. "Living arrangements." She lolled her head to look back at Rukia with a smirk. "I don't suppose you'll be living in our strawberry's closet?"
Rukia smiled almost proudly, looking at the said closet with nostalgia. It made Katsuko laugh a bit. "I have already prepared for it."
Katsuko wanted to know a bit more about the adventures of Rukia and the closet. It must have been quite a tale.
They heard Ichigo exclaim in surprise. They found him covering his eyes as the busty lieutenant tried sex appeal to persuade Ichigo. Despite his claims to be a man who wouldn't give into temptation, he couldn't resist peeking through his fingers as the woman lifted her skirt. The two black haired Soul Reapers were watching him, unimpressed. He looked like he was just all talk.
"Then why are you peeking through your fingers?" Rukia questioned.
"Ichigo is a true male at his core." Katsuko droned.
Ichigo whipped around to glare at Katsuko who only smiled with mild amusement. "Don't say that as if I was some animal!"
"Katsuko-san." Yumichika addressed her with a light tap on her shoulder. She turned to look at him and found him smiling at her. She was reminded of how beautiful he was once more. "Do you have room at your place for two?" He wanted to snag a place for him and Ikakku as soon as possible. Katsuko looked at Ikkaku and Yumichika. The problem was Ikkaku. No way in hell, not even a small one, would her mother let some strange man with no hair and a wooden sword stay over. Yumichika seemed relatively harmless, but that still wouldn't cut it. She was pretty sure her dad would be against it too.
"Ahh! Yumichika!" Rangiku scowled when he beat her to the punch. The beautiful man ignored her in favour of potentially hearing a positive response. But Katsuko only shook her head. She almost felt bad for disappointing him. "No, sorry. And besides, I'm an only child and a girl. What would my parents think if their pure innocent daughter brought home two men?"
Ikkaku sighed while scratching his head. "She has a point." He didn't want to face any parents suspecting him of being suspicious. Too much trouble.
"How unfortunate." Yumichika hummed thoughtfully. He almost forgot that she was just a teenage girl.
"I'm sorry." Katsuko apologized again.
I am turning down a beautiful man and most likely leaving him stranded for the night.
This might as well be a sin.
"No, it's alright."
Ichigo quirked a brow, giving her an unconvinced look. "Pure and innocent, huh? I have a few objections to that."
"Quiet." She slightly poked her tongue at him.
"What about me?" Rangiku smiled hopefully.
"Unless you want to sleep under my bed in secret? I can make arrangements for that."
There was no more reason to linger at Ichigo's place anymore. They decided to take their leave and search for a place to stay on their own. Katsuko was right behind Ichigo as they went down the stairs. She wasn't going to leave right away since she was still curious about what Yuzu wanted from her. Behind her, Toshiro, Yumichika and Rangiku were talking. Well, it was mostly Toshiro telling Rangiku and Yumichika to pipe down since they were curious about Ichigo's house.
"You'd think they've never seen a house before…" Ichigo muttered loud enough for only Katsuko to hear.
"The buildings over there aren't exactly modern." Katsuko poked his head gently with a laugh.
Hearing the commotion, Isshin poked his head out from behind a wall near the stairs. He seemed flabbergasted at the crowd leaving his son's room. He only knew that Katsuko and Rukia were in there! Armed with documents, he walked into the hallway confused.
"How did you guys come in?" He scanned all the faces coming down the steps.
"Uh, long story." Ichigo replied. He didn't know how he was going to explain his broken light to ask for a new one…
Katsuko made a move to head into the living room where Yuzu most likely was. She had to walk past the confused father. "I'll see you guys later… or whenever." She lifted her hand briefly. For some reason, Toshiro and Rangiku were just staring towards her and Isshin. But Katsuko didn't pay mind to it and just continued her search for Yuzu. Almost in a discreet manner, she poked her head into the living room where she found Karin playing a video game and Yuzu cutting some vegetables.
"'Ello?" She spoke.
Yuzu looked up at the sound of her voice.
"Katsuko-chan!"
"You said you needed a favour?"
Hearing this, Karin paused her video game and turned to look at Yuzu. "You're asking math wiz, Katsuko?"
"Hm?"
"Yuzu failed her math test. She needed some help."
Yuzu frowned at the blunt truth. "It was the problem solving that gave me trouble. They were worth a lot of points!" She had no problem doing the equations.
"Words must have jacked you up." Katsuko guessed with a hand on her chin. Probably just needed a little help then.
"I want to understand better because it's been on my mind since I came home." Yuzu played with her hands, still frowning. Katsuko just happened to be dropping by. What luck. She could have waited for the teacher to go over it, but she couldn't help but be a little annoyed after getting back her test.
Yuzu and Karin knew she was good at school work because they once found Ichigo and her doing some homework in the living room on a weekend. From there, they learned that Katsuko was good at math. The next time she passed by, Karin casually asked her to explain something to her which led to Yuzu doing the same. That kind of annoyed Ichigo since they randomly came into his room while Haru and Jun were there too. Teenage boy complaints. But Katsuko was more than happy to help actually.
"I don't mind helping."
Instantly, a smile stretched on her face. "But I'd like to finish at least preparing the stuff to cook and make a quick check on the laundry first! Is that okay?"
"No rush over here. Want me to help?"
Despite Yuzu protesting, Katsuko casually went over to the kitchen counter where she found a plate of straw beans and some potatoes that Yuzu was chopping on a cutting board. With a quick wash of her hands, she was snapping the beans as per Yuzu's instructions. Much like a student seeking affirmation from their teacher, Katsuko had to present some beans to Yuzu to ask if she was doing alright. A part of her was worried about ruining Kurosaki dinner over a few beans. For all she knew, they might be having long beans night. To Karin, the sight was amusing and a little wholesome. She even decided to help with the carrots. And thanks to their teamwork, it was going smoothly.
Just as they were about to finish, they found Isshin welcoming a weeping Rukia into the living room, prompting Katsuko to squint her eyes in confusion with beans in hand. There was that fake Rukia again. When she saw Ichigo walk in, she stifled a laugh in her shoulder. He just looked so done with Rukia's theatrics. It was so funny. Just for this, Katsuko felt blessed to know what went on behind the scenes. The short haired Soul Reaper was coming up with some sob story so she could stay at Ichigo's house. Yuzu and Isshin were eating it all up. Meanwhile, Karin and Katsuko were just watching, looking apathetic in comparison to those two.
"You're not falling for this?" Katsuko looked at Karin with a smirk. The younger girl shrugged when Katsuko spoke to her. The high schooler noticed the suspicious look that Karin was giving Rukia. Yeah, she figured Karin wouldn't just buy it.
Karin finished cutting up the last carrots with her reply. "I'm not a sap like them."
On one of the walls was an oversized portrait of their deceased mother laughing brightly. Isshin ran over to and started crying to it as if the real thing was there. Yuzu was joining him. "Mother! Listen to this, Mother! Father now has three daughters!"
"Good grief…" Karin washed her hands and went back to play her game. Her father theatrics got old real fast. Katsuko washed her hands too. As she took her time to dry off her hands, Isshin caught her by surprise by proclaiming that Katsuko should stay for dinner so that he can have four daughters. She blinked with a start and whipped her head to look straight at her pediatrician.
UM.
"Katsuko is not your daughter." Ichigo said flatly. Why was his father always like this? Like Karin, he was fed up with his father's theatrics. He eyed Yuzu who was being swept away by their father's enthusiasm. It felt like he and Karin were the only sane people of the household right now.
"Wh-What? Oh… Oh no, no, no." Katsuko waved her hands in front of her. This was just like when Ichigo invited her over when she got caught in the rain. Those same feelings made themselves at home inside her. "I can't just… eat here." Her gaze skittered away. "I don't want to impose…" Rukia looked piqued at the shy demeanor she displayed. She was used to the teasing and playful side of her.
"We don't mind having you over!" Yuzu exclaimed, running around the counter with a beaming smile. Katsuko squinted from the light her cheerfulness exuded.
UH…
"B-But dinner at home…"
"Is your mom working late?" Ichigo wondered curiously.
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Today is important so she might be home around eleven? Maybe twelve?"
"And you'll be eating dinner then, right?"
Katsuko pouted and fidgeted with the hand towel, avoiding his knowing gaze. "I don't like eating alone, okay? Don't judge me." She didn't care how late dinner was. As long as she got to eat with her parents, then she'd be satisfied.
As if moved by what sounded like Katsuko's loneliness, Yuzu grabbed her hands while Isshin joined them to ruffle her hair as if to comfort her. Regardless of Katsuko's denials about her lonesomeness, it only made them believe otherwise. She seriously wasn't lonely though! She just liked eating with her family, that's all! Hell, sometimes she got a little despondent when she missed dinner when she hung out with Jun and Haru.
"Aw, Katsuko-chan! It's okay! We really don't mind having you over for dinner!"
"… Uh…!"
"I didn't know Katsuko could be like this." Rukia whispered to Ichigo, amused by Katsuko's flustered face while her eyes screamed for help.
"Yeah, she can get shy." Ichigo replied before going over and swatting his father's hand away from Katsuko's head, nice enough to save her. "Alright, enough!"
"I'd be nice to have more people at dinner for once!"
"The more the merrier!"
In the end, she just couldn't say no.
Must be Yuzu's fault.
But Ichigo would argue that she just couldn't say no.
…
…
…
Katsuko was sitting next to Karin on the couch with a controller in her hand. A minute ago, Katsuko went back upstairs to grab her pencil case in her bag that she left behind (and found Rukia emptying out Ichigo's closet while he was in the bathroom) to be ready to help Yuzu. But then Karin invited her to play multiplayer since Yuzu was with the laundry. Karin thought a few matches would be enough time for her sister to finish up what she was doing.
Obviously, Karin was kicking her ass because this was her game.
But right now, both girls were laughing from what just happened.
Katsuko had done enough damage with a super, leaving the other girl with one or two health points left. Karin put some distance to charge up only for Katsuko to casually pick up a pebble and K.O her. That instantly had them cracking up.
"Why did you do that?!" Karin face palmed with a laugh, replaying the scene in her head again.
"You said you were almost dead! What was I supposed to do? Wait for you to kill me instead?!" Katsuko giggled while choosing a new character to play.
"Oh god, that was funny." Karin composed herself to choose her own character.
A figure suddenly went past Katsuko's gaze, causing her to gasp and jump in her seat and nearly drop the controller. She looked around quickly and spotted a Plus wandering around the living room as if it owned the place. It looked like a middle-aged woman. Katsuko's gaze was fixated on her. What the hell was it doing here?
Was this place haunted…?
What the fuck…?
"They'll leave you alone if you ignore them."
Katsuko stilled. Slowly, she turned back around to look at Karin who was still looking at the screen. Karin could see spirits like Ichigo? She had no idea.
"I didn't know you could see them too…"
A quick shurg. "I don't make it obvious." The younger girl then paused and lowered her gaze. She almost stopped herself from saying what came next. "I can also see you and Ichi-nii wearing those black clothes. I actually saw you fighting that monster. You were with some guy with blonde hair." She confessed before starting the next match. It was a pure coincidence really. Karin was walking home with her soccer ball and happened to witness that day. She never approached because Katsuko was talking with that one guy while her real body rested next to him. It was just like with her brother.
Ready?
Katsuko sighed with her nose. This was the first time someone told her they spotted her in her soul form. There was already a million questions she began asking herself to try and figure out how to respond. There wasn't a point in lying to Karin because she saw it all.
Fight!
The sound of buttons being pressed and fighting filled the silence. Karin was aware that her brother was a Soul Reaper. How much did she know? She must have already known out that Ichigo also fought Hollows. Did she know about the Arrancars? She was growing a little concerned now that Karin was aware. What if the Arrancars return and she gets drawn to them out of curiosity if she thinks her brother might be there?
That was something she didn't want happening even though Karin looked like someone who knew better than to investigate danger.
If possible, she'd would like to prevent that scenario.
"Is, there, uh, anything you want to know since you know… y'know?"
Perhaps appeasing any curiosity might stop her from making that scenario come true.
The phrasing pulled out a light chuckle from Karin, something she actually hoped for. "I don't think knowing would change anything. I can't do anything. I tried to get an answer out of him, but still got nothing. He's been like that. Ichi-nii is always the type to smile and pretend everything is okay to not worry us." Karin started furiously jamming the buttons when Katsuko got the upper hand. "It's hard to know what he's thinking about when he's like that."
Katsuko remembered all the times in middle school when Ichigo would show up at her house to tend to some injury instead of going straight home. He didn't want to worry his sisters. Yeah. He's always been like that. Always hiding stuff from those who would worry.
"I just want Ichi-nii to be okay."
Such simple words that carried the weight of a heavy worry.
Just then, she started thinking of her own family and other friends who had no idea of what she was doing. She imagined their faces... their questions... The secret she kept from them was slowly weighing hard for some reason. There was suddenly a problem with her keeping it from them. It felt wrong. It just didn't sit right with her.
K.O!
"I win again." Karin straightened her back with a grin.
It took a second for her to find a response to her words.
"I'll do my best to make sure he won't worry you so much." Katsuko suddenly declared to her. That went without saying of course. Happiness and peace were fragile after all. If she could, she would do her best to keep it together and protect it. She wanted Karin to know that. Because a small part of herself wanted to ease her worries. But also, this came out as a response to her reflecting her family on Karin. How could she avoid worrying her own family if they knew? How could she do the right thing?
The best thing she could up with was being sure to not do anything too reckless, to be careful, and to make sure she returned home alive. Always.
The younger girl turned to her and blinked. It wasn't something she expected. She predict more secrecy and reluctance to speak any more of the subject.
Saying she didn't appreciate it would be a lie though.
"Would that help?"
This was the first thing that came to mind to try and give her more peace of mind.
The younger girl couldn't help but smile a little. Her eyes drifted away to the side. "I mean Ichi-nii can take care of himself… but it would be great if someone was there to make sure he's okay."
I'm not the only one who would.
Karin didn't delve deeper into the subject of Soul Reapers. Even though she didn't like being kept in the dark, she would wait until Ichigo told her the truth. She trusted that he would one day.
Just then, Yuzu came inside the living room with her school materials.
Katsuko gave the controller to Karin and went to join the other young girl at the table, all while wondering whether or not she should tell the truth to her own family and friends one day soon.
When would it be the right time?
How?
I actually… want to talk about it one day.
I feel like I have to.
"Ohoo…" Rukia stared at the picture in the album. "Interesting. You weren't born with a scary face…"
"Would you stop?!"
Ichigo growled with embarrassment as Isshin showed his childhood pictures to Rukia. He was actually showing off his daughters first until they made it to some of Ichigo pictures. Needless to say, the teenage boy wasn't pleased when he returned from his room. Katsuko was sitting on the far end of the couch next to Yuzu with a hand on her face. She was laughing at Ichigo while his father pushed his hand in his face to stop him. He had already swatted Ichigo away like a fly three seconds ago.
Rukia picked up one of the photographs with widened eyes. "Oh! This is you two? I didn't know you two knew each other as children." She revealed a picture to Ichigo and Katsuko, it was the one Ichigo found by back in middle school.
"Ichigo and Katsuko-chan met when they were kids because Katsuko-chan is one of my patients!" Isshin grinned like a fool, quickly releasing Ichigo and caused him to stumble into the couch. The bright haired teen rammed his face right into arm rest next to Karin. "Sometimes, when we ran into Katsuko-chan and her mom at the mall, these two would run to each other while calling each other's names!"
Katsuko squinted her eyes. "I don't remember that…" She found this revelation amusing and a little embarrassing. He was either lying just for fun or it really happened as he said.
"Me neither." Ichigo added after nursing his face a little. He just wanted his father to stop with this nonsense already.
"Oh, let me show you that time when he was three…!"
Swiftly, Ichigo snatched the photo album away from his father who protested annoyingly which just ended with a foot in his face.
mistakes will be fixed later
next chapter is done. just a bit of tweaking left.