Noodles.
One of her favorite things to eat.
Yet she all she could feel was nervousness and conflict within her.
It was the next morning and she had to go to school. Her mom made her one of those instants noodles for breakfast. It was really a regular morning.
As if last night never happened.
While her mother sat on the other end of the table going through the grocery newspapers, Katsuko was wondering how to tell her mom and when should she tell her. It was last night did she realize that perhaps telling her would be a good idea because of how late her mother stayed out. Her mom and dad could have been in the car passing by a fight only to get struck by a stray Getsuga Tenshou or something.
It was more out of concern for them now.
She was terribly scared for their safety more than hers.
But that topic needed more than just twenty minutes.
The whole truth was needed because her mother needed proof of what she would tell her. She needed to figure out that part first.
"Katsuko."
"HUH?!"
She jerked in her seat.
"Hurry up and finish your food! You need to get ready and go!" Her mother looked up at the clock and pointed at it. "You're going to be late, you know?"
Her eyes glanced at the time.
Shit.
Katsuko gobbled up the rest of her food with haste and quickly drank her water while paying heed to her mother's warning about her choking.
I need more time.
Katsuko showed up at school a little later than she would have liked. Keigo greeted her by throwing his hands on her shoulders, expecting a scream or something to come out of her. But she played along and gave him the most dead stare she could muster to make him whine about her. Mizuiro smiled and talked about how Karakura Town's roads and street lights were somehow destroyed during the dead of night, musing about how he always heard about destruction in parts of town. Katsuko joked about how it must have been Chad sleep walking.
Ichigo was not at school.
It's not like she expected him to.
Chad and Ishida weren't at school either, but she didn't know what was up with them.
During class, Katsuko could feel the weight of Ichigo's empty seat pressing against her back. The void behind her was too noticeable. It was as if shaming her for attending school instead of training. But shame was too extreme of a word. It was more like it was slowly inspiring her, motivating her, to be better. It was always like that. One way or another, Ichigo was inspiring her and motivating her to do something she knew needed to be done.
Her pencil scratched the paper to fill her notebook with notes.
The Arrancars were too much trouble for her to handle. It took everything she had just to stay alive. It felt like her real life or death battle compared to the battles she had in the Soul Society.
Her hand stopped.
But it's still not enough.
She needed to train even more.
Things needed to speed up.
Her hands gripped the pencil tighter, and her face frowned deeply.
She needed to get stronger fast before they returned.
The pressure to improve feeling heavier with each damn ticking of that stupid clock in the front.
I'm still not good enough against them.
Too much Soul Reaper business flooded her mind. The lesson was the last thing she thought about. Her mind was so lost in thought that she couldn't notice the concerned eyes of Rukia lingering on her form. This caught the attention of Inoue who was also noticing the rather silent frustration seeping out of Katsuko.
I can't just sit her and go to school.
I need to do something while I still can.
Rukia and Inoue didn't have the chance to talk to Katsuko. As soon as first period ended, Jun and Haru went over to her to talk about something only to have her excuse herself to quickly go to the bathroom. She ran to the bathroom. They only noticed her absence after Aiza returned in her body. Inoue was the one who pointed outside to show Rukia Katsuko in her Soul Reaper attire. Rukia and Inoue wanted to know where Ichigo had suddenly disappeared to after last night. But the potential answer was running off to who knows where. Rukia took this as her cue to run after her. Unfortunately, she would only lose track of her once her spiritual pressure disappeared behind a wall.
…
…
…
Katsuko stopped in front of the barrier that hid the warehouse from all normal eyes. According to Hachigen, who she learned was a Kido master, he created his own special barriers so that not even Soul Reaper can penetrate it with their own Kido. When it came to entering and exiting, he had full authority over it, no exception. But he could allow people entry from a remote place if they placed their hand on the barrier and exerted some spiritual power, basically Kido. It was to have him recognize who was trying to come in.
She made her whole palm glow blue and placed it against the barrier. Kido was getting easier to draw out. On the way to school and to the warehouse, she was absentmindedly trying to use Kido in her hand. She wanted to try making those blue sparks again and figure out how to change it. It was kind of working.
Not even five seconds passed and she saw a doorway appear for her. She slipped inside and watched it shut behind her. She could feel a Hollow's spiritual pressure coming from below. None of the Vizards were around their little lounging room. That meant they were downstairs. Her foot steps were light when she approached the entrance of the underground training room. She recalled the way Shinji opened it and easily had it opened up in front of her.
The more she went deeper underground, the louder the sounds of inhumane screeching and roaring echoed.
Ichigo is undergoing the battle against his Hollow.
He really did went ahead with the inner battle instead of preparing. It was a wonder how Ichigo couldn't just will himself to wait and prepare. Does he not get worried about failing because he was too hasty?
Her pace was steady but quickened. She could hear blades clashing.
A part of her was curious to see his transformation. Would that kill the cat?
Love looked over his shoulder when he heard her footsteps coming down. He greeted her with a slight wave.
"Hey, decided to skip school, goody-two-shoes?"
"Couldn't sit still after what happened last night."
Katsuko jumped over the last three steps and landed carefully as Love went back to watching Ichigo. Her eyes fixed Shinji who was watching Rose fight against Hollowfied Ichigo. Her feet started leading her to him. She greeted the Vizards she passed by while watching Ichigo's Hollow form. Seeing it in person did not terrify her more than it did when she first saw his Hollow mask. Mostly because she believed in Ichigo and his resolution. And if he chose to take the riskier path, he shouldn't let that bite him in the ass.
Is this what I looked like?
His face undoubtedly looked like one.
He had one white monster foot.
His upper body was covered in white, hands with sharp white claws with red marks on his shoulders.
He was seriously a couple of minutes away from becoming a true Hollow.
The time limit to control one's Hollow was an hour more or less. She didn't know how much time had passed for him to end up like this.
Right now… Hollow Ichigo is strong…
Strong.
Right.
Oh?
Swiftly, she removed her Zanpakuto from her hip when she approached Shinji. Soundlessly, she sat while setting her sheathed weapon down in front of her. The noise she made was loud enough to get his attention. The blonde Vizard looked at her and met her lazy stare.
"Morning, I am here."
"I can see that. Why're you here? I thought you wanted to be good and be in school?"
"I was going to. But last night's fight is bothering me so much. I need to get stronger or else I'm really going to die next time."
Shinji glanced at her. "How did it go?"
Katsuko sighed. "I would have lost if not for those five seconds of Hollowfication."
"Yikes. You still need work."
"Yeah."
"But we're busy right now." Shinji nudged his head towards the barrier that contained Hollow Ichigo. "Unless you wanna train against that?"
It was a joke.
Seriously.
"Yes, actually." She replied without missing a beat.
Shinji did a double take. "Eh?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You serious?"
"Yes, bowl-cut rat." He was going to ignore that insult to his hair. "If I fight that, it's still training. I could literally die against that right? Even better."
This was different from training. That won't hold back on her. This was a real fight between her and a feral Hollow Reaper. He didn't think she'd voluntarily jump right into the lion's den. But judging from the look on her face, she knew exactly what she was signing up for. The opportunity to push her limits was right there. Really. She wasn't kidding around with her motivation to get stronger. What was rammed into her brain every time she trained? Life-or-death situations was the best way to get stronger. Did that make her suicidal?
Yeah, she was a bit nervous of getting in there, but she needed to keep doing at least something while she couldn't train with Kensei.
"Don't get too ahead of yourself. Right now, Ichigo's worse than we thought." Shinji warned her while motioning to Lisa's state. The black haired Vizard looked tired and a bit roughed up from her time inside. Katsuko stared at her for a second like as if she was doing a quick evaluation of her choices. Seeing her certainly did make her hesitate a little. Her mind wondered just how bad was it to face it head on…
Could she even handle it?
... She needed to be able to.
Because Arrancars were still much stronger than that Hollow she was seeing right now.
With a response that came with a little nod, asking when she could take her turn.
Shinji could see the quiet resolve on her face. Her fight with that Arrancar was spurring her on. Admittedly, he was just a little worried because Ichigo's Hollow was much more dangerous in his current state. They were already reaching forty minutes. The longer the time, the worse it got.
"You really wanna do it, huh…" Shinji looked at the fight in front of him. Worse case would be that he'd have to drag her out if it got too dangerous. A good I told you so would help her listen to that little voice in her head that warned her about danger.
"Fine. Just don't be upset if I tell you I told you so."
They were sending the Vizard fawn in.
Her time came.
She was fighting against Ichigo's Hollow.
This wasn't her friend.
This was the monster within him.
That's how she was treating him.
As long as she didn't voluntarily swipe his head off then all was fair game. She wouldn't have to worry about killing him.
Katsuko deflected his slash by striking his arm when he swung. Gyakufuu supported the attack to knock him back. He let out a gurgling-like sound when he fell against a rock. He turned on his heel and kicked back against the rock, destroying it in the process.
With a shout, she swung her blades at him.
She was using her Shikai to fight against him. Like Shinji warned her just before she got in, any second could be her last if she wasn't careful. Her single hand could count how many times she nearly died just now. It might even be more than her ten fingers if she still wasn't careful.
Her blade had slashed him across his back which spewed out white stuff that nearly spiked into her core. She used her other blade to slice it, making them fall harmlessly on the ground. And then she struck his chest with her ability-less blade which dragged a red line that spewed blood from it. Instantly did the wound close with the appearance of some bubbly white. Instant regeneration on his part. Great.
Katsuko was panting when she watched him heal.
The Hollow screeched and swung at her legs with his black sword. He was starting to grow a tail the last time she saw as she dodged his attack. She jumped back and quickly brought her swords in front to cover herself as it aimed its hand to the center of her being. When she got pushed back, it forced her to take multiple steps back to regain balance when the Hollow closed the distance quickly to aim the blade at her throat. She back stepped every time she moved her head away to dodge the tip. Her body slipped to the side and severely rammed the hilt of her normal sword into his temple. The Hollow made a squawk-like sound when it staggered. But that didn't slow it down. The Hollow roared and swung his blade at her which she parried with the same blade, throwing past his head.
Her left blade reeled back as she enveloped it in wind.
It roared again when it brought down the black blade.
"Gyakufuu!"
The impact of their blades pushed him back. Her body moved on instinctively. She ran after the Hollow and slammed her left blade into the ground where he stood. She could hear him screech as it blew up and blasted him away.
The next thing she knew, a giant Getsuga Tenshou flew her way from behind the smoke.
"Oh shit."
It was seriously close.
She flash stepped away and reappeared somewhere on his left. She was already darting back to attack.
She would spin her body around to slash with wind to catch the Hollow by surprise when Gengetsu Reppuu would curve and created a circular attack from her position, like an outward ring. When she found an opening, she jumped high in the air and slammed her blade down as a burst of wind, Bakuhou, blew up where he stood. She was matching his savage way of fighting with her own wild aggression. It was almost out of character for her, the other Vizards noted while watching her. A clear contrast from her calm demeanor.
"She's fighting very seriously." Rose remarked. He could see how much stronger she had gotten.
"Yeah. Punk is turning into a real monster so she has to fight with everything she has." Love stretched his arms. As if the wounds she got so far wasn't enough of a message to have her push her limits. "Pretty reckless idea though. For training, I mean."
"She's doing good though." Rose chuckled. "I wonder if she can keep up when the transformation worsens?"
When the smoke cleared, he came out with one full monster leg.
He was going to stomp on the place where she stood.
Katsuko moved back and readied her blades.
It knocked away her left blade before her body could regain balance. It caught on to her obvious way of attack. Her blade flew across the ground and knocked against a small rock, stopping it from moving any further, With a sharp inhale, she ducked and backed away as it kept coming. She saw her blade a few meters away from her. She just needed to get back to it!
...
...
...
His other hand was thrusted towards her. As a bluff, she created pure spirit energy in her hand to imitate Kido and made a move to shove it in his own after she leaned her head away to avoid his attack. The moment he retracted his hands to dodge, she swung her weapon and slashed him deeply across his chest. Her scythe cut deeper because of Hollowfication.
…
…
…
I just need one moment.
The girl dodged a few times and cut the air with her sword. Hollow Ichigo was becoming a better acrobat as his transformation progressed. But she stayed calm even in face of its growing power.
Katsuko readied herself to block the blow. It came lunging at her with another animalistic scream. He poked his sword towards her which she blocked and shoved away. It staggered but it used the momentum to swing down on her again.
Katsuko winced with a loud hiss when the blade manage to gash the side of her thigh, pain lancing through her from that area. She leaped away and to get a better position as she began tolerating the initial pain from the injury. But the Hollow didn't relent.
It lunged at her with a shriek.
For a moment, time slowed down.
… How did it go again?
I did this before with my scythe.
I think.
Block… and attack?
The next attack came.
Her body moved to the side to avoid it.
Her mind was still water, calm.
The sword in her hand went up to slam his sword to the side, away from her to throw him off balance.
Her eyes were wide, almost in a crazy manner. Her foot come closer to him as she stomped down while her left arm was coming towards him from below. Her hand was open as it aimed for his solar plexus.
Her hand was pushing him back as it touched him.
A beat.
Head thrown back; Hollow Ichigo let out a strangled scream before suddenly getting sent flying back a short distance by a force. He landed hard against the ground, rolling around for a while as it slowed down. The thing is, she didn't even realize what she did until after she went to collect her sword and saw her hand glowing a dim green light. She picked up her sword and looked back at Hollow Ichigo wigh nothing but silent surprise written across her face. She almost looked like someone caught red handed after someone flashed a light on her in the dark.
That attack just now…
It was…
That was Kido, just now…
An amateur offensive improvised Kido…
I did Kido!
…
…
…
The Vizards were taken back when Katsuko suddenly threw her head back and laughed. She laughed so hard, like someone told her the most hilarious joke deserving of number one prize. Her body shook with delight.
"What the fuck is wrong with her?" Hiyori tilted her head. All across her face was just genuine pleasure.
What was it...?
There was just something so… exhilarating about using offensive Kido for the first time albeit sloppily. She almost felt high. She only meant to try that sparking blue thing she did last night. Instead, something completely different happened. Like what the hell?! It was awesome!
When did I feel like this before?
Maybe against my Hollow?
Man, who cares! I feel so good!
She was so high over her small achievement that she was too late to react to a blow aimed at her face.
"ACK—!"
Like him, she was sent flying.
Watching this, Kensei could only facepalm in pure disappointment. After so many times of warning her to stop letting her guard down, she does it in the worst place.
"You can't be serious."
Needless to say, she never let her guard down against the Hollow for the rest of her time.
…
…
…
"How many times do I have to repeat myself?"
Katsuko sweat dropped.
Kensei's big hand was holding her jaw.
Love took over for her when she finished. She was literally jumping out of the barrier when Love called her to switch. When she walked out and passed by Kensei on her way to Shinji, he beckoned her over. She found herself quickly in her current predicament. She could see Mashiro giggling at the away she was getting scolded by Kensei, making comments that she looked like an idiot sandwich or whatever that meant.
Her soft cheeks were squished by his digits almost too firmly.
"Huh?" He shook her head a little to coax a response out of her. "Is the training not getting through to you?"
"I'll do better next time…" She managed to say despite her puckered lips. Kensei brought their faces closer after she said that.
"Yeah? You said that before. This time, you laughed like a maniac and got punched into next week. Embarrassing as hell if you ask me."
"Sorry…"
Note to self: Never let your guard down. Ever. Unless you want Kensei to grab your whole skull next time.
"I was just kinda happy I did that even though that wasn't what I wanted to do."
Kensei kept his gaze on her and she sheepishly looked away. That didn't really explain why she had to laugh so hard like that. Did she have a screw lose? His fingers released her jaw. Her own reached up to caress her face even though it didn't hurt. It was just for show as she pouted. His gaze lingered on her for a few seconds before looking back at the watch in his hands.
"Since you voluntarily jumped in there, you don't have a problem to harder training then?"
She quickly shook her head and dropped her hand. "Kick up my training, please."
He could respect her desire to get stronger after realizing she still wasn't good enough. The girl understood she needed to push her limits even more. He always liked people who were self-aware like that. The question is, can she take it? He'd just have to wait and see. But he had small hunch that she wouldn't back down even if it was too much.
Because that's exactly what she did in the beginning against him.
And look how it paid off. Her power level was appropriate for a Vizard.
"Alright, then." Kensei waved her off, lightly pushing her shoulder away from him. "Go rest up now. We can start later."
"Really?" Katsuko blinked at him. They would be starting right after they were done with Ichigo? Cool.
Kensei gave her a weird look as she stared at him with curious round eyes that seem to twinkle. "Why do you look happy about that?"
"Nothing, nothing! I'll got rest now!" Katsuko pushed herself up and walked off. She went to join Rose who beckoned her over with a hand.
From afar, the former Squad 5 Captain was quietly watching her interact with Rose. She looked embarrassed as Rose patted her shoulder. They were most likely talking about how she laughed and got punched for it. The music lover inspected her face for her. Anyone could tell they enjoyed conversing with the other.
But perhaps 'watching' wasn't the correct word to describe what Shinji was doing.
No, he was observing her.
September 10th
DAY 14
…
…
…
Lisa, Rose, Hachigen joined Shinji's observation in Katsuko's progress. She was currently fighting against Kensei, and Ichigo and Hiyori were fighting in another area of the training room.
Ichigo succeeded in controlling his inner Hollow. That meant that he could proceed with learning how to use his mask and maintain it just like Katsuko. While Hiyori's training consisted in forcing Ichigo to summon his mask with haste and try to keep it on, Kensei's was to have Katsuko maintain her mask for longer periods of time while enduring blows and fighting back. They were just a little different. By having Kensei use Hollowfication while fighting without holding back much, he was forcing her to keep up with a mask, to force her to not let go of it because she needed to match him while fighting back.
"She's getting stronger faster than we expected." Rose commented with his hands in his pockets, watching with surprise as Katsuko fought back against Kensei. It was very different from her first days fighting him. Her training was majorly kicked up to push her even further. Her time with them was evident.
Lisa agreed with her arms crossed. Then she removed her glasses to clean her lenses.
"I suppose that all the battles and training she had until now have greatly improved her strength without us realizing it." Hachigen spoke.
Kensei threw a barrage of punches at her while she guarded, and then attacked him when she found an opening. She ducked and aimed for his legs with her swords. He just jumped up and aimed a kick. With a grunt, she brought her arms in front of her in an X to block the blow just in time. When his foot made contact, she was pushed back further away, her feet scratching the ground noisily.
After she stopped moving, she swung down her blades readily, her swords appearing coated in wind and lightning. With narrowed eyes, she got into a proper fighting stance and got ready.
"And maintaining the mask is gradually improving." Hachigen commented when he saw that her mask had yet to crumble. "How long has it been now?"
Unlike Ichigo she wasn't slow in putting on her mask after a few tries. Some of the Vizards were like that too. They get the hang of it rather quickly.
"I'd say about twenty-five seconds." Shinji replied. "It's a good pace."
"Is there a goal set right now?" Lisa put her glasses back on her face.
Shinji looked up at the ceiling with a sigh. "If we're movin' at this pace now… by the end of the week we should reach at least a minute and a half? Might change though."
He really couldn't give an estimate. Everyone had different experiences when training to maintain their Hollow masks. Mashiro didn't need training at all, Hiyori took about three weeks and six days, Lisa needed only a week and a half. It was all different. No one could accurately predict the progress and results.
Rose put a thoughtful hand on his chin. "Also, she's getting the hang of using her Hollow's lightning… or whatever it is. I still don't understand the reason for it being."
"I'll admit it is strange." Hachigen watched Katsuko jumped up and slammed her blades down, creating two lines of wind and lightning rippling forward. Kensei managed to slip through the attack and swing his Zanpakuto at her when she was still in position of her attack. Her head jerked away from his blade and she flash stepped away when he swung his blade horizontally.
Kensei blocked her blade with his own and shoved it away to back up when she swung her other one. He moved back again and used his Shikai's ability, slashing at the air to send wind blades. Katsuko quickly slowed herself down when she saw it coming as she ran after him. She sucked in a breath before sliding down to her knees and leaning back to avoid them. The rocks situated away behind her were sliced through.
She rolled away before he could reach her spot, dodging a Bomb Thrust from him. The blast whipped her hair around. His eyes caught her maneuvering around on the ground to point the tip of her left blade at him. Time to dodge that one.
Training with Kensei has definitely toughened Katsuko up even more. After all, with Kensei, it wasn't just Zanjutsu and Hollowfication, it was a combination of that with Hakuda. She needed to be ready for any kind of attack coming from him, forcing her to become more flexible in the manner she reacted and attacked.
Kensei and Katsuko exchanged blows until her mask looked like it burst from the inside with how the fragments flew off her face. The lightning on her blade faded away. With a deep breath, she paused and leaned her head back to look up at the ceiling. Her eyes closed, trying to catch her breath, and she could hear the sound of Ichigo and Hiyori's fighting echoed in the training room. It was good ambient noise for some reason.
"It must belong to her Hollow. It faded after her mask broke after all." Lisa remarked before pulling out one of her magazines from who knows where and walking away to read it somewhere.
"Alright, enough for now." Kensei easily removed his mask and sheathed his blade. He didn't want to tire her out too much on the brink of passing out. She was insisting on training even when she looked exhausted, so he had to call for the break. "We'll take a break."
"Yes, please." Katsuko wheezed. "I need to sit down and just die for a second."
Kensei raised a brow. "You gonna complain?"
"About the training? Nah." Katsuko reverted her Zanpakuto. "It's hard. Obviously. I need to rest. That's it."
He looked satisfied with her answer. At least she admits being exhausted. His hand landed on her head as he passed her by while she sheathed her blade. "Then go rest now. We'll continue later." He didn't miss the way she smiled a little at the gesture.
With a nod, Katsuko walked off somewhere and sat down with her Zanpakuto by her side. From her spot, she just watched Kensei pick up a hand towel to wipe his face. Seeing that somehow just made her want to eat one of those onigiris they had set on the side. She left her sword leaning against the rock when she went to go eat one. There, she found Mashiro eating one and she had another one in her hand. Upon seeing her, the green haired Vizard froze like a deer in headlights for a second. Katsuko must have caught her in the act of trying to steal more.
"Kacchi." Innocently, Mashiro smiled and held out the onigiri for her. "Tired?"
"Yep." Katsuko took the snack from her. "This is like lunatic mode on a game. Kensei is like a whole dinosaur now." Then she looked back to check if he was nearby before turning back to Mashiro and making a grumpy face.
The green haired Vizards snickered at the image, a grumpy dinosaur. "Kensei's face always looks so grouchy." Then she took another mouthful of her onigiri. "But you knooow Kacchi, you're doing well for someone who couldn't even keep on her mask! Like you were seriously a hooooopless case!"
Katsuko smiled stiffly with dead eyes as Mashiro kept munching away, leaving pieces of rice stuck around her mouth.
"Thanks."
She robotically took a bite.
...
...
...
It came to everyone's surprise when a human slipped through Hachigen's barrier. It alarmed everyone. Because... HOW? At that time, Katsuko was hiding behind Kensei's back while peeking up at the stairs. Because why wouldn't she take cover behind the military-esque man? She didn't realize who was coming down until after they came within a certain radius. Must be the training fatigue getting to her. It made her relax when she understood it wasn't a threat (even though they were supposed to be human). It was Inoue. She was dressed in her school uniform.
... She cracked a poor joke about losing her way to the bathroom, obviously displeasing Kensei and his 'no-nonsense' personality.
"Just relax." Katsuko poked his shoulder. "What, you're going to snap at a human like what you do with Mashiro?"
"But who the hell cracks a joke in a situation like this?" Kensei countered. Lisa and Love added their own comments.
Seeing the smaller person behind the grumpy looking Vizard, Inoue's eyebrows rose up high as she exclaimed. "Hiragi-san!"
"… Yo."
Kensei looked over his shoulder with a deep frown. "You know this human?!"
"Yeah… she's my classmate. And she has powers."
"What?!"
All of a sudden, Ichigo's grunt sounded nearby as he got kicked by Hiyori, her infamous foot throwing him to the ground.
"What are you doing, Ichigo?!" Hiyori shrieked at him, still not impressed by his progress. "Too slow!"
Katsuko cupped her hands around her mouth. "You dead?!"
"Hell no!"
"Kurosaki-kun!"
"… Inoue?!"
…
…
…
Information came from the Soul Society.
They discovered Aizen's goal.
It started with Ukitake Juushiro making an unusual discovery. During his time as Captain of Squad 5, or specifically two days before his defection, Aizen accessed a major archive room in the Soul Society in Central 46. Documents related to the Hougyoku were accessed, but also a body of literature that had nothing to do with the powerful orb. It was about the Ouken, a key that locks away the Soul King Palace where the Soul King resides in a dimension separate from the Soul Society.
The Captain Commander speculated the murder of the Soul King as Aizen's ambition.
But the thing is, Aizen did not search for the Ouken. He searched the archive in order to learn how to make his own.
And what did they learn?
Aizen needed 100,000 souls and a Juureichi, a concentrated spirit zone, the place in the Human World that possessed the greatest concentration of spiritual beings. And Karakura Town just so happened to be the Juureichi today.
To create his Ouken, Aizen would have to literally carve out Karakura Town from where it stood.
It was at this moment did Katsuko curse anything spiritual for existing in Karakura Town, even herself.
It might be cruel to say, but why couldn't a small village in the outskirts of Tokyo be the Juureichi?!
Why couldn't nature have souls?
Every damn speck of green in a forest could be the Juureichi.
Katsuko lowered her head and fisted her hands as she looked away from Ichigo and Inoue. They were exchanging words that she didn't bother registering in her brain. All her mind thought about was the people she cared about just living blissfully ignorant in Karakura Town. It just kept getting worse. Hollows, Arrancars, Aizen, this damn Ouken, and the Juureichi. It just kept layering.
For some reason, she just couldn't feel anything towards Aizen, not even for the fact that he wanted to sacrifice everyone and everything in her town. She just couldn't.
The feelings that were snaking around inside her were mostly born out of the fear and anxiety for what consisted of her life.
But she supposed that it was an even greater motivation to get stronger.
Still…
It's just…
It's slowly reaching the brim.
All of a sudden, a warm big hand just dropped on her head, startling her. The girl looked up, almost panicked, and saw Ichigo looking at her with a squinted eyes and a frown. He leaned closer while she stared at him with question marks in her eyes. What was his problem? Was he the one with the bad eyesight now?
"What?"
"There you go making that face again."
Blink.
"What… face?"
"That 'I'm-gonna-explode-into-worried-confetti' face."
Katsuko deadpanned at him. For that, she picked up the towel that the Vizards lent her and just wiped his face with it, as if to erase his face in one gentle wipe. He just pushed her hand away with a sputter.
"Can you blame me? Shit just keeps piling up so fast. Soon, we'll be hearing about freaking Mars on its way to crash into the Earth!"
It's only been two days from the previous assault.
"Okay, no. No damn planet is gonna come rushing down here." He flicked her forehead, causing her to flinch with a pout.. "You heard Inoue." Ichigo motioned his head towards the girl watching them. "We have so much time to prepare for all those things. We'll just have make sure we're definitely ready."
Katsuko lowered her eyes. Right. About four months… Winter is the war.
We both know our level.
We both know that more work needs to be done to prepare.
"I know."
But it doesn't make me feel any less worried.
"Oiiii." Shinji voices carried to them lazily. "You two done? You guys need more work to do, especially you Ichigo, like seriously."
War.
"Yeah, yeah, I know that!" Ichigo scowled at the way Shinji looked at him like he was a problem child. He pushed himself up. Then he looked down and saw his friend still on the ground, quietly looking at Shinji as if she was spacing out. He grabbed Katsuko's arm to pull her up, evoking a light 'eep' out of her. The sight of his confident face gave her pause. He certainly looked unbothered by the news compared to her. His face remained calm, accepting, and determined.
How annoyingly frustrating.
"Come on. You wanna waste time?"
"Ugh, no."
"Thought so." Ichigo turned away from her. "Alright, we're restarting my training! Hiyori!"
"It's Hiyori-san, baldy!"
Right, for now. Just keep training. Be prepared.
Katsuko stopped in her tracks just when she was about to walk off. She turned to Inoue and gave her a small smile. "Thanks for updating us on the situation. You can tell Hitsugaya-san we got the message."
Just be prepared.
Pulled out of her thoughts, Inoue smiled and nodded, getting up before dusting her skirt off. "Okay! I'll leave you and Kurosaki-kun to your training."
Prepared.
...
...
...
When they parted ways, Katsuko went to join Kensei who was watching her classmate leave and still annoyed by her showing up in their super secret lair. Man, can't he just let it go?
"Finally done." Kensei commented. She just seemed amused by his reaction. "Tch, just what the hell was with that woman?" It was just the way she, a human girl, somehow made it through one of Hachigen's barriers and waltzed right into their place that unnerved him. Oh. And that joke, too.
"I told you: she's our classmate. She was just passing along information from the Soul Society."
Rose and Lisa added their own comments as they watched the teen climb up the seemingly endless stairs. Behind them, Shinji sighed deeply and looked up at the faux sky. "That girl… was Orihime-chan."
"Hah?! What the hell, Shinji?! You know her?" Kensei exclaimed. Katsuko sweat dropped at the irritable expression on his face. Her hand came to pat his back while she told him to watch his blood pressure lest it rises.
"You, quiet."
"Mmppff!"
He put his hand over her mouth to quiet her down.
"Orihime-chan was my first love."
Kensei rolled his eyes at that crap and dropped his hand, freeing Katsuko of her silence. "Oi, that's a blatant lie. Forget you then. Come on, Katsuko." The man was turning around to leave Shinji and his bullcrap behind. He grabbed the teen's arm to drag her along, but she slipped her arm out to stay behind a few seconds.
"Shinji, you say that to all the cute girls!" Lisa said exasperatedly. "You even said that to me!"
Katsuko chortled, her body turning away to follow after her trainer. A comment was already itching to come out of her. "I bet he doesn't even need to say it. He shows it like a weird fetish. Like following around a fourteen year old girl just because she looked like a Soul Reaper. If that isn't pedophilia, I don't know what it IS—!"
She was cut off by Shinji smacking her upside the head. Rose and Lisa sweat dropped as Katsuko nursed her head.
"I told you I was gonna smack you the next time you said somethin' like that!"
"Waah! A pedophile with sadistic tendencies!"
Living life with a bit humour always made things feel much lighter.
Katsuko bolted after Kensei the moment she saw Shinji about to bust a move, her giggling flying after her and around Kensei as she circled around him. She stuck her tongue at him while she walked, her head looking over her shoulder to stick her tongue out at him. Not looking where she was walking backfired when she tripped over a tiny ass rock. Kensei grabbed the back of her Shihakusho with his quick reflexes just in time, catching her at a forty-five degree angle.
Because I felt weight pressing down on me.
September 19th
DAY 23
…
…
…
For once, she was having a normal day without training.
No, that was actually false.
It's just that she was taking the morning off from training. That feeling of being tired of training was plaguing her mind. But her mind and body would be back at it right after lunch. This time, with a fresh state of mind to maybe do even better.
But even now, on her break, all she could think about was the war, her friends, family, her training, everything that was too important to forget.
There was no school today either so she was basically home alone with Aiza, and that made her thoughts even louder.
So she decided to go out and buy herself lunch. That's why she found herself walking down the path to where most fast food, grocery, bakery places, etc, were gathered. A dozen of choices for her picking. Her attire was just some blue converse, black fitted pants, and a blue zipper hoodie over a purple t-shirt.
A sigh escaped her.
Lately, after training, she would often take a short nap on the ground despite Lisa warning her that her body would get cold. But she couldn't help it. Usually, the exhaustion only pushed her even more, but the fatigue of lunatic training caught up to her eventually, leaving her extremely tired. The Vizards would find her nestled behind a rock, curled in a small ball, napping peacefully. Some times she would also be lying on her side and someone would trip over her body since she was hidden.
Sleep seemed like the only time she could forget about everything. Dreamland or the void, it was a haven.
But other than that, the training was going very well. According to Kensei and Shinji that is.
Nine days of good training sessions.
And nine days of her thoughts in pure stressful chaos.
Pressure.
Heavy pressure.
She could feel a hand coiled around her throat everyday...
Another sigh heaved out from her before she reached for the hood of her hoodie.
"Katsuko?"
Her feet stopped, her hands dropping her hood to look behind her. It was Rukia dressed in a blue summer dress, sporting a surprised face upon seeing her. It had been a few days since her absence. Maybe that's why. Immediately, Katsuko brightened up and shared a playful grin. "Oh, Rukia. Not staying inside Ichigo's closet today?"
This feels familiar...
It's always so easy to slip back into the usual attitude.
"No. I was actually doing a bit of patrolling while getting some fresh air until I ran into you." Rukia came closer to the taller girl and saw how tired she looked. But she still remained the same as always, giving very little reason to think otherwise. But she still wondered nonetheless.
"Is everything alright? You seem tired."
"Yeah…" Katsuko didn't deny it, reaching back to scratch her head. She sighed dramatically, pretending to swing around her words in a lazy manner. "I've been training so much and getting tired a lot." She and Ichigo were absent from school for a week now. The first was absent spiritually while the last was gone physically. Rukia was aware that Ichigo sought help to control his Hollow, but she didn't think Katsuko had her own to deal with as well.
"I see. I hope you're not overexerting yourself." The short haired Reaper crossed her arms suspiciously, causing her to chuckle in response.
"Nope. I take breaks. It's just that my training is really hectic." Katsuko turned to continue walking while Rukia walked with her. "Like I'm really fighting with my life on the line every day." Katsuko then blew a raspberry, shaking her head. The topic was unnerving her right now. She just wanted one moment of peace, that's all she was asking for right now.
Oh.
"Hey, Rukia. Remember that crane game machine with the rabbits I told you about?"
"What about it?"
"Let's gooooo!"
Katsuko grabbed her wrist and started running in the direction of the arcade.
"Wait! Hold on! Where are we going?!"
"You'll see!"
Just let me enjoy some peace of mind for now.
...
...
...
The girl was grinning behind her hand, watching Rukia holding up a plushy rabbit at arm's length with big sparkling eyes. Her hands seem to shake as if she was holding up one of the greatest artifacts of history.
She really did seem to love it.
"Ohhh! And it almost looks just like Chappy!"
"Chappy?"
Oh! She's talking about those rabbits she draws all the time!
They went straight to the crane game that Katsuko once told her about in the Soul Society. Luckily, it was full of rabbits waiting to be adopted so they didn't have to struggle too much. Both girls took turns in getting a plushy which was about… fifteen tries? Maybe a bit more? All she knew was that she was out of coins in her wallet.
Katsuko might have gotten it but it was only because Rukia directed her. She was sure that other people around them were giving them looks for being so enthusiastic about the game, mostly Rukia though. In this arcade, she discovered that Rukia had a weakness for cute things in general. It became apparent when they passed by cute plushy of different animals on shelves for winning prizes.
Rukia lowered the plushy and looked at the teen with an excited smile. Katsuko thought it was nice to see her smile. It made her feel like everything was okay.
"Thank you, Katsuko. I appreciate this, I'll treasure this rabbit." She swore. This rabbit already had a place reserved for it in Rukia's room. She knew exactly where she was going to put it too. It was going to be somewhere where she could easily see it and love it. "I'm going to bring it back with me later this afternoon." She said as they started walking out of the arcade together.
"This afternoon? You're going back home?"
"Inoue and I have been training for the war in the Soul Society."
... Inoue?
"Inoue? Why?"
"She wants to fight in the battle" Rukia explained. That's when she started recounting everything that happened. It seemed like they decided to do this training together sometime after Inoue left the warehouse. Urahara told Inoue that it was best she did not participate in the war due to her only way of attack being destroyed the day the Arrancars first appeared. Also, Squad 4 would be on the front lines to do all the necessary healing, leaving Inoue kind of unneeded. Rukia also added the conversation she had with Inoue just before Hiyori 'kidnapped' her. Katsuko did remember Hachigen telling her that he fixed her hairpin to give her back her only way to fight offensively. She just wasn't paying attention because she was training so hard.
But, unlike Rukia, Katsuko did not get upset.
She didn't feel anything when hearing about Urahara coldly dismissing Inoue. Her mind stated mostly rational because it was Urahara giving the blunt truth, and also because she still felt the same way as when she invaded the Soul Society. Inoue didn't look like she was suited for battle.
Inoue's personality didn't suit battle.
Katsuko played with the ring on her finger. She was always wearing it nowadays, a heavy reminder of her own resolve. "I might not understand but… she said it's sad not to fight with everyone? What's the point of being happy if death is all that's waiting for you? I mean, this is a war we're talking about. Fighting together is nice and all… But when you die, there's no happiness or sadness, or even teamwork. You're just alone and dead."
A cold truth. Death was not something to take lightly. Rukia and Katsuko understood that when they performed as literal manifestations of death.
Rukia sighed. "I understand what you're saying, but Inoue can play a role in this war." She put her hand on Katsuko's back. "You all, including her, were essential to making sure I am alive today. There is not a reason why she cannot participate in the war and fight alongside us."
She really did understand Katsuko's opinion, truly she did. But it wasn't right to dismiss Inoue's potential in the war.
"Her healing abilities are valuable to a war, but having her nearby to protect us and heal us would catch the enemy's attention. They would get rid of the obvious problem. Plus, Squad 4 has combat training unlike her." Katsuko lowered her head and stared at the pavement. "It's too dangerous. The enemy is stronger, faster… Inoue might not have the reflexes to react to enemies like that… Aizen is aware that Inoue is not a combat type. It makes her an easy target to kill because she's weak. She'd get in the way. She's not good enough. Everything would get complicated and—"
"Katsuko!"
The girl jumped when Rukia suddenly raised her voice. It spooked her. She felt much smaller despite being taller than her. It felt like a child being scolded for doing something wrong. Rukia looked at her seriously, displeased with how Katsuko referred to their ally. She was basically saying exactly what Inoue didn't want to be.
"Inoue is not a burden!" Rukia told her. "I already told you that she has been training for winter's war to do what she can against Aizen's army. She's doing her best to fight alongside us! You can't just dismiss those efforts! It's insulting!"
Fuck.
"I didn't mean… I was just..." Katsuko frowned deeply and covered her face with one hand, her walking stopped. "Sorry." She quickly muttered with a harsh scratch of her head before walking over to a nearby bench and dropping herself in it. All she wanted to do was hide. So she hid her face in both her hands, berating herself mentally for saying something harsh. Rukia merely stood there and saw the way she appeared troubled. It made her features soften before she decided to approach the teen.
She was supposed to forget about this damn war for just a few blessed hours.
No.
She was still talking and thinking about it.
War. War.
War. War. War.
War. War. War. War. War. War. War. War. War. War. War. War. War.
WAR.
It's still bothering her so much.
"It's okay. You're okay... Katsuko, what's wrong with you?" She sat next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.
I'm trying so hard to just…!
"… I'm just so stressed and anxious out about this war. I've never fought in a damn war. Everyone I care about in this town is a target. I have to get stronger to do everything I can to stop Aizen and his armies. My mind doesn't rest. I just keep thinking and worrying about everything." She removed her hands and glared at the ground. "I'm just trying to keep it together when I feel like I'm suffocating every fucking day."
What the hell…?
Why do I feel like crying now?
Rukia's eyes observed her for a few seconds. Now, I see.
Behind all the quips and laughs, Katsuko still remains a human that possesses natural fears and anxieties. She's not like Ichigo. She can't be Ichigo. She could only mimic to fool others, play it cool to keep herself calm, hiding anything that could show off her vulnerability from others.
She was having war anxiety.
When Rukia saw small glitter pearl in the corner of her eyes, she felt Katsuko pull away from her to hide her face with her sleeves.
Katsuko dug her nails into the skin of her wrist as if to forcefully stop herself. She loathed the idea of showing off a weakness like crying. It made her feel pathetic. Because was she crying over something that was weeks away?! Why the hell did she need to cry over that?
Seeing her self-inflicting pain, Rukia immediately took her hand gently and pulled it away, bringing relief to Katsuko's pain receptors. It was as if she could hear Katsuko's berating thoughts. "Katsuko, it's alright to cry. There's nothing wrong with it." She placed a hand on her cheek to make her face her. She could see it clearly now that her walls had fallen. She could see Katsuko scrambled around to try and put them back up. She could see the young teenage girl's emotions clearly. She could see the blood of her soul on her cheeks. "You're feeling overwhelmed. I understand that this war's been occupying too much of your thoughts. And you're doing your best. But you shouldn't drown yourself in it. Don't lose yourself to the war nor to your own thoughts. Remember: you are not alone in this stressful time."
Why?
Why did her words seem to soothe her?
Why did her hand stop her tears?
Why was it so easy for Rukia to make her feel better?
She just didn't understand why.
"It's okay." Rukia placed her hand on her shoulder, holding it in a supportive and comforting manner. "Change your routine if you need to and reach out to us when you need to lean on someone. I'd be happy to listen if that's what you need. You don't need to feel lost by yourself. Share your troubles with us."
An invasion is different from a war. The current situation put so many things at stake. And it's so easy to get lost when things overwhelming someone. But what's important is how to keep afloat to keep moving, no stopping. Such is the importance of friends; to have support nearby.
Squeezing her eyes shut, wordlessly, Katsuko nodded and then bowed her head. She was thankful to Rukia for saying those words she didn't realize she needed to hear. She didn't know she was actually drowning herself in her anxiety until Rukia pointed it out to her. Is that why she felt like she was suffocating?
It felt like she just became a bit lighter after sharing her troubled thoughts. She forgot that venting felt very therapeutic.
"... Don't tell Inoue I said those things about her. She might not heal me the next time I'm hurt."
Rukia rolled her eyes with a light shrug of her shoulders and put her hand on her own lap, smiling. "Don't worry."
Groooowl~
The two girls blinked at each other.
Right. The world doesn't stop just because she's having trouble.
In a way, it somehow gave her comfort.
Katsuko plucked out her phone and checked the time. A sense of urgency flowed through her veins when she realized she wasn't going to be on time. She shot up from her seat with haste. Rukia jumped in surprise when she saw how Katsuko quickly flipped the switch. She was at a loss for words for a second. It almost made her doubt whether or not Katsuko from a few seconds ago was a mirage.
"Sorry, Rukia. I have to go now."
"K-Katsuko! Are you sure you're okay now?!" Rukia stood up with her plushy just as she was about to run off. Katsuko already had her wallet out to buy a Subway sandwich to fill her up.
"Kinda. But I still have training to do! Thanks for listening and talking to me!" Katsuko managed to smile a little before she waved at Rukia and started running. "I'll see you next time!"
She couldn't find a suitable excuse to not train. There didn't seem to be one. Preparations for war was still her priority. She wanted to be ready.
And this time, her heart felt just a bit lighter.
It felt like she can breathe a bit easier now.
That last scene was supposed to happen with Ichigo which might have included a small argument. But knowing her, she'd just avoid disturbing him to have him focus on his own training just like when he trained Bankai.
anyway, tired and sleepy rn so imma fix stuff tomorrow