A/N: Apologies for the delay, I have been stuck revising and preparing for my exams. Hopefully this chapter makes up for it and I hope you enjoy!
Please don't forget to leave a review as they are lovely to read. Thank you.
Something one should note about Kiyoko Urahara was a quite simple fact; the man loved to play cards.
Whether it be poker, gin rummy or even a simple game of go fish, the boy could play cards until the end of his days. Kiyoko loved it, from the smell of the cards to the strategy that followed, heck even the way he learned a person's emotions or thoughts just from the little, even insignificant, tells.
When he was much younger (probably around the age of five or six) Kiyoko could remember first playing a game with one of his classmates. They had to play between the rubbish bins down the alley behind the school so no teacher would see, but it was from that simple interaction that started the blonde's addiction. In the end, the boy found himself winning half a box of mochi that his friend had gotten as a gift from his Father in Tokyo and a fruit juice box.
The mochi, Kiyoko can remember sharing with his friend as an apology but the fruit juice (which was mango flavour) was consumed alone with Kiyoko cutting out the front of the box. To this day, that small scrap, now yellow and folded around the corners, was neatly tucked beside an ornate pocket watch in a box underneath his bed. It was a token for luck, or at least that was how Kiyoko viewed it, only ever seen on special or absolutely necessary occasions. Though most of Kiyoko's friends often asked why he even needed it, after all the boy always won his games.
So when, after five games, Ichigo threw his cards at Kiyoko's face, it was pretty clear who had lost.
"You know what, Kiko. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you," snarled Ichigo, jumping up of the bed as Kiyoko burst out laughing, his body shaking with the sound.
"It's only-"
"47,600 Yen,"
Another laugh sounded as Kiyoko leaned forward to neatly stack the money in front of him before placing it in a neat pile next to Ichigo's bedside table.
Kiyoko, despite being a gambling man, wasn't one who enjoyed stealing from friends.
The whole game had been a distraction from Kiyoko's current dilemma with the Madarame girl anyway, so really Ichigo didn't care if he lost but that didn't stop the feeling of frustration forming at the pit of his stomach. There was still an underlying anger that remained within Ichigo at Kiyoko's feelings towards Mikayla but the orange haired male didn't really want to go into that at that current moment in time. This wasn't about him, rather it was about Kiyoko.
Glancing outside, Ichigo watched as large drops or rain pelted against the window plain whilst the dark cloudy sky made shadows stretch further than he had seen in a long time. The beat of silence didn't go unnoticed by Kiyoko though as the blonde looked across at his friend before gently tying his hair back in a low ponytail. Standing, Kiyoko began to slowly walk towards the other male, his hand gently reaching forth to give his shoulder a tight squeeze in an attempt to return the man's gaze back onto him.
It was never good for Ichigo to be looking at the rain for too long, it dragged up too many memories.
Turning back to face the blonde, Ichigo offered a small smile before glancing back towards the clouds. Moments like this, Kiyoko couldn't help but feel that the weather spoke better for Ichigo's emotions than he did himself as he moved his hand up to pull the taller male against him. The hug was one sided but most of their hugs were so Kiyoko wasn't really offended, instead the shorter male just found himself holding the other male tighter as he began to hum softly.
"You know, moments like this are why people used to think that we were dating," joked Ichigo after a moment's pause.
"Shut up," he responded with no real heat, though he couldn't help the way his hand tightened around the base of Ichigo's neck.
Way back in middle school (long before Kiyoko came out with his sexuality) their classmates used to think that Ichigo and Kiyoko were dating. It became a running theory which was inspired due to their close relationship and the fact that Kiyoko was practically always hugging or holding onto the boy in some shape or form. At that age, well at that time, the pair were practically a package deal with Kiyoko rarely leaving the other's side, not that Ichigo wanted him to go far either. However, what many neglected to think about when this rumour was going around was the very simple fact that it was the late nineties and even though it was harmless (because children don't think like that at such a young age) it wasn't taken harmlessly by those who were older than them.
At first the older kids really didn't take notice, thinking that Kiyoko was a female both because of the name and his long hair. However, after they managed to discover his actual gender, the older classes (especially the males) didn't hesitate to bully and tear into the pair. For such a reason, fights and arguments often occurred with Kiyoko even getting suspended at one point for giving a boy a concussion. What followed after included Kiyoko cutting his hair short whilst Ichigo began to earn a reputation as a supposedly aloof 'bad-boy'. It wasn't ideal but it stopped all conversation of the pair being in any sort of a romantic relationship and in the end touches and hugs like this got reserved for being behind closed doors.
"I need you to promise me something," said Ichigo after a few moments of silence, his grip slowly tightening against Kiyoko's wrist and waist, causing the blonde male's eyes to widen in pain.
"Ichi, what are you doing?" rasped out the blonde, softly attempting to remove himself from the other's hold.
"Promise me. Promise me that under no circumstances do you go back to Madarame," said Ichigo, his brown eyes pleading as he looked down into Kiyoko's golden ones.
His grip had yet to slacken but Kiyoko wasn't focused on that, after all there was one thing that he couldn't shake. That look in Ichigo's eyes didn't match the tone of his voice and he knew that that only meant one thing after all Ichigo didn't beg for anything let alone something this trivial.
"What do you know?"
The question seemed to snap the orange haired male out of his daze as he took a slow step backwards, eyes becoming reserved again as distance returned between the pair.
It was all the man needed to know that something had happened.
"I said Ichigo, what do you know?"
"I know she's lying!"
It was quick, practically unhearable as it had come so shortly after Kiyoko had just finished speaking, but years of knowing Ichigo and knowing how the boy spoke and acted left Kiyoko able to catch the last word of what Ichigo had said.
Another beat of silence passed between the pair as Kiyoko looked across at Ichigo with his eyes wide and jaw dropped in shock. Then anger, burning hot anger flared as the shorter male marched forward, his eyes narrowing accusingly as he jabbed a single finger in the centre of Ichigo's chest.
"How do you know she's lying?" asked Kiyoko, each word spoken between clenched teeth as he continued to glare up at Ichigo.
"About a week or so ago, I saw her and she was-"
Realistically, Ichigo should have known that he should have left this part out, knowing that it would only serve to irritate and spark more of a fight out of Kiyoko.
"A week ago? Ichigo… is that why you weren't shocked that I came here to you? Because it was no longer just some baseless assumption, because now you actually had a reason to believe that she was a liar… and not once did you tell me?" Kiyoko asked, voice dropping an octave as his hand clenched beside him.
Ichigo's distinct lack of answer was all Kiyoko needed to know.
"Are you kidding me!" shouted Kiyoko, eyes wide as he pushed past Ichigo, shaking his head softly as curses spilled out underneath his breath.
Maybe it had been an overreaction but at that point Kiyoko didn't give a shit as the blonde stormed past his friend and walked out the house, pulling on the thin hoodie as he began to walk through the thick and heavy rainfall. He had only arrived at the Kurosaki residence wearing a thin t-shirt and jeans, both of which were now in Ichigo's laundry hamper, so all the blonde found himself clinging to was a black hoodie (that was more than likely Ichigo).
In hindsight, Kiyoko knew that he didn't really have any real traction or reason to be angry with Ichigo as the orange haired male had been telling him all along that Mikayla was hiding something from the pair. However, that wasn't what had caused Kiyoko's anger instead it was the idea that after finding out something that was increasingly important (or at the very least important enough to flag up in Ichigo's mind) Ichigo hid that information from Kiyoko, refusing to tell the other any important details. It was the single idea that Ichigo lacked that much trust with Kiyoko that he was more than willing to sit on important details like this, allowing for Kiyoko to cry and stress over Mikayla whilst the orange haired male knew the reason.
The realisation had the boy stuck in a mixture of sadness and anger as he continued to walk down the abandoned streets of Kakuraka Town. Rain continued to cloud the male's vision as he walked towards the park, arms wrapping around his body as he attempted to bring some heat back into his body. As he began to walk through the park, Kiyoko shivered as a strong gust of wind brushed past the male, causing a chill to run down the male's spine as the sound of rain hitting the concrete path echoed in his ears.
Suddenly a scream sounded.
Not a normal human scream, no, it was the same scream that Kiyoko had heard only a few nights before.
"Why can't I see you?" gasped Kiyoko, his eyes wide and searching as he desperately tried to find the creature.
No, not creature. The thing had a name now, so he may as well use it. The hollow.
.
.
.
Mikayla, like most soldiers, was a woman of routine.
Every evening, after dinner of course (as one can never account for what they are going to eat), she would have exactly two cups of tea with three biscuits. The tea had to be made in a certain way with the cup warmed with hot water before use and the kettle must be rinsed three times between each use. Meanwhile, the biscuits had to be a selected shortbread that she had picked specially and it had to be placed on a dark green plate. Everything was particular and done to the finest detail, it all had to be completely perfect.
Not bad for someone who grew up travelling through some of the roughest districts of the Rukongai.
However, when her pager went off after her second failed attempt of making tea Mikayla just knew that tonight wasn't going to go as she originally planned. So the first thing she did was simply toss the tea down the drain, before popping a single pill inside her mouth allowing for her gigai to collapse onto the floor before jumping out of the nearest window.
She didn't need to stay longer to think about this.
In truth the reason why she had failed at making the first two cups of tea was because a certain blonde was stuck in her mind.
She honestly was confused; confused as to why she actually seemed to care about a person like Kiyoko. The boy was human, his destiny was to be hurt, to suffer and to die. It was inevitable. She didn't need to care, didn't need to fear these feelings after all Mikayla had managed to suppress them before so why should it be any different now.
Well, why should it be any different now?
Simple, any other time she wouldn't be running around in the rain just to find someone.
Hell, the last time she did something this deranged was for another deranged female and that honestly didn't turn out as well as it should have.
As she ran down the rain soaked streets, her eyes frantically scanned the desolate landscape, searching for any sign of where Kiyoko currently was. At the moment all she could feel was the constant inconsistent surges of his spiritual pressure that almost seemed to mimic the sound of the rainfall.
Just then a scream sounded, coming from the one place that Mikayla had completely neglected to think about.
The park.
It made the most sense, in a sick and twisted way, after all it was the first place that they had ever actually spoken without the outside judgement of other students or anyone else. But in light like this with the rain falling in a heavy downpour, Mikayla couldn't see anything of the formerly serene park. The koi pond was barren of any fish, with most probably hiding in whatever homes they had, whilst the trees resembled something of a horror movie with the pink cherry blossom petals forming a grey sponge like surface on the pavement below.
It was only as she neared the fountain that Mikayla finally noticed the younger male as the silhouette of the Hollow loomed over him, its blackened eyes staring down hungrily at the boy's shaking figure.
"Kiyoko!" shouted Mikayla, her eyes widening at the sight of the male in front of her.
Earlier that evening, Kiyoko left Mikayla's apartment wearing a grey T-shirt with dark stonewashed jeans, where those clothes had gone now the woman honestly had no clue but what stood out to her the most was the mud that clung to his skin. Mud which practically caked the hoodie and his long blonde hair, which now lay in a complete mess with clumps of strands falling out of his ponytail and sticking to the side of his face and forehead. There also seemed to be blood coming from somewhere, more than likely a cut on his forehead, but with the way the rain was falling Mikayla honestly couldn't tell. Although, what threw her the most about this whole display was the way Kiyoko's eyes seemed to be searching.
What they were searching for Mikayla couldn't be certain as they seemed to scan every single corner and shadow of the landscape around him. They were unfocused yet they still managed to glow a pale gold, a stark contrast from the surrounding morbid grey land.
This wasn't the same scene as all those nights before.
That scene promised strength whilst this promised nothing but decay.
"Mi… Mika?" Kiyoko called out shakily, voice unsure as his sight went in and out of focus.
In front of him Mikayla was kneeling with both her hands gripping tightly onto his shoulders, forcefully shaking him out of his previous daze. Blinking, the blonde's brow furrowed in confusion as the woman in front of him dipped in and out of the blackened haze that were their surroundings.
"Kiyoko, stay with me, okay?" pleaded Mikayla, her voice uncharacteristically soft as she brought Kiyoko's body against hers, pulling him off the ground.
Quickly, or as quick as one can when carrying the body of a 5 ft 8 high school student, Mikayla moved the boy's limp figure across to where a nearby tree was standing. The whole time she was moving him, the dark haired female made sure to keep his body shielded, sacrificing her own in favour of protecting Kiyoko's. Gently, the female placed Kiyoko's body against the tree, her eyes scanning the body for any signs of injury as she ran her fingers over a singular cut on his arm. As far as she could see there was nothing major to worry about, only surface scratches, but that didn't explain Kiyoko's dazed state. However, before the woman could continue her examination of the teenager, the sound of a Hollow's scream filled her ears.
This wasn't the time nor the place, she needed to sort this out now.
"Mika… Mika I can't-"
"You can and you will, just wait here where it's safe okay?" asked Mikayla, her hand roughly gripping the side of his face as he blinked across at her before nodding his head slowly, all fight quickly drained as he leaned his head back against the tree.
This really wasn't how tonight was meant to go.
Mikayla was meant to be investigating as well as preparing for the boys next supposed 'lesson' whilst Kiyoko was meant to be spending the night at Ichigo's house, at least that's what Mikayla knew of the whole ordeal. Yet here they both were having to fight against a Hollow that apparently Kiyoko was unable to see despite the fact that he was able to see the same beasts only a few nights prior. But let's also not forget the little panic attack that the blonde was also having in the corner.
Yes, tonight was well and truly becoming a very long and irritating event.
Glancing back, the dark haired female gave Kiyoko one last once over to make sure that the boy was a safe enough distance away from the Hollow before turning away and running forward. Sprinting, Mikayla jumped onto the side of a lamppost before propelling her body forward, allowing her to land directly on top of the large Hollow.
There was simply no use dragging this whole situation out longer than necessary.
"Release, Fuyu no Sora!" she screamed, plunging her sword down into the skull of the Hollow.
If Kiyoko were awake then he would have witnessed the distinct change in weather as the clouds that were once filled with rain began to darken as the sounds of thunder boomed above them before a strike of lightning landed just inches away from Kiyoko's fallen form. Then again if Kiyoko was awake then he would have figured out what had left those lightening marks in the school fields over three weeks ago as the large ribbons of electricity tore deep trenches into the formerly serene park. Such noise and destruction wasn't missed however by Mikayla as the female twisted the blade still buried inside the Hollow's skull only to promptly rip it from its place.
Grunting, the woman watched through narrowed eyes as the Hollow's skull shattered beneath her, exorcising the creature instantly as clouds of inky black smoke filled the area where the Hollow once stood. Surrounding her remained the now partially destroyed park as multiple trees stood burning in the rain with thick cracks denting their wood whilst lampposts and iron benches lay warped and dented from branches and the blast of the energy itself. Scoffing softly, Mikayla sheathed her sword before turning to search for Kiyoko, her brown eyes searching through the damaged environment to find his distinct blonde hair.
It was only then that the woman remembered that, unlike her, Kiyoko was in fact human and therefore more susceptible to permanent things like death and paralysis (realistically, she should have considered this before releasing her zanpakuto but Mikayla didn't think like that). From this an aching feeling of worry settled at the back of her head as she began to frantically search past broken and fallen trees and benches for the teenager.
"Kiyoko!" she shouted, hoping that maybe the boy would hear her and shout back.
All she got was silence.
"Kiyoko!"