Fifth Way to a Long Way
I'm still enjoying this Friday deadline thing. Gets me doing stuff.
Title: Long Way to Goodbye V
Rating: The much beloved T, where characters may swear and possess sexuality, but not so much that I will be banned for posting this.
Summary: Rukia and Ichigo disappeared and, although she tries, Karin has no idea what happened to them. Did Ichigo abandon everyone or did he and Rukia die?
Series: Bleach
Genre: Thrilling murder mystery melodrama with a sense of humour.
Apologies to fans of a certain character. You'll know who I mean. Also, how about I bring back the disclaimer? I haven't done that in a while.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.
---
V
---
Yuzu did not make her promised big breakfast. Only a bowl of cereal and a glower from Yuzu awaited Karin the next morning.
Dad eyed Karin and Yuzu back and forth. “What’s going on with my two babies?” he bawled, discreetly peeking at Kon, “Is he responsible?”
Karin returned Yuzu’s glare as she sat down at the table. “Nothing’s wrong,” she lied, not caring how unconvincing she sounded.
For a second, she considered telling Dad about “Ichigo’s” real identity and ranting about Yuzu’s foolish insistence not to believe her. But one glance at Yuzu reminded Karin of how her sister had reacted to the news. What if Dad freaked out, too? Dad was an idiot, but Karin couldn’t bear it if her entire family was mad at her. Also, looking at Kon, she conveniently remembered a promise not to tell Dad about the current “Ichigo”…
So she finished her breakfast, ignored Dad’s probing questions, and left for class with a disgruntled sister.
It was weird walking to school and not talking to Yuzu. Likely it was her imagination, but she swore other people gave them funny looks. Furthermore, in the silence it was harder to ignore the familiar reiatsu belonging to the Safety Squad; Ishida and Orihime were following them closer than ever. Irritated, Karin tried to ignore the orange-hair she regularly saw out of the corner of her eye; sadly, Orihime’s ability to hide had not improved. Although Karin was eternally grateful to the woman for saving Yuzu, they could have told Karin that a mod whatever lived inside Ichigo’s body. Well, maybe they hadn’t known about Kon, but Karin highly doubted that.
God, those two annoyed her today! Leaving Yuzu behind, Karin stalked towards the poorly concealed woman and kicked a tree. Surprised, Orihime fell out of the tree she had climbed and landed clumsily. Ishida followed, albeit more gracefully
Before Orihime found her bearings, Karin scowled at the both of them. “You two lied to me about my brother. The fake, Kon, told me he was a mock-or mod-soul, whatever!”
Orihime’s breath caught in her throat. Busted. “How…how did you find…?” She turned to Ishida for help.
He shrugged. “I never told her Kon was pretending to be Ichigo.”
“Aha! You admit it!” Karin pointed a finger at both of them. Ishida, usually unflappable, clamped a hand over his mouth and Orihime winced.
“I…I’m really sorry,” Orihime apologized sincerely, “but Kurosaki-kun wouldn’t want you to worry about him and so we…”
“Well, that was stupid of him,” Karin retorted. “Of course, I’d worry about him.”
Orihime opened her mouth, and then closed it, deciding it best not to say anything. A wise choice since Karin would have torn her to shreds.
“So now you’re picking on Ishida-san and Inoue-san, Karin, even though they saved our lives?”
Karin jumped-she thought Yuzu had been waiting in the distance. How much had Yuzu overheard? Not all, surely. And what did she mean Karin was picking on them? It was the other way around: Karin was the victim!
“N-no,” Karin stuttered in indignation. Okay, perhaps she could have been kinder.
Yuzu frowned at her sister before bowing respectfully to Ishida and Orihime. “Thank you for earlier. I shall bake you two a cake.” And then she left for school.
Karin stared at her, stunned, and forgot Ichigo’s friends. This was all wrong; the rest of the world might desert her but she’d never conceived of losing Yuzu’s faith.
Orihime cleared her throat, startling Karin. “Karin-chan,” she encouraged, “don’t worry, we know you appreciate our help. Err, deep down, that is. More importantly, Ishida-kun and I believe someone incredibly dangerous is after you and Yuzu-chan. Please be very careful.”
Someone incredibly dangerous? What? Karin glanced at the pair, not very concerned about Orihime’s warning. Yuzu would soon be out of her sight…
“I think you should hurry after her,” Ishida suggested. Orihime looked at Karin apologetically.
Frustrated with the whole world, Karin walked after Yuzu, her head full of steam.
---
By the end of the day, the entire school seemed to be talking about Yuzu and Karin’s sudden rift. Karin didn’t give the whispers any attention and deflected her own friends’ questions, mumbling something about the pressures of exams. In reality, she was thinking about how to get things back on track with Yuzu while doing her best to forget about the Safety Patrol.
She doesn’t believe what I say about Ichigo, Karin thought. That means all I need to do is prove that Kon isn’t our brother, and then she will need to apologize to me. I’m not sorry I told her the truth! After I bring the real Ichigo back, she’ll be thanking me! Yes, her relationship with Yuzu would return to normal once Ichigo was found. Karin became so obsessed with this notion, though, that she neglected her academic responsibilities.
Cram school (and school, in general) was better not spoken of, for Karin was hard-pressed to put forth any effort into her studies. Her performance slipped, and she was sick of her teachers’ reminders of summer exams. Yuzu, her once angelic tutor, had transformed into a demonic slave driver, favoring the whip over the apple in her lessons. Or that was Karin’s interpretation.
After cram school, she would pass by Urahara Shop in hopes of spotting Chad. Not to demand answers (although Karin would squeeze those out of him), but because Karin really needed a friend. He was not to be found.
Her home life was further complicated when patients flocked to Dad’s clinic in droves; be it heatstroke or unnatural bruises, few people were healthy these days. Dad, Kon and Yuzu (when she wasn’t tutoring Karin) were swamped with work. Karin offered to lend a hand-she cared about the sick, too!-and all three staunchly refused, saying her homework was more important.
Restless and boiling inside and out, Karin began to crave a good fight; anything to take her mind away from the rest of her life. Doing nothing but study had made her feel useless, and Karin needed to train; surely, if she had been stronger, nothing would have gone wrong with Yuzu. She recalled Orihime’s warning vaguely, but dismissed it; with Ishida and Orihime tailing her constantly, Karin doubted she had anything to fear aside from a sunburn.
So, when a Hollow materialized in the middle of her route between school and home, Karin did not go out of her way to avoid it. In fact, she ran as fast as she could to fight it.
---
The Hollow with a sword watched the raven-haired girl run out of its sight. It had seen her before and her unnaturally dense reiatsu looked most appetizing-she had considerably more than the Hollow’s usual prey. But the girl was being followed by the damnable Shinigami! The Hollow with a sword could not afford the risk. Hatred welled inside the slender Hollow, hatred for the girl and her guardians, but it resisted the urge to kill the teenager. Too dangerous with that bloodthirsty Shinigami and the other two around. Not worth it. That Shinigami, in particular, wanted him dead. No, not worth the risk. Soon, but not now.
It grated but the Hollow with a sword let the girl slip away. After a few more meals, the slender Hollow would be more than strong enough to slaughter the Shinigami, the other two, and then it would have its fun with the girl.
---
Karin skidded to a halt in the seedier side of Karakura, in a gloomy alleyway amongst the town’s scummiest hovels. All right, she had gone a little out of her way to release her stress. But, oh, had she ever discovered the grandmother of stress relievers: looking right at home amid the trash was the largest Hollow Karin had ever seen. Big was the key word here: its arms, legs, body, tail, teeth and claws were all humongous. Only the Hollow’s head and mask were small. Evidently, size had been prized over brains.
Staring down this giant, Karin felt a tremor of fear rise along her throat. Ishida and Orihime were nearby, certainly ready to interfere at any moment, but they didn’t seem to be in any rush to do so. Karin gulped, squashing down any feelings of dread, and stepped towards the monstrosity when, unexpectedly, she felt a third reiatsu…
“Back off, girl! That one’s mine!” A cocky, condescending and very unfamiliar voice came out of nowhere and froze her to the spot.
She looked up and saw the owner of the spiritual pressure, the Shinigami, standing on a rooftop. Him again?
Confused, Karin watched the Shinigami leap between her and the Hollow.
“I said, back away! I’ve let you fight a couple of loser Hollows already but not today, girlie.”
This close to the man, Karin wondered how she could have mistaken him for her brother. He couldn’t have been more different. Was he actually a real Shinigami?
“You…you’re not Ichigo…”
---
Elsewhere, below the Urahara Shop:
“Still blowing up boulders, Sado-san? You know, I can’t understand how this exercise helps you or your friends. Not with Hollow numbers increasing as they are. You need to get out more.”
The part-Mexican, part-Japanese, all hulking badass high school student grabbed a towel to wipe away a grueling day’s sweat. “Haven’t I already explained it to you, Urahara-san? I don’t want to hurt any people during my training. Until I’m done, I’m a threat to those I would protect.”
“I never said you had not explained it,” the shop owner covered half his face with a fan, “only that I never understood why you chose this…unorthodox method. Training is worthless without battle experience. You’d be better off finding a girlfriend, like I always say.”
Yasutora grunted. “It’s simple,” he explained, ignoring Urahara’s jibe. “I realized my source of strength is wanting to protect others-I’d be a hypocrite if I to kill as many adversaries as possible, the way Renji does. Ichigo already demonstrated the mistake of Renji’s choice. I will not lose my soul in exchange for victory, Urahara-san, and that will make all the difference.” Yasutora rubbed his throat; he was not accustomed to speeches.
“How does that equate to punching rocks?” Urahara threw up his arms, and then regarded Yasutora intently. “Whatever you say, no one will be saved by you if you crack your knuckles on boulders all the time. Real, practical mental strength comes from life-threatening situations.”
“Mental strength?” Yasutora raised an eyebrow, his muscles flexing unconsciously. “I already have more than enough of that. What I truly lack-what Ichigo lacked-is fortitude, and that is what I learned in this room.”
“Really?” Urahara-san asked, puzzled. “Weren’t you were obsessed with strength? Didn’t you tell me before that you needed more power if you were to defeat our new enemy?”
“That was what I believed, but now it seems useless without strength of character. A pure-hearted focus on a noble goal, I should say, will push me above and beyond,” Yasutora clarified. He cleared his throat-talking at length was unpleasant. “I was inspired by the way Ichigo rescued Rukia-san in Soul Society.”
Urahara snorted and broke out into a quick laugh.
“Ah, I suppose it isn’t that funny, but even you must be able to appreciate the irony,” Urahara-san giggled. “It is true, after all, that Ichigo grew rapidly then. But what matters,” his eyes narrowed, “is whether your training has borne fruit. Has it?”
Yasutora breathed calmly. “See for yourself,” he replied and pointed to a big rock. It was the only boulder left in the room.
Urahara-san didn’t comprehend immediately. “What? Can you shoot lasers out of your finger now?”
“Witness.”
Yasutora walked over to the rock, acutely aware of Urahara-san scrutinizing his actions. Yasutora’s arms did not transform. He stopped in front of the slab of stone. His body went still. His pulse slowed. His breathing stopped and time froze. Then, with surprising alacrity, Yasutora punched the rock with enough force to level a mountain.
Unprepared, Urahara-san rushed to cover his ears and brace himself for the blast…but the expected explosion never deafened him. The normally-composed Urahara-san was bewildered: the boulder appeared entirely intact.
“That’s it?” he eventually said, disappointed. “Two years of blowing up rocks and now you can’t even do that much, Sado-san?”
“No,” Yasutora shook his head. “Witness.”
With the gentlest of motions, Yasutora touched the stone and, to Urahara-san’s amazement, the boulder disintegrated upon contact.
“I have complete control of my power now; I no longer need to change the shape of my limbs,” he declared to Urahara-san. “The process of mastered this skill in the city would have destroyed Karakura several times over.”
“Impressive,” Urahara-san complimented indifferently. “But, can you do that in the middle of a fight? You must not know, being cooped down here, but there are alarming reports of an invisible, impossibly strong Hollow. Your training could not have finished at a better time, Sado-san.”
Yasutora’s brows creased. “How could such a Hollow escape Ishida and Renji both? The strongest Hollows flaunt their powers like beacons to people like us.” Yasutora’s face darkened. “The Hollow couldn’t be, not this soon…”
Urahara chuckled dryly. “Who can say who this mysterious Hollow is? Myself, I have my own suspicions and doubt it is our old friend,” he confided and added, “But, regardless of the Hollow’s identity, people are dying. We need you, Sado-san. All signs indicate the most powerful Hollow of all will arrive…if he hasn’t already.”
Yasutora’s fist clenched and his shoulders stiffened.
“Yes, well, I do need more of battle experience and I can start with this supposedly ‘impossibly strong’ Hollow. Even if killing it will make me a hypocrite.”
Urahara laughed mirthlessly, as if Yasutora said a joke. If only he had.
---
For a minute, Karin stared at the spot where the massive Hollow had been, at a loss to explain how the strange Shinigami had defeated the monster so soundlessly, so effortlessly. She recalled how the man scowled when she said her brother’s name.
“Ichigo?!” he had snarled in a tone dripping with derision and scorn. “’Course I ain’t that useless coward Ichigo! The hell would you dare suggest that for?!”
And then, as if fuelled by her brother’s name, he went on a rampage. He whipped out a sword, said something about a banzai (or whatever) and, before Karin could be offended by his face, something massive appeared around the Shinigami. While Karin tried to figure out what the hell that giant thing was, the fight had finished in a sickeningly fast blur of movement. The stranger had won; it seemed he could control that giant creature, monster, whatever.
As easily as he split the enemy in two, he tore Karin’s emotions apart. Should she feel disappointed that the stranger wasn’t Ichigo or should she be awed by his skill? Certainly, his resounding victory had been humbling to watch; yet again, Karin had been belittled. Was she really so weak or were the people around her just stupidly strong? She suspected the latter.
More to the point, what was this man’s connection to Ichigo? Another piece in the puzzle stood before her. An angry puzzle piece, one that unnerved Karin and he did nothing to illuminate the larger picture for her. Why was he so pissed? Eventually, she removed her jaw from the ground and remembered that he had insulted Ichigo. And that made Karin cross. Very cross.
“Hey!” she shouted at him, a vein on her forehead close to bursting. “My brother may be stupid, inattentive, dumb, secretive, moronic and dense, but he is not a coward!” Karin defended him as kindly as she could.
The Shinigami appeared surprised by the outburst. “Brother? Ah,” he nodded to himself, sounding cocky, “the sister. I should have known. So that’s why those losers follow you like a pair of drooling, lovesick puppies,” he laughed abruptly and stopped laughing just as suddenly. “Don’t worry. It’s your beloved brother that I despise, not them or you. Tell me, how does it feel to have the same blood as a monster?”
Her blood, it so happened, boiled over. “What’s your problem?!” she growled.
His eyes widened. “You mean you don’t know?” A taunting, humorless smirk appeared-he was arrogant to boot. “Oh, of course. You must think your brother’s a saint.”
“I know he isn’t perfect,” Karin replied slowly, “I mean, he suddenly left around two years ago, but I never knew anyone else more obsessed with saving people…” She frowned and stopped. What was this pest getting at?
The Shinigami’s smirk grew obnoxiously wide, although it never reached his dark eyes. “Your brother has never really cared about protecting people, you should know. He was and still is a battle-crazed maniac, desiring only blood and destruction.” He stopped smirking. “You, of all people, should know this for your own good,” he said gravely, dropping his brash, condescending tone.
Okay, Karin had put up with enough. “What do you know about Ichigo?! I’ve never seen you before!” Well, she had seen the Shinigami twice before, but that didn’t count.
He tilted his head sideways. Mister Cocky was back in full swing. “What do you know about Ichigo? When was the last time you saw him, huh?”
“Ah, I…” Karin didn’t know what to say. His remark hit much too close to home.
So she glared at him to compensate for her lack of a comeback. His obvious hatred for Ichigo made the Shinigami instantly bad by her reckoning, and it seemed the feeling was mutual. Jerk.
“Can’t think of anything to say?” he taunted knowingly.
Man, how could she have confused this guy for Ichigo? They had similar builds, sure, but that was where their similarities ended. This creep had long, red hair and a face that might have been handsome once (Karin doubted it), when it hadn’t been disfigured by a startling number of scars. Perhaps the tattoos above his eyebrows and the headband were supposed to hide the scars. If so, it wasn’t working.
“Hey, ugly,” Karin hissed, angrier than ever, “did your mother give you those scars or did you never learn how to use a razor?”
“Ugly?!” he bristled, fingering a particularly large scar. “Wait, wait, wait,” he held up his hands, stunned, “do you actually mean to fight me? You saw what I can do. Even an amateur like you should know it wouldn’t be close to a close match between us!”
Karin didn’t back off in the slightest. His sword remained drawn, and it seemed he was inviting her to a physical contest, but she knew this wouldn’t come to blows. Not with Ishida and Orihime watching her back. This was a battle of wills-therefore, she could win.
“So?” She put contempt into the word and took up a fighting stance. “I don’t care if you don’t stand a chance against me.”
The man choked on his own breath, disbelieving her audacity. He looked around, momentarily lost for words, and then his empty smirk returned in full force. “Ah, I understand…”
“What”
He nudged his head slightly, gesturing to the reiatsu behind Karin. “It’s them.” Ishida and Orihime. “You know they’ll keep you safe,” he named her boast for the bluff it was.
But Karin cocked her head, matching his arrogance. “What difference do they make? I don’t need them or want them to stop me from kicking your ass.”
The Shinigami blinked. Then, unexpectedly, he began barking. Or Karin had thought he was barking at first; after a while, she realized he was laughing. At her, most like. Listening to him, she noticed the oddest quality in his laughter (aside from him sounding like a dog); it was if he was remembering how to laugh.
Karin suddenly tired of this battle of wills. The Shinigami irritated her so much she hadn’t caught on to the fact that he was an information goldmine. Forgetting his stupid laughter, it was clear that the Shinigami did know Ichigo. Although she would rather interrogate someone trustworthy, Karin could put up with almost any bullshit to obtain the truth; if that meant entertaining this putz, so be it. She needed her family restored to order.
Busy preparing herself for the humiliating task of asking him about the truth, Karin failed to register the end of his barking.
“You know what, kid,” he said almost kindly, she could have sworn, “if you weren’t so obviously related to your brother, I think I’d like you.” His scar-marked brow furrowed. “But you are his sister.”
In the distance, Karin felt the presence of Hollows. God, since when had there been so many? How did she encounter them so seldom? Ishida and Orihime had to be swamped with work.
“I need to leave.” He turned his back on her. “You know, some massively strong Hollow is out there. Don’t look for it, girlie. I’ve claimed the honor of slaying it, and I won’t be happy if you die before we have a chance to settle things.”
Too bewildered by his sudden change of heart towards her, Karin barely opened her mouth to demand answers from him when he promptly departed. An instant later, two familiar faces were right next to her, looking worried.
“Are you all right?” Orihime asked immediately.
“Yes, I’m quite fine,” Karin brushed the older woman’s concerns away. “Who was that?”
Ishida and Orihime exchanged glances. Karin felt a twinge of annoyance-they were debating whether or not to hide facts from her again.
“His name is Renji Abarai,” Ishida answered. His scowl would have shamed Ichigo. “He…is not a very pleasant person.”
“Obviously not,” Karin rolled her eyes. Talk about understatement! “Well, why does he act like a stick’s shoved up his ass?”
Orihime winced. “Kurosaki-kun, your brother, he, uh…did something that really upset Renji.”
“You must think your brother’s a saint.”
Confirmation. Karin’s heart sank. So, that man wasn’t lying about…about what? Her brother was not some bloodthirsty maniac, whatever Renji suggested; he might believe Ichigo had wronged him-and maybe Ichigo had-but that man did not know her brother as well as Karin. However, if he knows something I don’t…She needed more answers.
“What did Ichigo do? And what’s this I hear about some powerful Hollow?”
Again, they looked at each other. Rather than being angry this time, Karin sighed. She wasn’t going to get anywhere with them. And, after all they’d done for her and Yuzu, they deserved a break. Because Karin was grateful, no matter what Yuzu said.
She dismissed them with the wave of a hand. “You know what, forget it. I can tell that you’ve zipped your mouths shut, even if it’ll kill me.” On the other hand, she could be grateful and try to guilt them simultaneously. “Anyways, that Renji guy’s wrong, whatever he thinks.”
Their faces went blank and were unreadable.
Orihime opened her mouth and grimaced. “Ah, okay,” she mumbled. Slowly, she smiled. “You should go home, Karin-chan! Your sister told me you have a lot of homework. She sounded pretty worried about you a few days ago.”
Karin’s eyes widened. Yuzu. She still cared about Karin, even if she didn’t show it. But I can’t apologize, not until she does first!
Ishida pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. “Want me to tutor you? Studying is my specialty.”
Karin gagged. “Yuck, hell no!”
Declining his offer, she left them. Fatigue was settling in; seriously, she needed to sleep. Rest had eluded Karin ever since her spat with Yuzu, and she wouldn’t unearth any clues if she keeled over. Fortunately, she had more motivation than ever to succeed; she would prove to Renji that her brother was-no, is!-a good guy (if not a “saint”), and she would pass her dumb tests without Ishida’s help!