Second Part
Since it's Friday, it's time for the second installment.
Title: Long Way to Goodbye II
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: It's a genre blend. Fair amount of comedy this time, but I think of this story as a drama mystery in the long run.
The plot thickens…
Disclaimer: I don’t own Bleach.
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II
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The next three weeks trudged by and the end of May neared without a flourish. Hollows were few and far between for Karin, and all were even weaker than the last one she fought. Classes were dull and best not spoken of. The fake still ate Ichigo’s food. Karin could not shake the feeling that she was being watched. Partly because Ishida and Orihime were definitely watching her (and Yuzu, too), but she had an unsettling sense of eyes on her back that she couldn’t explain.
Unfortunately, Karin didn’t see or sense that Shinigami, although she looked regularly. Was he spying on her? Karin doubted that.
At the very least, she did spot Chad out of the corner of her eye once during a brief jaunt around town after soccer practice:
“Hey, Chad!” she bellowed as loud as she could. Despite herself, she smiled at the sight of him. This time, she would get some answers out of someone.
But the Mexican dummy didn’t even turn around. Didn’t give Karin the slightest indication that he’d heard her. So she yelled at him again and ran towards him. Then she knew he heard her because he started running, too. Making matters worse, Karin couldn’t keep up with him because she was still tired from running around the soccer field. Not because he was fast, mind you-Karin prided herself for her speed.
She tried following the big doofus for as long as she could. However, she lost track of him after he slipped into a back alley. Some strange shop was in the alley, one Karin had never been inside before. Soon, she sensed the unseen eyes on her again and she shifted her feet. Another time then, Karin vowed, she would catch him. He wasn’t going anywhere.
June arrived without acclamation. That wonderful hope she had experienced weeks ago was rapidly fading, and a cynical despondence crept inside her. What good did knowing about that mysterious Shinigami and Chad do her if she could never speak to either of them? Karin grew more sour by the day.
“Want to go grocery shopping with me?” Yuzu asked one evening in a desperate attempt to cheer Karin up.
Disco music could be heard from Ichigo’s room, and Karin swore she heard singing, too. The whole floor was shaking, probably from enthusiastic dancing. Oh god.
“All right, I’ll go!” Karin agreed rapidly, glancing in the direction of Ichigo’s room in horror. “Anything to get away from that.”
Karin’s disgust must have been plainly visible on her face, for Yuzu chided, “The music isn’t that bad, Karin. I kind of like it…Okay, I don’t but…”
Regardless of musical tastes, Yuzu must have been happy her ruse worked, as she sounded playful, not stern. Her cheerfulness maintained itself while they left the house and strolled across town. As they got closer to their destination, the surroundings became quite familiar to Karin. It was that back alley again, where she had lost sight of Chad, the alley with that cheap-looking shop. Was this some dumb coincidence?
“You actually buy our food here?” said Karin, looking the shabby building up and down. Shady didn’t begin to describe Yuzu’s store of choice. It was impossible for Chad to have hid here; it was too scummy, even for him.
Yuzu smiled. “Yep! The cashier boy is so nice and the food is extra cheap for me!”
The invisible eyes were on Karin again. She stepped into the store after looking doubtfully at the sign: Urahara Shop, huh?
---
Back home, Isshin Kurosaki was busy working at his clinic, ignoring the catchy sounds of disco from the second floor. People always got hurt, no matter the times, but not too many these days to Isshin’s relief. The lack of patients gave his daughters more time to do their homework and they needed all the time they could find; Isshin wanted them to go into professional nursing, dammit, and they needed good grades for that. Besides, his new “son” was unexpectedly passionate about patching people up, and he picked up their slack (when he wasn’t ogling ladies).
And speaking of his “son,” who wasn’t his son at all, Isshin decided it was high time to have another talk with the boy. Isshin was nearly done with his (hopefully) final patient of the night, and the boy should be showing up any second to give Isshin some minor assistance.
Right on time, the music stopped and Isshin heard feet stomping down the stairs. Isshin didn’t know when his “son” had swiped his old CDs, but Isshin had to admit he had better taste than his actual son.
“Do I really need to wear these?” the false Ichigo complained as soon as he stepped into the operating room. He was wearing a pink, male-sized nurse’s uniform, complete with a cap-Isshin’s old outfit from his intern days. Although dedicated to preserving life, Isshin’s “son” was equally fervent about whining, it seemed. “I’m a man, old man! Why do you even own one of these for men, anyways?!”
Isshin glanced at his patient, who had been viciously slashed across her chest. Nasty piece of work, that was. Courtesy of a Hollow, Isshin assume. She didn’t stir, though Isshin wasn’t sure if he should be thankful of that. She should live, though.
“Shut up, she needs to sleep,” he hissed at his assistant, nodding towards the recently-bandaged woman on the operating table. “Just be glad I didn’t stuff you into a dress or Masaki’s old nurse uniform.”
The false son cringed, his mouth agape. “Do you actually have dresses that would…? No, don’t answer that, please, for the love of god. I do not want to know.”
“Ichigo” let his scowl drop as his eyes widened in terror; Isshin could never get used to seeing his son’s face so-it always disturbed him slightly to be alone with this soul inhabiting his son’s body. But the differences reminded him why he needed to speak to the imposter.
Frowning, Isshin went to the sink to scrub the blood off his hands. He always hated to see people hurt like this woman had been. Hated it so much that he had stormed out of Soul Society after they refused to create a division devoted to helping the victims of Hollow attacks.
But this was no time to reminisce. Isshin was not impressed with his “son’s” behavior.
“Hey, you, Karin’s getting way too suspicious about your real identity,” Isshin reprimanded his fake son, grabbing his scalpel and wiping it down.
His “son” shrugged out of reflex, eyeing the scalpel warily. “I can’t help it,” he excused himself, sounding annoyed. “I’m not Ichigo and don’t want to be that loser. Also,” he added, looking highly affronted, “your daughters aren’t here now, so you can call me by my name. Kon! K-O-N, like Keeper of the Nymphs, Kon.”
Isshin snorted. More like King of Neanderthals. “Whatever. Just stop acting so goddamn stupid during supper, or I’m going to end up whacking you as if you were Ichigo. And help me carry Miss Kozuki onto the stretcher so we can get her to a proper bed. That’s all I need you for tonight. And speak quietly.”
Although offended, Kon helped carry the woman off of the operating table, and he did try to whisper his protests as they pushed her into the next room, “But Yuzu’s food is so good. I try to be a surly sourpuss when I eat, but then I smell that food and…” He drooled with glazed eyes.
Similarly, Isshin’s eyes glazed with creepy (but fatherly) pride. “I know. Her cooking’s even better than her mother’s was…Wait, stop drooling, you have a patient right below your mouth!” he snapped and shook his head. “No matter how divine her food is, you need to frown, at the very least, every single time you eat.”
“Why, though?”
Isshin blinked. “What do you mean, ‘why’?”
“Why should I still pretend to be your son?” Kon elaborated, frowning for real. “It’s been almost two years and I’m sick of this façade (and I’m getting way too used to this gross body!). It’s not that tough to act as your son at school. His reputation as a punk means most stay away from me, and most of his best friends know I’m not him, anyways, and the other kids assume my cheeriness is because Ichigo got laid or something. But,” Kon went on, “I hate lying to your kids. Yuzu-chan’s an angel of mercy and Karin, uh…”
“Mostly avoids you since you irritate the hell out of her,” supplied Isshin, his lip twitching.
Kon hung his head. “Uh, yeah, and she glares at me all the time. I can tell she wants to demand the truth outta me, and I, uh, don’t see why she really oughtn’t to have it. She knows all about spirits and that stuff, I think. I can’t fool her-or Yuzu-chan-forever, y’know. I didn’t know this being Ichigo job would last this long when I took it.”
Isshin sighed and went silent. Together, they put poor Miss Kozuki onto her bed.
“You’re right, for once,” Isshin allowed the modified soul that much, as they walked back to the living room, “and I’ve been thinking about how to tell it to them, to be honest. I just…don’t know what will happen to the family if they learn about you-it’ll fall apart! What will the girls think if they’re aware of what I know about what’s happened to Ichigo,” Isshin muttered, his voice hoarse with frustration, “which is to say, that I have no idea where he’s gone. They’ll be just as worried as I am about the moron.”
Kon sensed the old man’s anger and backed away cautiously. “You really don’t got a clue about where he or Rukia-sama slipped off to, do you?”
Isshin shook his head.
“But, aren’t…aren’t you friends with that Urahara guy?” Kon was full of fear; he hadn’t forgotten how Urahara tried to terminate his soul. “Wouldn’t he know?”
“It’s the same as I’ve told you before. If Urahara knows, he isn’t telling me anything,” Isshin growled, “and I can’t ask Ichigo’s friends since I’m not supposed to be known as a Shinigami for my job’s sake.” The last thing Isshin needed was to be dragged off to Rukongai and imprisoned.
“Well, they won’t say anything to me, either! They don’t like me for some reason!” Kon hurriedly said, as if expecting an accusation from Isshin.
Wonder why they don’t like you, Isshin thought, looking at Kon in the pink nursing outfit, and the two went quiet.
Kon broke the silence. “Do you think he and Rukia-sama will ever come back?”
“Well, if I knew Ichigo was dead, I wouldn’t let you fool around in his place and would give my son a proper funeral. I need to make sure he has his room and his body waiting, in case he ever returns. You’re stuck where you are for now.”
“Oh,” Kon said. “Anyways, can’t you let your daughters know? I mean, you say you don’t want the family to fall apart, but isn’t that already happening? You may be a doctor, but that won’t help if worst comes to worst.”
Isshin couldn’t think of how to reply to Kon. His words were far too true for Isshin’s liking.
---
The Urahara Shop was a strange, new world for Karin, with every shelf packed with oddities and bizarre collectibles. It was dedicated to the unusual by all appearances; the only regular items, the groceries, were stuffed into a small corner and hard to spot next to the giant, stuffed samurai panda. Even if she didn’t buy anything, she could have just stared at the weird, life-sized mechanical arm or all the other gizmos and gadgets. Karin had no idea what Soul Candy was supposed to be and may have asked someone what it was for, but something quickly distracted her after she stepped through the door.
“Ah, it’s you!” Two kids yelled at each other in unison, pointing and glaring.
Or rather, someone distracted her. Karin and the boy Jinta Hanakari recognized one another immediately, and they were none too happy to see each other again.
A staring match ensued between them-Karin sure as hell wasn’t going to show any weakness to that loser (even though she must have looked weak once her eyes began to water). The match went unnoticed by Yuzu, who was humming to herself, walking down the aisles and comparing prices. Great big teardrops streaked down Jinta and Karin’s faces-as if Karin would yield so easily! Blood rushed into their faces, but neither gave in. Karin didn’t so much as budge, even when a black cat brushed against her leg.
Finally, Yuzu walked by them and Jinta could not resist glancing at her for whatever unfathomable reason. Realizing his mistake, he hung his head while Karin cheered. Yuzu watched her, bewildered, then asked Karin if she wanted pickerel or trout for supper. Trout, of course.
“Wait, wait!” Jinta barged into the sisters’ conversation, “Are you two related?” His mouth stayed open, his jaw ready to drop.
Twin sister looked at twin sister, and they simultaneously nodded. Jinta’s jaw promptly dropped. Karin couldn’t see what the big deal was.
The lad thoughtfully rubbed his chin. “So, for every goddess there is a devil?” Jinta mused. There was no doubt which twin was goddess and which was devil, judging from his evil smile.
“Hey, why you!” Karin took offense to that, and Yuzu had to restrain her sister from socking Jinta one.
This Jinta fool acted very strange then; it seemed he was torn between smirking at Karin and kneeling on the floor to worship Yuzu. HHHe ended up in a weird crouch with a strangled expression. Karin concluded that an idiot was born for every goddess and devil.
A door creaked open. Jinta and Karin scrambled to look innocent (without success).
“Ah, are you kids having fun?” the man who walked into the room cheerfully said, putting on a wide-brimmed hat. Momentarily forgetting to kill that Jinta bastard, Karin saw this stranger wore old-fashioned, clogs, in addition to traditional Japanese garb. What a weirdo.
“Hello, Urahara-san!” Yuzu chimed, stunning Karin. Her sister knew the weird sandal-hat guy?!
“Ah, Yuzu-chan!” Urahara’s eyes took in Karin, and she fidgeted under his gaze. “You must be here with your sister,” he surmised in a very knowing tone.
“Yup,” Yuzu nodded, then turned to Jinta and held up her bag of groceries. “How much for these?” she asked him sweetly.
Jinta’s entire body transformed into a disgusting shade of red. “Oh, th-they’re f-f-free! Don’t cost anything!”
Karin’s eyes narrowed. Oh, now she understood. Her hatred for Jinta multiplied tenfold. How dare he covet my sister!
Meanwhile, Urahara scoffed at Jinta. “Free? What do you mean they ‘don’t cost anything’? If she doesn’t pay, it’s coming out of your paycheck!”
“Shut up, old man! I know!” Jinta yelled, obviously hoping to impress Karin’s sister with his personal sacrifice.
But Yuzu just watched quietly, and when it seemed Urahara and Jinta were done talking, she said hopefully, “So it’s free?”
“Yes!” Jinta declared (to Karin’s great disapproval).
Yuzu smiled, and Jinta nearly fainted (to Karin’s even greater disapproval).
“You kids,” Urahara chuckled with excessive mirth. It wasn’t that funny.
Anyways, that brat’s display of affection for Yuzu was nearly as bad as the fake’s singing, so Karin tugged on Yuzu’s arm, “All right, let’s go. Maybe Dad will need some help.”
“Good night, Yuzu-chan, Karin-chan,” Urahara bid them out the door. “Your patronage is always welcome. If Yuzu-chan didn’t show up, I’d be bankrupt.”
Wait, Karin thought, did I tell him my name…?
“C-come back again!” the revived Jinta called out. To Yuzu only, Karin was certain. She glowered at Jinta.
Okay, no time to dwell on the sandal-hat weirdo. Time to go before the bratty kid started praying. Karin hurried outside with Yuzu.
“Do you feel better now?” Yuzu asked about a block later. Her face was full of concern once more. “It was just grocery shopping, but I hope you had a good time.”
Karin stopped. She had forgotten why they had even gone to Urahara Shop until Yuzu’s question. Well, thinking about how things went overall…
“Yeah, I feel better,” Karin realized, feeling warm inside. “The store really…took my minds off things. Thanks, Yuzu.” They both smiled. “Here, let me carry those bags for you…”
---
The door closed behind the sisters, and Kisuke Urahara grabbed Jinta by the scruff of his neck when he saw the boy sneaking away.
“So,” Kisuke did some quick mental math, “you owe me about…fifty-thousand yen, in total.”
Jinta’s shoulders sank. “Y-yes, sir…”
Kisuke let him go and Jinta scampered out of the room. He wasn’t really mad at Jinta but it wouldn’t do if the kid knew that. No, not at all…Maybe he would buy Jinta that baseball bat he wanted later. Maybe.
The owner of the shop became absorbed in his thoughts as he wandered out of the room, went down a ladder and arrived in a massive underground chamber. Various gigantic boulders were strewn about the chamber. Boulders created out of a special alloy Kisuke had created in his free time.
Shortly after Kisuke entered, he heard a loud bang as a bright explosion shook the chamber. One of the boulders was now nothing more than dust. Kisuke wished the man didn’t blast through the rocks so fast; they weren’t easy to make.
“Didn’t feel like saying hello?” Kisuke chirped at the young man busy turning rocks into rubble. “You scurried down here right before Karin-chan came inside the shop. From the frightened look on your face, I would have thought a plague-carrying, ill-tempered, incredibly violent and smelly Hollow had walked in, not a charming young lady.”
The other man didn’t respond. He simply paused and destroyed another rock.
Kisuke sighed and threw up his arms. “You know, I still think you need a girlfriend and you’ll never get one if you flee from every single girl on the planet. Punching rocks all day isn’t healthy.”
Crash. Another big stone exploded with even more force than the previous. The young man turned around to face Kisuke. Surprisingly, the young man’s face showed even less expression than the stones he was blowing up. Kisuke was positive he was furious, however.
“I need to train, Urahara-san,” he answered in a restrained, deep voice. “Seeing her, in particular, reminded me of that. That is why I came down here. I wasn’t…afraid.” A crack appeared on his stony face, though it was just a brief downward twist of his lip. He must have been more than furious.
“If you say so, Sado-san,” Kisuke tutted the rock-crusher, “But surely you don’t need to train all the time. You’ve been training nearly non-stop for what, two years now? You’re already impressively strong.” The shop owner grimaced. “Even stronger than me now, I imagine.”
Another explosion made Kisuke wince.
“You weren’t there, Urahara-san,” Sado-san explained. “You didn’t see it. Aizen was totally obliterated by him. Aizen, who outclassed the rest of us, couldn’t stand a chance against him. None of us could, either-he crushed us like ants after slaughtering Aizen! I’m not sure if I’ve even surpassed Aizen, much less him…”
Yet another loud bang and another rock melted away.
Kisuke rolled his eyes. “Have it your way then. Do you really think he could be that strong, though?”
“He’s probably grown more powerful in this time, to be honest,” Sado-san frowned.
“Scary thought. It really is too bad the Vizards are all gone or dead.” Kisuke scowled. He blamed himself for their sad fates. “You really have no idea what happened to Shinji-kun?”
Sado-san shook his head. “No. When I came to, he and Ichigo both had disappeared. I think we might all have died if Hirako-san hadn’t been there. That’s what Inoue said and I don’t doubt her. What Hirako-san has been through since then, I don’t want to think about.”
“Maybe you should,” Kisuke sternly admonished the young man, whose arms and legs were no longer those of a human-his limbs closer resembled those of a Hollow. “You’re pushing yourself dangerously hard. I don’t want you to go insane in my basement; I just had the cavern redecorated, you know.”
This time, the explosion shook the entire town.
“I won’t make the same mistake, Urahara-san. It’s those girls. I need to protect them for Ichigo’s sake, so I can say without a doubt that I’m Ichigo’s friend. That’s why I need to do this every single day, because one day they’re going to need my help. And I will be ready then.”
“Well, don’t say I didn’t warn you, just in case…”
“Just in case I do turn Hollow, I’m in this basement, away from anyone else, and you can stop me. Not that this will ever happen.”
Kisuke snorted and drifted out of the underground chamber. As he climbed the ladder, Kisuke could hear Sado-san's shouts.
“This wasn’t supposed to happen! We were supposed to be done with fighting after Aizen died. Ichigo, you really picked the worst time to throw away your friends!”