notes: My first Bleach fic, so do drop me a review and lemme know what you think :3

This is an AU of course, as stated in the summary.


Kurosaki Karin was shivering.

She wasn't sure if this was because of the weather or something else entirely, but she pulled her leather jacket closer to her chest and continued to lean against the wall, hands in her pocket, feet bent, and propped behind her.
She had been waiting for quite awhile against that wall, in the middle of nowhere. It was something to say for her patience, at least.

"Kurosaki-chan," a cheerful voice sounded and her eyes whipped around to meet those of Urahara Kisuke—or what little of his eyes could be seen from below the hat he perpetually wore on his head. "Been waiting long?"

"Of course," she said bluntly and rolled her eyes when he pouted childishly. A—no, the—black cat slunk around his ankles, tail moving slowly. It's eyes were all-knowing and on her face, causing her to pull her jacket even tighter around herself. "Do ya have the stuff?"

Urahara made a hand motion, as if to wave something away. "Why must we always get straight to the nitty-gritty?" he wanted to know. "Why don't you come into the shop sometimes, sit with me, have some tea?"

The cat hissed a little at this and peeked out from behind Urahara. Go away, those eyes said. We don't want a Cursed Child in our home.

Or perhaps not. Perhaps Karin was seeing things that weren't really there. It would be a change from the norm, she thought somewhat bitterly. "I don't have time for that," she answered out loud. "I don't meet you for fun. This is my job."

Urahara nodded wisely, as if this had already occurred to him. It probably had; Urahara was known for speaking absolute nonsense or absolute obviousness, just to mess with her (or anyone else, for that matter). "Of course, of course. The original Ghostbuster, you are. Or," he grinned widely, "the original Ghostbuster family."

Karin glared. "Come off it, Urahara. Just give me the goods."

"Of course, of course," he repeated, still grinning and took out a bundle from his hat, flipping it off his head gracefully and then back on. "That took the weight of my head."

Karin blinked and made to take the bundle. "You're actually insane. Completely and totally off your rockers," she muttered. The black cat bobbed its head, as if to agree.

He chuckled. "Whatever you think, sweetheart," he said easily enough. "Tell your otou-san and nii-san I said hi, yeah?"

He only chuckled more when she coolly twisted her head back to face him, shot him another glare and the finger and disappeared out of that deserted meeting place.

"Interesting kid, huh, Yoruiichi." At the cat's look, Urahara held his hands up in surrender. "I do owe her nii-chan, you know."
Yoruiichi ignored him, skipping the opposite way of the one Karin had gone.
….
….
….
The lights were on at home. Karin took note of this, pushing back the tickling strands of her choppy hair and gathering them into a high ponytail.
There was a certain dread to coming home at night. She'd never quite know what she'd find.

With those suspenseful thoughts in her mind, she placed her palm on the cold metal doorknob and pushed it open. The door squeaked a bit and she stepped over the threshold, glancing around to the sides. "Yuzu?" she called. "Nii-chan, otou-san?"

"Otou-san is in his room, mumbling to okaa-san's poster," came the reply. Yuzu appeared on top of the staircase, in her pale pink nightgown. There was a soft smile on her face, as she greeted her twin and walked to her. "Onii-chan has gone…out. I don't know when he'll be back." The smile trembled, but Yuzu tried to keep it under control.

Karin sighed and flashed her her own smile, though it was much drier than her sister's. "When do we ever know that?"

Her sister didn't answer, eyes drawn to the bundle in Karin's hands. "You've got it?" she said. Her face was unreadable. "Are you going to go, then? Right now, tonight?" And, while she may have been trying very hard to hide it, Karin could hear the terror in her voice. It spoke of long nights alone and waiting for a broken family to be put together once more—but none of them were sure if that would ever happen.

"No," Karin breathed out, finally, after a long silence, and smiled soothingly. "No, it's fine. I'll go tomorrow and be back before midnight." She was almost thrown off balance when Yuzu launched herself at Karin, but she managed to stay steady on her feet. Yuzu clutched the black fabric of her jacket and whimpered—whimpered, not cried, because Yuzu was not going to be the weakling who cried, after all, but she could never harden herself as much as Karin had.

"Yeah," Karin murmured, lightly touching her sister's brown hair. "I know, Yuzu. I know."
….
….
….
The next morning, Karin woke up to the sound of blinds unfolding and the shine of sunlight on the back of her eyelids. She opened them wearily.

Yuzu was nowhere to be seen in her room.

Grumbling a bit, she threw her covers off her body and stood up. "Come out, come out, wherever you are," she hissed. She slyly stuck her foot under the bed, while she said this, where she kept her secret weapon.

A glimpse of white from the corner of her eye had her kicking said weapon towards whatever it was.

"A soccerball," said the person whose white hair she had seen incredulously, having avoided getting hit and was now balancing the ball on their foot. "Did you really intend to hurt me with a soccerball."

Karin scowled. "It's an effective piece of weaponry when I use it."

"Right," the person said dubiously. Now that she was focused on them properly, Karin could see that they were a he. A very hot he, tall, lean, muscled, with a shock of white hair on his head and crystal blue eyes, narrowed slightly at her.

But it didn't matter, Karin thought as she took in the glow around him. A little faded, yes, but the glow was still there and it told Karin all she needed to know.

That glow was much too otherworldly for him to be human.

He was a ghost who she was going to have to kill.