Instinct Released (Ichigo X Hichigo) EDITING

Chapter Two

'Gently flickering my eyes open to the early morning light, I tugged the blankets off of my body and sat up. Though my body was awake, my mind was still in that spaced-out phase, pondering about the uncertainty of the day. All I could truly focus on was what might - or what might not, to be specific - happen.'

'As though it was nothing more than an average, grey school day, I got up and walked to my wardrobe. I fished out my school uniform and threw it on quickly, not really too interested in being "neat" this morning. I had far too many things on my mind to bother about my physical appearance.'

'Like usual, I walk downstairs to be greeted by my younger sisters, Karin and Yuzu.'

'"Morning, Ichigo!" Yuzu called after me, placing a small dish filled with breakfast food onto the table and sat down, "Did you get a good night's sleep?"'

'"Mhm, sure did." I replied, grabbing my school bag and heading towards the front door.'

'Karin turned to look at me, swiveling in her seat to face me properly, her arm gently leaned against the back of the chair, "You're not gonna eat anything?"'

'Without turning around to look at her, I nod, "Sorry, I'll grab something on the way," I open the door and get ready to leave, "I'm late anyway."'

'I take a step out of the house, finally yelling back my goodbye, "See ya after school!"'

Yuzu called out after her spiky-haired brother, "Bye, Ichigo!"

Unlike her sister, the tomboy didn't tear her eyes away from the door, suspicion hinted in her voice, "That's a little weird," She mumbled - a little too loudly.

Catching onto it, Yuzu raised a brow, "Why would you say that?" She queried, taking a bite of her food.

"Doesn't Ichigo leave the house around twenty minutes from now?" Karin replied, finally looking over at her sister.

Yuzu thought for a moment, considering all of the excuses she could give to pardon her brother's sudden exit. She quickly spoke, "Maybe his friends came early and he didn't want them to wait for too long." She was one to start becoming paranoid and worry over her brother's unexplained absences.

Karin was quick to dispute, "I didn't hear them, did you?" She asked, taking a couple bites of her food.

Yuzu sighed, "No..."

Noticing her sister's unhappiness, Karin quickly gave a bittersweet excuse, "Well, he is a teenage boy, we can't expect to understand him all the time." Though she knew how worried Yuzu could get about her brother, Karin couldn't help her skeptical nature.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Yuzu mumbled, finally focusing onto her breakfast again.

Whilst Karin seemingly looked to do the same, her mind was somewhere else entirely.

Ever since Ichigo had been back, she'd been sensing a presence floating around him. Of course, she was the only one able to sense it in the house - she thought - so she wasn't able to bring the subject up with her sister (she most definitely did not want to worry Yuzu further, nor did she want to get her so worried that she'd turn to Don Kanoji, not that weirdo).

Last night, she walked into her brother's room to check up on him. Though she walked in on a simple scene of the orange-haired boy sleeping, she felt something much more... sinister, to say the least. Something, or someone was hanging around him.

Worst part about it was that she could still feel it as he walked out of the house. In fact, she was certain that something was following him.

Furthermore, Isshin - her father - was nowhere to be seen this morning. No drop kicks, no surprise attacks, no nothing. It was as though he disappeared into thin air.