Huang and Mao looked after the bento boxes; and if the cat might be snarfing another scrap or two of fish as they went, that was his business. Yin was helping the girls pick up plates and stuff. Ichigo blinked at the little specter in the iced tea pitcher, wondering what it was like to navigate the world seeing through something that wasn’t your own eyes.
Weirder than stabbing ghosts. I think.
He and Hei swept around the edges of where their game had been, making sure any stray napkins got snatched and trashed and otherwise patting turf and stuff back into order. Karin played hard.
Hei had played just as hard right back at her. He took her seriously. Kid or not. Girl or not.
Which made the looks Hei was sliding the twins’ way right now even weirder. They were quick, and Ichigo’d bet Hei was trying to hide them, but – that was beyond worry. That was….
Oh. I know that look. From the mirror.
Heartbreak. Something broken, in a way that’d never really get fixed. Just patched over and lived with.
Ichigo eased over that way as he poked for leftover trash, waiting until Hei really looked at him. “Like somebody said once. I don’t know what I can do, but it looks like something hurts. And it’s… not my sisters?”
Don’t shrug. A shrug’s wrong here, this is serious. Just wish I knew what was right.
“It could have been them.” Hei’s voice was almost too quiet to hear. “Years ago. What I did in Heaven’s War… it was wrong. I was protecting Bai, but – so much of what I did was wrong.”
Ichigo told the hairs on the back of his neck to stand down, damn it. Hei had tells; hard to see, but he had them. If the ex-assassin had suddenly decided he wasn’t ex anymore, he’d know.
I hope.
“So back then you might have hurt them,” Ichigo got out. “But you wouldn’t now.”
“No!” Blue eyes flashed wide; almost as wide as Li at his most innocent. “Nothing’s worth that now. Bai is gone.” Hei looked away, pale. “Bai… is gone.”
Crossover Queen's Creative Chaos 
Quick girls! Hei needs more Little Sister Hugs ASAP! (Even if they aren’t the Little Sister he really wants them from.)
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Not yet. First he needs to get through some of the shock….
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Thanks.
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Oh poor Hei…. I guess Karin looking similar to someone is pushing on that reality that his sister really is gone. And he NEEDS to break down and just let it out but he can’t let himself, but he might not be able to stop it this time. Ichigo understands, probably all too well. 😥
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Karin with her hair pulled back really does look a lot like Bai did.
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*Sigh*
That one, I know.
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Weirder than stabbing ghosts. I think.
Maybe AS weird instead of weirder?
They are both weird in their own ways but both of you have been doing them long enough that not doing it feels weird.
Which honestly might be another reason why, besides the others, that Ichigo has been so out of sorts. His normal isn’t so normal and what is normal by most standards now feels weird.
Heartbreak.
Yeah, they both remind him of his sister in different ways.
I hope.
Everyone hopes but caution is good. Not saying Hei is planning on being so ex on the ex-assassin thing anytime soon but . . . one should never forget that Hei is dangerous. Often lethal when he chooses to be.
Hei might not be a Contractor but his brain / mind / reactions still aren’t human standard.
Also Hei has some PTSD buttons that if they get mashed means he wouldn’t be thinking, he’ll be reacting. And that could very bad for someone in the wrong place at the very wrong time.
Hei looked away, pale. “Bai… is gone.”
Knew that had to really hit him at some point.
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Fortunately Ichigo has a lot of experience with Nice But Lethal by this time. He should be able to avoid stepping on most of the sore toes. 😉
And yes. Bai had been missing for five years. Now Hei knows she’s dead. It’s a shock.
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