#developing fic

This is a Mizuiro x OC fem x Shinji fanfic.

The OC is Ichigo's younger twin sister, who is added to the series - I'm focusing on some slow building, trying not to push them together and make some sense of romance part. There'll be eventual smut but not in this chapter. I want to focus on family dynamics, OCs connections with characters and everything else.

It's also on AO3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/71511331/chapters/186149971 Updates are semi regular.

Words - 2510.

Rating - Mature but this one anyone can read, contains some underage activities (smoking+drinking mentioned) and cursing.

Warnings - check the rating.blea

Chapter 1:

She likes to do things at her pace.

It was how people knew Kurosaki Konoka to be - lazy and unmotivated. She’d only do or react to the things that mattered to her, if someone she liked was hurt or in danger. That’s when you would catch a glimpse of Konoka’s ice-like fury. Giving her a sort of strange reputation in the Karakura town, one that normally sends more sensible delinquents running after they recognise her.

Karin called her a danger magnet, after one too many close incidents and nearly ending up in a hospital only to refuse to be looked after by anyone but their dad. Or Ishida Ryuken, a family friend Konoka was rather fond of. Her siblings knew of her fear of hospitals, having been in one for a tad too long after they lost their mother and Konoka was hospitalised for weeks. She’d been miserable, grieving the death of mother and trying to process how close to death she herself had been, according to the doctors, and since then, she avoided hospitals like a plague. Their own home, however, she couldn’t avoid. Just as how she couldn’t avoid not seeing the dead walking amongst them, nor the occasional monsters. 

Unless she opted to copy what Kojima Mizuiro was doing and spend as much time outside and away from home like he was. She’d tried that, already did it by pushing all the household jobs on Yuzu - by acting like she wasn’t one of the two oldest kids in the family, like she shouldn’t be the one doing it all. It had caused a drift between Konoka and their dad, Isshin, endless arguments about her questionable whereabouts and him catching her smoking or drinking one too many times in her room or on the rooftop when she thought he wasn’t at home. Her throwing back that he was the only one not seeing ghosts, even as a blurry figure like Yuzu could. In the terms of accepting that ghosts existed, Konoka was a lot like Karin - she preferred to act like they didn’t exist until it was a chance to throw it up on their dad’s face. 

If something wasn’t useful, Konoka didn’t care.

She wouldn’t even remember that something existed.

The hours spent on the rooftop was what allowed her to realise that Ichigo, her older twin brother by almost two minutes, had changed more than he let on after, apparently, a truck had crashed into their living room at night although no one was injured nor woke up. Konoka had spent the night at Mizuiro’s, before coming home and staring at the scene, eyebrow twitching and listening to her family’s bizarre explanation. Ichigo was unaware of the exact nature of her relationship with Mizuiro, and she wanted to keep it that way.

Their dad was already annoyed that she spent time away from home, knowing that she was most likely out with a guy. Kurosaki Isshin could be strangely protective of his kids when it came to the opposite sex, especially of his girls. The first time he’d acted like a fool, crying to their mother’s poster in the living room about his little girls growing up too fast. She’d let Karin beat him up, watching it with an amused expression as she drank coffee Yuzu prepared. It didn’t escape her notice that both of their cheeks had reddened, even Karin’s as she kept stomping on their protesting dad. Ichigo, luckily, hadn’t been around that time. He did learn about it later…it hadn’t gone well for either of them.

A few days after the wall incident, as she called it, Konoka started to catch glimpses of a familiar blue dress in the house. She’d hear her brother seemingly arguing with someone more in his room, her first thought had been ghosts, but the presence hadn’t quite felt like one…it felt…different. She recalled a certain face, and frowned, glancing at the wall separating her room from Ichigo’s. 

“Ah, onee-chan,” Yuzu suddenly walked into Konoka’s room, making the older girl blink. Her short orange hair was accessorised with a hair clip, today it was cherry. She wore her usual bright one piece dress, being the only girly girl in their household. Neither Karin and Konoka would touch dresses if they could help it, both opting for more comfortable clothing much to their dad’s dismay. 

Konoka’s been sitting on her bed, legs crossed, lazily leaning against the wall as she listened to the noises around her. Completely ignoring the ghost peeking at her from the window, tapping and trying to catch her attention. Or well, she did show a single middle finger at the male ghost’s direction, wordlessly telling him to fuck off. His eyes widened behind his spectacles before he sulked away, most likely to her brother’s room, sputtering something incoherent under his breath.

“What happened to knocking?” Konoka tilted her head, watching Yuzu entering her room, eyeing the slightly messy area with narrowed eyes and a shake of her head. Konoka wasn’t necessarily dirty or messy, she just liked things her way - the saving grace was that she listened to Yuzu’s demand for them all to clean up their rooms when it was the cleaning day. 

A few pieces of clothing laid here and there, scattered on the floor amongst pieces of discarded paper and thrown books. The desk held Konoka’s latest art piece, the supplies taking up most of the furniture as they buried her school books and textbooks without a shame. The radio had been switched on, a foreign piece playing which Yuzu couldn’t recognise. Her sister had strange hobbies, likes and preferences. They ranged from liking anything locally to wanting to devour things from abroad. Be they books, music or culture. An English language fantasy book sat on Konoka’s bedside desk, with a bookmark sticking out. 

Posters of anime and different bands and celebrities illustrated the white walls, and Yuzu noticed a corner with what looked like dirty clothes and an empty beer bottle on top of them. There was a scent she couldn’t decipher, nor was she sure she wanted. A pack of cigarettes lay next to Konoka’s legs, opened and nearly empty. Inwardly, Yuzu winced - she wasn’t looking forward to another fight between Konoka and dad. The last one had ended up with her storming out of the house, not coming back for a few days until Ichigo somehow managed to get her to return. 

“I did, you didn’t hear it - anyway, have you seen my blue dress?” It’s not like Yuzu expected her sister to know the answer, but never quite knew these things with her. 

Konoka blinked, blue dress? Now where — 

“My yellow pyjamas are missing too.”

“You sure you didn’t misplace them?” 

A nod, “I’ve searched all over it, thought maybe you’ve seen them. Karin-chan hasn’t, I’m gonna ask Ichi-nii next.” 

Konoka shrugged, letting her body fall on the bed. She bounced a bit, wincing as she accidentally bit her tongue. “Nop. Haven’ seen them, I’m afraid.” Her words were slightly muffled against the blanket, parts of Konoka’s black hair were trapped under her cheeks, some nearly being swallowed by her as she spoke. She sputtered, pushing them out of her mouth. Yuzu stared at her, too used to her sister’s antics to be surprised. Bothered, maybe. 

“Strange, I guess I’ll do another sweep of the house…” Yuzu muttered with a sigh, turning around to leave. “Ah, do you want something specific for dinner today?” 

Konoka blinked, “Anything you make is fine, as long as not with leeks and natto.” 

Yuzu chuckled, “I’ll try to keep it in mind, onee-chan.” 

The door fell closed with a soft click, making Konoka stare at it. It’s not like she didn’t try to cook once the initial shock of losing their mother was over. She did. However…

She’d nearly burned down the kitchen in the process, house almost with it. No matter how many times Konoka tried, she’d always end up almost destroying the kitchen resulting in her being banned from cooking by the decree of everyone in Kurosaki family. She still remembered their dad’s horrified face as he stared at the chaos and nearly burning stove…at Karin and Yuzu exchanging looks before they scrambled to help her clean it up and Ichigo went to get a fire extinguisher. 

Konoka simply wasn’t meant to be a chef. 

Which was one of the reasons why the task had fallen on Yuzu, Karin helped out in her way but she too wasn’t as good at it as the youngest girl was. Ichigo never let Konoka live it down, teasing her about it even in their home economy class, the teacher too declared that Konoka was not to touch a stove or oven after she almost caused a fire. To be fair, that one hadn’t quite been Konoka’s fault but that of a ghost who’d sat on the wrong button but not like they could tell that to a stunned teacher. Ichigo was already dealing with delinquents coming after him for his orange hair and Konoka had her own issues with some of the girls that they had made a deal to avoid becoming known for seeing and talking to ghosts on top of it all as well. 

“Might as well,” Konoka muttered, rolling herself out of the bed like a hot-dog on the roller, cursing at the dead leg. She eyed it before moving it in circles and kicked it slightly against the bed, only to instantly regret it. “Fuckkkkkkkkk,” she jumped around, holding her now pain throbbing toes in hand, blinking back the tears. 

Hobbling her way to the door, Konoka tested her leg, sighing in relief when the pain was minimal and she could walk. But before she could leave the room, Konoka noticed something in her underwear drawer. Or near it. Her dark eyes narrowed, instantly forgetting about her leg and marched over to it. There it was, that damn lion plushie she kept finding in her room. 

On the surface, the lion didn’t look anything different from other toys. 

It was just its ability to appear in places it shouldn’t — Konoka knew it originated from Ichigo’s room, because if it was Yuzu’s then the poor animal would be wearing excessive dresses and makeup and more. She grabbed the plushie by its throat, squeezing it extra tight just in case and spun around, her brother’s room as destination. She thought she heard it squeak, eyeing it with even more distrust.

With curses and death threats muttered, Konoka kicked her brother’s door open, “Ichigo!” She snapped, eyebrow twitching before she froze at the sight of her brother standing before his wardrobe like a starfish. His arms and legs covering the doors, like preventing it from popping open or someone opening it. Her brother stared at her, looking slightly peeved.

“The fuck?” 

“I told you to knock, Konoka!” Ichigo snapped, ensuring the doors wouldn’t open before he pushed himself off of it. He eyed the lion in her hand, blinking as he took in the sight of Kon sweating and looking at him with pleading eyes. Something Konoka seemed to miss. “Where’d you find him?” 

“Oh this?” Konoka raised her hand, grip tightening. Her smile almost frozen, staring at her twin with a suspicious look. “Never mind this, whatcha hidin’ there, nii-chan?” She tilted her head, eyeing his closet with a calculating look.

“N-nothing! I was just cleaning,” Ichigo sputtered, not liking the way his sister sounded - amused and teasing. Such a combination was never a good thing on Konoka. She’d teased him enough about Tatsuki and a few other girls he had come across. 

As expected, she gave him a doubtful nod. 

“Porn stash then?” 

“What? How’d you draw that conclusion?!?” Ichigo shouted, his cheeks turned red, glancing at the closet and at the doll in Konoka’s hand. 

“We’re both sixteen, Ichigo,” she dead-panned him. “You’re a teenage boy, wouldn’t be shocking if you had porn lying around.” 

“Don’t lump me together with perverts like you!” 

She smirked, “Aw, if you’re bored - I can share my collection, all ya need to do is ask me.” 

Konoka enjoyed seeing her brother stammering, his inexperience with females showing…compared to his ability to kick ass and see the ghosts, her brother had barely any idea how romance works. She recalled how he red he’d been when he asked her if she’d actually had a boyfriend that first time around, and his surprise when she said ‘not a boyfriend, just a friend’.

She wondered how he’d react upon discovering she was occasionally sleeping with Mizuiro, a good friend of theirs.

A muffled-like laughter came from the closet, making Konoka raise an eyebrow at it and Ichigo quickly said, “I don’t!” He damned Rukia for not staying quiet. Hoping his sister wouldn’t investigate it closer. Knowing her, he could never be certain. Luckily, Konoka seemed to either ignore it or choose teasing him more today.

She chuckled, before remembering, “Ah, did Yuzu ask you about her missing clothes?” 

Ichigo blinked but nodded, still red in face. “Yeah, no idea - you?” 

She nodded, before she threw the lion at him which Ichigo unfortunately caught. A strange squeak left it.

“Where’d ya find it?” 

“Near my underwear drawer,” Konoka answered with a glare, directed at the creature. She could feel something was off, but what? She wasn’t certain. “The next time I find it in my room, I’ll burn it. No questions asked. Understood?” 

Ichigo nodded, and the lion almost shit himself at the threat. Inside the closet, Kuchiki Rukia blinked at the promised threat. Rukia had observed the Kurosaki family during her time with them, not that they knew about her presence. Although, she thought that Ichigo’s younger twin may have sensed something was off or seen her a few times she sneaked in. Rukia noticed that Konoka and Karin seemed to share some resemblance to each other more than to their respective twins, even sometimes behaving and acting similarly. 

But that was whenever Konoka wasn’t unmotivated to do anything.

“Yeah, I’ll make sure he stays out of your room — wait, what’s that smell?” 

“What smell?” Konoka blinked, acting innocent as though she didn’t know what he meant. She grinned as he eyed her suspiciously, trying to read her or something like that. 

“Were you smoking, again?” 

“Ah, I think Yuzu’s calling — try not to forget about food while you play with yourself!” Konoka chuckled, wiggling her eyebrows at her gaping brother. If there was anyone who could usually make her spill things, then it was Ichigo.

Maybe not everything, but he was one of the few who could keep her in check and get some sense in her. He was also the only one who could calm her down after her fights with their dad. Although, she never specified what they were actually about.