Only the spoon knows what is stirring in the pot- Sicilian Proverb

Chapter 7

"Tonight the master asked us to make Kaigun curry. Do you know how to make that?" The maid and all around housekeeper, Miya asked Yuzu. She stood at the sink washing vegetables.

The young Kurosaki girl nodded furiously. Her eyes glinted "Oh yes! So I can really help make it?"

"Against my better judgement." The other girl smiled. "I've already started the beef marinating. Could you boil a couple of tomatoes? You can find some in the fridge."

Miya pointed to a familiar looking object sitting near the far wall. Before retrieving the tomotoes, Yuzu found a medium pot and filled it with salted water. She set this on top of a raised kamado. Then, she opened the fridge and pulled out two of the plump fruit. Finally she placed them in the water and turned on the heat.

Yuzu sighed. This kitchen was like standing inside of a history book. The sink was a conglomeration of ceramic and wood pieces. Wood shelves raised above the sink and were littered with pots and pans. Miya stood near a sunokoyuka or a drainboard. Near the sink where Miya was rinsing potatoes sat a mizuya dansu containing plates, utensils, spices and other food items. Across from the dansu was an irori- a hearth which could also be used for cooking. At the far end of the room lay a well. A bamboo mat covered the top and hanging overhead were buckets on a winding pole. Of course, there were many modern appliances added into the cooking space like the refrigerator, a rice cooker, and even a counter top dishwasher.

Minutes later the tomatoes finished boiling. Yuzu removed from the heat and placed them in a bowl on the counter. She found a knife in the dansu and returned to work. She gently pierced the skin with the tip of the knife, loosening it. The peel pulled right off the tomato. She then sliced it in half and softly squeezed each part until the seeds dripped out into a bowl.

A couple of heart felt sighs echoed in the kitchen. Yuzu furrowed her brows for following in the footsteps of the sighs was a familiar feeling.

The young Kurosaki girl always felt that she wasn't like her brother or even her twin. She couldn't really see or feel ghosts, except occasionally for seeing their outlines or maybe sensing a nearby spirit . Not until that incident with the cat Raku. But even so...Karin knew more about this than she did, what with those weird people she met. There was the strange red haired boy, and the girl with the wide purple eyes. And then there was that white haired kid...

Yuzu's eyes widened as she turned to look behind. All the times meeting them, she felt as she did now.

A tall man dressed in slacks, shirt, and a tie stood there being cooed over by Miya and one of the other maids. Yuzus' cheeks turned rosy as she turned away. He's so pretty.

"Good morning, Tatsumi-san," Miya smiled as Maya spoke. "Good Morning."

Tatsumi answered. "Good morning."

Good morning. Yuzu thought to herself.

"I thought you were still resting. I'll bring breakfast right away," offered Miya.

"No, any time is fine." Tatsumi frowned. "By the way, Miya san."

"Yes."

"Do you know where Watari is?"

Miya hesitated. "I thought I saw him heading out back, maybe off to the side of the house..."

"Thanks," Tatsumi said and then whispered something that Yuzu couldn't hear.

As Yuzu finished peeling and seeding her second fruit, she felt the spiritual power leave the kitchen. She relaxed a little and started to wonder why her family was really there.

Kurosaki Karin stood outside under the blue sky. A cap covered her head and her foot rested on top of a soccer ball. She stared ahead at a couple of trees as though they threatened her. Deftly dribbling the ball, she shot off towards the trees.

In an amazing feat of skill, Kurosaki Karin stole the ball. She is now dribbling the ball down the field to the goal.

Karin faked left, then right. She dodged unseen enemies spinning and leaping but never losing the ball.

Look at the ease and skill Kurosaki Karin has in preventing the ball from being taking back. Skill like this only comes around once in decades.

Finally she paused in front of the earlier spotted trees. Then she pressed forward, first dribbling with her left foot and then smashed the ball with her right. The ball shot in between the tree and out of sight.

And the crowd goes wild! Kurosaki Karin scored the winning shot!

Karin raised her arms and shook her fists. Then she bowed to the invisible spectators. A flare of spiritual energy shook Karin out of her daydream. She scanned the area for the source and for her soccer ball. Between the two trees, she found a round tunnel carving its way through the thick branches.

Uh-oh! Must've kicked it harder than I meant.

She found a path that led in between the trees and used that to follow the path that her ball took. Luckily for her, the ball flew in straight line. Shortly Karin found her ball on the roof of a building just off of the house. The young soccer player noticed a tree that leaned up against the building. Karin hoped that it could hold her weight as she hurried up to it.

Soft whimpered hiccups carried through the air. Karin stopped and listened. She remembered hearing the sounds. Sounds she made years ago- at night, curled up in bed- when she thought no one could hear her. They were sounds she vowed never to make again but did because of a bird. The young heart sore girl peeked around the corner of the building. Sitting hunched over on a stump was a blonde. And before Karin could think about what she was doing, she moved towards the heaving figure.

"Are you okay, ma..." Karin jaw dropped as the person turned towards her. She backed up a bit. "I'm sorry, I..."

"I'm fine," the stranger whispered. Karin might have turned away, but his eyes were dull and empty. So, instead Karin moved closer clearing her throat. "Look, I'm not very good at this stuff, but somethings wrong. Maybe you should talk about it?"

He smiled softly at her. "You don't need to worry about it."

Karin kneeled next to him. She pulled at stray pieces of grass on the ground and tossed them around, thinking. "My brother...he's been going through something rough. He thought he had to do it alone. Forgot there were people around who'd help him. When he finally talked, things started getting better. I bet the same would work for you. I'm sure there are people who care 'bout you."

He smiled again as a loud voice pierced the air. "Sensei!"

The blonde man looked at Karin. "I think you're right."

From the other direction came running a tall bespectacled brown haired man. He stopped near the blonde and Karin. His eyes darted between the two people. "What are you doing in a place like this? I've been looking for you."

"Oh... Tatsumi...What is it?"

"What do you mean 'What is it!'- It is time for Rui-san's examination!"

"Ahh...oh yeah...it is..." he responded, standing. Karin stood nervously as she spoke. "I better get going. It was nice meeting you."

"Same here. Thanks again..."

"Karin. My name is Karin."

"Thanks Karin. I'm Watari."

"See ya around." Karin hurried away, forgetting about her ball. Both men had strong spiritual energy and it worried her. What was her family getting itself into?