A gentle smile escaped his lips, his teal eyes softened when he saw the huge mahogany doors opened.
Across the long hall was a woman clad in a long white dress, hair made up in a lose bun and face covered in thin white cloth. Joining her was a tall man with dark spiked hair in a very crisp black tuxedo.
"This has got to be some kind of a sick joke"
He sighed as he ruffled his white messy hair
Slowly making her way walking down the red carpet she gripped the bouquet of white roses she's holding and accidentally locked eyes with him. The corners of her eyes seemed damp and the greyness of it was dull, he observed. His brows curled, blue-green eyes darkening. Her answer was a large grin and as soon as she lightly closed her eyes a drop of tear caressed her cheeks.
"Taicho..." a woman whispered.
"Not now Matsumoto" He replied.
Sighing, the woman shifted her gaze to the direction he was looking.
"What a vision right? I never knew Karin-chan could be such a beautiful alluring bride."
"mmm" He hummed, slowly shut his eyes and gripped his hand tightly.
"Taicho?..." Matsumoto asked.
There was no reaction.
"Hitsugaya-Taicho?..." another question.
Finally the bride and the man made their way near the altar and before she loosened the grip to his coat she leaned close and kissed his cheeks and breathe "Thanks Otousan". Instantly, she was grabbed in a suffocating hug "I love you Karin-chan, you will always be my darling daughter" and then released her.
With this, a man just few steps away advanced to them and held out a hand. Karin's vision was blurred she could feel tears forming in the corner of her eyes but she was sure that the hand in front of her was slightly trembling. She took the man's offer and gently placed her hand on his. Gradually inspecting the man, his chocolate brown hair was pushed back and his forest green eyes was hazy and squinting it was like he was in pain but he was wearing a really happy face. "Kazuya-san" Karin squeezed his hands and beamed immediately calming him.
Kazuya turned to the dark haired man beside Karin and exhaled "Thank you Isshin-san"
"You might want to practice calling me otou-san" the answered.
The couple giggled and nodded to each other taking this as a signal that they are both ready to walk into the altar. But before fully turning backwards, Karin glanced over the white-haired man which was also staring at her, opening her mouth several times trying to make out a message.
In Hitsugaya's vision everything was obscure; all he can make out is Karin's profile and the shifting of her lips. "What was that?" he thought.
Kazuya and Karin are now in front of the altar. The ceremony is progressing very smoothly but Hitsugaya's thoughts drifted into somewhere.
Matsumoto noticed this and lightly elbowed him. "Taicho... It's time for the vows!"
Hitsugaya snapped into reality and gazed at Karin's lips, and his memory played him of the scene just moments go. Goodbye my first love was Karin's words before going into the altar.
In a flash, a jolt of pain entered his body at the same time he heard Karin say the words "I do".
Afraid his reatsu would leak out and cause trouble to the wedding, without a word he ran away as fast as his gigai could. Panting from the pain in his guts he found shelter to the park not far from the church. Not even using a soul-candy he released his shinigami form from the faux body, soon afterwards snow started falling roughly in a circular motion encasing him as he punched the stone statue that was beside him but now in rubbles.
"Hitsugaya-Taicho..."
"Toshiro..."
Surveying what his sense of sight can muster, not far from him was a man with bright orange hair and a woman equal to his height, violet eyes looking into him with pity.
"Kurosaki..." his voice muffled.
"If there is one thing that I shouldn't have thought of, it was this. I was thinking too much. How insane and absurd things are, how it never occurred to me that we can make us happen or that I might lose her someday. How that someday is now here." The last phrase that escaped his mouth was the last straw, he thought of crying but the pain was so intense that there was no tear to shed. Instead, looking up at the sky he roared loudly trying to make the pain escape.
"Toshiro, I'm sorry. I partly knew that Karin liked you ever since, but I never told you since I don't want her to be tangled with shinigami..." The orange haired guy explained.
Hitsugaya sighed lowered his head down and maniacally laughed "Funny thing is kurosaki... I knew it all along, her feelings for me."
Ichigo's face darkned
"Ichigo..." the small woman sighed as she caressed Ichigo's shoulders trying to calm him down.
at this sight Hitsugaya frowned "I should've taken the risk. If I did, will I be as happy?" tilting his head towards the woman "Kuchi... I mean Kurosaki-fukutaicho?"
"Hitsugaya-taicho, you already know the answer to your question, you and Karin-chan's just like me and Ichigo. We just realized it before..." she trailed off.
"...It's too late" Hitsugaya answered.
"Let's go Rukia, Karin might notice" Ichigo said taking the woman's hand and pulling her to a walk. After a few strides the orange-head made a stop slightly surprising Rukia. He pulled out a package-looking envelope from his coat and threw it to the white-haired taicho.
"Karin asked me to give that to you after the wedding, but seeing as I don't think you'll be able to make it until then, I'll just hand it to you now." Ichigo shouted.
Hitsugaya was not able to catch the package because of his daze, when the envelope landed into the snow-covered grass, it scattered several things. He went down on his knees as his eyes met the mess, Thanks for the memories written on a rectangular piece of paper. He flipped it and saw an image that made him tremble. It was of Him and a smug Karin gripping her junior-high diploma. His hands now touching the grass trying to grasp it and finally tears slipped. Silently weeping he muttered "I never knew you were the sentimental type."
