Tides

by carved in the sand

Some people in life, Karin decides, will always manage to draw you back to shore. - HitsuKarin/Medieval!AU (Sequel to Waxing, Waning)

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Karin walked through the walls of the castle as brusquely as she could; in her heart of heart's desire, she was tempted to sprint, but she wasn't one to seem to eager when it came to her husband's case. Several ladies in waiting struggled to keep up with her. Yuzu murmured excitedly behind her, arm in arm with Lady Hinamori, their laughter echoing through the high ceilings. She tried dearly to ignore how it grated on her nerves.

After several days of uncomfortable travel, everyone seemed to be in a better mood than her. Of course, the incoming chill of her home had set her nerves at ease just slightly, the commotion of Lady Hinamori's presences did not let it fully sink in. Karin knew she'd be coerced into a fanciful dinner for her return, but all she wanted to do was follow her husband to bed and remain there. Her travelling clothes were cumbersome, a headache pulsed at her temples, and if she was forced to listen to another account of how dearly she missed the warmth of her ex fiance's kingdom, she'd scream.

"Are you well, my queen?" Matsumoto asked from her right.

The queen turned to her friend with a thinly veiled expression of fatigue. The strawberry blonde tittered happily, tossing a thick wave of her colorful hair over one shoulder in a ridiculously feminine expression, though she wore her usual shoulder guards over a ridiculously fine gown. It was hard to remember she was one of the greatest generals across the nation most days.

Thankfully, it was never hard to remember that she was one of Karin's closest confidants.

"I wish to speak with the king," Karin murmured almost silently. Matsumoto's smile only grew. "Without interruption."

Matsumoto nodded. "Of course," she said, just as quietly. In a normal tone, she spoke again. "You shouldn't mind handing this to him on my behalf then. I feel in need of a strong drink."

From the folds of her thick travelling cloak, she pulled out a letter from the Kuchiki, the wax seal embedded with their violet emblem. The contents of it secretive to even her. Karin made a show of shrugging while she took the letter. "That's quite alright. But would you rather do so alone?" she replied smoothly. "Have my sister and Lady Hinamori dine with you, general. Have your fill before your wine...or whatever spirits fancy you. It'll be better for your stomach."

She waved over one of her hand maidens to her left. The young girl came running up to her side with more than a bit of struggle.

"Yes, my grace?" the blonde young girl said, slightly out of breath.

"Please do show everyone to the private dining room and have them served before they retire," Karin said smoothly. The young handmaiden smiled rather cheekily before ducking her head in a bow.

"And you, my grace?"

"I have no appetite." For food, that is, Karin thought to herself. It was hard to keep back her smirk.

From behind her, a hand grasped onto her own with shocking force. She whirled around to see a pouting Hinamori trailing after her rather quickly. It took more patience than it should have to control her facial expression. "Won't you dine with us, my beloved sister in law?" she asked sweetly. "I haven't had my fill of your presence yet."

"Duty calls, I think," Yuzu said coyly from behind her. She walked up to press a hand to Hinamori's shoulder, who stepped back immediately, a careful expression on her face.

"It does," Karin replied. By now, everyone had stopped walking, coming into the great entryway of the inner castle. To the right led to the guest wing, to the left were the servant quarters, and up ahead were a grand set of staircases that hopefully led to her husband. "And duty does get quite bothersome when he is left waiting, so I won't trouble him. This correspondence is a matter of importance, Lady Hinamori."

Hinamori curtsied, her soft yellow dress billowing out around her. "Of course, sister in law. It is no trouble," she murmured, looking away pointedly. "Though I doubt you'd find him. From his youngest of days, my brother always had a knack for disappearing within these grand walls. You needn't bother with attaining the impossible."

Karin did not bother to look away as she rolled her eyes - the affronted expression on Hinamori's face was pleasing. The proper response would have been to apologize for her imposition, but Kurosaki Karin wasn't a woman who enforced things as petty as decorum, and she'd like to die with that claim still being true. There were more important things to be concerned about.

Like sharp rebuttals.

"Worrying more for your own husband instead of mine would do you wonders, I think," the queen murmured pointedly.

She turned then, patting her handmaiden on the shoulder. The girl led the rest of the servants, Yuzu, Hinamori, and Matsumoto towards the guest wing.

Her body guards, Yumchika and Ikkaku, stayed behind for a moment. The queen waved them over in exasperation before trekking up the grand staircase. The two soldiers let out sighs as soon as the party was out of ear shot, though they managed to be loud enough to make her wince.

"I thought that wretch would never stop talking," Ikkaku spat, slapping a hand to his bald head.

Yumchika scoffed. "I thought she would never stop commenting on my superior looks," she drawled angrily. "It's as if she never saw a beautiful man before."

Karin managed to disguise her shout of laughter as an indignant huff. "Both of you should watch your words before the king hears," she muttered. "He'd behead you for calling his sister a wretch."

"So now she is your sister in law," Ikkaku shot back. "How convenient."

Karin pursed her lips.

They reached the top of the staircase and went into the right hallway, walking down similarly wide, expansive halls until she reached a large statue of the late Queen Dowager. Karin pressed two fingers against her left temple until the entire section of the wall gave way, opening into darkness. She stepped through, and her guards followed, the wall closing up after them within an instant.

"There's nothing convenient about that girl and you damn well know it," Karin called out to them over her shoulder. She picked up her heavy skirts and coat with one hand to wave at them with the other. "Now come quickly."

Though she'd long since memorized a great deal of the palace's inner stone passageways, Karin was still not used to how little lighting there was. Some moments, she'd be walking through pitch black, and had to fell her way to the next turn. The sconces above them were few and far between. She had to blink several times so her eyes could adjust - they never did as quickly as the king's, and it was easier to just follow behind him blindly, his hand clasped in her own.

"Also, I know my place - I'm no fool. But she clearly does not know her's," Karin grumbled under her breath. She squinted into the dark, passing by a tall door with murmuring voices inside. "Being an annoyance is one thing, but constantly showing up in places she's clearly not meant to be..."

"It is suspicious," Yumchika added darkly. "I don't like it."

"Neither do I, but the king would not hear of such slander against someone he considered blood," Karin muttered. "Even from me."

Ikkaku scoffed. "I doubt it. You could tell the king that the sun will rise in the west tomorrow and he'd bet his life upon it as fact," he declared. Yumchika made an agreeing noise. "Would you say otherwise?"

"I would say...that I am not a woman to be played with." The queen stopped walking as the hall split into two different passageways. She turned around to face her body guards, lifting up her coat to expose the knife belted at her hip. "And I wish to see just what kind of game my sister in law is playing."

Their expressions were rather comically serious when she turns to inspect them, narrow eyed and aghast. They all pause in walking. In succession, Ikakku turned around to peer into the dark stone halls as Yumchika leaned in, mouth close to her ear."You suspect her a spy?" he asked fearfully. "Truly?"

"Yes, but do not breathe a word of this elsewhere. I have nothing solid, but at the very least, she warrants a special pair of eyes and ears on her," Karin replied easily. She smiled as she thought of just the person for the job. "If I find something that displeases me enough to fear for this kingdom's well being, I'll trust the two of you to handle it with me. Discretely."

"Of course," Yumchika replied, nodding succintly. "You have our word."

"And our deepest loyalties," Ikkaku added, murmuring from behind. He turned back around to bow and his dark haired friend followed. "Goodnight, my grace."

"Goodnight you two," Karin said, smiling wider than she should have, considering the circumstances.

They turned back around, the sounds of their boots down the stone hallways. She watched them go as she slipped her knife out of it's scabbard with a sharp ring of metal against metal. The sconces seemed to dim with their exit, and she hurried towards her husband's secret study room, Kuchiki's letter gripped desperately within her hand.

Hinamori's sudden divorce to Lord Kira came as a shock to everyone, as well as her sudden appearance at the northern kingdom's gates. Hitsugaya had welcomed his sister back to the home of her childhood with open arms, distraught as she was, and Karin had tried the same sentiment as well. She never knew how difficult it would be to suddenly have a sister in law thrust into her daily life.

Though they'd only been married for three years, the two had long since solidified a routine in their daily lives. Marriage was unsurprisingly effortless between them, days spent simply between them in companionable ease, or productively in managing the country's affairs, or irritatingly dramatic when it came to war. So far, her husband had taken two campaigns away from the northern kingdom against Aizen's forces, the second one having lasted nearly eight months.

She feared a third one coming soon, with the recent events.

Karin wasn't stupid. Ever since Hinamori's arrival to the castle, the small border skirmishes with Ichimaru's kingdom had escalated into frighteningly calculated attacks upon two rather valuable military bases, as well as a renewed fervor of Aizen's army against old man Yamamoto's.

Her suspicions wouldn't have turned to her sister in law had she not showed time and time again how secretive she was in her letter writing to her very recently divorced husband, whom she would not speak a single ill word against.

Of course, her recent assassination attempt at the Kuchiki home had all but sealed the deal.

Maybe it's something to be concerned about, how well I'm taking this, Karin thought dully to herself, a hand pressed to her stomach. A smile bloomed across her mouth as she pressed a hand to her stomach. I should be wrought with nerves, you know.

"Are you ill?"

Karin whirled around, raising her knife threateningly, her heart jumping into her throat.

"You're jumpy," the king noted absently.

She breathed in relief as Toshiro's smiled at her, hands in his pockets, watching her sheath her weapon. "Truly, I don't understand how you can creep so silently in such a place," she muttered, crossing her arms petulantly. "And what do you mean? Why would I be ill?"

Toshiro rolled his eyes as he pressed his hand to his own stomach, mimicking her earlier action.

Karin smiled wider than she should have. "Just an upset stomach," she said. "I skipped dinner just in case."

He was dressed in casual clothes, not yet changed for bed, though it had to be past midnight. Black pants and boots, loose white shirt tucked up to the forearms, and ridiculously messy hair that fell into his eyes boyishly. His posture and gait always betrayed his royal status, no matter how plainly he dressed in his free time.

At least this will be easier to pry from his person, Karin thought mischievously.

"If you wish for anything later, we can steal away to the kitchens," he replied. The king held out his hand for her, and Karin took it, smiling as he kissed her knuckles. "Come. Your clothing looks to heavy. I must correct this."

The queen raised a brow as he began walking backwards, pulling her towards him. His eyes - more green than blue in the passing firelight of the sconces above - roved over her shapeless travelling cloak and fur cloak underneath. "If you tear my corset again, my seamstress might just have your head," Karin replied coyly.

They flirted childishly as he led her towards his private study, down the hall, left, and then right, the sconces becoming more spread apart the deeper they went. Toshiro brought her closer as they finally came upon the room. He opened the door for her, and led her inside the warm, cozy room. His large desk was filled to the brim with papers he needed to go over and a large mug of what would probably be coffee.

Karin let her skirts fall as she handed Hitsugaya the letter Matsumoto had given her. She began to take off her many layers of clothing, staring with her reddish brown, bear fur coat, and then her wool travelling cloak.

"Hand me your knife," he said. Karin unsheathed the knife as her travelling cloak and coat fell. She picked up the clinging material of her velvet gown, rich purple and revealing enough shoulder to leave her feeling the chill of the vague room. "I think you should be more concerned about me ripping that dress than your corset."

"Damage it, and I'll damage you."

"I might just take my chances." Toshiro hmm'ed as he sliced open the letter and unfolded the several pages of Lord Byakuya's handwriting, beginning to read. She finished unlacing her boots and tossed them towards the entryway. Karin stretched out like a cat held in captivity for too long. She went through the motions of picking her clothing from the floor, tossing it onto the back of a chair near the roaring fireplace, tucking her sock-clad feet into the slippers left nearby.

"You won't believe how dreary dinners were. Even with Yu, everyone was talking war and politics the entire time. So boring," Karin said over her shoulder, turning around to see Toshiro now sitting behind his desk. "What's with you?"

Her husband's expression was irritatingly sour, as if he'd seen Matsumoto dancing drunkenly on the dining room table again, staring down at the letter. He tossed one of the pages onto his desk. Karin scowled at his silence and sudden mood shift before walking towards him, reaching up to unbraid her hair from it's complicated style. His scowl deepened with every step he took before it blanked out completely.

"Toshiro," Karin called out, leaning a hip onto his desk. "What. Is. Wrong."

He looked up at her and let the papers fall onto his desk in a messy pile. There was something strange in his eye that Karin didn't like. He walked around the desk quickly and reached out to press a hand against her still-flat stomach.

She grew furious in an instant, pulling away from him and her still-tied-up hair to snatch up the letter from his desk. "That bastard," Karin spat. She was too angry to focus on the immaculate hand writing of the Kuchiki. "I told him to keep quiet about that."

"You should have burned the letter before you came," Toshiro said, the awe in his voice not yet gone. "I handle business exclusively through messenger hawks. This is all just about you."

"The next time I see him I'm going to throttle him," Karin said, tossing the letter onto the floor. She turned around suddenly. "Then you...? Did he-?"

"Clearly," the king drawled, shifting to sit at the edge of his desk. "Why would you want to keep an assassination attempt quiet? To me, of all people? What is wrong with you?"

Karin looked down and shook her head. The disappointment on his face hurt more than anger ever could. "I picked up my cup and smelled...something in my water. Something not good," she murmured. "I panicked, dragged Rukia away, and she insisted upon a doctor. Her brother then thought it apt to have me checked on a doctor."

"And they checked your pulse."

"And they checked my pulse."

Toshiro reached out for left hand and took her by the wrist. She looked down at his calloused, scarred hands, his thumb pressed against her pulse point. She knew he wasn't skilled in checking pulses as a true doctor would be. They were both more familiar with checking the state of bodies than treating them.

The smile that grew on his face made tears sting in her eyes, but she held them back as best as she could.

"I am...scared," Hitsugaya whispered.

Karin reached out to grasp the whole of his hand, not surprised to feel him shaking. "What do you think I feel, you daft fool?" she trembled out. "What if this turns out like last-?"

"You should not blame yourself for something that was so very much out of your control," he said, looking up, a stern expression on his face.

Karin looked away. She hated it when he did that.

"I blame this body which has proven insufficient before." Her hand wound around his more tightly, an anchor to port. He stood from the desk and took both her hands in his. "If you're scared, then I- I am terrified."

"Then is more fitting that we be terrified together," Toshiro replied with another smile, even smaller than before. "I'd hope that we will be happy together as well. All of us."

The tears fell down her face before she knew she was blinking them back, ruining her overly powdered face. Karin laughed rather wetly as her husband kissed her knuckles. "Of course I'm happy! You- you cannot believe- I had several minutes of sheer delight before I remembered everything," the dark haired woman muttered. "I hope it's a girl, Toshiro. I want a little girl."

"And I want a son," Toshiro retorted, raising a brow.

"Let's hope you have greater influence than mine." His hand pressed against her stomach as they stared into each other's eyes - she shut her eyes as a grin broke across her face. "It would be rather fitting for you to have a daughter as difficult as your wife."

"You damn harpy."

Karin held back a snicker. "I aim for nothing less, my lord."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes as his hands went to her hips, pulling her flush against him. The energy sapped out of her within an instant. She let her chin rest on his shoulder and melted into the warmth of his body. "I am so ridiculously weary," she mumbled. "Did you know I vomited this morning, right on the side of the road? Matsumoto thought I'd been day drinking and laughed for ten minutes straight."

"She would," her husband muttered. "Though if you had been day drinking, I might have laughed as well."

"Don't mock me, you bastard," Karin muttered. "I'll have your head for it."

Hitsugaya pulled away from her so their gazes met once more. Grey met aquamarine as his brows furrowed dangerously. "You should also have the head of the one who attempted to murder you," he whispered darkly. "And I have a feeling you're protecting someone."

It was her turn to roll her eyes, but for a completely different reason. Nervousness jumped into the base of her throat and rendered her silent for several seconds. Karin pulled away from his embrace as the fire crackled muted at the other side of the room and contemplated her next words.

"Not out of my own personal interests," she said. Karin turned around and crossed her arms. "Be useful and help me with my hair."

Toshiro sighed. She felt his rough fingers threading through her dark hair after a moment's hesitation. He was gentle, taking his time with the intricate braids, generously running his fingers through her freed hair. "I know for a fact that none from the Kuchiki household were behind it," the queen murmured quietly. His hands paused. "The scent of the poison was familiar...I know where the perpetrator would have procured it. They are not easily begotten that far south."

In fact, the only place where one could get the special hybrid of poppies and sickle ivy was in the west, near the mountain ranges - right where the personal gardens of the Kira manor resided.

"You suspect one of our own?"

"Depends on what you mean by our own. I'm still just investigating it."

"Who? Who is it?"

"You wouldn't have be making such bold accusations without proof."

He began working on her hair again, more gentle than before. "Be bold, then. I would never think you a liar," Toshiro said against her ear. "Trust me in this."

"I trust you with my immortal soul, but that's neither here nor there. II will present you with hard evidence before throwing accusations," Karin replied, trying not to sound scared. A wife was one thing, but family? She was sure he'd say the same to Hinamori. He had just as much love for her. "Let me handle this on my own."

The king was silent for several moments. When her hair was fully free, thick waves of spilled ink down her back, he unzipped the back of her dress down to the base of her spine. He bared her right shoulder and led a trail of wet kisses over her pale skin. He smiled with flushed cheeks when he toyed with the edges of her corset.

"You'll be assigned a second taste tester, in the castle and elsewhere, and you won't leave here without being fully armed," Toshiro began, breathing hotly against her skin. "Your guards shall be doubled. You won't wander the inner stone walkways without the both of them, or myself. You won't take unnecessary risks. These are my terms."

"Doubled? Have you gone mad?" Karin snapped. "I can barely handle the idiots I have now, let alone you."

"These - are - my - terms." He punctuated each word with a sharp bite along the back of her throat, and when she gasped, he wrapped his arms around her securely. "Will you not agree to them?"

"I...suppose I can bear it," Karin drawled, leaning back against him with her full weight. "But if you do not continue, we'll have to spend all night here negotiating."

His laughter was low and full of warmth. A thick burst of love flooded through her chest and pressed against her rib cage in time with her heartbeat, too quick and too loud. She turned her head to watch the amusement dance across his face handsomely. He looked a decade younger with a smile, and she adored how unguarded the expression was. Karin leaned in to kiss his temple.

"How easily you have me wrapped around your finger," Karin murmured adoringly.

"I aim for nothing less, my queen."

A loud, brisk knock at the door shocked them both. Karin, in all her queenly manner, had held back a shout of fury. She looked over her shoulder towards her husband, face flushed with irritation and something else completely. The expression on his face told her that he knew exactly who it was. She turned fully, crossing her arms, sneering.

"Who is it?" Karin called out loudly.

Toshiro suddenly took great interest in his boots.

Hinamori made an exaggerated sound of shock. "S-sister in law! How did you-?"

"Wait right there, Hinamori," the queen replied. Karin turned back around with a sigh. "Zip back up my dress."

"This isn't my fault, you know," Hitsugaya muttered irately. His hands this time were businesslike and not as warm as they once had been. He flipped her thick hair over her shoulder and zipped up her gown to the back of her throat quickly. "She grew up here as a royal. Of course she'd know the passageways like the back of her hand. She has every right to use them."

Karin sucked at her teeth, and stepped away from his fingers as soon as he'd finished. "Since you seem so fine with being interrupted every moment that we're together, then you won't very well miss me tonight," she drawled lazily. She walked to the other end of the room, by the fireplace, towards the other door of the stone passageway. The queen turned back to the king as she pressed her hand against the unlit sconce hanging from the wall. The stone passageway dragged open with the grating roughness of rock against rock.

"Don't be a stubborn idiot, Karin," Toshiro said, running a hand through his hair. He looked very tired right then. So close to the fire again, his eyes were darker, almost competing with the violet half moons under his eyes. "I'm sure it's important."

"I'm not implying that her business with you isn't important," Karin spat with a dismissive wave of her hand. She trotted into the stone halls, her footsteps echoing like runaway ghosts. "I'm implying that I am more important."

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"So are you accusing her of treachery or betrayal?"

"Well...a bit of both?."

"A little?"

"Enough to get her thrown into jail. I want a beheading, if we're being frank."

"Goodness, Karin. You mustn't be so - gah!"

The pair went toppling into the snow, face first, arm in arm. Karin scrambled onto her feet as quickly as she could before hauling her sister up as well. The dark haired twin dusted off the snow from her sister's coat as best as she could before grabbing her by the hand and leading her further into the snowy walkway. "Chin up, sister. We're almost there," she said. "The cottage is warm and has flooring that isn't slippery."

"Why would you have a cottage on the palace grounds?" Yuzu questioned. Karin sighed. "Whatever do you use it for?"

"When I wish to avoid my husband," Karin replied swiftly. In all reality, she doubted he knew about it yet - or, just as likely, he pretended not to know about it to keep away from her wrath.

The twins walked among the many stone paths behind the palace, towards the woods. Hand in hand, they tried to escape without being seen by the guards as quickly as possible. They dressed in their usual eye-catching gowns, but wore the custom snow white fur coats that nobles of the Northern Kingdom wore, concealing them well from prying eyes. The wind was calm this morning, but it was still bitterly cold, and Karin knew it would be easier to have a conversation with her sister when she wasn't shivering half to death.

"That sounds like a good plan," Yuzu murmured, a whimsical tone to her voice. "When I am married once more, do you think-?"

"Lord Byakuya would be a fool to not give you whatever your lovely heart desires," Karin interjected as rudely as possible.

Yuzu gasped at her scandalous words, and then smacked her on the shoulder none too gently. "Karin! Please!" she snapped. "Someone could hear!"

"Not a soul comes out this far into the palace grounds in the dead of winter," the queen replied briskly. "Now come. I brought food this morning."

They trudged further, away from the stone walkway and into the snowy woodlands. It was a short walk into the treeline until the little cottage came into view. From how terribly irritating her morning had been this morning, since last night's interruption (one of many), and how she'd scrambled furiously to find an emptied guest suite to sleep in, her mood had improved drastically. Karin rushed ahead and pulled the large gold key from her pants pocket until she unlocked the front door. Yuzu stumbled up behind her as Karin shoved open the door.

It was small, but quaint, enough space for a person who wished to get away from the grandeur and responsibilities of her day to day life. The room was decorated in shades of warm brown and beige, with a comfortable couch and worn furniture she'd found when she discovered the place. The adjustments she'd made were more for comfort than aesthetics.

Karin shoved the door closed behind her sister, who gasped at the sight, a hand pressing over her heart.

"Oh, it's so lovely," Yuzu murmured, a touch of awe in her tone. "And warm."

Fire crackled in the chimney place invitingly, calling them forward. "I told you it would be worth it," the dark haired woman replied. She tossed away her thick coat onto one of the nearby chairs and bent down to work on her boots. "I even have brandy."

"Oh, no thank you, Karin."

"There's wine as well. Straight from the South's best vineyards."

Yuzu gave her sister a knowing, sharp look, as if she realize she'd already been played. They laughed, and shed their thick layers, and after a few minutes of stumbling, they ended up on the couch in front of the fire place with a small table of food in front of them. The queen drank from a bowl of warm stew while her sister worked on a tall glass of wine. They spoke easily at first, conversation ranging from mutual friends to their brother's son, and how he was beginning to speak.

"Karin, you must believe me, it is the most adorable," Yuzu giggled out. She raised her cup at Karin's nose. "He loves to get Ichigo's attention by climbing up to wherever he is, grabbing his nose, and calling him Papa. Brother loves it."

"I bet Rukia adores seeing it," Karin replied with a grin. "Every story about Masahiko makes me fall more in love with him. I was disappointed as all hell to know he was staying in Karakura."

There brother's second son, a year and a half old now, had Ichigo's hair and Rukia's eyes. It proved to be a beautiful combination.

Yuzu nodded, taking a slow sip of wine. There was a twinkle in her eyes that Karin didn't like. "Maybe...it seems as if you'll be having your own little one to play with soon enough," she replied.

"What?"

"Why aren't you drinking, my dear sister?"

Karin rolled her eyes as she set down her bowl of stew. "Don't take that tone with me, alright? And don't mention this to anyone else," she muttered irately. "You are too perceptive for your own good, you know. No wonder you're so good at wrapping everyone around your little finger."

"Brother says the same thing every time I settle a deal for him," Yuzu said merrily. Karin leaned back against the couch as her sister set down her own wine glass. "Let's see - the first thing that clued me in was the first day at the Kuchiki manor. You woke up rather late, which is unusual. Then, you had new corsets made, because your own were too tight around the bust. though we both know you're too old for some sudden growth spurt. Then, you became ill the other morning, which I do attribute to the usual morning sickness. Also, you've been drinking a lot of lemon water instead of wine."

Karin pursed her lips as her sister mentioned that particular morning. "You've gotten all but one correct. That morning I lied about my illness," she said with a sigh. Really, is there any way to calmly inform one's kin of a recent assassination attempt? Karin thought sarcastically to herself. "I picked up my glass and...smelled poison in my water."

"Poison!?"

"In water, of all things. Quite a dense would-be murderer if you ask me."

Yuzu gasped, then reach over to wrap her sister in her arms. "Oh, Karin, I'm so sorry. You must have been wrought with nerves. I've never seen you so white...and I just assumed it was something so inconsequential,"she murmured before pressing a soft kiss to Karin's temple. "I'm sorry."

Karin pursed her lips against the stinging in her eyes. She wanted to reassure her sister, that she was going to be alright, and that no harm had come, but in reality, she'd been frightened to death. She'd just began to suspect her own pregnancy during the visit to the Kuchiki manor, and to come so stupidly close to dying from a simple poison? Her guard had been let down too much, being in the company of her family. What if she hadn't smelled the water in time? What if the person who meant her ill will hadn't been smarter and used something scentless? And her child...

"Don't apologize. I will find out who did this," she murmured. "They'll surely attempt to do so again."

"And the only one you suspect is Lady Hinamori?"

"The evidence is glaringly obvious.

Yuzu went very, very still before pulling back so she could look Karin in the eye. "Are you sure, Karin? Have you told the King yet?" she whispered.

"The poison in my water had a particularly strong scent. Not something as simple as hemlock. A cross between poppies and sickle ivies," Karin murmured. "Such a hybrid can only be found on the grounds of Lord Kira's manor. He cultivates the strangest flowers in his gardens."

"What a nose you have, dear sister," Yuzu muttered. She began to turn a sickly shade of white. "It's called a hyacinth."

"A what?"

"That particular hybrid. It's called a hyacinth. The stems are poisonous."

Karin stood quickly from the couch. "How do you know this? Who told you?" she asked.

Yuzu bit down on her lower lip for a long time before staring at her thick socks. "They're...they're soft purple flowers. Someone sent a large bouquet of them to Hinamori while we were at the Kuchiki manor," she murmured. "She made a flower crown out of the petals and wore it until it wilted."

The queen looked around helplessly, feeling the cold desire turn and sprint. Not for the first time, she cursed her kingdom's immobilizing winter climate. She turned towards the door, wondering what her next move would be. Was her evidence solid enough? Did she have the time to find something better?

"Ask anything of me, sister. Ask, and I'll make it happen," Yuzu said fiercely, standing as well and reaching for Karin's hands.

"I need...a plan. A good one," the dark haired twin said immediately, squeezing their interlocked hands.

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A week later, Karin stalked through the halls of the palace alongside the head servant, supremely bored.

They were walking down the west wing's hall, near the Great Ballroom, which windows were covered with fine tapestry from the inside instead of the usual plain black. She could see the North Kingdom's entire history on the expensive drapes, threaded in white gold and other distinctive colors. While her head servant was speaking a mile a minute, the queen smiled as she caught onto their tapestry and how artistically their stories had been designed.

I can't believe they chose this one, Karin thought to herself, surprised at how young she looked with her cropped hair and small body. They stood back to back, swords drawn, several enemy armies around them. The crest of the Southern Kingdom was emblazoned across her silver armor, and the crest of the Northern Kingdom was etched with fine detail onto his shield.

That was the battle where she and her brother had come with aid from Karakura during the North's invasion. Karin had snuck away from her brother as they came upon the front lines to follow a small brigade of Aizen's soldiers that had wandered off into a civilian town. She'd disposed of them, and brought back a final one, who'd been harassing a young girl in an alley. She sat through his interrogation with Toshiro and went out with him to invade the temporary headquarters the enemy had set up, disabling the bombs they'd been using and turning the tides of the battle. She'd also gotten a rather stupid nickname out of the whole thing, which was always a bonus for a warrior's reputation.

Above the small drawings of them were their names and rank, etched in neat characters. Her royal necklace, bright gold, inlaid with thick rubies, shone around her neck. It was one of the few splotches of true color on the tapestry.

Karin pressed a hand to her bare throat with a grin. It still surprises me how much time has changed things, she thought to herself. The train of her velvet burgundy dress was at least a foot stead of a few inches. At her hip was an estoc instead of a flamberge. Her diadem of black iron, bright diamonds, and aged pearls sat weightlessly on her head.

"...already brought out and dusted the good tapestry for the windows," Riruka drawled, tossing a thick wave of pink hair over her shoulder. "It does keep this place a little warmer, but how dreary it is to not be able to watch the snowfall. I detest it just a bit."

"I must agree, but dignitaries from vastly different climates shall come. I wish for them to not become ill," the queen replied with a smirk. "I know that you'll make up for this dreariness with the lighting. You always do."

Riruka flushed with pleasure and smiled slyly at Karin, hands pressed to her chest. "Of course, my queen! I have something amazing set up for this year, but it's a surprise, so don't ask to see it before hand! I simply won't allow it!" she said happily. Then, her expression grew devious as she stared at something just over the queen's shoulder. "Speaking of, I do believe the king is staring at you."

Karin rested a hand at her hip as she turned, narrow eyed, to see her husband staring at her.

Hitsugaya wore his usual fanfare, long sleeved tunic and heavy vest embroidered in silver. His black boots were clean, and he wore his crown neatly, so she knew he hadn't been out recently, or returned from anywhere. The advisers around him were leaning together to speak, and one of them was staring at him in fear, as if he knew he had to tell their rather frightening king to concentrate.

Karin turned back around.

"Ignore him," she told Riruka, scowling.

The bright haired woman pressed her lips together, knowing she was not able to agree. "You seem upset, my grace. Is there an issue?" she asked with a raised brow.

"There is, but nothing I can't handle."

She looked over her shoulder once more to watch her husband speaking again with his advisers. They left the hallway and took a neat right, away from the Great Ballroom. The king didn't spare her a single look as he exited, which she found odd.

Karin continued discussing the details on decorations for the king's birthday before Riruka bid her farewell, promising to double check everything. The girl's heels clicked against the white marble flooring in large echoes as she almost fled. Karin paused as she scowled around her. The halls were emptied of all servants, and even noise, right in the middle of the day.

From the wall behind her, the soft rumble of noise making her shiver. Karin crossed her arms and refused to turn as a familiar pair of hands settled at her hips.

"You saw the tapestry," Toshiro murmured against the shell of her ear.

"I did," Karin replied softly. "I liked it. Your artisians are world class. Though they did make my head look rather big."

"From a distance, it does seem rather big," he teased in a deadpan manner. "Huge, I'd wager."

Karin whirled around to point a finger in his face, scowling. "You followed me around all bloody day, didn't you? All week! Just to see what I've been up to," she whispered lowly. Toshiro smooth out his expression into total (false) innocence. "Ikkaku and Yumchika were not at their posts today. If they told you anything, tell me now so I can murder them quietly in their sleep."

"No, which is why I decided to find out myself, though you keep disappearing," the king said with a locked jaw. "Then, when you return, they are at your side as if nothing was amiss."

"Because nothing is officially amiss. When I have what I need, I swear I will come to you," the dark haired woman said with balled up fists. "Until then, you must trust me."

"Then why have you not returned to our rooms? I have barely seen you since you've returned to the North."

"Because I am furious with you."

"Can you not be furious with me in our bed?"

Karin cackled, pressing her hand over the right side of her head. Arguing these days gave her the worst migraines, and she could already feel a tell tale throbbing just behind her skull. "You underestimate my ability to hold a grudge. You could have me bent over your work desk, and I could still be furious with you" she replied with a decidedly unaffected expression. He cracked an unwilling smile. "And though I have been busy...I do enjoy torturing you when you've irritated me."

"How have I irritated you?" he snapped. The smile was gone.

She set her hands on her hips and scowled irately at him, but decided not to give up her real issue yet. "Lord Kira has asked to come speak with his wife, and you deny him?" Karin hissed quietly at him. "What kind of a terrible joke is this?"

Hitsugaya sighed heavily before taking her hand and leading her towards the still-open passageway, towards his main office. She picked up her skirts and followed his quick pace as he lead them into the pitch black.

"I know not if he has abused her, or if he is disagreeable, or if he is simply incapable of bringing her the happiness she deserves," Toshiro said in a weary voice. Karin scowled at the back of unseen head. "If my sister says she doesn't wish to see him, what sort of brother would I be to let him come to my home when he is clearly unwanted?"

Toshiro had a point with this, but Karin hadn't been fooled. A good forty percent of Karakura's militial force were women, and of those women, a great deal came from abusive homes, either as young girls or grown women. She'd fought and trained beside them in weeks. The women's barracks was where horror stories were traded, of how they'd ran and come to join the army to learn to defend themselves in some manner. She'd seen more than a few come out with stable lives and mental faculties, but that wasn't always the case.

In that first week, she'd kept her eyes on Hinamori, and she didn't show any obvious signs. The servants reported that she didn't suffer from nightmares, didn't have any recent bruising or scarring, and she was not easily frightened when someone came in unannounced, unless she was writing a letter.

"Half of my week was spent inquiring after the life she'd had at the Kira Manor, you know," Karin said smoothly. Toshiro stumbled in his walk and paused, turning around to look at her. "In truth, I went in disguise with Hirako, bribed a few servants, and they told me what I needed to hear. There were rumors involving that household, but not of Kira's cruelty."

"You left the kingdom? In winter? By yourself?"

"In disguise - Shinji kept me safe. I was fine."

"Did someone just try not to kill you the other week, Karin!?" Toshiro spat. The volume of his voice made her skin grow cold. "Are you mad!?"

"Oh shut up," she muttered lowly, jerking out of his grasp. She picked up her skirts with both hands and sidestepped around him, walking back down the hall. He followed within an instant. "The servants said they started sleeping in separate rooms about a year ago, so she might not have been happy, but she was treated well."

"That makes sense," he huffed angrily. "Though I doubt Lord Kira to be a cruel man."

"Doubt? I find it impossible," Karin replied sharply. "He's a sweet heartedman, through and through. Kind and just."

"You do not know his past as I do, Karin. He served under me for the better part of his youth through the bloodiest of the Northern Wars," Toshiro replied darkly. She took a left, but he grasped onto her elbow and steered her in the opposite direction. She sighed aloud. "He used to work as my personal executioner."

"His scary rumors might mean something if we'd found her butchered on his property, but she came upon our doorstep without speaking a single ill word against him," Karin replied. "It doesn't matter if she's fallen out of love, or whatever. She is running away from her marital problems and you're enabling her."

"Are you sure that is all?"

Karin turned another corner just as Toshiro pressed her gently against the nearby stone wall. There wasn't a single lit sconce nearby, so she couldn't make out his expression. "She irritates me, alright? Do I need to spell it out in the sky for you? Must I declare it to every citizen of Hyorinmaru?" she snapped, speaking as quickly as she could, feeling as if she was being heard. "And since you find the time to call my brother an idiot at least twice a day, I have the right to not be pleased with at least one of your relatives."

"My last relative," Toshiro quipped back. "My only relative."

"If my brother looked at me the way Hinamori looks at you, I would be very concerned with the sanctity of siblinghood," Karin told him sharply. He scoffed as she maneuvered from his grasp, but he only pulled her back against the wall. "You know it's true!"

"She's heartbroken and looking for an outlet, though inappropriate," he replied seriously. "I would never let her use me like that."

"But would you use her?"

In her mind's eye, she knew she should be worried over the possible motives that Hinamori had against their kingdom, not their marriage. She knew that Toshiro would never betray her in that manner. She knew that they had a bond that was powerful and honest, something that couldn't be breached upon.

But emotions were irrational, as was her heart, and her heart saw a beautiful woman who stared longingly at her husband in a rather obvious manner. Her heart saw a woman who knew things about her husband that Karin could only hope to uncover. Her heart saw someone much more beautiful than herself, no matter their station, or how well made her gowns were, or how well applied her makeup was. And her heart was terribly loud.

"What a bold accusation," Hitsugaya drawled. Then he paused, amusment in his voice. "And a rather incestuous one, if we're being honest."

"I did not accuse. I asked. Will you not answer me, si-?"

His lips were against her own then, warm and full, silencing her doubt. Karin reached out to wrap her arms around his shoulders and bring him closer. Her tongue ran along the seam of his mouth, pressing her tongue against his mouth, exploring where she'd been so many times. He pulled away from her with a strained laugh, resisting what he so blatantly desired from her, and she scowled at him.

"Do you remember the first time I tried kissing you, wife?" Toshiro asked with a smile. "You offered me your bed for the night, and then scolded me for...what was it? A lecherous kiss?"

"I would have had you in that bed if I'd tried sticking my tongue down your mouth a little longer," Karin gasped out with a frown. She remembered better than she probably should have - she'd realized she loved him that night. "What a wasted opportunity."

"You don't think we've made up for lost time, then?" he said.

Karin shook her head and brought him closer again. "No," she said. "So stop talking."

Toshiro merely trailed kisses over her face - underneath her jaw, over her cheek, and against her hairline. He pressed a final one against her ear. "We have the rest of our lives to catch up. I may have spent twenty four years without you at my side, but they were not all awful," he murmured. "The days that you were with me weren't particularly awful."

"For you, at least," Karin snapped, jerking away from him angrily. She had her answer, at least. "I don't know why my soul cries out so desperately for you."

"As does your body," Toshiro added.

"My head, thankfully, still tells me to ransack the treasury and leave your hellish presence every day," the queen tossed back, continuing down the hall. He was hot on her heels. "So when my voice of reason finally shuts up, I know I've gone insane."

"Strange. My voice of reason goes silent whenever I look at you."

"It's a good thing we're in the dark."

The sound of his fist knocking twice against one of the nearby walls made her scowl as light flooded into the hall. She wasn't familiar with this entrance, but she managed to make out his office, the door leading directly behind his gold-embellished chair. It was his official study, with opulence handed down from past rulers. His shoulders sank with exhaustion as he entered it.

She watched him walk over towards the desk filled high with papers. Hitsugaya sat at the very edge of it, staring at her with his bright eyes, vulnerable eyes. Karin leaned against the edge of the stone passageway, a hand against her hip.

They stared at each other for a long time.

"I belong to you, Kurosaki Karin," Toshiro said aloud, disturbing the quiet of his office. She looked away, her face feeling hot. "My voice of reason will belong to you, even after I become senile with age. My body will belong to you, even as my bones rot beside your's. My soul will belong to you, even when it inhabits another's body, crying out for you through every new life."

"I know that," Karin replied quietly, petulantly, still staring at the carpeted floor.

"Then know that no other woman could own me as completely as you do," Toshiro said. The honey in his voice could not coax her to meet his gaze again.

Karin shook her head absently. "If that were true, do you really think I'd be so worried?" she replied swiftly, trying to inject callousness into her tone and failing miserably. "You berate me on keeping secrets when you hold your own so closely and continue to entertain your sister's foolishness."

She looks up and regrets it immediately. It's annoying how easily he can disarm her completely with just a careful, open look.

Toshiro had always been handsome, even from the first moment she'd saw him. Her urge to dismiss her nervousness by insulting him only became a running theme with them. He'd been young, intimidatingly so for king with bloody rumors circulating around him, but still more beautiful than anyone she'd ever seen. His eyes were the most gorgeous color could disarm her with just the softest spark of emotion. His body, littered with momentos of violence and horror, was strong and tan underneath his dark clothes. His countenance was intimidating, with a sharp jaw and full lips, his soft snowy hair that fell into his eyes. Even his eyelashes captivated her. They rested over his cheekbones softly.

Her favorite part was his mouth, she decided. Lips always full and soft, now thinned out in frustration. The mouth that confessed his love so unabashedly, day in and day out.

The darkest parts of her mind wondered if it would still confess to her if his sister ended up dying by her hands.

"When were you going to tell me that you were leaving on another campaign?" Karin said, unbidden. She stands fully from the wall and clenches her fists, something inside her making her voice small and scared.

The irritation leaves his face and is replaced by guilt. It's his turn to look away. "I've been trying to see if I could find a way out of it...to no avail. Very few of my generals feel comfortable without my presence on the frontlines with them," Toshiro murmured quietly. "Old habits die hard, I suppose."

"Then you aren't trying hard enough to kill them off. You can't leave for months on end like some marauding war mongerer, Toshiro. You're going to have a family," she replied swiftly. He smiled tightly, reluctantly. "Soon. I can't just- just have you gallivanting across the countryside until the next bloody winter comes. And for what? Surprise skirmishes? Lost land? Nothing you can't handle from here."

"We've been losing important territory, Karin. Strategically irreplaceable bases. They're setting up for a much more devastating attack. I need to act quickly."

Karin breathed sharply. "Are you just going to sit there and forget what happened the last time you left for war while I was pregnant, Toshiro?"

"Excuse me?" He stood quickly, a sharp look in his eyes that made her flinch. "What are you trying to say, Karin?" he spat. His aquamarine blue eyes glinted dangerously at her. Karin stepped forward and let her hand rest against the back of his empty chair.

"I'm saying that I'm scared and I need you," Karin hissed lowly, glaring at him with all the anger that flooded through her stomach. "I- I don't know if I will miscarry again! Or give birth without you there! Or- or die because of whoever's targeting me! Or if all your genius fails you and you die! How do you expect me to handle this? I am more vulnerable than ever and you continue to make everything but me a priority when I have always prioritized you!"

Even now, with Hinamori, I prioritize his feelings for my own peace of mind, she thought to herself darkly, swallowing back a sob. Karin trembled so hard she feared she'd split in two trying to still herself.

And suddenly, her face was wet, her vision blurring impossibly. She wiped away her tears roughly, digging the heels of her palms into her eyes as she tried in vain to control her breathing. Her stomach twisted into knots threateningly, a warning to calm herself, but she continued to make terrible whimpering noises.

Warm hand wrapped around her wrists and tried pulling her hands away from her face.

"I'm sorry," he murmured,

"Sh-shut up," Karin spat, tightening her fists. "I'll throw up on you."

"Don't bother blaming your hormones. It's too early for that," Toshiro said, still pulling at her wrists. His thumb brushed against her pulse point oh so softly. "I don't...mean to make you scared. Or leave you on your own. Truly, I don't."

Karin pulled away from him, rolling her eyes and hiccuping. She walked back into the stone passageways on unsteady feet. "An apology won't change anything. You've already made up your mind," she muttered, walking back towards the stone halls. "Whenever you leave, do me a favor and exit the castle in secrecy."

"Why?"

"Research."

"What?"

She turned around to face him, picking up her skirts and staring at him tiredly, wishing to find someplace to rest her weary head. "Since you clearly don't find it necessary to explain yourself to me, I believe it's necessary to return the favor," she replied with a fake smile. He scowled at her, walking forward. "Don't bother with saying goodbye either."

"You aren't being fair," Toshiro said, stopping at the very edges of the wall. He reached out to grab her hand, and she let him. "Stay. Let us speak."

"Nothing is fair, my grace. I spent those seven and a half months weeping like some sort of tragic heroine, you know," Karin said, her voice hard and cold. He stared at her, mouth softening into something surprised and guilty. "And let me tell you, I have grown bloody weary of crying over you."

Toshiro let go of her hand, shaking his head. "Let me, at the very least, say goodbye properly then," he said.

"I refuse to be supportive of you in this," Karin replied bluntly. She bit down on her lower lip before turning on her heel and walking into the darkness of the passageways. "Come home in one piece and I might change my mind."

She took a step back and slammed her fist on the side of the wall so that the passageway closed between them. Karin met his eyes just as the sliver of light from his office made him the only visible thing in her sight. The hurt and anger in his eyes was clear as day. She swallowed back her guilt and walked away.

.

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A/N: This is the first part of my sequel to Waxing, Waning! Honestly, the urge to return to this AU came from watching Reign and especially Death Comes to Pemberley (yeah from completely different places/time periods but like...still...everything Pride and Prejudice related soothes my soul). I hope you all like it! I know I really had fun sinking my teeth into the angst. The second part will be up soon.

And yeah, pretty cliche making Hinamori look so fishy just as a plot device, but it all works out in the end for her character redemption-wise. Heh. Heheh.

Remember to review!