Hurt/Comfort
XXX
A/N: This is an AU, Wherein Karin and Hitsugaya are both 13, Yuzu and Karin are not twins but, Karin is a year older, Ichigo is in a gang, run by Kenpachi, and his groupies, and Isshin is an abusive prick. Please do not get all pissy about it, it's meant for story development. Also, though this is a love story, it won't be all short sweet cuteness. It will be long, drawn-out, bitter-sweet, tear-and-blood covered, muddy, depressing, and very messy. Please enjoy it all.
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot of this story, please don't sue.
XXX
Darkest Waters
Hurt/Comfort
A Bleach AU fanfiction
Please read and review
Darkest Waters
Chapter 1: The funeral
The fights were too much. The screaming and crying and violent intent behind words that meant nothing, and everything. It was her entire existence. Yuzu was the soft quiet one who took things in and bottled them up, and Ichigo was the loud one who fought back. But Karin was the one that it weighed on most. She was the tough one who everyone thought was the one who'd do it. Who'd end her own life. But they were wrong.
They found her body laying face down on the floor, with a note in her fist. The blood around her permeated the air and soaked through cloth. When Isshin found her that night it was too late. The paramedics came and took her away, the floors were scrubbed, and Isshin made funeral arrangements.
They buried her next to her mother.
At the funeral there were faceless people with no names who wished the family well. Karin couldn't stand any of it. They shook her hand and offered condolences. They had empty faces, empty eyes. They were all a blur that in a year or two she wouldn't even remember. She hated this.
She told Ichigo she was going to the restroom and snuck away at the first chance. She got to the door and looked back. No one cared that she was here. She snuck out the door and around the back. It was early spring. The flowers had yet to bloom and it was cold and wet. Karin didn't care. She was so sick and tired of people in general. Nature was better than all that sadness and oppressing crowd of people who didn't even know her sister, but were there to get a free meal and have an excuse to get off of work for a day.
As Karin thought about it, she started to get angry. These people were using her sister's death for their own gains. Shit like this really pissed her off. She turned and punched the tree she was standing next to. Nothing happened. A voice from behind her startled her.
"The tree didn't do anything to you." Her head whipped around to see Toshiro Hitsugaya, one of her brother's classmates, standing there. He was dressed up in a black suit with his white hair slicked back, unlike its usual spikey chaos. It looked strange on him.
"What do you want?" Karin hoped her voice wasn't shaky.
"Well, I would say I came here to give my condolences for your sister's death, but it wouldn't help. It never does." He stepped forward and reached up to pull a cherry blossom from the tree, his eyes soulful and sad. Karin turned to face him.
"Then why are you here?" she asked.
"To see your sister's funeral. Why else?" He looked at the delicate flower in his hand. Karin looked at the ground and dropped her arms to her sides. Her eyes burned and her vision blurred a little.
"Then why aren't you?" her voice was shaky now, her hands fisted in the black skirt she wore.
"I saw you first." He was so honest that Karin's heart jumped against her ribs. She didn't know what to say to him. Tears sprang to her eyes. She didn't care. She moved so fast that he was surprised when she was there in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and held her while she sobbed pitifully. She probably hadn't shed a tear for her sister until now. So he held her.
After a while she dried her tears and quieted.
"Are you feeling better now?" Hitsugaya asked, showing no sign of mockery, just pure comfort in his tone. Karin nodded. Hitsugaya didn't hold her longer than she wanted to be held, and he didn't baby her, like her brother would have. He had been there when she needed him, and now she didn't anymore. He turned and watched as she walked back into the building before he moved to follow.
Inside the building, surrounded by the faceless mob, Karin felt oddly at peace. She could feel Hitsugaya's eyes on her, and she saw him once or twice through the people who where gathered to mourn. She couldn't place it, but something about him calmed her. She knew he was Ichigo's classmate, but he was younger than the others. He was her age in fact. He'd skipped grades due to his nearly genius level test scores. Everybody knew about him because of that. How he'd become friends with her brother was beyond Karin, but she was somewhat glad. He was a decent person.
She turned her attention back to the people around her, noticing that people were slowly starting to take their seats in the viewing room. The service would begin soon. Sighing heavily she pushed herself away from the wall she'd been leaning against and made her way toward the bench where her family was seated. Ichigo was quiet and solemn. He blamed himself for what had happened, but Karin knew it wasn't anyone's fault. Her father was crying silently, staring at the photo of her sister, all surrounded by incense and candles. His fists where clenched in his lap. Karin felt bad for him. She took her seat and settled in for the wait, knowing that this was going to be an emotinal train wreck. At least she could get away from it all tonight. Well, she hoped so anyway.
XXX
A/N: I originally wrote this story in a dark time in my life, and just slopped it together. I never meant people to like it this much, and I certainly didn't intend to finish it, but since I've been getting more reviews than I wanted, with people demanding that I update (which I HATE it when people demand me to do anything, so you are damn lucky the Muses decided to kick me in the ass on this one or I'd just delete it) so I decided why the fuck not. Chapter 2 will be revamped shortly, but until then be patient. I'll write whenever I have the inspiration, and finish whenever I feel like. In the mean time go check out my inuyasha story Fur is not my enemy. I've worked hard on my pet project, and it needs some attention please? Thanks, R&R.