SailorStar9: This is the start of the new arc of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts? Read and review.
Pairings: Ishida/Hasu, minor pairing Hitsugaya/Karin
Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny. Heck, even the pairings aren't mine.
Prologue: Hitsugaya, Karin, and the Impromptu Soccer Match
Outside Karakura Primary School...
Hitsugaya was perched on a tree outside Karin and Yuzu's classroom in Shinigami form, his Reikaku activated to pick up any stray Hollow.
In class...
Karin let a small grin grace her otherwise impassive face when she picked up the familiar Reiatsu at the edge of her senses.
After school...
"Stupid Ichi-nii..." Karin muttered, practicing her shooting in the small stream Ishida had brought her to when she first started her archery lessons with the older Quincy.
"Kurosaki!" Toba Ryouhei shouted, running towards their group leader with Toujouin Heita, Uehara Kei and Usaka Kazuya in tow.
"What's wrong?" Karin relaxed her stance.
"We have a problem." the bespectacled Kazuya panted for breath at the riverbank. "Kei..."
"Uehara, what did you do?" Karin gave the afro-haired boy a look.
"Well..." Uehara started, suddenly finding the grass more interesting.
At Karin's death glare, all four boys knelt on the grass and, as if facing the firing squad, blurted out that Uehara had accepted a soccer match challenge from a group of middle-schoolers to determine their right to use the soccer field for practice.
Karin just sighed and made a mental note to temporarily put her archery practice on hold for the time being; or at least until this mess was sorted out. She frowned slightly when she picked up the Reiatsu of a Hollow nearby and cast a subtle look at the tree she knew Hitsugaya was hiding in.
Catching her rather obvious hint, Hitsugaya vanished via Shunpo to deal with the new threat.
Later that week...
Opting to watch over Karin in his Gigai this time, Hitsugaya watched the small group of pre-teens prepare for their match from a nearby roof.
"Captain." Matsumoto sang. "Have you become a stalker?" she teased, somehow knowing that her Captain had been following Karin around.
"You're wrong." Hitsugaya corrected. "There's just something I'm worried about." he turned his focus back on Karin.
"Captain, are you that worried that one of those boys will steal Karin-chan from you?" Matsumoto was in full-teasing mode.
"I told you that's not it." Hitsugaya twitched.
"It's all right." Matsumoto joked. "You don't have to be shy; you'll just need to ask Captain Shiba for permission."
"That's enough." Hitsugaya huffed, irritated at his Lieutenant and stood up to leave.
On the day of the match...
As if sensing Karin had somehow been injured, Hitsugaya defeated the random Hollow easily and slipped back into his Gigai to head towards the soccer field.
Matsumoto just gave her Captain a knowing grin.
"Time!" Karin called out to the referee when she saw Hitsugaya's familiar figure in the distance. "Why..." the younger Kurosaki breathed.
"What's with him?" one of the middle-schoolers mocked. "Help this far in the game?"
"You're... hurt?" Hitsugaya immediately noticed the bruise on his female counterpart's ankle.
"This is nothing." Karin assured.
"I guess I have no choice." Hitsugaya relented. "We just have to win, right?" and swapped out with Kazuya.
After the match...
While the rest were celebrating the win, both Hitsugaya and Karin picked up the emergence of a Hollow.
This is a big Hollow? Hitsugaya's Denreishinki picked up the Hollow's energy signature. No, a Menos?
"Guys!" Karin called out, worried about her friends after Hitsugaya pushed her out of the Hollow's path.
"Wait." Hitsugaya's grip on her shoulder tightened. "Don't go. For now, just run for it. I'll take care of this."
"I can't." Karin insisted, despite her injury. "Shishin, Suzaku!" she manifested her under-armor. "Blaze Fireball!" she released a ball of fire at the Hollow. "It didn't work?" she gasped, her eyes widening as the Hollow's fist smashed onto her. Activating her fiery wings, she avoided the punch by taking the fight to the sky.
"Sōten ni zase: Hyōrinmaru!" Hitsugaya activated his Shikai. Tossing the weighted chain at the Hollow's arm, he froze the limb instantly and pulled the arm off. "Too bad." he addressed the weakened Hollow. "With a Captain in the real world, you Hollows don't stand a chance. Cero?" he frowned when the Hollow was about to fire its attack.
"Inferno Arrow!" Karin's overheated fire arrow stopped the Cero before it could even be released.
Taking advantage of the Hollow's moment of hesitation, Hitsugaya's took out the Hollow with one sword slice.
"How's everyone?" Karin looked over to her friends, landing on the ground and deactivating her powers.
"They're okay." Hitsugaya assured.
"So, the big question is..." Karin looked at the amount of devastation on the soccer field. "Just how do we explain all this?"
"Captain!" Matsumoto entered the demolished field, cutting off Hitsugaya's answer. "You're safe!"
"You're late, Matsumoto." Hitsugaya chided.
"My apologies." Matsumoto replied. "Oh, I didn't know you're here, Karin-chan." she feigned ignorance.
"Rangiku-san..." Karin sighed, obviously not buying into her fake innocent look. "Wait..." she suddenly alerted by her slowly re-awakening friends. "You guys don't happen to have a memory modifier, right?"
The two Shinigami looked at each other and Hitsugaya sighed, bringing out the Kikanshinki.
Matsumoto looked on worriedly as Karin winced from the increased bruising on her knee. Not giving the younger girl any chance to object, she scooped her into her arms. "Captain." she looked over at her returning superior who had returned to his faux body after using the device to replace the humans' memories.
"I know." Hitsugaya concurred, letting Matsumoto hand Karin over to him. "I'll take her home."
Matsumoto let out a teasing smirk as she watched her stoic Captain carry a blushing Karin off the field; the two ranking officers of Squad 10 mentally preparing themselves to face down their former Captain.
Omake: Kon-sama's Ultimate Shinigami Illustrated Guide
Hiyori: Tonight's dinner is okonomiyaki. It's gonna run out if you're quick.
Hirako: (Notices Ichigo sighing) What's the matter, Ichigo? Can't eat it?
Ichigo: No, it's just... I wanted some rice, today.
Hiyori: (Holds out a rice cooker) We have plenty of rice if you want it. See?
Ichigo: Why? We're having okonomiyaki today, right?
Hirako: What do you mean? It's not like okonomiyaki's the only thing we're eating.
Ichigo: But, putting carbs together with more carbs is...
Vizards: (Rises spatula or rice bowl) Is natural!
SailorStar9: In the next chapter, a renegade Arrancar, Patros, heads for Urahara Shop as he believes someone in the shop knows how to use the Hōgyoku. Patros begins to fight Renji, who is staying at Urahara's Shop. Meanwhile, the other Shinigami fight Patros' subordinates. Now that's done, read and review.