AN: I'm back~ Not that I've really gone anywhere, of course. Haha. So I decided to listen to all those who answered my poll (thanks so much, by the way! I've officially closed it now~) and I've decided that this post will be for all of my holiday fics. For V-Day, Christmas, Halloween, etc., this is my go-to place. Just letting you all know so in case you wanna keep an eye on this little collection in the future.
I also want to thank everyone, both logged in and anonymous readers, for all your support. I know you don't have to read my stuff or like it or review it, but to see consistent comments from the same people who reviewed my first HitsuKarin fic makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. I don't say thank you enough, but I wanted to take a second and say that you're all awesome for sticking with me for the last three months. I'm super honored and truly grateful. :D
Anyway, enough with the mushiness, onto the fic!
Summary: An experiment gone awry has every man in Seireitei on Karin's heels... except the one that actually matters.
Warnings: Nothing really. An attempt at humor, some cursing, not really V-Day related (LOL!). Oh, and this is all fluff. Also, this might be early for Valentine's because my account is still set to California time while I'm living abroad, but no one really minds, right? :D
Valentine's Day 2012 – Unintended Conquest
Karin hated Mayuri-taichou.
There were no if's, and's or but's about it. No words in Japanese or any other worldly language that could explain just how much she couldn't stand that son of a bitch and his flagrant attempts to shoot all of Soul Society into mayhem just to satisfy his curiosity. And if she had her way, he'd be locked in some prison cell in the basements of Seireitei or with the worst convicts of the afterlife and guarded by the Onmitsukido. Well, no, she wouldn't go that far. Convicts were souls too and she'd never wish eternity with the Twelfth Squad's captain on anyone.
Sneaking around the corner, she suppressed her rather impressive reiatsu to a mere flicker of its usual strength. While she wasn't on par with the likes of Yoruichi-san in stealth, she'd give most ranked members of the Gotei Thirteen a run for their money. She was a light, compact little thing who had gotten the whole speed aspect of shinigami tactics early on. After all, it was practically in her blood, especially if one looked at the two captains that had come before her in her family.
In death, Karin thought it would be smooth sailing after the Academy with her father's former glory and her brother's legend preceding her. And at the beginning it was, as she realized she had more talent than Ichi-nii when it came to being a well-rounded fighter, though still essentially no match for him. But she felt better when she thought about how the other captains were just as cowed by his capabilities, knowing that his large body held nearly bottomless depths of strength. There were prodigies and then there was Kurosaki Ichigo. She was sure no one had faulted her for not being a freak of nature like him (or part-science project to Aizen, for that matter).
Trying to hide behind a stone wall that was much too thin for her form, she cursed the scientist shinigami to high hell and back, wondering what she had done while she was alive to deserve this kind of retribution. She was a good person (depending on whose standards you used), got good grades in school, ate all her vegetables and even helped out the town shinigami when the need called for it. Definitely some good karma there, no? Obviously not, as she shunpo-ed her way down the street in hopes of dodging prying eyes. Unfortunately, it still wasn't fast enough.
"Karin-chan! There you are!" Cringing and biting back something obscene, she didn't even turn to see Renji waving his arms at her. Instead she charged down the corner and prayed that there wouldn't be someone to intercept her. She also laid one down in hopes that the redhead would keep his trap shut and not tell anyone which way she had gone. But I bet you're all wondering why Karin has resorted to slinking around corners and dodging into alleyways instead of greeting her many, many friends in Soul Society. Of course, there was a perfectly legitimate reason.
Cause: Mayuri-taichou. Experiment: love potion.
… Makes a little more sense now, right?
Because she just had to be called on to visit the Twelfth's captain the day he decided to finish his latest testing, a few leaflets of new orders and standards in her hand that she'd been tasked to deliver. It wasn't as if she could say no since it was Ukitake-taichou who had asked so nicely, wanting to do it himself but feeling very faint just as he was about to leave. She'd left him in Rukia-nee's capable hands.
Once she got there, it was like a perfectly planned mission, as one thing fell in place right after the other. When she stepped into the room where the masked deviant was fiddling with some liquid in a beaker, Karin had greeted Nemu-fukutaichou with a cool but amiable tone. For a being that had been built by her captain, she was as obedient as a well-behaved child and that doll-like face still managed to cause the creepers to run up Karin's spine. When she called Mayuri's attention to their guest, he turned and began to berate her for intruding on the celebration for his latest venture. It only took two steps, a fallen stool that had been left on the floor and approximately thirty seconds for Karin's entire day to go down the drain.
"Eew! What the hell is this, Mayuri-taichou?" She pursed her lips as she began to wipe it from her face and out of her hair, getting a whiff of it and finding that it had no particular smell. Its consistency was slightly thicker than water but was a soft light blue hue, transparent in the fluorescent lights. The ever-efficient Nemu offered her a towel and her master's 'deepest and sincerest apologies' as she bowed on his behalf. All Karin wanted to do was make sure that she didn't mutate into some alien being, or worse… her father.
"The hell? Why are you looking at me like that, Mayuri?" she asked, turning informal at the odd glint in the other's eyes. And while she would never call herself a master at reading people (especially not nut jobs like this one), Karin was fairly sure that something flashed red in his pupils, as if completely overtaken by some unknown force. She already knew she didn't like it.
"Karin-san, I believe it would be best for you to go before the serum has fully kicked in." The older woman looked at her captain and nodded surely, but made no move to come between them. If there weren't alarms going off in Karin's head before this, they were blaring loud and clear now.
"What'dya mean? What the hell did you do to me?" She aimed the second question at the slowly changing Mayuri, his eyes glazing over while an eerie smile seized his face. On any other occasion she would have bolted right that second, but Karin didn't want to unleash herself on the other unsuspecting shinigami. Having no idea what she'd been drenched it, for all she knew it was a virus that could eat any death reaper in a one-mile radius. Better to be safe than sorry.
"That concoction was a number of human proteins and animal hormones combined to become the ultimate pheromone that could tantalize any of the opposite gender of whoever wears it." So, long story short…
"You made a fucking love potion and poured it over my head? Is that why the stupid scientist looks like he wants to attack me and force me to have his babies?" She pointed rudely at the slightly salivating man, who looked ready to pounce on her at any moment. The only response she got was a nod before she was out the door and shunpo-ing as far away from the little hellhole known the Twelfth. She did her best not to shudder at Mayuri's screams of how she'd be his 'most perfect experiment ever' if only she returned. Oh, she was terrified alright, and that was only one man. If others caught her scent, would they turn on her too? Not wanting to find out, she deemed that now was a wonderful time to go on a nice, long paid vacation. Or at the very least go into hibernation; she wasn't picky.
But it wasn't a very feasible task to carry out, as she remembered that the majority of the ranked and unranked soul reapers were men and therefore prone to 'falling in love' with her. All she had to do was glance back for a second to see all of the rookies and mid-level fighters turn their heads wildly before dispersing to find what had caught their undivided attention. They didn't even have to see her face to go gaga over her, which meant that this so-called love potion must be pretty potent stuff. She made a mental note to especially avoid any captain-level shinigami.
But of course that was impossible in Seireitei.
So intent on dodging the crowds of men that were scrambling in her wake, Karin was too distracted and too stupid to stop before she crashed into a huddle of ranked officers. Toppling into them, she cursed loudly as she noticed who she just tried to bowl over. When she did, her heart sank and promptly refused to come back up for air.
"Whoa, where's the fire, Karin-chan?" Renji asked, grinning that characteristically toothy smile. He was patting his head thoughtfully, as if checking for bumps and bruises. Behind him, Madarame was also on the floor, letting loose an expletive at his new position. Nearby Hisagi and Yumichika stood over the three of them, chuckling at the entire predicament. Sitting stock still, she didn't even notice the hand that the red-haired man extended to help her up, too busy wondering just how long it was going to be until the effect kicked in. Only a few seconds, she learned.
A flash of red spread across each of their irises, just as if they were a row of candles. There was no time to judge their reactions, as she disappeared from her spot on the floor and ran in the opposite direction. By the sounds of their approaching feet and their pleas to stop, she knew she wouldn't be fast enough to outrun them forever. As she dashed up and over a wall, she decided to ignore the compliments about her beautiful hair, pretty features and well-developed chest. If she got out of this in one piece, she was so telling Ichigo to Bankai the crap out of his own friends, regardless if their actions were caused by some experimental accident. No one should be staring at her chest that hard and waxing poetry about it, Karin thought, as she peered down at her bust and shrugged. See? Even she wasn't that thoroughly impressed by it.
Deciding she needed some sort of haven for at least a few more hours until the sun fell, Karin resorted to sneaking as quickly as she could. Lord knows what would happen if she ran into another taichou. Byakuya might thing she deserved flowers and would sic Senbonzakura after her with the murderous intent to woo her, or Kenpachi would confuse this chemical-induced passion with his love of fighting and decide she had to be annihilated. The way he was when it came to Ichi-nii filtered to the front of her mind and she shivered. No, not going to happen. She'd find someone to give her a mercy killing before she became that oversized giant's obsession.
But the places she could go were disappearing, as she looked around and found that there weren't many hideouts in this city. Her room in the Sixth Squad's barracks was too obvious and there was no way she'd be able to sneak in quietly or escape in a timely manner (just in case of emergencies). Getting out of Seireitei might just turn into a blood bath since she was situated in the heart of the walled capital, and it wasn't as if she could just teleport out. Seeing how capable the concoction was at attracting men's attention, she wouldn't get a kilometer without running into some desperate group of males. And as powerful as she was, she didn't think it was in anyone's best interest to destroy her comrades just because they believed themselves infatuated with her. She was pretty sure Genryuusai-soutaichou wouldn't like that, but as long as she was still covered in this stuff she wasn't about to ask him to make sure (it would lead to all kinds of awkward later).
Dodging into a building when she noticed a group getting too close, she ran down the halls and realized where she was. It was the Tenth's headquarters looking very much like a ghost town. If there was anywhere to be right at that second, then here was probably her best bet. Opening and closing the door to a random room quickly, she murmured an incantation as her kidou began to seal the walls and ceiling, a means for hiding her spiritual pressure. With it up, no one would be able to sense her, no matter how close, so she could camp out in the space until this pheromone thing wore off.
"What the hell did you do to my office?" Or not.
"Toushirou!" she jumped back with surprise, coming into contact with the golden energy and the green sliding door. "What are you doing here?"
His eyelid twitched noticeably. "Think about it for a second and then decide if you really need me to answer that." His pointed sea-blue stare had her both cursing and coloring, as she recognized just where she ended up. Of course her body would choose the most comfortable place to go to, an area she was very familiar with, and of course Hitsugaya would be at his desk and not saying anything as she placed a barrier up that secured him inside it with her. Wait a second, she thought, as she seemed to comprehend the situation fully.
Premise One: She was covered in a manmade substance that made any man fall in love with her.
Premise Two: Hitsugaya Toushirou was a (young, entirely too serious, kind of too adorable for words) man.
Conclusion: Hitsugaya Toushirou was going to fall in love with her.
"Why do you look like that?" he sighed warily, as Karin pressed her entire body against the entrance and her face contorted into a painfully terrified expression. It only made his frown deepen. "Are you all right?" He stood and moved towards her, but she puts her hands up defensively, waving them about to stop him.
"Don't get any closer, Toushirou! I don't know when you're gonna turn on me!" She shielded her face, ready for him to ambush her any second. She was proficient enough with her kidou control that she could probably open a portal just large enough for her but would close before he could clear the distance. All she had to do was adjust the power on the small area behind her and…
"I think you need to go to the Fourth, Karin," he said as gently as he could, looking torn between a partly insulted glare and slightly worried grimace. When she realized that she had been in his presence for more than a minute and the tonic still hadn't taken effect, Karin let her guard fall slowly, eyeing him with suspicion. But there was no change in the white-haired man, though as he watched her the same look came into his eyes.
"You're… not in love with me?"
His response was to sputter uncontrollably, flailing as he blushed loud, fire engine red. "N-N-NO! Why would I be?"
"You don't have to sound so offended," she pouted, as something inside her sunk irrationally with his denial. It shouldn't have been a surprise even with the chemical still in effect, though it obviously didn't have any on Hitsugaya. They'd been friends for her two lifetimes now, and their feelings hadn't changed at all in the last century and a half. Still, it didn't mean that the rebuff didn't hurt, as unintentional as it was, it cutting into her more deeply than she cared to admit.
"What's going on? Tell me everything," Toushirou demanded, voice letting out a bit of his frustration. Deciding that she had nothing to lose, Karin explained the run-in at the Twelfth with Mayuri-taichou, her torturous journey through the labyrinth of the city, her many 'admirers' (if she could even call them that) and the current situation with him in the energy-locked room. Judging by the non-impressed look on his face, it seemed that Toushirou believed the tall tale while his features said he didn't really expect anything less from her. When trouble followed a Kurosaki, it was like a dragon chasing after a mouse, daunting and looming as it nipped after the other's heels and readying itself to breathe fire at any moment. Story of that family's life, after all.
"So, yeah, is it okay if I just stay here?" she pleaded, doing her best to look like a sad, down-trodden puppy. It only made him scoff, too used to her ploys to sway him to her whims. But he did understand her dilemma, kind of, well, as much as he could under the circumstances. When he gave his assent, the door to his office slid open just as Karin turned to face the noise, a certain vice captain going wide-eyed at the gold barrier in her path.
"Oh my. What's this?" Matsumoto asked, tapping the well built force field with a mix of interest and awe. Not many shinigami could build barriers this complex unless they were captains or Kidou Corp. specialists, so to have a third seat construct one made it that much more impressive.
"Sorry, Rangiku-san. I'm kinda hiding in here and I trapped your boss with me," Karin said sheepishly, nudging her thumb in Hitsugaya's direction. It took a moment for the strawberry blonde to comprehend why the other girl was even there before she remembered the ruckus going on outside.
"Oh, so it's you the men of Soul Society are all looking for!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers before grinning slyly at her dark-haired companion. "I always knew you were hot, Karin-chan, but the way the guys are today… Let's just say you have your pick of men."
"It's not me! It's that damn Mayuri and his stupid experiment!" she crowed vehemently, flushing at her friend's insinuation. In spite of the attention, Karin had no illusions about her feminine charms, and while she was certainly pleasing to look at, she knew she would never be the type to enslave so many men against their wills. This entire experience proved how science could be truly fearsome in someone's careless hands.
"Oh, is that all?" Rangiku pouted, looking disappointed at the information. "I was hoping we could have some kind of tournament and give you to the winner."
"We are not doing that!" two voices yelled, one a fiery, female lilt and the other a deep baritone full of uncharacteristic emotion. This time, two different pairs of eyes went to Toushirou, the latter voice, as he seemed to realize he'd just joined them in their conversation. As he sat back down and tried to set his self-control back in place, he cleared him throat before continuing. "Even if there are masses of men outside vying for Kurosaki's hand, we wouldn't force our own to fight over her. Besides, she's not a prize, she's a person. She should be allowed to choose a man for herself, and definitely not one of those starved animals outside being controlled by some genetically engineered pheromone."
"Aww, so you do care about her, Taichou," the busty woman squealed, blue eyes positively sparkling at her captain's defense. Grumbling, he decided not to say anything else as he went back to his work, concentrating on putting his signature along the dotted line with more effort than he should have needed. He didn't see the soft smile Karin gave him, a sort of warmth filling her insides that caused her cheeks to heat. As she went to take a seat on the cushioned couch, her gaze watched over the light-colored captain with a little bit of quiet affection in it before she waved goodbye to a still-amused Matsumoto.
Weirdly enough, something small but good did come out of that day.
A few hours after the incident, Mayuri had snapped out of his daze long enough to tell the other captains what had happened, since Karin had barricaded herself in the Tenth. It had been the highlight of their day as he regaled them with his tale of the perfect, endorphin-inducing elixir that had been wasted on the small shinigami who ruined his concentration. But at least the leaders had an idea why half of their squads had gone AWOL, completely dismissing orders as they ran in circles for something they weren't even sure existed. After being let out of Karin's self-imposed prison, Hitsugaya decided not to tell her about the number of males who had become wary of the Tenth's strangely empty building and how he had kept them away. It was with some mild satisfaction that he'd placed a rather large ice barricade at the mouth of the grounds, not allowing anyone in and warding off anyone who even thought about entering.
Soon after the debriefing, the rest of the shinigami had also come down from their chemical-induced highs and realized that they weren't sure of what they were looking for in the first place. It was with confused resignation that they returned to their stations, unable to discern why they'd wasted an entire day chasing after some kind of phantom. And when a certain set of four ranked shinigami came to their senses, they all unanimously agreed to never speak of this moment again amongst themselves, with Karin or, Kami forbid, with Ichigo within even a kilometer of them. The former Shinigami Substitute had more than enough power to rip their home in half, and who knows if anything could stop him if he found out how they'd chased after Karin with less than honorable intentions in mind.
"I wonder why the potion didn't work on you, Toushirou," Karin said a few days later, as she sat on the opposite edge of his desk, nearly knocking over a tower of finished paperwork. Strangely she found the room reassuring and had chosen to visit more often as of late, though she could never put her finger on it as to why. He growled a bit in warning, as she caught the stack and attempted to return it to its previous straight-lined state. Her embarrassed smile as she got it to sit upright but with random sheets sticking out only had him sighing, as he went back to his work without adieu.
"Who knows?" he murmured, signing his consent for a new set of benches for the dojo. Karin only glared at him in light contempt, annoyed how he so easily went back to work even though she was trying to have a conversation with him. Puffing one cheek out, she twisted away and turned up her nose, intent on ignoring him the same way.
Looking between the oblivious pair, Matsumoto just shook her head with a long exhale. Tiptoeing so she stood by Karin's side, she leaned to whisper into the raven-haired woman's ear, mumbling a secret she knew she wasn't supposed to tell. The words had Karin flushing red, as she frowned silently to ask if the other was joking with her. But Rangiku just smiled mischievously, pressing a finger to her lips before giving her a wink and walking out the door.
"Hey, Toushirou?"
"Now what?" he replied gruffly, looking up with a sarcastic roll of his eyes. But the last laugh was Karin's, as she leaned over his spread out paperwork and pressed a chaste kiss against his lips, his own cheeks catching the color from hers. Stuttering gibberish as he tried to make sense of what just happened she hopped off the edge and told him she'd come back later so they could go to dinner, the invitation more or less nondebatable. But even as she closed the door and leaned against it, her face didn't wash off the pinkish tinge, as Matsumoto's words rang true in her head.
Of course that stuff didn't work on him. Taichou's always been in love with you, silly.
Silently Karin thanked the fukutaichou for not minding her own business, just this once.
AN: My shortest one-shot in a long time! Haha. It's not really an achievement but whatever. Anyway, my two new stories will be coming out soon and I'll be between them so don't expect updates as quickly. It's hard because I'm writing two very different types of stories at once so it's messing with my head a little. :/ By the way, I have two questions for you guys because I'd love to know what you all think.
1. Would anyone be interested in a sequel to "Kurosaki Karin's Holiday"? I didn't want to do one before, but then inspiration kinda stung me and it's been poking my brain. Still up for debate though.
2. If I wrote something M-rated (read: lemon/lime), would that interest anyone? It would be my first stab at it so it'll be on the light side and I kinda want to do it just for the experience. I don't wanna scare anyone off though. Haha. Just let me know. Thanks guys!
Until next time, everyone!
