Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach and I don't own the song "All You Wanted" by Michelle Branch.
Rangiku walked down the main road of Sereitei passing the fifth division deep in her thoughts.
'Captain Hitsugaya and Karin have been spending a lot of time together.' Rangiku looked up at the yellow sun beating down on the street.
'It could be something or it could be all of my work that Karin has to keep track of . . . maybe I should…'
"I'm telling you, there's something between the two of them." Rangiku was pulled from her thoughts after overhearing Rukia Kuchiki's words coming from the fifth division courtyard.
"Rukia just because you want something to be between Karin Kurosaki and Captain Hitsugaya does not mean anything." Renji sighed at his childhood friend.
"What are the two of you talking about?" Rangiku looked into the courtyard of the fifth division where Rukia and Renji were arguing.
"Rukia has this crazy idea that there is something between Captain Hitsugaya and Karin. I say that she's just fishing for gossip in sheer boredom." Renji's scoff earned him a good kick in the shin.
"I am not bored, I am merely more observant than you, Renji." Rukia glared at him with her hands on her hips.
"Observant?" Renji stared down at her while absently rubbing his shin. "Just what have you 'observed'?"
"I've seen how they act around each other. Karin laughs more and Captain Hitsugaya smiles. Did you know he has a wonderful smile?" Rukia asked smiling up at the taller lieutenants.
"I thought I've been seeing something between them." Rangiku tapped her finger to her chin in deep thought.
"So you see this 'something' between them too?" Renji asked the buxom lieutenant.
"Yes, but I thought it was only me." She admitted to the two soul reapers.
"So what?" Renji asked, completely lost on the fascination women held with relationships.
"So, this could be a time to make them both happy." Rangiku beamed to her fellow soul reapers.
"Or just another excuse to avoid doing your paperwork," Renji snorted to Rangiku. Both of the girls ignored him as they conspired to put together one of their favorite couples in all of Sereitei.
"So, how do the two of you know that Karin likes Captain Higsugaya?" Renji pointed out nearly busting the bubble of the girls' gossip.
"Oh," Rukia tapped her finger along her chin thinking back to any clues that there was any emotion between the soul reapers of interest.
"Well, we know that they are happy around one another." Rangiku supplied to Renji.
"So, that doesn't mean anything - lots of people are happy around one another and they're still just friends." Renji pointed out deflating both Rukia and Rangiku's hopes and gossip.
"You do have a point," Rukia begrudgingly admitted to Renji.
"So, how do we find out?" Rangiku asked Rukia looking down to the shorter black haired girl.
"Maybe Yuzu will know?" Rukia guessed.
"Of course," Rangiku snapped her fingers in triumph, "surely her own sister will know if Karin likes Captain Hitsugaya." With their smiles of agreement the girls marched off to the fourth squad in search of Yuzu Kurosaki. Renji was left standing in the sixth squad courtyard shaking his head watching the backs of the women walking away.
…
Rukia and Rangiku found Yuzu at the reception desk of the fourth squad.
"Hello Yuzu." Rangiku beamed down at the young soul reaper typing on one of the computers.
"Hello, Lieutenant Matsumoto," Yuzu kindly replied smiling up to the kind woman, "what can I do for you?"
"Well -" Rangiku began but was interrupted by Rukia.
"Can you tell us if your sister likes anyone?" Rukia jumped in leaning over the desk to look Yuzu in the eyes.
"You want to know if Karin likes someone." Yuzu questioned the pair of soul reapers.
"Yes, that's right." Rukia smiled.
"Not just someone but Captain Hitsugaya," Rangiku clarified to the light brown haired soul reaper.
"Captain Hitsugaya?" Yuzu asked, Rangiku answered with her beaming smile lighting up her stormy eyes.
"Yes she does," Yuzu answered surprised by Rangiku's burst of giggling under her breath. "But, she won't ever tell him," Yuzu continued stopping Rangiku's giggles in just a few words.
"Why not?" Rukia asked for a now silent Rangiku.
"Karin just isn't very open with her feelings." Yuzu replied to the women.
"Like my captain," Rangiku grumbled with an annoyed frown.
"There's got to be some way to get her to open up to Captain Hitsugaya." Rukia mused to the little group.
"So, how does one person tell another how they feel?" Rangiku asked holding her chin in her right hand in deep thought.
"Humans would tell one another with love letters or singing a song." Yuzu informed the female soul reapers.
"Letters are too impersonal and there is no way Captain Hitsugaya would know it was from Karin." Rukia reasoned to the group.
"So we get her to sing to him." Rangiku joyfully exclaimed.
"Too bad Karin will never sing in public." Rangiku's mouth went on another roller coaster as her mood changed once again at Yuzu's words.
"Why not?"
"Even though Karin has a beautiful voice, she hates for anyone to know about it." Yuzu answered.
"So we have to find a way for Karin to sing to Captain Hitsugaya without knowing that she's singing to him." Rukia pronounced.
"How do you plan on doing that?" Rangiku questioned her friend's plan.
"Well, Karin will sing but only if there isn't a single soul around and she is absolutely alone." Yuzu answered.
"Maybe there's a sneaky way to get her to sing." Rangiku mused to Rukia.
"Do you have any ideas?" Rukia asked the strawberry blonde.
"Maybe, but Yuzu we're going to need your help." Rangiku turned to the soul reaper nurse in question with a crafty smile gracing her lips. Yuzu looked between Rukia and Rangiku noting how they each wore crafty grins and she knew things would get very interesting when their plan went into action.
…
Karin was walking out of the Tenth division office after a long morning of paperwork.
"I don't know how Toushiro does this every day." Karin let out a jaw popping yawn covering her mouth with a hand and nearly bumping into Rukia.
"Hello, Karin." Rukia cheerfully waved at the slightly taller Karin.
"Hi Rukia, what's up?" Karin greeted the smaller woman.
"Captain Ukitake is in need of some help painting one of the bedrooms at the old barracks of Thirteenth squad at the very edge of Sereitei." Rukia cheerfully explained with great detail of her request.
"Why doesn't someone from your squad paint it?" Karin asked feeling her stomach growl as a reminder that she hadn't eaten much of anything all morning.
"Everyone available is out on missions." Rukai pleaded with the Kurosaki.
"I have trouble believing that there is not one soul reaper in your entire division who does not have the time to paint a room." Karin's stare mirrored Toushiro's perfectly and Rukia was feeling every bit of ice coming from the Kurosaki twin, even though her zanpaktou was fire based.
"Karin there really is no one else available. It won't take you that long, maybe two hours. Please..." Rukia pleaded with Karin. With a heavy sigh, Karin breathed deep and grudgingly agreed to help. It was the only way to get that puppy dog look out of Rukia's eyes.
"Oh alright but only for a couple hours," Karin sighed again placing a hand on her very, very empty stomach.
Rukia led Karin to an ancient building nestled in a deep corner of the Thirteenth division with a perfect view of the wall separating Sereitei from the rest of soul society.
"Rukia, are you sure Captain Ukitake wants to paint this room?" Karin asked staring at the one story barracks which could have been older than Head Captain Yamamoto. Shingles were falling off the roof, pieces of brick were crumbling off the wall, and the door was ripped and slashed from wear.
"Oh, I'm sure. Captain Ukitake wants to rebuild this barracks to make room for more soul reapers." Rukia explained to the hesitant black haired girl.
"Well, where's the paint and brush?" Karin questioned, it would be better to get this over with.
"Right over there," Rukia pointed to the far corner where a bucket of white paint and a wide head brush lay on a painter's blanket.
"I'll just leave you alone to paint." Rukia turned from Karin as she walked over to the paint. "Thank you, Karin."
"No problem, Rukia, always a pleasure to be of help," Karin waved bye to her friend walking out the front door.
"Not a problem at all." Karin mumbled looking around at the run down barracks. She dipped the brush into the bucked and began spreading the thick paint along the wall in an even coat. Karin had been so focused on painting that she didn't hear another soul reaper in the room.
"Hi Karin," Yuzu asked causing Karin to jump in the air from her sudden appearance.
"Yuzu, don't scare me like that." Karin yelped noticing the paint she had splattered over her uniform. Now instead of the regular black uniform, Karin was wearing pleasant white polka dots liberally spaced along her front.
"That's a good look on you, Karin." Yuzu giggled at the paint spots.
"Would you like some as well?" Karin waved the brush to Yuzu, and noticing the bag smelling of food in her hands.
"Do you have food?"
"Yes," Yuzu laughed bringing the bag of food to Karin. "I ran into Rukia and she said you were out here. I figured that you hadn't eaten lunch yet, so I brought this for you."
"I love you, Yuzu." Karin gladly accepted the food and began to eat it up.
"Toushiro is still working on his paperwork. I'll tell you, Yuzu, I don't know how he does it." Karin admitted shoveling the food into her mouth and she believed nothing could have tasted more heavenly.
"No one does, but he seems to be rubbing off on you." Yuzu commented.
"What are you talking about?"
"Well, you're working a lot longer and you don't seem to be complaining when you have to work extra hours." Yuzu answered truthfully while Karin finished her delicious food.
"The hours don't seem as hard since I've got great company," Karin answered her eyes softening with thoughts of Toushiro Hitsugaya playing through her mind.
"You really like him don't you?" Yuzu noted to her sister.
"Yeah, I like him, but he'll never know it." Karin admitted with a sigh handing the empty plate to her twin and standing up to stretch her arms.
"You know it doesn't have to be that way, you could change that with a few words." Yuzu stated to her sister standing up so the twins could see eye to eye.
"Maybe," Karin hesitated scratching the back of her head staring up at the ceiling.
"Well, they're your feelings and it's your decision but just know I think things would go smoother if you were open with him." Yuzu placed the empty bowl into the bag and walked out of the run down barracks.
"Back to work," Karin mumbled.
"Oh, before I forget I brought some music to help pass the time." Yuzu brought in a battery powered boom box setting it down at the door and pressing play.
"What would I do without you, Yuzu?" Karin gleefully asked humming to the current song pouring from the boom box's speakers.
"Oh I don't know, waste away in complete boredom." Yuzu and Karin shared a laugh before Yuzu walked out the door.
"See you later, Yuzu." Karin called to her sister and heard a returning farewell.
"Now that my stomach is satisfied, I can finish this room." Karin cheerfully proclaimed to the empty room with the background of sound livening up the room. She turned back to the paint and the wall failing to notice the small hell butterfly land at the corner of the ceiling.
...…
"Alright, everything is set up." Rukia walked into a dark control room where Renji and Rangiku sat at a sound recording table with rows and columns of buttons and screw knobs covering every square inch.
"Not quite everything," Rangiku smiled raising her finger to allow the hell butterfly to deliver the message. "Now everything is ready."
"Do the two of you know how to work this equipment?" Rukia asked staring at the sea of buttons and knobs, getting dizzy at the various colors and shapes.
"Akon fixed all of it so we only have to push one button." Renji answered.
"Are you sure you can push the right button?" Rukia asked in all seriousness.
"Of course I can, any idiot can push a button." Renji exclaimed.
"But, you're not just any idiot." Rangiku smirked at the joke Renji made of himself. Renji settled for glaring at Rangiku while Rukia tried to hide her laughter behind her hand.
"Anyway, Akon taped a piece of paper to the button we push when Yuzu tells us to start." Renji finished explaining when Yuzu walked into the little room.
"Everything is ready, Karin's got the music and I sent the hell butterfly to hide in the room so her voice can be transmitted to Captain Hitsugaya's butterfly." Yuzu gave her report looking at the table and blinking at the dizzying knobs glancing at Renji silently rethinking her position in this plot.
"Right, so when do we start?" Rukia asked standing next to Yuzu looking up at the fair haired girl.
"Karin's favorite song should be starting any minute now. Renji you should put on the headphones and listen to the room." Yuzu suggested as Renji found the headphones sliding them over his ears. After adjusting the sound on the headphones, Renji was able to hear a song playing with Karin humming rather loudly in the background. Listening closely, he was able to decipher a few words at the end of the final chorus.
"'Coming back when I've finally moved on, I'm already gone.'" Renji recalled the words he could make out to Yuzu. (A/N: Don't own this song either, "Gone".)
"That's a song by Kelly Clarkson the next song is her favorite." Yuzu replied cuing Renji to prepare the transmission.
"Are you sure she will sing?" Rukia asked the blonde twin.
"Yes, Karin can't help but to sing to this song and she'll be so focused on singing that she won't notice it's the karaoke version." Yuzu let a small giggle escape as she allowed herself to enjoy this plot to pair her sister with Captain Hitsugaya.
…
Toushiro Hitsugaya rubbed the back of his neck in a vain attempt to free the knot that had developed over the last few hours of paperwork. Karin had been helping him with Rangiku's paperwork since earlier that morning and she didn't seem to pause so he ordered her to have lunch. Karin complied without much back talk and had left the office, that had been about thirty minutes ago.
"I should really go get some lunch, but I really need to finish this stack. I'm almost done." Toushiro sighed looking at the stack of papers that was not about 50 pages thick reduced from this morning's 200 page monstrosity. After a small crack of his neck, Toushiro reclaimed his pen prepared to continue the next paper when he saw a hell butterfly lazily drift into the office.
"I wonder who sent this message?" Toushiro asked the empty office extending his finger to make a perch for the tired butterfly.
This is a message for Captain Hitsugaya. Rangiku's voice flowed from the butterfly causing Toushiro to roll his eyes for a moment.
'I wonder what excuse she has for me today.' Toushiro thought as he continued listening to the message.
The message is from Karin Kurosaki. Toushiro blinked at the butterfly's words: a message from Karin through Rangiku. This didn't quite make sense but Toushiro shrugged his shoulders and listened anyway. His ears were met with a catchy pop tune containing a lot of guitar…
…
"This is my favorite song!" Karin cried listening to the first few bars of her absolute favorite song by Michelle Branch. Quickly Karin looked around the room and dashed into the hall to make sure no one was around.
"Of course nobody is here, if they were then they would have already come looking for the music." Karin smiled and started singing in perfect time with the music.
I wanted to be like you
I wanted everything
So I tried to be like you
And I got swept away
I didn't know that it was so cold
And you needed someone
to show you the way
So I took your hand and we figured out
That when the time comes
I'd take you away
"IS THAT KARIN!" Renji yelped from the sound stage for the first time hearing the Kurosaki girl's amazing voice. In his shock, Renji failed to notice he landed on a button labeled speakers - that is until the entire group heard the song transmitting throughout all of Sereitei.
"RENJI, YOU IDIOT!" Rukia quietly yelled at her friend, "YOU PUT KARIN'S VOICE ON SPEAKER! NOW EVERYONE WILL HEAR IT!"
"Oh," the only word Renji was able to speak as they continued listening.
If you want to
I can save you
I can take you away from here
So lonely inside
So busy out there
And all you wanted
was somebody who cares
"Who's that?" Almost every soul reaper in Sereitei asked each other.
"I don't know, but I wish I did." Captain Kyoraku mused to his friend Captain Ukitake as they both listened to the mysterious singer.
I'm sinking slowly
So hurry hold me
Your hand is all I have to keep me hanging on
Please can you tell me
So I can finally see
Where you go when you're gone
Upon hearing Karin's voice from the speakers, Toushiro dismissed the hell butterfly to search of Karin.
If you want to
I can save you
I can take you away from here
So lonely inside
So busy out there
And all you wanted
was somebody who cares
All you wanted was somebody who cares
If you need me you know I'll be there
Oh, yeah
Toushiro found Karin in a room in an old rundown barracks at the back of the Thirteenth division. Smirking he watched Karin sing into a paint brush. Glancing around the room, Toushiro spotted the hell butterfly hiding in the corner of the ceiling acting the microphone.
If you want to
I can save you
I can take you away from here
So lonely inside
So busy out there
And all you wanted
was somebody who cares
If you want to
I can save you
I can take you away from here
So lonely inside
So busy out there
And all you wanted
was somebody who cares
Please can you tell me
So I can finally see
Where you go when you're gone
"I've always loved that song." Karin happily exclaimed as the final bars of music ended. Her smile faded as she heard a single member clapping, turning around she shrieked at seeing Captain Hitsugaya leaning on the door.
"You did a great job." Toushiro complemented her performance, and smiling at her apparent embarrassment.
"Where did you come from?" Karin whispered to the man she was secretly crushing.
"The office and I happened to hear your melodic voice resounding throughout all of Sereitei. I'm sure you would have a stronger applause than just me if they could only see the angelic soul who sings such heavenly music." Toushiro complemented with a bow, watching how Karin's jaw dropped to the floor as she quickly looked around the room.
"How-" Karin quickly ran the entire perimeter of the room looking for the microphone. Toushiro gained her attention when he cleared his throat and pointed to the ceiling where a butterfly gently fluttered it's wings.
…
"I didn't know Captain Hitsugaya would find her." Rangiku whispered as she watched Renji vainly try to turn the speakers off.
"It's not Captain Hitsugaya I'm worried about, I'm worried about-" Renji's thoughts were cut off when they heard a blast and static sizzling from the speakers as the feed was abruptly, and violently, silenced.
…
Toushiro eyed the small gaping hole where Karin destroyed the hell butterfly with a rather strong shakkaho spell. With a look, Toushiro could read Karin like a book and right now she was thinking she wanted to find the culprits of this prank to cause them immense pain if not end their existence altogether.
"Who did this?" Karin growled through clenched teeth with her hands balled into fists shaking slightly with fury and embarrassment.
"If I had to guess, then I would have to say Rangiku." Toushiro watched Karin look up at him in an annoyed glare that he wore far too often with matters concerning his lieutenant.
"But, she didn't act alone…" Karin mumbled, thinking to the events of the day. "…Rukia was a part of this and my sister, the little traitor," Karin grumbled an aura of fire quickly covering her entire body.
"But none of them would have set the butterly to project the music over the city." Toushiro reasoned with his third seat. "The person who did that must be one who is incredibly incompetent and klutzy and isn't used to thinking very much."
"Renji," Karin growled as her plan of revenge began forming in her mind.
"The only good news is I don't think anyone realizes that you were the one singing." Toushiro eased the fiery young woman into an overly annoyed glare as opposed to a promise of torture. "But, it really is a shame. Like I told you before Karin, you have a beautiful voice." Toushiro turned from the still fuming young woman.
"And like before, this stays between us." Karin growled at her captain.
"As long as you don't kill anyone," Toushiro smiled as he moved away from the door to allow Karin to use her shunpo to seek out the culprits.
…
"Well, Karin effectively pounded you three when she caught up with you," Yuzu stated offhanded to the three unfortunate soul reapers in various body casts.
"But, Karin finally told Captain Hitsugaya how she feels so it was worth it." Rukia, the hopeless romantic, happily exclaimed with her broken arm resting in a sling.
"Speak for yourself, I never wanted any part of this, but you dragged me into this." Renji complained pointing a plaster cast arm at the two female soul reapers laying in beds next to his.
"Still, it was worth it," Rangiku happily stated, then moaning in pain as she bumped leg wrapped cast along the railing of the hospital bed in the Fourth division.
"We are NOT doing anything like this ever again." Renji angrily stated glaring at the two girls.
"We didn't drag you…" Rukia started arguing with Renji when Yuzu walked out from their shared room. The sounds of their arguments trailed after Yuzu as she continued about her business in the Fourth Squad.
Author Note: Okay, I know that I haven't written anything for a while but that's all thanks to a pesky bout of writer's block.
"COME ON BREAK UP ALREADY!" *Starts pounding on cement boulder with mallet*
So, this songfic is a lame attempt to try to work through it. I hope to work through this and continue some of my other stories. Anyways, please review.
*Repeatedly pounds boulder with mallet*