Dusk was fast arriving to the skyline of Karakura town one autumn day. The night was becoming increasingly colder, ushering in the arrival of winter within the past few days. The leaves, already golden brown, had descended towards the ground as the end of their days came closer.
It was not unlike a plus really was it? The leaves were much like the ghost's of Karakura, who wondered around. They were like the leaves, in the sense that when they died, they floated around, guided in whichever way the wind allowed them. Invisible to mortal eyes.
Well to some at least. This particular rule was broken by the teenage girl who was making her way down the winding path on this evening. Despite the sun, which was sinking into the horizon, the streetlights slowly began their nightly illuminations.
The girl wore a grey jacket wrapped around her, accompanied by a thick black scarf around her neck. Jeans adorned her lower half; probably not good enough to protect her from the chill, but it did not bother her in the slightest.
It's damn better then the summer I guess…
She thought as she trudged along the pathway. It wasn't long before she turned a corner and saw her usual haunt occupied by another. She smirked.
Ah. So the big bad Taicho decided to take a break huh? I bet at least 5 minutes in to the conversation he brings up the fact of how much paperwork he has to do.
She approached the figure without hesitation. Why would she? He was a friend after all, and he wouldn't protest to her being there, he never did.
I bet he just loves to banter with someone who looks his age and not get called a child for it. She thought.
He leaned against the guard, not really relaxed, but as good as can be expected from the young Taicho
"Hello Kurosaki" he addressed her without turning around.
"Yo Toushiro, how ya been?"
"Impolite as always aren't we? I guess it can't be helped, you are related to that foolish orange haired idiot after all" he turned and acknowledged her physical presence as she rested against the rail guard.
"I'm nothing like my brother!"
"Your both headstrong, and have an affinity for hitting things or people around you".
He had to stop a rare smirk from making its way on to his features as she whipped around, her hand curled in to a fist and within striking distance of his shoulder. He didn't flinch. Hitsugaya Toushiro does NOT flinch. Even to the wrath of a Kurosaki.
"You're lucky I don't smack you around the head" she grumbled, more then aware that Toushiro didn't fear her in the slightest. Well I don't fear him either…
They lapsed in to a silence for a few minutes. They often met like this. Toushiro has, somehow convinced the Yamamoto Sou-Taicho to allow him 3 months of solitary training and although leaving Matsumoto in charge, a pile of paperwork was somehow delivered every few days to Urahara's residence, where the White haired Shinigami was currently taking residence.
He could not have expected however, the conversation he and Karin we about to participate in.
"Toushiro, What do you think of the leaves?" she questioned innocently.
Stretch his arms he turned to the young girl "that's a random question where did that come from?"
"I don't know, I was just thinking as I walked here"
He frowned, silently contemplating the question just put to him "I don't think that much of them really; I guess they just remind me that winter is coming soon".
"Don't they remind you of the souls, you know the ones that wonder around here sometimes?"
"It's my business to watch the souls around here, that's my job". He scoffed
"Oi! I'm trying to be serious here! She shouted, but become serious again. "There are some good things and bad things about them being like leaves."
Toushiro raised his brow, genuinely intrigued as to the serious air that Karin has brought with her tonight. "How so?"
As she talked she played with the scarf around her neck "well, when they get separated from the tree, they are free, to go where ever they want, whenever they want to. That's like the souls."
"Yeah, I get that"
She pressed on "but when they fall from the tree they get cut off, they will never see that tree again. They get lost along this path" she indicated the path he had traversed to get here.
"So what are you saying?"
"That when we die it's a release. We move on to a new life. We see new things and meet new people along the way, and we forget the life we left behind, just like the tree. But when we leave, theirs no going back to that life we had, we wonder around without a past life to return to."
The darkness of the night had settled by now, the wind blew and the leaves that had settled by their feet trundled down the embankment and towards the bustling city.
Toushiro pondered for a while on this thought. Karin had never put to him such a question, she wasn't generally this serious. Opting towards a more passive aggressive lifestyle that contrasted with the rest of the insane people she called family. Well, excluding Yuzu of course.
"Hmmm… but when we die and leave our life behind, do you want to have the same type of existence leaves?" he countered. "When we die and leave behind the past, should we dwell on what we had? If we wanted to lose it or not, it can't be changed once you're dead. So wouldn't you want to move on?"
"I don't know. I guess if you put it like that it kinda makes sense. But I would want to make sure my family would be safe?"
He allowed her a few seconds of though before he told her what he told anyone who ever came under his command. "Nothing is certain in this world, nothing is ever guaranteed."
He turned to her and finished his answer "Life is as able to change as water in the palm of your hand. All we can do is keep going on, to new places and not to dwell on that which we have left behind".
Toushiro gazed at her, the lights of the city played on her face, illuminating her features. Her eyes seemed to brighten at his last remark. What he said must have made an impact on the Kurosaki.
She looked at him in turn; watching as his ghostly white hair swayed slowly to the cold breeze and how when he exhaled the cool air seemed to stir. She smiled, the most genuine he had seen for a few days now.
He brought his hand up and caressed her cheek, and gently took her other hand in his. His expression turned to a stern gaze and it confused her for a second. Before she knew it he has kissed her sweetly on the lips, just to bring her fully out of her thoughts of morality.
"no more thoughts of this, at least not while im here. I deal with death on a daily basis and wouldn't like to be reminded of it while im on a training vacation!"
She smiled at him "you're so much different from when I met you here all those years ago". She then proceeded to punched him in the arm.
"AH! Dammit what the hell was that for?!" he shouted at her rubbing his bruising arm.
"Ya got me all sappy there! I got a reputation to keep around here ya know!" she fumed.
One thing the Hitsugaya had learned in the 2 years he had dated Karin, is that her emotional moments were few and seriously far between, the rest she was a aggressive and sarcastic as ever. He huffed, and retrieved his phone from his pocket of his jeans to check the time.
"Its 8:30 and that thing you wanna go to opened at 8:00 we better get moving"
She laughed at him "it's called a Fairground idiot! And I'm going to beat you at soccer shootout."
"I'd like to see that". Was his retort.
He stood at his full height and pulled her with him. Since that faithful introduction 5 years ago they had both grown, her only just reaching his shoulder now. However he was still growing and Unohana predicted that he was a few decades overdue for a growth spur.
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and guided her towards the path. "Well I think is time I took a break from training to spend time with my girlfriend".
"And buy her some cotton candy"
"...maybe…"
And so they left, in the opposite direction that Karin has first approached him in. they held each other close, not for the heat, but to remind them that they has each other in this life.
So why rush to the next?