My first story for Bleach with Karin and Toshiro as the main lead!

This takes place a year after the Substitute Shinigami affairs. Ichigo is 18 while Karin and Yuzu are 14.

Hope you enjoy.

Heavenly Guardians

Chapter 1: Dead

Karin stared at the raising flames of burning gas and fire as it ascends into the heavens. Yuzu was crying next to her as they watched the bodies burned away and into the starry, night sky.

'The moon's beautiful tonight,' Karin thought as she looked up at the big and bright full moon. 'It's so full in blue…'

"Nice going Ichigo no BAKA (idiot Ichigo)!" came a females' voice from the right.

Karin turned around to find her older, orange haired brother and his friend, Tatsuki, arguing with each other.

"Thanks to your reckless driving, we're all dead!" she speared her arms out to the little group sitting by the bond fire, or rather, the fire of their deaths…

"My reckless driving?" Ichigo yelled back. "You guys were telling me to hurry up and get to the hospital and were making a racket about how it's too crowed in the back! I mean really, the car could only hold up to 5 people of goodness sacks! And how many of us were there? 8! And we all wanted to go together and I couldn't leave my sisters alone! What was I supposed to do hah? Do you think I could concentrate with all of you yelling from behind me and telling me what to do?"

"Oh, so now it's our fault that we're all dead and in this mess?" Mizuho questioned.

"H-he does have a point, Tatsuki-chan," came Michiru's soft voice as she tagged on Tatsuki's shirt.

"Yeah," Keigo agreed from his place sitting down. "Had we not made so much racket in the back about space and had you girls not screamed for him to get to the hospital faster because you were too worried about Orihime, than maybe this won't have happened."

Mizuriro nodded in agreement. "Now if you'll please stop arguing and let's try to figure out what to do next?"

The arguing group clamed themselves down.

Ichigo sighed. "I guess I'll have to perform the Soul Burial to send you guys to Soul Society…" he grumbled and took Zangetsu out, not liking this one bit.

"That won't be necessary, Ichigo," came a male's voice from behind him.

Everyone looked behind Ichigo as he turned around.

"Dad," he said as he lowered his zanpakuto. "Uruhara-san, Yuruichi-san."

"Daddy!" Yuzu ran up to hug Isshin.

"So," Karin began as she looked at Isshin, her eyes narrowed. "You could see this hole time."

Isshin chuckled awkwardly. "It's a long and complicated story."

Karin nodded in understanding. "What's going to happen now?"

"…They should be here soon," Urahara said.

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "They?" he questioned. "Who-"

Just then, a senkaimo opened and everyone turned around again, this time, towards Karin, and saw a small figure leaping out of the gate, just barley missing Karin's head, and kicked Ichigo square in the jaw.

"…What the Hell, Rukia?" Ichigo yelled at the small woman once he recovered from his shock of seeing her after a year since getting his powers back, and from receiving the painful kick she'd delivered to his now numbed jaw as a 'Hello'.

Rukia landed on her feet and yelled, "You stupid Idiot! You got them all killed! How stupid can you get Strawberry?"

"I can't believe you'd died in a car accident instead of out in battle, Ichigo," Renji added as he and three others stepped out of the gate.

"It is so unbeautiful to dead in a fire," Yumichika sneered. "You're bodies are all burned up."

"Honey!" Mizuho shouted as she jumped on Ikkaku.

Yuzu and Michiru watched on in confusion.

"Um~," Michiru whispered as she tagged on Tatsuki's shirt again. "What's going on, Tatsuki-chan? How come they can see us even though we're dead?"

Tatsuki shrugged. "Later," she said. "We might just hear about all of it later."

Michiru nodded.

"Ikkaku, Yumichika, Renji, Rankiku-san," Ichigo stated. "What are you all doing here?"

"Why to take you all to the Soul Society of course!" Rangiku answered with a happily smile on her face. "You'll finally be staying there with us permanently now, Ichigo!"

Karin sweet dropped. "Oh joy…" she whispered.

"Wait, we're going through the Senkaimo?" Ichigo questioned. Rangiku nodded. "Why?"

"Because the So-taicho said that you all needed to be trained and he fears that if you're all scattered all over Rukongai, you'll cause too much trouble with your powers, and that you might just levy it to the ground," Renji explained, shuddering at the thought of what might become of the Rukongai district areas.

"So he sent us to get you!" Rangiku continued. "Well, actually, Taicho was supposed to come too, but he said for us to go get you instead, while he waits for you all in the Seiretei."

"Wait, Toshiro was supposed to come?" Ichigo asked.

"Hitsugaya-taicho's the one in chare of this mission," Rukia answered.

"Yeah, now can we go?" Ikkaku asked, Mizuho still clinked to him.

Isshin nodded. "Please take care of the rest for me, Urahara," he said to Urahara as he waved to him while he and Yuzu walked through the gate with Rangiku. Urahara waved back with his usual smile.

The next ones to enter were Ikkaku and Mizuho, followed by Yumichika and Keigo. Then Mizuriro, Tatsuki and Michiru, who was still holding on to Tatsuki's shirt. Karin now stood at the door, waiting for her brother to go through.

"Well, Ichi-nii?" she said. "Seems like I'm not crazy after all." And she turned and walked through, followed closely by a guilty Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji.

The four emerged from the gate and the white light faded away as they walked through, closing the gate. Everyone was already there and Isshin had gone up to huge Toshiro, who didn't look so pleased to be hugged by his former taicho in such a deadly way…

"Shiro-chan!" Isshin cried out. "You've grown! And you look paler too! How did that happen?"

Toshiro sighed. "Taicho," he began in a bored tone before his eyes caught Karin's form and quickly freed himself from Isshin's huge. He straitened his cloths for a moment before walking over to the others. "Welcome to Soul Society," he said. "The So-taicho would like to have a word with you all. This way please." He showed them with his hands. "Matsumoto, lead."

"Hai, Taicho!" Rangiku took lead and everyone followed.

Isshin and Yuzu were next to her while Ichigo, Rukia, and Renji were behind them. Then Tatsuki, Keigo, Mizuho, Ikkaku, Michiru and Yumichika. Toshiro fell behind with Karin.

"Hey," he greeted, his eyes closed and arms crossed in his sleeves.

"Hey," Karin greeted back, still not looking at him. "Long time no see, Toshiro."

"Ah. You've grown. Hair's longer. Wearing a skirt?"

Karin giggled. "I can be girly when I want to. Besides, you've changed as well, You're taller now. And you've changed you're looks too. Hair cut and a green scarf?" Karin remarked in a playful tone of voice.

"Ah."

Karin smiled at him. "Looks good, Toshiro."

"..."

She glanced his way for a moment before looking forward again. "You can't escape it anymore you know. You can't keep putting it off anymore now. I'm already here and already involved. So now you can't keep avoiding calling me by my name anymore, Toshiro." She glanced out of the corner of her eyes.

Toshiro stopped, eyes opened, and looked at Karin in the eyes. "You knew?" he blankly asked with no emotions what so ever, seemingly not surprised by the fact that she knew.

Karin shrugged. "I thought that might've been the case of why you never said my name. Because you didn't want to get to know me or become too close to me in fear of the consequences that would follow. And the thought of having me involved in the war was also something you didn't like, right?"

"…" Toshiro sighed before closing his eyes and continued walking again. "What are you going to do now, Karin?"

Karin shrugged once again. "I don't know."

"They're going to notice it, you know? The fact that you-"

"Please, Toshiro!" Karin begged as they both stopped walking again. "Not now. Three years, give me three years! I'm worry about Yuzu and I want to see what the Academy is like. If they know… if Ichigo knows… Please Toshiro."

"…" Toshiro sighed. "Fine, but only three years, Karin. No more than that. I don't think I can keep myself sane any longer than that."

"Thank you Toshiro!" she hugged him.

"Yeah, yeah," Toshiro patted her head with a small smile gracing his lips, his eyes closed. "We'd better get going now or they'll be suspicious of us."

The two finally entered the room, a few feet apart from each other.

"There you are!" Ichigo shouted once they both walked in. "Where were you and what were you two doing together hah? Tell me!"

Toshiro stared blankly at flaming, overprotective older brother; Ichigo.

"Shiro-chan, are you going to become my second son?" Isshin called over with happiness as tears ran down his eyes. "I knew this day would come! Our Shiro-chan's all grown up!"

"Taicho!" Rangiku called over.

Toshiro just stared at them before moving to stand in his place in line, giving Rangiku the cold shoulders.

"My ankle hurts a bit on the way here and Toshiro looked at it for me," Karin answered, ignoring her father. "Apparently, it seems that something heavy fell on it prior to my death, remember?"

Realizations drown into Ichigo's eyes. "Oh, right. I forgot that you also needed to see a doctor for your injured leg. You seemed to be doing just fine walking, so I totally forgot about it. Sorry."

Karin closed her eyes while Toshiro looked on with blank eyes. "It's fine, Ichigo," she said as she moved up, showing her face to the room and giving everyone a better look at her, since they didn't when Ichigo got in the way. She walked up to Isshin and looked at the So-taicho's shock face before bowing to him. "I'm sorry I'm late, So-taicho. Please, continue or start the talk, if you haven't already done so."

Yamamoto's eyes flashed back to reality as he recomposed himself. "Right. Well then, now that everyone is here. We can begin," he said, not really taking his old eyes off of Karin's form. "Welcome to Soul Society! I would like to get started with naming the new taichos to fill in for our lost ones. Since Shiba Isshin was once the taicho of the 10th division, he will become the new taicho of the 9th division instead. His son, Kurosaki Ichigo, shoal take the 3rd division, even though it should be 5th since he was the one to have defeated Sosuke Aizen and is our savoir. The rest of you will be send to the Shi O Academy for training since it seems that you all have some powers within you."

"No thanks to Ichigo," Renji whispered from his place behind his taicho.

"Yes," Byakuya agreed. "Now there's more of them then just Ichigo to deal with…"

Eyes trailed to Zaraki, whose smile was so wide that it almost split his face, almost mirroring Ichimaru Gin's own, and all sweet dropped.

"That is all I have to say. You can decide your sleeping arrangements on your own, I presume?"

Isshin nodded, "Yes, Yama-jii."

"Good. Now, I'm sure you all have some questions that need answering to, so you may go and do so. However, you all only today to do so since tomorrow, you start school and do your job as taichos. Dismiss."

Everyone began to walk out of the room and leave the group for Ichigo and Isshin to explain everything to. Though Karin got some strange looks from Ukitake, Unohaha, Kyoraku, and Byakuya as well as the So-taicho as they walked pass her and Ukitake telling Rukia that she could stay with Ichigo to help explain. Renji, Ikkaku and Yumichika also got stayed with them and explain.

"No, Matsumoto," Toshiro said to Rangiku, who was about to walk over to the group. "You have work to do."

"Ah, but Taicho," she whined. "Isshin-taicho just got back. Don't you want to know what's happened to him while he was gone?"

Toshiro glared at her.

"Come on Toshiro," Karin said as she walked to him. "Have a heart."

Toshiro sighed. "Fine," he finally gave in, once again losing to Karin.

"Ya!" Ragiku shouted in happiness.

Karin smiled and patted Toshiro on the back.

"3 years, Karin," Toshiro reminded her, eyes still close. "I only have patience for 3 years, no more than that. Otherwise, I'm going to seriously loss control."

Karin smiled again. "Yes Toshiro, I know."

Kira Izuru and Hisagi Shuhie came up to great their new division taicho and Isshin told Shuhie that he was going to the 3rd division to explain everything to the others first before going to the 9th and Shuhei understood. The little group then went to the 3rd division with Kira and sat down and had their talk.

"Alright, Ichigo, Goat Face," Karin said, "Spill it."

And spill it they did. Ichigo told them everything that had happened to him since he met Rukia and his involvement with soul society. They had to farter explain some terms that the others didn't know, as of yet, to get them to understand. Then, Isshin went and told them that he was a Shinigami and was the former taicho of the 10th, how Toshiro was his 3rd seat and Rangiku his vise captain, as well as his involvement with the Shiba clan. Then how he went to the human world and met Kurosaki Masaki and fell in love with her despite her being a Quincy, and being engaged to Ishida Ryuken at the time because she was needed to make another pure blood Quincy, and him a powerful shinigami who had a high rank in the Gotei 13. He also told them that Urahara had sorted their affairs in the human world for them, so they didn't have to worry.

That day, Toshiro did not get any more paperwork done at all and had a drunken Rangiku to deal with since Shunsui and some others came in with sake to celebrate. Karin and Yuzu slept in 9th divisions spare room while the others were at the 3rd division with some of the passed out shinigamies still littering the floor of the division.

'I wonder what tomorrow's going to be like…' Karin wondered as she looked up at the full, blue moon.

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