I did it! Wooooooo! Second chapter up!
Before we get to the story I would like to give some hope to all HitsuKarin shippers.
The episode where Karin and Toushirou were playing soccer together was Kubo-sensei's drafted idea, so the ship may be considered crack in the manga but it isn't in Kubo-sensei's mind ;)
Now on with the story!
The brunette wore light make up and her hair was pinned against her head and falling down her back in waves. "Karin-chan I'm so glad you could make it." She smiled, a bit too wide.
"It's good to be here." Karin replied with a forceful smile.
"I can't believe you actually look like a girl for once." Karin felt her vein twitched at the insult but she kept the smile on her face. 'Not even a minute and I'm already insulted.'
"Well I think your dress suits you perfectly, both a pain to the eye." Mimi's smile twitched a little as she twirled a strand of hair. "Moving on, shouldn't you be with your date?" Karin really wants this girl to get off her back, it has only been a minute and she's already itching to break the girl's face.
"Oh, my boyfriend is over there," Mimi gestured to a group of jocks patting each other's back. 'The captain of the boys' soccer team? A match made in heaven.' She's never met the guy but based on the complaints she gets from her guy friends she can assure that he's not a nice guy.
Speaking of her childhood teammates, a boy with shoulder length blonde hair with brown tips walked up to their table. "Woah Karin, is that you?" Ryohei exclaimed, giving Karin his full attention. His eyes and mouth wide from seeing Karin in a skirt, not the school skirt but a feminine one that looked to be her sister's.
"Ryohei! I didn't know you were here."
"Yeah, my girlfriend wanted to attend the party so she dragged me along."
"Where's your date Karin-chan?" Mimi spoke up, her voice slightly higher than before.
Upon mentioning Toushirou, Karin discreetly searched for his reiryoku only to find him a minute away. "My boyfriend? He's just getting me a drink." Her voice was louder on the word "boyfriend" but not noticeable by anyone in the group.
Ryohei tripped over his words at the terminology, "b-b-boyfriend? Since when Karin?"
Mimi smirked at the boy's outburst thinking she had won.
"Is there something you need?" A deep, smooth voice soared through the air sending shivers up Mimi's spine. The group turned around finding the captain of the tenth squad standing with two cups in his hands.
"Ah Toushirou what took you so long?" Karin complained but on the inside she was bubbling with glee, she saw the look on Mimi's face at the sight of the Shinigami and she didn't whether she likes it or not.
"HITSUGAYA? Since when were you two dating?" Ryohei exclaimed.
Ignoring Ryohei's outburst Toushirou set down the drinks before making a show to drop his arm over Karin's shoulder. Thanks to his sharp ears, he had picked up Karin's subtle statement and decided to play along. Toushirou gave Karin a quick chaste kiss on her cheek and she felt the warmth burned her skin. It didn't feel as awkward as the two expected, it felt rather natural. "Sorry for the wait, the line was long."
"Hey! Answer me!" Ryohei wailed, desperately trying to pry the answers out of them.
"A while ago" was Toushirou's typical vague answer.
"Can't you be more specific?"
"It's none of your business."
"Yes it is, everyone made a bet on when you two were going to get together." At this statement Karin spat out her drink and Toushirou's eyes widened by a millimetre before composing himself.
Slamming her hands on the table she uttered, "y-you were what? When?"
The blonde shrugged his shoulders and scratched the back of his head. "It was pretty obvious and heck, even grandma Haru joined in."
"What was obvious?" Karin prompted.
"Grandma Haru?" Toushirou questioned whilst wondering where she picked up the betting habit. She didn't seem like the type.
"Well you're the only one allowed to call him by his given name," Toushirou flinched at Ryohei's observation, "and whenever he's around you seem to forget about us." Then it was Karin's turn to flinch. "Not to mention you guys watch the sunset together. Do you know how cliché that is?" By the time he came to this final statement, Karin's face was flushed red whilst Toushirou scratched the back of his head and averted his eyes.
"Anyways I gotta go." Ryohei announced before departing from the group but not before giving them a thumbs up.
During this whole conversation, Mimi was silently fuming from the side. 'No, no, there's no way Kurosaki can get a boyfriend as hot as him. She must've paid him or something and that blondie could be in on the plan. There's no way a dreamy guy like him would hang around a tomboy who doesn't know a thing about aesthetics.' She let out a forced laugh catching the couple's undivided attention.
"Enough with the jokes Kurosaki, now, who's the guy?"
"I told you he's my boyfriend."
"I said stop with the joke! There's no way a girl as ugly as you could get a boyfriend let alone a hot one like him! I mean what's so attractive about you? All you do is kick a stupid ball around!" Mimi refused to believe in Karin's words, it was obvious who's the prettier one between them, in her eyes.
Karin glared at the girl but it didn't have its usual fire. Since her mother's death Karin has always been strong for her twin and with everyone always assuming she can cope with everything she learnt to build a strong front but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. She knows she doesn't act like other girls and she knows she isn't as pretty as other girls. She has already accepted it but it doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.
Contrary to Karin's feelings, Toushirou was raging in the inside. He could hear Hyourinmaru roar in protest against the brunette's words and Toushirou nodded in agreement. His anger rose at Karin's reaction or the lack of, as she usually would've butchered the other girl's words by now. Seeing the hurt apparent in her eyes he concluded, 'I don't care anymore.'
"Karin." He whispered, his voice firm.
She turned towards him only to find his lips on hers. Toushirou cupped her head and pushed her closer to him. Almost immediately Karin closed her eyes and responded to the kiss. They pulled away a minute later and Toushirou glared at the onlooker.
"Is that enough proof for you?" He was pleased when the girl turned on her heels and stomped away.
"Toushirou..." A soft voice uttered. Tilting his head down he finds Karin looking at him with wide eyes and parted lips.
'I really don't care anymore.' Were his last thoughts as he dove in for another kiss. 'Screw Soul Society' For one night he just wants to forget about his position and focus on his feelings.
Gripping the nape of Karin's neck he tilted her head to deepen the kiss. The other arm wound its way around her waist and pulled her closer. Karin lifted one hand to weave through his messy tresses whilst the other scrunched the front of his shirt and kept him close.
The day ended with Toushirou walking Karin up to her doorsteps. He didn't regret what he did but the moment he glanced at the corner of his eye and caught a glimpse of a shadow his heart dropped. 'Someone's following us.'
"Toushirou?" Karin whispered. She couldn't see his expression as it was shielded by his bangs and it scared her. 'Did he regret it? Or was it suppose to be an act?' she attempted to stop the growing hope in her heart but the more she contemplated about it the more confident she is with her theory. She couldn't fathom why he would kiss her a second time.
'It can't be,' Toushirou's eyes widened as he recognised the reiatsu. 'A shinigami reiastu.'
"Don't. Just forget about it, forget that it ever happened." He stated rather quickly, his eyes still trained on the spot where the shadow used to stand. Turning away from Karin, he left before she could say another word.
Karin not being able to fathom the situation felt her heart cracked at his words and didn't have the motivation to run after him. She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up.
Arriving back at his quarters in Soul Society, Toushirou slammed the door and anxiously ran his fingers through his hair. He hastily left Karin to stop the shinigami from reporting back but he was too late, the shinigami already left the Living World. 'They saw, they saw, they saw' he chanted in his head.
Not a moment later, the door slid open and a busty woman stepped in "Taichou," she was worried; it was obvious in her furrowed brow.
"Matsumoto," he greeted his voice sounding strained and stressed but he gestured her to continue with an incline of his head.
"I'm sorry Taichou," Matsumoto looked down at the floor her heart heavy with guilt. After all her little boy has finally found happiness and here she was taking it away from him. "I couldn't do anything. They asked me a few questions and I denied them, of course, but I, I couldn't stop them f-fro-"
"Following me? Yeah I figured." With him always disappearing to the Living World it would be odd for the Gotei 13 to not act. However that didn't stop the irritation growing inside of him, why hadn't he noticed earlier?
Matsumoto looked up and frown at his scrunched up face, "I'm sorry Taichou."
"It's alright" he reassured but his guarded eyes and monotonous voice was anything but alright. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves and prepared himself for the what was to come.
A hell butterfly entered Toushirou's room and fluttered in front of his face, just as he predicted. In response, Toushirou lifted his hand for the butterfly to land and a rusty voice rang in his head, "Hitsugaya-taichou please report to my office as soon as you receive this message." It wasn't hard to identify whom the voice belongs to.
"Taichou? Was that…"
"Yeah, I leave the squad in your hands while I'm gone." He said, answering her unfinished question.
"...hai" was her solemn reply and he walked out the door smirking. His ears had picked up Matsumoto's last lecture. "Don't give her up, don't push aside the happiness I didn't get the chance to experience or I won't forgive you kiddo"
Opening his eyes Toushirou put on a cold facade to cover the fire burning in his heart. 'I never planned to.'
Toushirou arrived outside the Soutaichou's office. Raising a clenched fist he knocked on the door and took a deep breath while waiting for permission to enter. He was rather surprise with how calm he is considering it was the Soutaichou he was up against.
"Come in" hearing the familiar rusty voice Toushirou entered and was greeted by the Soutaichou sitting at his desk with his Lieutenant standing by his side and a female taichou with sharp eyes and short dark hair. 'Soifon-taichou. It must be one of her men.'
"Sir, you called?"
"Yes, I did." the old man opened his eyes and stared into Toushirou's soul. "I never thought you would make the same mistake as your predecessor."
"Pardon?" Toushirou's eyes narrowed at the mention of his taichou. 'Is he referring to Shiba-taichou?'
"No matter, Soifon-taichou has informed me that you have an affair with a human." The Soutaichou stated bluntly.
"Half human" he corrected but didn't deny the accusation, which earned a glare from the only female in the room.
"I see. As you are still young I am willing to grant you a second chance. Drop the girl, return to your duties and all will be forgotten."
"And if I refuse?" As Toushirou has stated before in his mind, he refuse to leave Karin. Not when she's probably hurting from his departure, and the thought of her with another man leaves a hole is his heart.
Yamamoto's reiatsu roared at Toushirou and the once child prodigy sweated at the offending heat. Yamamoto found it surprising that someone as hardworking and serious as Toushirou would do such a foolish thing. Then again he was just a child back then and just because he was immune to women, courtesy of Matsumoto, it doesn't necessarily apply to his current teenage self. It was ironic how the current and previous tenth squad's taichou have both fallen for a human. 'A Kurosaki women as well.' He would have to be careful in choosing the tenth squad's taichou in the future.
"Sir, I'll take it from here." Soifon stepped forward. She greatly respected the child -now teenager- in front of her for his achievements and was greatly disappointed when she received the report. She locked eyes with teal ones and glared, "Hitsugaya-taichou I advice you to step down"
He glared back and replied in an icy tone, "I won't"
In response to his answer Soifon reached for her Zanpakuto and the action caused Toushirou to also grip the hilt of his Zanpakuto. Both stared at each other waiting for the other to move. It was Soifon who broke the stalemate, pulling out her Zanpakuto she aimed a stab at Toushirou who unsheathed his own Zanpakuto and blocked the attack by changing the blade's directory. Toushirou also initiated an attack of his own, stepping out of her sword's reach Toushirou took advantage of Hyourinmaru's long blade and swung it at Soifon who block the attack. Both taichou/s continued their battle and the clang of metal against metal rang through the air.
The Soutaichou watched from afar and brooded, 'what a pity to see such talents go to waste.' Glancing at the corner of his eye, he nodded at his long time friend who nodded back in return.
Back to the battle at hand both shinigami/s jumped away from each other and observed their opponents. Toushirou's uniform was decorated with creases and had seen better days and on his abdomen was a flower imprint. 'As expected of Soifon, I won't be able to catch up with her speed but her pain tolerance is rather, weak. I can take advantage of that.' Toushirou analysed, planning every step in his mind.
Soifon also didn't escape unscathed, her haori was casted away revealing cuts on her arm and icicles were found at her feet. The injuries weren't very serious for it was just the start of the battle. 'The child prodigy, a suitable title for someone as talented as him. It seems his attacks are stronger now that he has grown; his speed however cannot match up to mine. So before he can land another attack I will have to knock him out.'
And with that thought Soifon's charged at Toushirou at her highest speed. Toushirou seeing Soifon's action ran forward. Raising Hyourinmaru he readied to unleash a slice of ice but suddenly a yellow rope appeared out of nowhere and wrapped itself around his body causing him to trip over his feet and drop his Zanpakuto.
"Bakudo #4 Hainawa." Following the voice back to its owner he caught a brief glance of the Soutaichou's fukutaichou, Chojiro Sasakibe. His face was stern as usual and his hand was still outstretched from chanting the spell. Soifon, seeing her chance shunpo'd behind Toushirou and chopped the nape of his neck with her hand, effectively knocking him unconscious.
Karin lay in bed that night and repeatedly replayed the scene in her head, "Don't. Just forget about it, forget that it ever happened."
She silently fumed at his words, 'Forget that it ever happened? He was the one who started the kiss!'
Her anger didn't last long for fear and sorrow took over, 'what if he doesn't visit anymore?' It was hard enough for her to lose her mother at a young age and the thought of losing anyone else became one of her biggest fears.
'Was it one-sided all along? Was I the only one who fell?' And fell she did, hard. Karin honestly felt stupid for falling for him and even more stupid for thinking he would return her feelings.
'He's a shinigami of course he wouldn't fall for a juvenile human who's not even a quarter of his age. He probably thought of me as a child all along.' She felt a familiar yet foreign heat in her eyes and her sight was suddenly blurred. 'Eh? Am I crying?' Reaching a hand to her cheeks she felt wetness. 'No. No, no, no. Why? Why am I crying? No. I can't cry, I don't want to cry over that midget. No...' But that didn't stop the tears from letting loose. She bit her lip in a vain attempt to silent her sobs. It's a good thing Yuzu and her have separate rooms now. Scrunching up her eyes and her blanket she hardened her resolve. 'Fine. I'll just forget about him then.' It was a childish plan but if it helps lessen the pain then she'll do it. She's a Kurosaki; she can do anything as long as she puts her mind to it.
However this was proven wrong when she went to school the next day. Everywhere she went memories of their time together filled her head. She didn't think it was this hard to forget about him, he rarely visited anyways and that was probably why she cherished her memories of him so strongly. She remembers him wherever she goes: the park where they play soccer numerous times, the guardrail where they watch the sunset together, the path they take to visit grandma Haru and the river where he first opened up to her.
"Kurosaki, Kurosaki!" yelled multiple male voices. Turning towards her group of guy friends she waited for them to continue. "So is it true, you're going out with Hitsugaya?" Karin froze at the mention of his name. She couldn't even escape from him at school! Karin opened her mouth to deny the fact but the boys didn't pay her any attention. "Aw man looks like Grandma Haru won. I was looking forward to buying a pair of new soccer shoes as well!"
"How much did she betted again?"
"About 3500 yen."
"Remind me to never go against my elders again."
Not feeling the mood to attend school and see Mimi's caked face, Karin spun on her heel and walked out the school gates. "Hey Kurosaki, where are you going?"
Karin waved lazily back at them and said in a bored tone, "I'm skipping school for the day." It's not very surprising as she skips school on a monthly basis and it was for a good thing. After all, it wouldn't benefit her or anyone if she decided to blow up.
It was her luck that she passed a group of bullies taking money from a frail boy who looked younger than her. She felt her sense of justice flared but it was toned down by her need to release her irritation. Cracking her knuckles she gained the attention of the bullies who were twice her size. She gave them an innocent smile before letting loose and all that was heard through the neighbourhood were broken bones and distressing yells.
*Contemplating on whether to make this a happy ending or a sad ending*
