So here's part 2 :) This is the "last" part to this short story, but depending on the reaction I might add a couple more extra chapters :)
Enjooy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor any of the characters. All credits go to Tite Kubo.
When Hitsugaya arrived home with Karin after the soccer match, Yuzu was in the kitchen cooking and Ichigo was in the living room watching tv.
"Onii-chan!" Yuzu yelled when she saw Hitsugaya and Karin arrive together. "Look! Karin brought her boyfriend over!"
"He's not my boyfriend!" Karin yelled. "Anyways, Toushiro doesn't have a place to stay, so he'll be staying here."
Ichigo turned around when Karin mentioned the familiar name. "Toushiro!" Ichigo exclaimed. "Why are you with my sisters?"
Hitsugaya walked towards Ichigo and whispered, "I'm on a mission, and I need a place to stay. I'm counting on you."
Ichigo sighed. "You're sleeping on the couch."
"Yeah, I know," Hitsugaya said.
Then, someone came running into the house and tried to kick Ichigo's head. Ichigo easily blocked him and threw him on the floor.
"Old man!" Ichigo yelled angrily. "What do you think you're doing?"
"I'm trying to train my son to be more manly!" Kurosaki Isshin yelled. Then he looked up and saw Hitsugaya, and his eyes opened wide in surprise. Hitsugaya was also wide-eyed at the sight of his former captain.
"Wha-" Hitsugaya started speaking, but Isshin covered his mouth and took him outside of the house.
Once they were outside, Isshin started speaking.
"Why are you here?"
"That's what I want to ask you," Hitsugaya said with wide eyes.
"I have a family here, in case you haven't noticed."
"I noticed that," Hitsugaya said, "but what I'm asking is why you just disappeared like that and never came back."
"Well..." Isshin told him everything that had happened with Masaki.
"I see..." Hitsugaya said. "But what a surprise. I never expected Kurosaki to be your son, of all people. His mother must have been very responsible."
"Wha-" Isshin dropped his head, admitting that he wasn't very responsible at times. "Anyways, why are YOU here?"
"On a mission."
"What is it?" Isshin asked in curiosity.
Hitsugaya hesitated in telling him, but he knew Isshin would keep bugging him until he told him. He sighed and said, "I have to babysit your daughters."
"What? My precious daughters? Why, if their dad is completely capable of doing so?!"
"Your son's reiatsu is affecting the two of them, particularly Karin, to the point that she can clearly see the hollows and us, Shinigami," Hitsugaya replied.
"Yeah," Isshin said, getting more serious. "I have noticed Karin staring at places where hollows appear with a frown on her face."
"So Kyoraku So-taichou asked me to keep an eye on them."
They went back to the house after their talk, and Karin and Yuzu were surprised at the rather passive reaction that their dad had after hearing Hitsugaya was staying with them.
The next few days were really calm: Hitsugaya would go to school with Karin and Yuzu, and he would stay home the rest of the day. He was really surprised that Karin hadn't asked him to play soccer with her.
One day, Hitsugaya saw Karin leaving the house with a soccer ball without even asking him to play with her. He was a little concerned, because she normally would have asked him countless times to play at least once, so he decided to go after her and ask her.
"Karin!" he called her.
"Huh?" she turned around. "Toushiro? Do you need something?"
"Ah..." he said, trying to think of how to ask her. Why do I even care whether she asks me or not? It's actually better if she doesn't ask me to play with her, since it saves me some trouble, he thought to himself. "It's nothing," he finally told her.
"Oh," she said, a little disappointed. "Okay... I'm leaving then."
Hitsugaya knew something was wrong with her, so he decided to follow her in secret.
"Kurosaki!" one of the guys in the park said. "You're late!"
"Yeah, sorry," Karin said. Then they started playing soccer.
Karin was not running as fast nor kicking the ball as hard as before, and Hitsugaya noticed that she constantly stopped and stretched her right leg. Then a few guys from another school came to the same park and challenged Karin and her friends to a soccer match.
"Bring it on!" Karin said, like her usual self. Hearing her talk like this again, Hitsugaya was a little bit relieved but still decided to keep watching her a little bit longer.
Ten minutes into the game, the two teams were still tied, and Karin called for a time out.
"What's wrong, Kurosaki?" one of Karin's friends asked her.
"I just need a few seconds of rest, that's it." Karin didn't sound tired, but it seemed like she was in pain.
"Are you sure you can keep playing?" another friend asked her.
"Yeah," she said, putting up a big (and fake) smile. "This is nothing!"
Then Hitsugaya walked up to Karin and said, "Karin, you go and sit down. I'll play."
"Toushiro!" Karin exclaimed in surprise. "You don't have to! I can play!"
"Just go and sit," he said loudly, almost yelling.
Karin was surprised and was about to protest, but a sharp pain ran through her ankle, so she did as he told her and said, "Thanks."
Thanks to Hitsugaya, Karin's team won 5-0, and everyone in Karin's team begged Hitsugaya to join the team. Karin saw Hitsugaya was starting to lose his patience, so she grabbed his arm and walked away saying, "Sorry! We have to go somewhere!"
They were going back home, Karin walking (more like dragging her right leg) in front of Hitsugaya, and she felt a cold gaze on her. She finally turned around.
"Why are you staring me?" she asked. Then she realized he was frowning even more than usual.
"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" he asked in an angry voice.
"It's not like you asked. And plus, why would I tell you? What are you? My babysitter?" she was getting a little irritated why his tone of voice.
"YES," he yelled, losing his composure. Then he sighed, and with a calmer voice said, "Sorry for yelling. Anyways, I'm supposed to be looking after you and your sister, so if you're hurt, tell me. Okay?"
"But why do you have to look after us? My stupid father and Ichi-nii are here," Karin asked in curiosity.
"Orders from the Captain-commander," was all Hitsugaya said. "Let's go." He crouched in front of Karin.
"Ehh?" Karin was confused.
"You hurt your leg, right? I'll carry you."
"Wha-what? N-no! That's fine! I can walk!" Karin was stuttering her words.
"No, you can't. You can barely stand. Now get on my back before I carry you on my shoulders," Hitsugaya said with a gentleness Karin had never heard from him.
"O-okay..." she answered after much hesitation.
She got on Hitsugaya's back and realized it was warmer than what she thought. "Toushiro," she called him so softly that had she not been physically so close to him, he wouldn't have heard her.
"Hm?" he answered.
"If you're here keeping an eye on me and Yuzu, that means you'll be here for a while and not just a couple of days, right?"
"Yeah," he answered. "I'll be here for a while."
"Heh," Karin laughed. "I'm glad."
"What?" Hitsugaya stopped walking, taken aback by what Karin had said.
"Ahh!" Karin exclaimed, realizing what she had said out loud. "I mean.. Uhh..."
"Don't say anything else," Hitsugaya said and started walking again. I can't listen to her any more than this... I'll lose control of myself... Wait, control of what? This makes no sense...
"I'm sorry," Karin said gloomily.
"Huh? For what?" Hitsugaya was confused.
"I've been acting weird, and it's probably worrying you. I'm sorry," she said.
Hitsugaya sighed and smiled. "Don't apologize." After a few minutes of silence, he said, "I'm glad too."
"Huh?" Karin said. Hitsugaya felt that she had tilted her head in confusion.
"I mean," Hitsugaya blushed to the point that Karin could see him getting red, even though she was on his back. Hitsugaya cleared his throat a couple times. "I'm also glad that I can be here longer."
Karin smiled. "So you do have a soft side too, hehe," she said as she giggled.
"Wha-" Hitsugaya said, blushing a little bit more. "What do you take me for?"
Karin giggled more. "You're just not as cold as you make others believe."
"That's because I'm with you," he blurted out. He stopped walking when he realized what he was saying.
"To-Toushiro?" Karin said, her whole face turning red from his comment.
"I can't take it anymore!" Hitsugaya said as he gently put her down. Then he turned around and looked into her confused eyes. "Karin, I love you."
Karin just stared, more confused than she had ever been in her life, and she was silent for a long time. "Huh?" she finally managed to say.
"I love you," Hitsugaya said blushing. "Don't make me repeat myself a third time."
"This must be a dream!" Karin exclaimed and pinched herself. "This is a dream..."
"What are you talking about?" Hitsugaya almost yelled, putting Karin's arms down so that she would stop pinching herself. "I'm standing right in front of you, and this is not a dream!"
"But..." Karin said, blushing. "There's no way this is actually happening... I can't believe it... The Toushiro I know wouldn't tell me he loves me, so this has to be a dre—"
Hitsugaya stopped Karin's words with a kiss. Karin stared wide-eyed.
"Now do you believe me?" Hitsugaya shyly said after pulling his lips away from hers.
"To-Toushiro," Karin called his name, face red from the kiss.
"Yes?" Hitsugaya said, his lips curled up in a warm smile Karin had never seen before.
"Is this really not a dream?" Karin asked, half happy half afraid.
He got closer to her and hugged her. "I promise."
She just stood there frozen, not knowing what to do or say.
"So?" Hitsugaya finally said, now looking at her blushing face again.
"Wha-what?" Karin asked, her face reddening even more at his intense stare.
"Are you not going to say anything to me?" he asked with a grin.
"Sa-say what?" Karin asked nervously.
"I haven't heard your answer," Hitsugaya said, still grinning.
"M-my answer to what?" Karin tried playing dumb. She was too embarrassed to say the words.
"You know what I'm talking about," Hitsugaya said mischievously. "How do you feel about me?"
"I-I..." Karin couldn't get enough courage to say it, even though he had already said it.
"You what?" Hitsugaya said, anxious to hear her say those three words.
"I..." Karin closed her eyes and clenched her fists. "I love you!" she said louder than necessary.
"Heh," Hitsugaya laughed teasingly. "I know," he said and kissed her again.
"You meanie..." Karin muttered.
AAAAAAAND that's it hehe
Karin and Toushiro are honestly one of the cutest couples in Bleach (yes.. I know they're not really a real couple :'c)
Hope you enjoyed it :) Please leave reviews and comments~ (that's what will determine whether I post a little more on this story or not).