Watching Karin

By fate they met in Karakura Town. He helped win a soccer match due to her stubbornness. Luck allowed him to save her life. Now Hitsugaya can't get Kurosaki Karin off his mind. So he watches over her, unfortunately he isn't the only one watching.

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach, I don't. I also do not make money from writing fan fiction.

This was my very first fan fiction. I thought I had lost it forever when I lost my old hard drive, but thankfully (thanks to Rosetto-chan, who had been translating this story into Spanish) I had the entire story stored online as a sent email! I want to repost it here I had quite a few responses and it had surprisingly a wide range of reviews from acclamations to flames. :) It wasn't anything new just dwelt into the Hitsugaya T. x K. Karin pairing that I had wanted to see happen since early on in the bleach series especially once Captain Hitsugaya (and the rest of the crew) had been assigned to Karakura Town. My content is based mostly on the anime.

Warning there is disturbing, and adult content throughout this story. You're looking at non-graphic child molestation and sexual assault, moderately graphic violence, gore, death, bullying, mental illness, self-harm, overly hormonal pre-teens, etc…not necessarily in that order.

Chapter 2: Waiting

Again the next morning Karin was extremely happy and even kissed her father good bye. He was so surprised by her sudden display of affection that he crushed her to his chest. Literally he was crushing her. So she drove her heel into the top of his foot. He gave a cry of pain and teared up. She grabbed her books as he was calling out how cruel his eldest daughter was to him. On the way to school she felt something strange watching her. 'Could it be that Toshiro is following me?' She thought, but shrugged it off. Saying, "Why would he?"

"Why would who?" Yuzu asked curiously.

"Oh it's nothing," Karin replied trying not to smile.

"Ok, Sis" Yuzu, the trusting soul, would never doubt her sister.

They walked to school together. All day she was a bit distracted. At school she was reprimanded by the teacher about half a dozen times.

"Really Karin, you are one of my best students! I would expect more out of you." Her teacher frowned and threatened to keep her in after school.

Karin did her best to keep the teacher happy. After school she didn't have practice so she went to the spot on the hill to look for the white haired boy. He wasn't there. She waited. She even sat down where she had the previous night. She watched the sky, it was pretty, but not as enjoyable alone.

It felt like she was being watched again. This wasn't the comforting feeling of a friend's eyes. It felt evil. Somewhere faraway a weak hollow appeared, but it was quickly gone. She figured some soul-reaper, maybe Toshiro, had snuffed it out. She smiled. The sensation of being watched subsided too. She went home, in not as good a mood, but she was content.

The next night she went to his spot. Again he was a no show, and again she felt the creepy eyes roaming hungrily over her. She shivered. She felt a weak hollow, but as quickly as she noticed it was gone.

On the third night she did the same thing. This time she wondered if he was merely avoiding her. She quickly shook off the thought. Somehow she knew he would feel it beneath him to avoid someone intentionally.

Normally she would have been right about that, but he was avoiding her. He was worried what would come of more contact with Karin. Yet his thoughts kept unintentionally going back to her. Each time he'd curse himself, or Rangiku as if it was her fault.

He really wanted to go back there and look at the sky, 'and look at her...Damn-it!' He worried that he might let something slip in front of his subordinates. He was always fighting to maintain any illusion of authority and any shred of respect. He felt that he failed miserably most of the time when he actually didn't. True his team tended to goof off, but all (even Rangiku) were reliable when it counted.

The young captain would be fine for a while than he needed to go check on Ichigo's little sister. Rangiku had learned to stay out of it and only snickered to herself when she knew he was going off on a "peeping mission."

He went several times just to observe. He felt the hollow also, but it was very weak and seemed too far away to find. It never left an impression of what direction it was coming from.

One night he got there later than usual, she was gazing at the purple sky. The girl seemed lost in thought from his advantage he saw her profile. He studied it and decided she was very nice to look at. Her eyes were dreamy black orbs. Her lower lip was pouting. Rangiku's pout always irritated him, but he wanted to kiss Karin's. 'Damn, Damn, Damn, You idiot!' He was chastising himself internally when he suddenly got that eerie sensation again. Karin's back straightened up and her expression changed from one of dreaming to one of terror.

"What is that thing?" She whispered to herself. Karin got up to leave. Then it was gone.

The boy decided to follow her home just to make sure she was safe. She didn't look back, but practically ran the entire way home. He fleetly and silently pursued her.

They both breathed a sigh of relief when she got safely inside her house. He returned to the place where that feeling came over him. Not just him, but her too. He felt that the energy was being directed at her. He investigated the shrubs the trees lying in the direction that he felt sure that the evil gaze was coming from, but now there was nothing. Not a hint.

Rangiku was all set to tease her young Captain when he got home from spying on the Kurosaki girl.

Hitsugaya walked into Orihime's apartment, which they had set up as a make-shift base of operations. He slumped down by the table and grabbed a juice box. He stabbed it like it was an enemy that needed to die painfully.

Before looking up she asked him, "Hey Captain, have you gotten to first base with her yet?"

"What are you talking about Rangiku?" He answered in a distracted and distressed tone.

The Lieutenant's face dropped, "What's the matter did she spurn your advances?" Still trying to be funny and falling flat.

He had his back to her. He was rubbing his forehead in contemplation. He drained the apple juice from its little vaccum sealed box quickly. Rangiku came over to the table and touched his shoulder. He turned to look at her. He looked angry and frustrated. If she hadn't known him better she might have suspected that he had tried and failed to make a move on that girl.

"Captain, what is it?"

"Have you noticed," He started slowly, "Any strange activity from lower level hollows?"

"Why Capitan?" She leaned her huge bust over his head.

A vein popped out on his temple, "Because tonight over by the park I was looking at, ahem," he cleared his throat, "Looking at the sky, when I had the strangest feeling that there was a hollow right underneath my feet, before I could do anything it was gone."

"Was it a strong hollow?" She queried

"Not particularly, but I sensed it was hunting someone." He looked at his drink box and glumly crushed it.

"Ahhhhhh," She said in understanding, "who do you think was being hunted?"

"You know who," he was grumpily toying with the juice box straw.

"Well Sir, it is your duty as her knight in shining armor to protect her. I'll help you," She smiled brightly. Clapping her hands together as if she were ready to get to work, she squealed, "This is going to be so much fun!"

She seemed giddy. Hitsugaya could almost imagine that bubbly blond dressing him up as a knight and putting Karin in some ridiculous overly sexy get-up; as if he didn't also have to strange inclination to fantasize about Karin. He shook his head in shame, and left his subordinate to her sick imagination.

That night he went to bed determined to meet Karin at the spot the next day.

Whilst Karen, with her covers over her nose had decided he was not coming back. "He hates me, he must. Why would he not go back there otherwise?" Way back in her innermost thoughts something cruel and twisted was looking at her that minute.

Somewhere cruel white teeth glinted in the moonlight. He knew she was thinking about him and he relished tasting her blood. He licked his lips.

"Tomorrow," The thing grinned and cackled in a frightening way that set off car alarms and made dogs bay at the moon.

Toshiro felt it again and then it was gone.