HitsuKarin Ch 3—Hollow Happenings

They were back at her apartment. Karin was tapping her foot. Slowly. Loudly. Hitsugaya was staring daggers at Matsumoto. Ice daggers in fact. And Matsumoto…was trying desperately, and failing miserably, not to burst into a convulsive fit of laughter. A vein twitched in Toshiro's forehead…

"Matsumoto…so help me, if you don't stop that noise right now, I'll saddle you with all the division's paperwork for the next six months."

Matsumoto froze, horror clearly showing in her face as she considered all the social engagements she would miss, namely drinking sake with Hisagi.

"You wouldn't…"

Toshiro's eyes narrowed. "Try me. If one word of this gets back to Sereitei, I'll let Nanao-san know that you're willing to help with her division's paperwork too."

Matsumoto swallowed and decided staying silent was the best course of action. So she tried sulking instead. Karin had to smile at the way Toshiro massaged his temples at Matsumoto's expression. It was obviously something he had encountered before. Then Matsumoto brightened.

"What is it…?" Toshiro was somewhat wary of the change in expression.

"Well taicho…isn't it going to be kind of obvious you guys are an item once you bring her back to Sereitei with the two of you acting like you are?" Matsumoto raised an eyebrow. "The behaviour at the soccer field wasn't exactly…discreet."

The temperature in the room plummeted, and the tension rose considerably. Matsumoto was expecting another famed Hitsugaya explosion, and was surprised when Karin spoke.

"What do you mean, 'bring her back to Sereitei?"

Toshiro scowled and closed his eyes. There wasn't much else he could do to preserve his dignity. Matsumoto was more than happy to answer for him.

"Hitsugaya-taicho was told to come here and recruit you to our side. Being a Kurosaki and all, I figured you'd jump at the chance!"

Karin's eyes narrowed further, if that was possible. Damn, that was a scary glare.

"I'm so glad that you thought to ask my opinion. Is there anything else that I should know?"

Hitsugaya shook his head mutely. Karin walked silently to the door, opening it and then walking through…before slamming it with enough force to buckle both hinges. Only she didn't do it with her hands. The force of her reiatsu was enough.

"Ah, taicho…you hadn't told her?"

Toshiro sighed. "No, not yet. I intended to get to know her a bit first."

Matsumoto smirked. "I'd say you were already pretty well acquainted."

Toshiro made no reply, and Matsumoto became concerned. Usually she would have been threatened with all sorts of paperwork for that comment.

"Don't worry Toshiro. That's a girl who won't stay mad at you. She just needs time to clear her head."

Toshiro seemed to relax slightly, but then turned on Matsumoto with the normal spark in his eyes.

"It is not 'Toshiro, it is 'Hitsugaya-taicho'!"

Karin walked along the street of her old neighbourhood, heading for her brother's apartment. Ichi-nii had moved out to get away from 'the crazy old man' as soon as he'd turned 18. Now he shared an apartment with Rukia, who was more or less permanently posted in the real world.

Karin walked through the front door without knocking, and the first thing she noticed was the condition of the apartment. Clothes were strewn everywhere, especially on the couch and hallway. Karin walked down the hall to the bedroom that she knew Ichi-nii and Rukia shared, calling out as she entered.

"Ichi-nii, you need to clean up after yourself! There's clothes every---gah!!!"

There was a small shriek from Rukia and a yell from Ichigo. "Karin! Knock first, knock!!"

Karin turned around and walked back to the living room in record time, but not before catching a glimpse of what her brother and Rukia were up to, now realising why clothes were all over the place. She sat on the kitchen bench, not game to sit on the couch, and waited with a very red face. Several minutes later, Ichigo and Rukia shuffled into the living room like teenagers caught by their parents, both blushing scarlet and wearing a strange assortment of clothes. Karin couldn't help but notice a large red mark on Ichi-nii's neck and the very, very bad sex hair on Rukia. She couldn't help herself.

"You cut your neck Ichi-nii?" His hand flew to his neck and Rukia smothered a laugh.

"Nice hair Rukia." Now it was Ichigo's turn to laugh at Rukia.

"I'm sure you interrupted us for a good reason?" Rukia's tone was frosty. She didn't appreciate anyone butting in when she and Ichigo were in the middle of something.

Karin smile faltered. "Toshiro…he…"

Ichigo scowled. "What's he done to you now?"

"No, it's something that he wants to do, or is being told to do…"

Rukia interrupted. "Toshiro was sent to recruit you?"

Karin nodded mutely. Ichigo's scowl deepened.

"What do you mean, 'recruit' you?"

Rukia gave Ichigo a withering look that said 'I pity your intelligence'.

"To become a shinigami, baka. Being a Kurosaki, she'll have some impressive reiatsu."

Ichigo seemed to swell. He started breathing faster. Then he screamed. "I'll kill that little shrimp!"

Rukia whacked him on the back of the head. "Think about it, baka. You do realise that Karin has been eavesdropping on us every time someone from Sereitei comes round when she's here?"

"What?!? Since when??"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "You really need to learn how to control and sense spiritual pressure." She wacked him over the head again. Karin decided to head them off before the conversation became another full-fledged fight.

"Uh, guys? The topic at hand?"

Surprisingly, it was Ichigo who answered her first. "Why do you want to become a shinigami?"

Karin had to think for a moment. She didn't think the first reason, to be closer to Toshiro, would particularly please Ichigo, so she focused and thought about why she actually wanted to put herself in harms way. She looked at Ichigo and Rukia, and she had her answer.

"I want to be able to protect, to stand with the people close to me."

Without another word, she turned and walked out the door, knowing her answer was the right one.

Ichigo watched his younger sister leave. Then Rukia spoke.

"You two are a lot more alike than you realise." She mused. Then her tone became sly. "We might just have another invasion of Sereitei on our hands."

She

shrieked as Ichigo grabbed her and pinned her against the wall. Her breath caught in her chest as his lips brushed her ear.

"Miss Kuchiki, I do believe that you have something that belongs to me…"

It was only then that Rukia realised that all the clothes she was currently wearing were Ichigo's.

Karin was deep in thought as she walked back to her apartment. She kept mulling over her response in her head, wondering where it came from. She didn't know why she wanted to protect, it just felt right. She was lost so deeply in her thoughts; she didn't see the other woman until she walked right into her.

"Oh, sorry!"

"Damn Kurosaki's, never watch where they're going!" There was a hint of sarcasm to the cheeky reply.

"Ah Tatsuki, sorry about that…"

The older girl dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry about it. But if we ever spar, don't hit me with your head."

Karin laughed at what she thought was Tatsuki's idea of a joke. Tatsuki was a martial arts and kendo champion, and Karin barely went near a bokken.

"So what brings you out here?"

"I needed to talk to Ichi-nii and--"

"You actually managed to interrupt Ichigo's time with Rukia? And you still breathe?"

Karin actually blushed at that. Tatsuki began to laugh.

"Oh, don't tell me you actually interr--"

Tatsuki's amusement was cut short, as they both turned in response to a blast of spiritual pressure coming from Karin's apartment. Karin's eyes picked out Hitsugaya fighting furiously with someone/something in the air above. A great ice dragon erupted from the tip of Hitsugaya's sword, and his opponent disappeared. Karin felt relief that he had defeated the Hollow, only to feel the relief turn to dread as she felt a new presence behind her. On instinct, Karin threw herself to the side, vaguely realizing that Tatsuki had done the same. In moments, they were both back on their feet facing the threat. It was an Arrancar, Karin realized. There was no time for thought, as the Arrancar was sending strikes at both Karin and Tatsuki without respite. They were managing to avoid them – barely. Karin knew the Arrancar was only toying with them, but to her it seemed that with every strike, its movements got just a little bit slower. More than that, she could actually feel the presence of Tatsuki beside her, the Arrancar in front of her, and Toshiro desperately speeding towards them all. Karin suddenly realises that she can actually make sense of the Arrancar's movements. A second later she feels rather than sees that Tatsuki change her stance, moving in to attack. The expression on the Arrancar changes from amused indifference to outrage that a lowly human would attempt to attack him.

The Arrancar's movements become too fast to see, and he prepares to kill the humans before him with a sneer on its twisted and misshapen face. A second later it feels the impact of its left claw against steel, and its right claw grabbed by the small shinigami in front of him, with his bare hand.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro, 10th Division Taicho." Karin had never heard a colder voice in her life. "And I am your opponent."

The Arrancar let out an insane giggle. "You can call me Marisan. Only I'm not done with the two pretties yet."

Hitsugaya gives out a feral growl and launches a fierce attack on Marisan. Karin realizes that Toshiro is leading his fight away from herself and Tatsuki. And speaking of Tatsuki…

"You can see them?"

Tatsuki nodded and her eyes get a faraway look as if she is remembering something. "I've seen Ichigo in robes like that before. And I've been able to see others like them and the monsters they fight for a while now. Although the guys with the masks who look part human seem to be a lot worse than the regular monsters…"

Karin and Tatsuki kept watching the fight going on above their heads with bated breath. Tatsuki was really able to appreciate the level of skill that the white haired kid had with his sword, and earnestly wished that she could be up there too, helping.

Karin's thoughts were almost identical. This battle had only strengthened her resolve to become a shinigami, so that she would be the protector, not the protected.

Karin and Tatsuki both utter startled gasps as a crimson red ball starts to gather at each of Marisan's claws. Then they hear Hitsugaya's cry.

"BANKAI!!"

Marisan released his Cero with an insane scream, and watched with horror as Toshiro batted it aside with his zanpuktoh like it was a stray ball. Hitsugaya kept up his attack, refusing to give the Arrancar even one breath of respite for attacking Karin. Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes and prepared to finish the fight.

"Daiguren Hyourinmaru!"

Marisan's eyes widened in terror as the Arrancar saw its end. Hyourinmaru slammed into it and consumed its body with ice.

Hitsugaya drifted to the ground and allowed his Bankai to shatter. He turned to where Karin and her friend had been standing.

And his heart stopped.

Where Karin and Tatsuki had been standing, there was now nothing more than a crater, with two blackened, smoking husks in the middle of it. All that was left of Karin was a black, smoking husk.

No.

No, no no no no!!

Hitsugaya can't hear anything. He can't hear the fearful screams of the human bystanders, he can't hear the anguished cries of Ichigo as he lands next to the crater, and he can't hear the screams coming from his own throat.

He sinks to his knees and darkness claims him.