A/N Warning…A lot of swearing and Karin gets really OOC at times. Thanks for all of the feedback and help!
It felt like something was constricting my chest, and my breathing became shallow and painful. I once again struggled against the kido, but in my panicked state I could do no more than I had before. I tried pushing my feet against the wall but I lost my footing and fell limp as my little bit of strength left my body. Tohsiro's spiritual pressure was fading and I was stuck her helpless, I now knew how my brother felt when he was unable to protect the people he loved. I started crying as I admitted to myself that I loved Toshiro, I always had ever since that first time we played soccer and he had protected me and my pride. And now there was no way I could return the favor, no way I would ever be able to tell him.
I let out a frustrated scream that made my throat burn. Suddenly it felt as though something just broke inside of me, then I was engulfed in a dense suffocating pressure. The kido crumbled around my wrists and waits and I feel to the ground landing on my hands and knees. It felt like all the energy had been ripped out of my body and all I wanted to do was collapse and give in to the darkness that lingered in the back of my mind. Shaking and gasping for air I pushed myself onto my feet and started running as fast as I could following Toshiro's faint spiritual pressure.
I was going to kill him…well first I was going to make sure he was alright then I was going to kill him. And it wouldn't be a quick death, it was going to be drawn out and torturous. Then I would bring him back to life, because there was no way that I could live without the stupid fool. I started running faster as his spiritual pressure diminished more. My ribs felt like they were about to split in half but I didn't care. I had to get to that damn idiot before he got himself killed! Finally I turned around my last corner and I saw him. My heart stopped for a second, he was coughing up blood and clutching his stomach only able to hold himself up by leaning on his Zanpakuto. "Is that the best a captain can do?" one of the Arrancars mocked. His back was to me and he seemed so focused on Toshiro that he didn't even notice me. I sped up once more throwing all of my energy into running, then when I was mere feet from the Arrancar I launched myself planning to kick him in the back. However just as I was about to make contact something grabbed my outstretched leg in one hand. Though it happened in a split second I was able to see the calm female face of the Arrancar who had grabbed my ankle and I shifted my weight as Ichigo had taught me bringing my other leg swinging around. It caught the woman off guard when my foot connected with her face. She immediately let go off me, I still had enough momentum after my quick split second maneuver that I still hit the other Arrancar in the back sending him tumbling forward. I counter acted my forward moving energy by pushing off of his back just as I made contact. The result was that I landed on my feet and crouching down and went sliding backwards.
I smirked impressed with my less than three second take downs and my amazing landing. However my excitement was short lived as the female Arrancar suddenly appeared in front of me and grabbed me by the throat. She lifted me up until we were eye level. "And what is this little thing, sister?" the male Arrancar asked looking over her shoulder
"I don't know brother, but she seems to have a lot of Spiritual Pressure." She replied calmly, "What is your name child?" She released my throat a little so I could speak and I took in a gasp of air. Unfortunately I had my brother's temper and I didn't play nice, "Bite me bitch!" I growled, her eyes narrowed and she squeezed my air way closed, I gasped for air and clawed at her hand with my non-existent nails. Damn it, of all the time I had to be boyish and not have nails that could claw her eyes out with. "Karin!" Toshiro called out desperately, then I heard him grunt and what I thought might have been the sound of his body hitting the ground. "Shut up, kid!" The male laughed. The female grinned and gripped my throat tighter, causing the darkness that had been nagging at the back of my mind to push its way forward. "Scream, Benehime!" There was a blinding red light and I was suddenly dropped, unable to catch myself I landed face forward and what was left of my little air supplies rushed out of my lungs. Just before I gave into the darkness I was rolled over and I saw two worried yellow eyes.
"Why won't she wake up?" I asked trying to keep my voice from cracking. Yoruichi sat across from me on Karin's other side and Urahara stood in the door way both were looking down at Karin worried. It had been almost two hours since Urahara had sent the Arrancars running and Karin still hadn't woken up. Suddenly there was a crash in the front part of the store followed by a cry of "Damn it, Kisuke!" Urahara turned and went to see what all the commotion was with Yoruichi following behind him.
Alone now I didn't hesitate to reach out and take Karin's hand, "Come on Karin wake up, please." I whispered not wanting anyone to hear me. Urahara had immediately healed me with Kido even though I tried to get him to work on Karin first, but he pointed out that she was in no real danger and just continued to heal the gash in my stomach. He had said that she had released almost all of her spiritual pressure at once breaking my kido and then she used up the rest trying to fight the Arrancars, and I couldn't help but feel guilty. If I had been stronger she wouldn't have felt the need to come help me, if I hadn't underestimated my opponents none of this would have happened.
I don't know how long I sat there staring down at Karin before Mr. Kurosaki walked in. I dropped Karin's hand before he could notice and stood up giving him room to sit next to his daughter. I retreated to a corner of the room and watched Karin wanting to be close if she woke up. Mr. Kurosaki took the hand that I had recently abandoned and leaned forward to press a tender kiss to her forehead. More guilt swelled inside me, "I'm sorry Mr. Kurosaki." I murmured.
"There's no need for that, Toshiro. You tried to protect her from the fight and I don't blame you for that. And I can't blame you for getting overwhelmed by the Arrancars, they were tougher than we thought. I'm the one that should be sorry for not getting there in time to help you." We were silent for a moment each absorbed in our own thoughts. How could he not blame me? My weakness was the reason Karin was lying unconscious. "So what do we do now?" I asked.
"We've contacted the soul society and they're sending more people to help."
"Do you know who?"
"Ichigo and Rukia for starters, then if we need more help they'll send it, but they don't want to dispatch more than necessary. They want to avoid as much damage on Karakura as possible, and with three current captain and three former captains plus the former head of the kido force here that's a lot of spiritual pressure that could affect the area."
"But why Kurosaki and Rukia? They're busy at the academy."
"They know the area and they fought well during the winter war four years ago. Their skills have only improved and we want to nip this Arrancar situation in the bud as fast as possible."
"Yeah I guess you're right. I just know that with Kurosaki in the mix the soul society's not going to bounce back financially for another three years." I mused trying to estimate the damages he might cause. Mr. Kurosaki chuckled, "Yeah probably. But maybe we can get Rukia to keep him in line."
"'M gonna kill 'im" Karin mumbled, we both froze and watched anxiously waiting to see if she was really coming back. Her eye's fluttered open and Mr. Kurosaki and I both let out our held breaths at the same time. Then Mr. Kurosaki reached out and gathered Karin in a crushing hug crying, "Oh baby girl daddy was so worried."
"Get off me old man!" Karin snarled.
"It's okay daddy's here!" He bawled petting her hair.
"Get off!" Finally reaching the end of her rope she shoved her father away and Mr. Kurosaki rolled out of the room. "I'll give that one a ten." I teased. Seeming to notice that I was in the room her eye's locked with mine and I felt a shiver run down my spine. She jumped up and slowly stalked towards me, I suddenly realized what she meant by "I'll kill him." I held up my hands in a sign of surrender, "Come on Karin let's work this out like adults. Beside you're not fully healed yet you might hurt yourself."
"No thanks I'm still a teenage Kurosaki and we're really bad hot heads." She explained before lunging at me and punching me in the shoulder. "OW!" I complained rubbing the sore spot. "Stop crying you baby." She said emphasizing her word with another swift punch to my other shoulder. "Okay! I'm sorry!"
"Hmm I don't think so there were three parts to that kido so maybe one more will do it." This time she punched me in the chest, "Or not." She was about to punch me again when I grabbed her fist in my hand, "Karin, I'm sorry I was trying to keep you safe."
"What would it matter to you if I got hurt? Huh? Explain that Toshiro, what makes you think you have the right to go pinning me to walls whenever you feel like I'm in danger."
"I-I-I" I stammered like a fool, the truth was on the tip of my tongue but there was no way I was confessing to her. She stared at me waiting for and answer and I saw her other fist snap back and I grabbed it reflexively. Her dark gray eyes locked with my turquoise and I could have sworn I saw tears shimmer in hers. "Karin." I whispered worried that she was in pain
"Oh just shut up Toshiro!" She shrieked before the tears took over her and turned into sobs. I released her hands and she crumpled into my chest soaking uniform with her tears. I wrapped my arms around her tenderly and leaned down to press my cheek to her hair. "I was so scared! Your spiritual pressure disappeared and I was so scared!" She sobbed her words a little muffled against my chest. I stood there shocked and unsure of what to do. This wasn't like Karin, she never cried and what was this about her being worried about me?
Mr. Kurosaki burst back into the room crying out, "Why is my baby girl crying?" Karin swiftly pulled away and punched her dad in the face, and he stumbled back out of the room. Karin roughly slid the door closed with a loud snap, and I watched as she wiped the tears from her face with her back still turned to me. She took a deep breath as if to compose herself and then just stood there for a few minutes.
"I want to awaken my Soul reaper powers." She stated suddenly without turning to me.
"What?" I asked softly wondering if I had hear her right.
"And I want you to be the one to do it." She continued as if she hadn't heard me.
"W-What? Why me?" I exclaimed wondering if she had gone insane. She just stood there still not looking at me. Frustrated I closed the gap between us and turned her around so that we stood face to face, my hands resting on her shoulders. She took another deep breath before explaining "If my dad does it that would be weird, and Urahara's practically a stranger. I want it to be someone I know who helps awaken my powers."
"What about your brother or Rukia? They'll be here in a few days one of them could do it."
She sighed, "Again that would be awkward, and Ichigo doesn't want me to awaken my powers so I know he wouldn't do it anyways." My hands slid of her shoulder and down her arms until they just hung limply at my sides, "Toshiro, you're one of the few friends I have and I trust you, I want you to be the one to awaken my powers." She almost begged. Unable to think straight I stepped aside and walled past her to the door. "Toshiro?"
"Just give me a minute to think it over." With my mind lost in thought I quickly made my way down the hallway to the little meeting room and without pausing I opened up the floor and descended to the training grounds. I made sure to go deeper into the training grounds until I couldn't see the ladder. There I pulled out my Zanpakuto and stabbed it into the ground. I then sat down and crossed my legs around it placing my hands on the blade. I closed my eyes and worked to clear my mind.
The familiar rush of cold wind made me smile as I opened my eyes my snow covered inner world. Ice crystals larger than me reached up towards the sky forming a circle. At the center stood a purple tinted crystal taller than the rest that I couldn't remember ever being there. I slowly walked to it and placed my hand on the smooth surface only to pull away. I looked down at my hand in shock; the crystal was warm. "She made this." I looked up to see an Ice dragon perched on top of the crystal. "Hyorinmaru." I breathed smiling. "This particular crystal has been growing at an exponential over the past month." He said calmly climbing down the crystal until his blue eyes were level with mine with his body still wrapped around the crystal above me, "But that's not why you're here."
"I don't know what to do."
"All she asked was for a simple favor."
"But why me?"
"I think you know the answer to that." My thoughts stumbled at that answer. "What are you so afraid of Toshiro?"
"I'm not afraid!" I nearly shouted.
"Be honest with yourself." He replied his voice still calm, I glared at him for a few minutes. I ran a hand through my hair and sighed, "I'm afraid of losing her."
"If you trust in your powers and in yourself she won't die." Something in me snapped and I lost it, "How many times have do I have to watch as the people I care about come close to death! How many times do I have to stab the people I love!" Hyorinmaru said nothing simply looking at me with calm eyes as my breathing became shallow and my eyes stung with tears, "I sat and watched as the girl who was like a sister to me as she lay in a hospital bed unresponsive ready to give up on her life because I couldn't protect her! And then a few short months later I ran her through with my own sword once again bringing her inches from death! And now history is repeating itself!"
"How so?" I stared at him wide-eyed wondering if he was perhaps blind.
"Karin just laid there unconscious after she had been choked nearly to death because I was too weak to protect her! And now she wants me to thrust a sword through her which could be the death of her!" My voice cracked and I worked to calm myself.
"Trust in your powers and in yourself and she won't die." He repeated shoving me out of my inner world. "Wait!" I cried trying to fight it but I was swallowed by the darkness.
I opened my eyes finding the "sunny" desert wasteland of the underground training room. I stood up and glared down at my Zanpakuto for a second before yanking it out of the ground and sheathing it behind my back.
When I got back up the ladder and into the main part of the shop Karin, her father, Urahara and Yoruichi were waiting for me. "So captain Hitsuguya, have you made a decision yet?" I looked at each of their faces reading hope and reassurance before my gaze fell on Karin. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, "I'll do it."
A/N Yes I know this chapter kind of sucked but if you could write a review telling me what you did or didn't like about it then future chapters will be better. Don't forget to vote on the poll on my profile, it will affect the future of this story! And my Scene/POV dividers are still not working, if someone knows how to fix this please let me know!