Monarchical! Its time for chapter 4! (im thinking, already- I started writing this the day after I got chapter 3 out, no breaks!) Forgive me if the characters seem a little OC, or aggitated- my body isn't happy with my because of the 12 minute run at my school. And we still have to do the damn beep test... Anyway, I hope you guys liked the hints I've been giving out. I don't know when I'm going to introduce the antagonist, but I think you'll all love him. I know Luna-Chan will, with her ...constant falling in love with the bad guys. Hope you enjoy- I'll have less and less time to write, as I joined Choir and Leadership. Hm... OH yeah, I know I've been spelling Reiatsu wrong, I noticed it towards the end of last chapter, and when I get writers block or finish the series, I'll rewrite those, kay? Anyway, here's chapter 4 :D
{Karin's POV}
I swung rapidly at Ichi-Nii. This was the third day Toushirou had been gone. Ichi-Nii blocked; that's all he had been doing for the last hour. He stopped my every attack, never returning as I tried to burn out the anger I didn't understand, and the dream I couldn't forget. For another two hours, Ichi-Nii withstood my fury, until I collapsed. I couldn't even lift Reitō-en into her sheath. MY very heart ached- and that wasn't mental. It was a physical pain that was agonizing. The ground rushed towards me, then, as my vision faded, white flashed by, the consumed my vision except for the black rimming the edges. My vision cleared, and the pounding in my head stopped long enough for me to look up. Brown eyes met teal, as I looked at Toushirou. My knees were limp, and he held me up with his hands on my hips.
I saw reassurance in his eyes, and the strength keeping my head up faded. All I saw what his white Haori, but I remained conscious, hearing everything around me.
"Give her to me." I heard the awkwardness in Ichi-Nii's voice, then
"Aw, Taicho that's so cute!" I could feel his chest rumble as he growled at Matsumoto.
"Trying to work yourself to Death is not cute, Matsumoto." I smiled.
"Your holding her up, and her smiling is." Matsumoto was way to observant. I purposely made my body limp, so they would think I had passed out.
"Matsumoto, would you rather I had let her fall in the dirt?" He sounded like he was trying to be patient. It wouldn't last long.
"You send her flying into it often enough!" She teased.
"That's sparring, you baka!" Then, I felt Ichi-Nii lift me up, and cradle me against his chest as he started walking. It took almost all of my strength to open my eyes. Toushirou saw, and held up my sword. My finger twitched, it was all I could manage. Thankfully Toushirou understood.
"Hang on for a second, Kurosaki." I felt Ichi-Nii stop moving. Toushirou came up, and slid Reitō-en into her sheath. If I could have, I would've smiled at the comfortable weight. I snuggled into my Onii-Chan's chest. I heard him say something, but couldn't make out the words, as I faded familiar darkness.
{Karin's POV}
When I finally woke up, I almost flew out of the bed as I sat up. I was in the back room, that was usually used for healing. Yoruichi-San was beside me, in her cat form.
"Good, you finally woke up. Your father wants you home in an hour." I nodded, and was surprised at how easy it was to move, even that much. I felt completely fresh. "Inoue healed you, so you should thank her." She got up, and walked out of the room, with the grace only cats seem to have. I lay there for a second, before following her.
The table was surrounded, and had a bunch of cups on it. Ururu and Jinta were off somewhere, probably doing chores. Around the table was the usual's- Onii-Chan, Rukia, Renji, Toushirou, Sado-Kun, Ishida, Kon, Urahara-San, and, now, Yoruichi-San was being patted by Urahara-San. Ichi-Nii was 'talking' heatedly with Renji. It got quiet when I walked in the room, the argument forgotten.
"Karin-Chan, are you ok?" Orihime asked. I smiled at her.
"Of course. You should have more faith in your own abilities, Orihime. And thanks." She smiled back at me, and I couldn't help notice how beautiful it was. It reminded me of a newborn's innocence.
I looked at everyone, and they all relaxed when I sat down without hesitating, or wincing. Well. All but one. Toushirou hadn't; he was always tense. I'd gotten used to it. I looked down, and saw the familiar robes of my Shihakushō, and noticed Reitō-en's weight at my waist. So I'd made myself pass out in Shinigami form, and I'd noticed I was more than a lot stronger. Guess that said something about how upset I'd been. If I'd been alone, I would have winced at how hard I'd pushed myself, all at once. My eyes flew towards the door, as I felt a Hollow appear. I stood up, grinning, and started towards the door.
"Lets go." I didn't care who came with me.
"Go where, Karin-Chan?" Orihime asked, as Rukia's, Toushirou's, and my phone went off, answering her question.
"Karin, Rukia and I can-" I was already out the door, with Toushirou following, so I shouted over my shoulder.
"Forget it, Ichi-Nii, we've got this one."
Toushirou didn't even use his phone; he was finally starting to trust my ability to lead him to the Hollows. We'd gone different ways once, when he hadn't believed I knew a faster way. By the time he'd gotten there, the Hollow had been turning to dust. Since then, he'd given up; I lead the way. If I ever went to Seiretei, I would let him lead.
Dispatch of the Hollow, once we found it, was done in under a minute. He stopped me, once I landed beside the place a Hollow had just stood.
"Karin." I looked at him, into his eyes. They were flecked with baby blue, and slate gray- uncertainty, and confusion. Buried under those, was worry- but it was so deep underneath the surface, I couldn't tell what color. I struggled not to look away from him; I could see accusation in his eyes, the confusion about why I'd done it, and uncertain if he was right. Uncertain if he was the cause.
I couldn't tell what my eyes showed, and that scared me. I was scared the dream was playing in my eyes, and that he would see the results.
"What happened." He didn't need to clarify; what had happened to put me in a state that I was so desperate to exhaust myself so I wouldn't dream, that I'd nearly killed myself. I knew that I really nearly had killed myself. I could see it, in his eyes, like I saw so much.
"...Nothing. It was just a dream." A flash of the dark blue I hated to see in his eyes, and I knew he'd seen I hadn't told him everything.
{Toushirou's POV}
I stared at Karin, at her light, chocolate brown eyes, so pale. It was a color I hadn't seen in her eyes before. Silently, I willed her to tell me what was really wrong.
Do you really think she'd bare her entire soul to you, when shes only known you a few months? Hyourinmaru's deep voice sounded amused.
No, but Karin's strong. For something to have shaken her up like this, it's really bad. I told him.
Yes, but if it's that bad, then why haven't you considered maybe its a inner demon? You can't expect her to give you her deepest secrets. And you can't fight that battle for her. The words struck home; without even knowing it, I'd wanted to protect.
Why is it, you see everything clearer than I do? I was really starting to get annoyed. No matter how I looked at the problem, I could almost never figure out what was wrong without Hyourinmaru. And he seemed to get it almost instantly.
While I am connected to you, I can look at the problem from another view, instead of being in the middle. Ah. But still... I could feel the words he wouldn't say, because he was glad.
You're too close to see clearly.
But I had this weird feeling that I wasn't close enough.
{Karin's POV}
He hadn't mentioned it. Not even when I nearly dropped my sword dispatching another Hollow on the way home. He didn't join us for dinner that night; he'd claimed her was busy. Ichi-Nii didn't comment on it, though we both knew he was lying. Yuzu had been upset, so Toushirou had agreed to take some food with him to pacify her.
He didn't look back as he closed the door, nor when he passed the window. I'd eaten the food without tasting it, staring at my plate. Yuzu was too busy trying to stop Onii-Chan and Otou-San fighting to notice. But when they settled down, I saw Ichi-Nii glance at me. And I knew, as I'd always been able to know, he was upset. And while he'd usually let me deal with it, this time, this time he would interfere. And nothing I could say would stop him, nothing I could do would get him to leave it.
Reitō-en, how am I supposed to deal with this? I sipped my glass of juice, staring blankly at the remains of my food, not tasting the liquid sliding down my throat.
Child, that is your choice. You can choose between peace and trusting your brother, or you can deal with it, and tell Toushirou. But what ever you do, you must decide alone. I will not influence this decision. I sighed, and forced myself to focus on the world around me.
"Karin-Chan, look!" I looked over at my father, and rolled my eyes. He was using his chopsticks as walrus teeth. I reached over, and slammed my fist down on the top of his head. He started crying, and crawled over to Okaa-San's poster.
"Karin-Chan's getting stronger, Masaki! She left a goose egg this time." Yuzu giggled. Ichi-Nii was still looking at me. I scooped up the last of my dinner, and shoved it into my mouth. By the time I washed my dish and started up the stairs to change, Otou-San was back at the table, goofing off again.
I put on some jogging pants, and an over sized t-shirt, then walked back down and slid my shoes on. Ichi-Nii grabbed his jacket, and opened the door.
"We're going out." I sighed. Why did he have to notice- of course, it would have been pretty hard not to. A scream in your own house tended to be heard.
"Ehh? Where?" Yuzu asked, looking upset. "Karin-Chan, what about the report due tomorrow?"
"Just out. And I finished it during class, remember, I told you, Yuzu." I said, staring off into the fading light. Ichi-Nii closed the door, and started off into the night. I let my feet do the work, following him, as I stared in the direction of the sun slinking away to its other side, the rolling hills, and the railing over looking both. If I tried, I could probably find his reiatsu, and follow him. Try to set it right. But Ichi-Nii would still demand to know what was going on. Maybe he would give me some advice... No. Reitō-en was right. This would have to be my decision.
We slid down the river bank, and I lay down in the cool grass that was early this year, despite it being winter. He sat at the edge of the river, letting his hand sit in the cold water.
"Say it." I said. My hands clenched, and I could feel the skin that Toushirou had healed a few days ago break again. The blood dripped down, and stained the grass. He turned around, but my hand was hid by my leg, and he didn't see the blood.
"Fine. What happened?" He was staring at me. I sighed. I didn't want to say this, but I had to. And I had to phrase it so he wouldn't fight me.
"Something even I don't understand, and that only I can resolve. Your interfering will just make it harder Ichi-Nii. I have to deal with this by myself, and I know you want to help..but you can't. This is my fight, Onii-Chan. Gomen." I closed my eyes, to the stars beginning to appear, and the sun, slowly fading from view.
"Karin. You woke up screaming, and that's not something I can ignore. Look in my eyes, and tell me that your sure. That's the only way I'll let you do this." Steeling myself, I looked opened my eyes, and sat up to look my Ichi-Nii in the eyes, and lie. His eyes, so desperate to protect, and the knowledge that he had the strength to, almost melted my resolve. But this wasn't something he could kill, this wasn't something that would bleed. This was something I had to suffocate, until I couldn't hear its voice anymore. Until it was gone, and I didn't doubt.
"Ichi-Nii, I am sure." It was a lie, but somehow he didn't see it. Toushirou would have, I know. I thanked the Gods he wasn't here.
Truth may be the biggest sacrifice, but it is not the only one, Child. YM breathed hitched, before restarting again.
Are you saying I'll always doubt, always have this fear?
Not that you'll always doubt, but you have to have the fear; facing it is what makes you brave, makes you know you have the courage to lift up your sword to protect others.
"So you won't even tell your brother?" We both looked up the hill. Toushirou stood there, his eyes glittering a dark pine green, in anger. It sent shivers of fear down my spine, but I wouldn't show it.
" And you'll lie to him in another's eyes." I frowned. His captain's Haori fluttered as he jumped down the hill, to land between me and Ichi-Nii. He pulled out Hyourinmaru, and dug him into the ground beside me. "Look at your reflection." He was practically snarling. I looked, and my eyes weren't there. In place, was Reitō-en's almost white eyes, flecked with the fierce midnight blue, and now, hints of brown.
It was the only way he wouldn't see the lie, Child. I know you need to do this yourself. Hyourinmaru is not pleased with Toushirou's interruption, either. I stared at my reflection for another second, then blinked. My eyes flashed, and then returned to their normal chocolate brown, but darker than normal. They showed my anger.
"Arigato." I whispered, to Hyourinmaru.
"What?" Toushirou was still mad, but he was confused now, so it wasn't as prominent.
"Not talking to you, Captain." I snapped, and saw cerulean in the edges of his eyes. Then, it was gone, driven out by the pine. Pain, I knew. A part of me stung with him, and wondered what was wrong with me.
"Then who?" I thought I was used to the ice-cold tone. I found out I wasn't, I was stung, and afraid of it.
"Hyourinmaru. At least he knows when not to interfere. For the most part." I added, when Reitō-en corrected me. For a second, a fear struck me that he would draw Hyourinmaru against me, and that I wouldn't be able to defend myself. No, I wouldn't defend myself; I could never bring myself, no matter how angry, to really raise Reitō-en against him.
I am glad. I have to wish to hurt Hyourinmaru. My eyes stayed with Toushirou's, and I did not draw them away when I spoke.
"Ichi-Nii, for once, don't argue. Go back to the house, and tell them I'll be in in a bit." I know my voice sounded like Toushirou's; layered with ice, and as cold as frozen mercury. I was a little surprised when he obeyed.
"Hai, Karin."I listened to him walk away, and once he was out of earshot, kept track of his reiatsu.
"Your so fucking desperate to know, aren't you? Well then I'll tell you. And then maybe you'll see why I kept it to myself. Why I woke up screaming.
"Back at the soccer field. The day you saved me from that Hollow. You blocked it from killing me, but then it caught you, and tore you in two. It tossed the upper half of you, right near me. You died in my arms, and I was covered in your blood. Matsumoto came, and blamed me for your death. Everyone did. But that wasn't the worst part. Orihime couldn't save you. I couldn't save you.
"It woke everyone up. They could all go back to sleep. I had to go shower, and sat there till the water turned cold, trying to scrub the memory of your blood off."
"Now do you see?" My voice cracked, and it took everything in me to stop the tears. My legs started to crumble, and Toushirou moved forward to catch me. His arms slid around me, and I was filled with a new strength. I could tell it was Reitō-en's. He held me against his chest, not knowing I now had the strength to stand. I let him, let him hold me, and prayed he would understand. He'd always gotten what was in my mind before. Please let it be the same this time...
Child, I told you, you underestimate him.
"Karin... Gomen nasai." He whispered in my hair. I let my head rest on his shoulder, and his hand gently rubbed my back in soothing circles, slowly calming me. I listened to his, as he felt my heartbeat slow.
We stood there for a long time, until I felt that familiar stab of pain, and Toushirou's phone went off.
"Are you ok now?" The tears had fled, and I could easily stand on my own, and I didn't need Reitō-en's strength anymore. I nodded, and he let go of me. He pulled the glove out of his pocket, and gently pulled me out of my body. Then he popped his gikongan in his gigai, and ordered it to take care of my body. It drooled in response.
We took off, and a soft wind kept my hair out of my eyes. This Hollow was big; Toushirou could feel it too, and took the lead. I didn't mind. As we neared it, I gripped Reitō-en tightly, drawing her an inch or so out of her sheath. Toushirou's hand lay on Hyourinmaru as we rounded the corner, and came face to face with a Menos. Oh goodie.
"Hey Toushirou, just how strong is this thing?" I yawned.
"Forget it; and do me a favor, call your brother." I smirked.
"You think we need Ichi-Nii to help?" He rolled his eyes at me.
"No, tell him not to come." I pulled my phone out, and speed dialed Rukia, before putting it on speaker phone and stuffing it in my bra.
"Hello?" Rukia answered aw I drew Reitō-en.
"Heys, Rukia, you know the Menos going off on your pager? Don't let Ichi-Nii near it, we don't want to accidentally hurt him." I told her cheerfully, as Toushirou and I jumped at it.
"Karin, would you focus?" Toushirou growled, as I landed on the Menos 's shoulder, and slammed Reitō-en into the hilt.
"No need. Hadō number thirty-one; Shakkahō." I whispered, and jumped away just in time to avoid the explosion. The Menos shrieked, and brought its massive other arm up to clutch the wound.
"Sit Upon The Frozen Heavens, Hyourinmaru!" I heard Toushirou yell, and I looked at him, surprised. Why was he releasing? This was honestly kinda fun. But hey; his sword, his choice. I probably wouldn't release Reitō-en even if I coul- the thought stopped mid track, as I reacted instinctively. The Menos had swung its arm that had been holding its shoulder where I shot Shakkahō at it. Now, it was swinging towards me. I jumped out of the way.
"Toushirou!" I yelled, but the warning didn't reach him in time. I screamed a scream that penetrated the air, and sent my reiatsu swirling out of control, and I could feel my power flow into Reitō-en. The wind, which had been flowing out from around, stilled, and everything was silent as I spoke.
"Whisper, the Frozen Flames of Hell, Reitō-en." The words echoed into the night, and a flash of power shot down from the moon, and into my chest. It didn't hurt; if anything, it made me feel stronger. Everything flashed black, then returned to normal. But I could see better, I could feel every touch more intensely. The wind had more of a bite.
Reitō-en had burst into flames, but instead of being burned by the heat she should have produced, waves of cold air stroked my skin, again and again, as the flames burned a midnight blue. The flame etched into the blade had turned black. I barely remember moving, as dove at the Menos. Reitō-en sliced through its arm, and Toushirou broke through in the fall. I headed strait for its mask, and cut through its other arm. I felt almost no resistance as I slid through its body, which crumbled the moment it was touched by my blade. When I reached the bottom, I landed softly, to my surprise. I spit on the spot the Hollow had once stood, before jumping up to Toushirou.
"Are you ok?" I asked him. He stared at me, before pulling me into a hug. I relaxed in his arms, and smiled at him.
"I'll take that as a yes." Someone cleared their throat, we both turned and saw Rukia.
"You guys might wants to be careful. Ichigo will be here in about ten seconds, I couldn't delay him any longer than that." We broke apart, and stared at her.
"How did you do that?" I asked. She grinned at me.
"Inoue. She may suck at cooking, but shes a good friend." She laid her hand on my shoulder.
"So you finally learned you Zanpakutou's name?" I nodded. Now that I had Shikai, I couldn't conceal it.
"It's Reitō-en." Her eyes widened, and Ichi-Nii arrived.
"Karin! Toushirou! Are you ok!" I rolled my eyes, and let Reitō-en rest on my shoulder. The flames didn't bother me in the slightest, and Ichi-Nii stared at my sword.
"It's Hitsugaya-Taicho, you baka." I snickered.
"Of course were ok, Onii-Chan. Duh, I just saved a captains ass." He frowned.
"How?" I let Toushirou tell the story, as I concentrated on stemming the flow of my reiatsu into Reitō-en, and sealed her. Urahara-San arrived, just behind Yoruichi-San.
"Karin-Chan, was that you?" He asked. I nodded. He nodded, his eyes shining.
"Tomorrow, please tell me about what happened during your training session. That reiatsu... You're as scary as your brother, Karin-Chan." Everyone laughed. I realized my reiatsu was blaring, and competing with Ichi-Nii's. I quickly brought it in, and Rukia stood up a little straighter. No one else seemed to notice. I guess being around at least four people who were captain level – I was pretty sure I wasn't there quite yet- was a really heavy reiatsu.
"Why isn't this place infested with Hollows?" I asked, frowning.
"Matsumoto and my reiatsu is sealed, down to 20% of its usual. Rukia, Urahara-San, and Yoruichi-San both have control over theirs. The only one who really releases any now, is your brother."
I raised my eyebrows.
"That's not enough to attract a herd of Hollows?" Urahara-San laughed, and shook his head.
"No, not quite. Karin, whats your Zanpakutou's name?" This was getting kind of annoying, but hey, they hadn't all heard it.
"Reitō-en." Urahara-San's eyes widened considerably.
"Frozen Flames. A very powerful name, Karin-Chan." Toushirou snorted.
"That's nothing. Tell them your release command, Karin." I looked at him, and his eyes were their normal teal, with a hint of turquoise- pride.
"Sasayaku, Jigoku no Reitō-en." I tried to control my reiatsu so she wouldn't release, but as soon as I began to say the words, they flowed out of my mouth out of my control. The moon didn't strike me again, but she burst into flames, and everything flashed.
"She should look in a mirror." Rukia said, sounding amused. I frowned.
"Why?" I looked at Rukia's face. She tried to shrug, but I could see the corners of her eyes crinkling in the tiniest of laughs. I tried to look down, and saw what was making her laugh. Poking out of the top of my Shihakushō was a tattoo of a daffodil. It was really detailed, and shaded in black and white. Toushirou was staring, and so was Ichi-Nii. Urahara-San lost interest, but Yoruichi-San was laughing.
"Is that a limiter?" Toushirou looked just a little too pale. Rukia walked over, and placed her hand above it for a second, before shaking her head.
"No reiatsu is sealed in it. Apparently releasing her Shikai gave her a tattoo, just like when she talked with her Zanpakutou, it changed her hair. I raised my eyebrows so no one would see the smile.
My family had commented on it, but they hadn't asked much. They'd seemed to sense I hadn't wanted to talk about it. But, I had to admit, it really did look good. The guys had glared at me, and asked if I was turning into a girly girl. I'd punched them to prove I wasn't. They hadn't commented on it since.
"I hope this one disappears." If not, there was no way Otou-San would let this go. I concentrated on sealing my sword off, cutting of my reiatsu from Reitō-en, and everything flashed. I looked down, and the tattoo was gone. My sword was no longer in flames, and the flame etched into the blade was red again. I swear, I saw a tear drip from it, and slowly make its way down my blade. Before I could say anything, Ichi-Nii swore.
"Karin, lets go." I nodded, and went to get my into my body- they tended to leave it with the other's gigai's. I slipped back in, and was a little stiff from the way they had laid it down. Ichi-Nii climbed into his body, and Toushirou his. We ran back to my house. Matsumoto left with Orihime, to go cook- more like create biological disaster.
"Sorry Yuzu!" I said, the moment we all crashed in the door, panting. Yuzu and Otou-San were just serving up plates.
"Your on time, Karin-Chan, Ichigo, Hitsugaya-Kun. Why so worried?" Of course, he was totally relaxed. "Can I have a hug?" He started bringing plates out to the table. Once he set them down, I hit him on the head as he came towards me with his arms open. He cried in a corner, while we brought out the rest of the plates. Thank god, dinner was uneventful; Otou-San didn't attack Ichi-Nii. Though I was suspicious, I was grateful. Honestly, I think we all were. Toushirou left early again, which made Yuzu pout. She forced him to take food with him again, and this time, he did look back as he left. I knew it was his way of letting me know he wasn't going to run off again. Rukia had come in halfway through dinner, and now her phone went off. She excused her self to answer it. She came back in the room as I finished washing my plate. I worked quietly, listening to her.
"Orihime-Chan has invited Karin-Chan, Yuzu-Chan, and I to stay over for the weekend. Do you mind if we go, Kurosaki-San?" I barely controlled my reaction, & quickly texted Rukia.
'What are you trying to pull?' She winked at me.
"I have homework, I can't go." Yuzu said "Karin-Chan has been finishing so fast since she began studying with Hitsugaya-Kun." I rolled my eyes, even though it was true.
"I don't mind!" Otou-San said. Duh, he would be glad. A couple months ago, he'd been complaining that I didn't get out enough. At this rate, he'd be saying that I was never home. While Rukia washed her dishes, I went upstairs to pack. I stopped and hugged Yuzu on my way out, then slapped Otou-San when he tried to hug me. When we were a couple blocks away from the house, I held my bag out to Rukia. Confused, she took it.
"I'll be there in a while." I told her, before walking off into towards the sun. Her face cleared; she knew where I was going. During those few months Toushirou was gone, I had continued going to the railing. For about a week, she;d followed me. I'd heard her tell Ichi-Nii
"She just sits there, and watches the sun go down. After its been dark for a while, she comes back." When he came back, they'd thought he left & went to Orihime's, and that we just left at the same time by coincidence. They had no idea that we both went to the railing. If they traced our reiatsu, they would find it.
I sat on that railing, watching the familiar scene unfold. I felt him come closer as her arrived. I'd been tracking his reiatsu since I arrived. He jumped from a tree, and landed softly behind me. He didn't say a word- we rarely did- as we watched the sun fall into its bed in the hills, the pinks, oranges, and purples fading. When the moon began to glow, and its light fell on us, he spoke.
"Did you come here while I was gone?" I stared where the sun had been a while ago.
"Yes. It was peaceful, and helped me forget that Ichi-Nii was g- training." I faltered for a second.
"What?" he asked, and his tone was almost warm.
" Yuzu...gets upset, when I'm out late. She thinks I'll disappear like Ichi-Nii has, except that I won't come back. I started to promise her that I wouldn't but I couldn't. She thinks I was upset because of Ichi-Nii. This was just before I became a Shinigami, before I told Ichi-Nii everything. Now, I will never be able to make that promise." I should have known, that once I entered this world, I would never be able to leave it. I wouldn't be able to be a part of the two; I couldn't cross in-between them at my will. I was trapped, just like Ichi-Nii, I couldn't leave people to die. Yuzu & Otou-San would heal us; we would protect them.
"No, you won't. You'll be able to make a stronger promise; that you'll die to protect her, and then you'll die again." He spoke softly, his teal eyes gleaming intently.
"Your right...But I won't be able to tell Yuzu that. She won't know..." My voice was steady, thankfully. I'd come closer to crying in these past few months that I had in years.
"Karin, when you die, if you become a Shinigami, I'll ask Captain-Commander Yamamoto to let you come back and explain everything to Yuzu The same for your brother." Our shoulders brushed,and I let myself lean against him.
"Arigato, Toushirou." He snorted.
"when you come to Seiretei, you'd better call me Taicho, at least."
"Only if I end up in someone else's squad." I muttered, he laughed, one last time. We sat there as all light from the sun faded, & the moon rose. My phone went off.
So what if you can see the darkest side of me? No one will ever change this animal I have become. Help me believe, its not the real me, somebody help me tame this animal. Toushirou snorted as I answered my phone.
""Karin, I thought you said you'd be here soon? It's been an hour." I winced.
"Sorry, I lost track of time. Want me to pick up anything on my way over?""
"Sure, pick up some chips or some thing, candy if you want any- and Inoue wants sweet bean paste. If you see Hitsugaya-Taicho on your way back-" Her voice was warmer now "-tell him Matsumoto's looking for him." I looked over at him, but he shook his head.
"Kay. I'll be there in a bit." We hung up, and I grinned at the confused look on Toushirou's face.
"Has anyone mentioned that Rukia & I are sleeping over at Orihime's?" He stiffened.
"What?"
{Toushirou's POV}
Matsumoto. She was behind this, no doubt. I swore rapidly, ignoring the fact that the grin on Karin's face grew wider.
" Oh come on, it's not that bad." I looked at the warm chocolate in her eyes. Laughter.
"Yes it is. Matsumoto's probably behind this." Karin shook her head.
"No. Its Orihime & Rukia." I paused. Rukia knew, that was certain.
"if she told Matsumoto..." I growled. I knew I looked angry, but, I was honestly scared. If this got out, and got to Seiretei, I could lose my position. Have my powers sealed.
Lose my power to protect Karin & Hinamori.
Wait...Since when?.
For a while now. You just haven't noticed. Hyourinmaru told me.
No kidding.
{Karin's POV}
I stared at the roof on my pallet in Orihime's room. It was silent, except for Matsumoto's snore. The clocked turned two-to-seven. I sighed, and quietly got up. There was no point in lying there; I hadn't slept all night.
I wrote a note, and changed clothes before slipping into the faint light just before sunrise. At the field, I climbed a tree, leaning against the trunk as I stretched out. It was too early to be up. A flash of reiatsu, and I struggled not to jump out of the tree on sheer instinct at the power.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" His voice was crystal clear.
"Are you stalking me?"
"No. Just enjoying the sunrise." I looked up to see a way of light fall on his face, a shadow cast across his teal eyes by that ever stray strand of hair. He jumped down from the branch above me, and sat beside me.
"You've got heavy bags under your eyes. Did you even sleep fifteen minutes?" He commented. I relaxed.
"Too restless," I muttered. The tense mucsels that had kept me up all night slowly began to unclench. I let myself lean against him, and my head rest on his shoulder. We sat there as the sun climbed the hills, then the treetops, and buildings in the distance. Finally, he said
"It's been an hour and half, we should head back." I nodded. Now I was getting tired. Figures. Toushirou was just the opposite of me right now; wide awake, and obviously thinking. We walked side by side, and he stared in front of him, seeing, but not really seeing. I sensed it just before a garanta opened ten feet in front of us. Immediately, Toushirou grabbed me and pulled me out of my body. As his gikongan carried my body away, we faced a huge hollow, obviously on the verge of becoming a menos.
"Fuck!" I heard him swear, but kept my attention on the hollow. It had a large, cat like tail, but the body of a centaur. Its eyes glittered blood red, and its mask had bull horns protruding just in front of its ears.
"Come with me, Guardians." I drew Reitō-en.
"No way in Hell." It laughed, even as I jumped at it. I was slammed into from the side, and I could feel the muscels being ripped apart. It hurt like hell, but it was nothing compared to the erosion of my chain of fate. I slammed Reitō-en into whatever was eating my side. A howl, and I turned to see a wolf-like hollow, and feel its teeth rip free of my side. It slunk off, yowling in pain. I quickly tore the arm of my Shihakushō, and switched my sword to my left hand as I attempted to bandage the wound. It jumped at me, and I awkwardly brought up my sword, just in time to impale it. As I pulled my sword out of the dissingrating body, I carefully felt the area for any other Hollow. There was practically a herd of them across the town, and I could feel everyone's reiatsu fighting, even Ururu's and Jinta's. Probably to keep them from coming to help us. There was one lurking in the bushes, near-
"Toushirou!" I screamed jumping into the way just as it pounced at him, as he battled the huge hollow. We slammed into the ground, just beside Toushirou. He looked at me, his eyes wide in the truest blue I'd ever seen. Horror. Despite the agony in my shoulder, and the panther like Hollow knawing on my shoulder, I could see myself in his eyes. I looked weak, except for my eyes. They burned, dark brown singed with black.
"Ye Lord." I said, just loud enough for him to hear. He would know. I couldn't move the arm holding my sword- currently my left- but my right palm was against the hollow, trying to keep it off me. My eyes widened, as I felt more Hollows appear.
"Mask of blood and flesh; all creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man! Inferno and Pandemonium, the sea barrier surges, march on to the south!" The large hollow snorted, obviously recognizing the spell, but not believing it was strong enough to do much more than tickle the hollow pinning me. It was caught in the blast, however, and the hollow that pinned me, its teeth ripped through my shoulder as it was thrown off of me and torn into ashes by the fire. Toushirou jumped out of the way just in time, and the large Hollow was thrown back.
I gritted my teeth as my back dug into the ground, rocks getting in the gash on my shoulder, the fabric binding my side shredding, and dirt pouring in that wound. As the dust cleared, I struggled to stand up, and switched Reitō-en back to my sword hand, after prying it out of my unresponsive left.
"Sasayaku," my voice was barely audible, but even more dangerous for that. The Hollow looked shocked that I had the strength to stand, never mind release my Shikai. "Jigoku no Reitō-en." The flash was washed in red, as I could feel the blood soaking through my Shihakushō. The pain seemed to thin a little, though I could still feel it there.
As I ran, my legs surprisingly surefooted, to slice through the hollow, it tried to grab me. I spun, despite the agony that weaved its way up from the wound, all across my chest, and barely felt any resistance as my blade went through the Hollow. I heard his ear shattering shriek, and turned to see blood poring out of its stomach. Blue flames burned their way from the wound, all the way across his body, and as the flames traveled, they left ice. When the flames had burned everywhere, and his body was encased in ice, he shattered into tiny pieces of ice. I didn't have to pull my reiatsu from Reitō-en; I was too weak to keep it up now anyway. I stumbled during the flash, and for that split second, it felt like I was drowning in blood.
I raised my head as I struggled to limp towards Toushirou. My left side gave out, but before I could hit the ground, Toushirou was there, and caught me. He picked me up, and I could barely grip Reitō-en. I could see the blood, my blood, seeping onto his Haori. It was slowing down, and my legs began to feel numb. I knew what that meant; I didn't have enough blood, and my body was suffocating itself to keep me alive.
I couldn't focus on what was around me, and knew Toushirou was using Shunpo to get me to Orihime's. To save me. And I knew, that everything would be all right; he would make sure of it.
{Karin's POV}
My eyes flew open, as I sat up, and I saw Toushirou's face clearly- pine green lurking behind light & true blue; anger, uncertainty, and horror.- before he shoved me.
"Stay down, you baka! You shouldn't have released!" I glared at him.
"Well I'm not going to sit around waiting for you to kill it when you're frozen!" I heard quiet laughter, and sat up to see Rukia & Renji laughing behind their hands. Ichi-Nii walked in, & kind of glared at Renji. I nearly lost the war with the smirk trying to conquer my face- until Toushirou shoved me back down. Again.
"Stay down." That Ice-Cold tone made me shiver; in my weakened state, I couldn't repress it. He smirked as Orihime gently made me lie down, and bathed me in yellow light. I looked at my shoulder, and saw why. Blood had begun to seep through the bandages. I didn't have to look at ym side to know that one was too. I could feel it.
"See? Now behave." I raised my eyebrows at his smik.
"As if." The look on Sado-Kun's face said he didn't believe it either. A small cut streaked his cheek; he'd obviously been fighting the wave of Hollows too. Similar, small cuts littered the others bodies as well. Like I'd thought, everyone had been too busy to help me & Toushirou. It looked like Orihime been too busy with my wounds to heal the others.
"How long was I out?" Toushirou sat down just inside my vision.
"An hour." If she'd been healing me that long, & still had wounds that serious.. I really nearly had died. I did need to be more careful. I shouldn't leave Yuzu so soon, if at all.
Rukia left the room for something, then ran back in.
"Captain-Commander Yamamoto is on the communicator." All the of Seiretei Shinigami- and Ichi-Nii- went to the next room. Just before he left with them, too quiet for anyone to hear, he whispered
"Don't make me fuffil my promise so soon, Kurosaki." I shifted, so I would be more comfortable on the mat. I might be here for a while.
{Toushirou's POV}
"I want a summary of what happened today, & a full report tomorrow." They turned to me. Karin had been the only one seriously hurt.
"I went out to a spot to see the sunrise, and Kurosaki Karin was already there. She mentioned that she couldn't sleep. Eventually, we headed back to Orihime's house, were she had stayed the night. On the way back, we were attacked by a huge Hollow."
"A Menos?" He inquired. I shook my head.
"Nearly. I pulled Karin out of her body, and had my gikongan carry hers away. She jumped to attack it, but another Hollow appeared, and knocked her out of the way. While I fought with the Huge hollow, she killed the second, then jumped in the way of a third that was about to attack me. She was pinned down, and her shoulder was torn up. She used Shakkahō, and it caused a...gigantic explosion, something that shouldn't be capable of a ametuer Kidō user. The hollow that went after my back was torn to shreds, & the Huge Hollow was knocked back. I barely managed to jump out of range, despite the warning she gave me. She got up, released her Shikai, and cut through the Hollow, despite her fatal wounds. It is only thanks to Orihime that she's alive, and Ishida's medical advice." I was thankful that my voice was ice, and t hey could read no emotion from it. But Karin seemed to be able to read my despite that. She didn't look so much at my face, as my eyes. They seemed to peer into the depths of my soul.
"Why did you not help Kurosaki Karin?" Yamamoto asked. I hung my head. They did not need to see my eyes, to know just how regretful I was. How scared.
"I froze up."
"That is no excuse."
"I know, Sir." I could feel Kurosaki's angry gaze on me. Then, we all turned to see Karin enter the room. It hadn't taken as long to heal her as I'd thought it would.
"That's not completely fair, or true, Hitsugaya-Taicho. Short of freezing me, nothing you could've done would have stopped me. And I barely gave myself time to move, never mind you. By the time you got there, I would've already cut him, and Reitō-en's ability taken it from there." Hitsugaya-Taicho? Since when had she given me any tittle of respect?
"Captain-Commander, please don't punish Hitsugaya-Taicho for this. It's my fault he didn't get the chance to fufil his duties." She looked steadily at the screen, ready to accept any fate.
"On one condition. Find a way to make arrangements for the next year to spend your breaks in Seiretei, for training." I could see the surprise in her eyes before she turned to her brother.
"Ichi-Nii?" She looked so much older, so much more responsible, that the childish nickname surprised me. Her brother stood there, looking at his sisters face. Then he shook his head.
"No. She can't be there the full beaks. Time with family is more important." To her, especially. To Karin, Her family was her world. "Summer breaks she can go for, with a day every two weeks to spend here." Karin's dark eyes were lit with laughter. Apparently, in her bizarre books, being bargained for was amusing. The Captain-Commander nodded.
"We will ask various excelled Shinigami's to train her in different methods." Ichigo nodded. "Hitsugaya-Taicho, you will stay until Kurosaki Karin is on spring break, then escort her here- and remain." I blinked. Shit, I only had three more weeks to train Karin enough to survive in the Shinigami's world.
"Hai, Captain-Commander." I said, feeling numb. Detached. The screen turned black, and I barely jumped back in time to dodge the punch Kurosaki threw at me.
"What the Hell, Ichi-Nii?" Karin swore at him, her eyes flashing. He ignored her, and Yastura & Abari barely grabbed him in time. Kuchiki came up and slapped him. Then, so quiet I couldn't hear, she spoke to him. Forcefully, Firmly, but quietly. Karin was smirking, but her brown eyes glowed with happiness. Finally, Kuchiki stepped back, and Abari & Yastura let him go.
"Make sure she never gets hurt like this again." His eyes burned blue, instead of their normal brown. Behind him, Karin snorted.
"As if he could stop me from doing anything." She said.
"But I'll try," We both said at the same time. Then, I started towards the door. I needed away from all this. She didn't say a word, just grabbed her brothers Substitute Shinigami's badge, and followed me. As we closed the door, we heard Rukia say
"She's as bad as Ichigo leaving his body around!" And Ichigo's protests.
{Karin's POV}
I sat on the top of a telephone pole, looking down at the people scurrying around They reminded me of mice. Toushirou was laying on a roof top a couple of feet away, and I was pretty sure he was asleep.
"Karin, don't use the incantation for Kidō, okay?" I jumped, and nearly fell off my perch. So much for that theory.
"Why?" I tried to maintain my dignity as I resettled on my spot.
"That explosion almost killed you, and your adept enough without it." His reply was short, but I could hear worry underlying in his voice, despite the chill.
"Okay." He opened his astonishingly beautiful teal eyes, and sat up, looking at me suspiciously.
"What are you planning?" He asked, cautiously. I snorted.
"Nothing. Do you honestly think unless I argue, I'm plotting something?" He nodded, still not believing me.
"Toushirou, I'm not planning anything. You've been a Shinigami longer than I have, so I'll trust you." I didn't look back at him. Suddenly, I felt Matsumoto and Hinamori, and they saved me from any reply he would make.
"Taicho!" She was nearly as bad as my dad, sometimes.
"You're supposed to be on patrol, Matsumoto." The look in her eyes said of the mall.
"Yes, but Hinamori wanted to speak with you." She stepped forward.
"Hitsugaya-Kun-"
"Hinamori..." She rolled her eyes.
"After all this time, you still.. Anyway, Hitsugaya-Taicho, I wanted to verify that the damage to the path along the river was caused by Karin-Chan's Shakkahō." She spoke cautiously. He nodded, and sat up, folding his legs under him. His back was as strait as if a board was tied to it. Momo's eyes widened.
"How is that..." She trailed off.
"I don't know." He said, and Matsumoto looked a little freaked out.
"Anyone care to explain?" I asked testily. I snarled in annoyance, when a garganta opened.
"Later!" Toushirou & Momo coursed. Two huge Hollow that were shaped like Minotaur stepped out.
"Come with us, Guardians." They stared, almost blankly.
"What do you want with me?" Toushirou stepped forward, before I could reply angrily. What was he talking about, Guardian? And they had said Guardians. My reiatsu skyrocketed, and I could barely keep it under control.
"Come with that, and he will tell you if he wishes." My eyes widened, as I felt more garganta's opening around us. Within a few seconds, we were completely surrounded. We all moved into a circle, facing outwards, with Toushirou on my right, and Matsumoto on my left.
"Karin." I glanced over at him, trying to note the positions of all the Hollows in front of me, and keep track of the rest by reiatsu.
"Yuhh?" I quickly double checked my wounds. All that remained was a faint pink line. Orihime said they wouldn't scar.
"Don't release." I elbowed his side.
"Are you insane? Why the hell not?" A tiny, monkey like hollow cackled.
"Hells right! You Shinigami have been taking advantage for too long!" Its next insane laugh was interrupted, as a larger hollow stepped on it, crushing it.
Ok, that was it. I was going to corner Toushirou and make him explain.
"Karin, just don't." I grinned.
"Either your training with my Shikai later, or these guys get it." My shoulder rubbed against his when he shrugged.
"Fine." I smirked. He hadn't said anything about Kidō. Already, I could hear Momo whispering the incantation for Shakkahō. A Hollow charged at her, and I drew Reitō-en on the run, & purposely fell, sliding along the ground my reiatsu created as I cut it down. I barely slid out of the way in time, as Momo shot a big Shakkahō at the Hollows, blowing up a decent portion of the population in front of her. I moved back to my spot, and we all charged at the Hollows. Toushirou & I attacked together, and Matsumoto worked with Hinamori. They were obviously used to fighting together, and Toushirou & I were perfectly synchronized. If we hadn't been, I would have lost my head several times already.
Finally, we'd killed all but the last two. Hinamori & Matsumoto were off to the side a little, panting in exhaustion. The two hollow had stayed back, not even blinking when they're fellows were cut down.
"Karin." I looked over, and saw his eyes, and nodded. They were tinged with purple; determination.
"Whisper, the frozen flames of Hell, Reitō-en." He released his Shikai at the same time, & our rhythym matched perfectly. We jumped at the Hollows during the flash my release caused, and they were stunned, barely raising their arms in time- mine anyway. Hyourinmaru slashed through one hollows mask. Mine had knocked me away, but at a cost; its arm had nearly been sliced in half. Blue flames began to lick their way up its arm. I walked back over, put Reitō-en at its throat as the flames burned around his arm.
"Who is sending the hollows after Toushirou? Answer the question, and I will end your pain fast. I can control how fast the flames will kill you." As I said the words, I realized it was true. I did have some measure of control. The hollow was gasping for breath.
"How is it cold?" The echoing voice was laced with pain. I pushed harder.
"Who?" A trickled of blood appeared, and a blue flame burst into existence. I concentrated to hold all of the flames in place.
"A...Demon. He promise us all the Shinigami's souls! He said there was no need for keepers of the balance, that it was kept well enough without your kind. That you were unworthy of Kidō.." He shrieked, and I looked at Toushirou. Jade and light blue were foremost in his eyes. Worry, & uncertainty. He nodded. I swung my sword down, and the mask shattered as it fell. I looked back up, and saw that you could see our breath in the air around us. It wasn't that bad, because it was still winter. But it was a very warm winter; it had hardly ever snowed, except during a few weeks for winter, but that had melted soon after. It was a very warm day. Matsumoto and Momo were shivering.
"Taicho!" Matsumoto complained. "Can you stop that?" He rolled his eyes, & sealed Hyourinmaru." Momo raised her soft eyebrows.
"That's not much better." I jumped a few feet away. Then she grinned, & nodded. At looked at the glowing, flickering flames on my sword. The black flame etched in the blade fascinated me. I reached through the flames, and discovered they went from being icy, to burning hot, and my finger almost touched the flame.
Child, you are not ready for that power yet. Sometimes, you have to work to make a sacrifice. Matsumoto & Momo went back to patrolling, and Toushirou and I went back to my house, picking up our bodies form Urahara-San's shop on the way.
Reitō-en?
Yes, Child? I glanced at Toushirou, and he was looking up at the sky.
You said my hair wouldn't be the last sacrifice. What do you mean?
The path of being a protector is not an easy one. It is the strongest power of all; especially to protect those that have tried to, or have hurt you. You must pay for that power. The sacrifices will be heavy, but only you will be able to decide if they are worth it.
I was so caught in thought, that I didn't dodge my father in time. He squeezed me hard, in a hug, and Toushirou stood there smirking, while Yuzu giggled. I elbowed Otou-San in the face.
"Let me go!" Clutching his cheek, he did so.
"Karin-Chan!" Yuzu came forward, and hugged me. " Did you have fun?" I nodded. Yeah. Getting your shoulder eaten, and your side torn up is boat loads of fun.
"I'm making up some lunches for us and Onii-Chan. Any requests?" I shook my head. I wasn't that picky about food.
"Hitsugaya-Kun?" She turned to him, and now I smirked at the lime green shock in his eyes. He shook his head too.
"We just came to check in. Do you need anything from the store, Yuzu-Chan?" She shook her head, so I nodded, and started out the door.
For hours, we walked around the town. Finally, we headed to the field after picking up my soccer ball. We passed it back and forth on the field, not really running, but not staying still. He passed it back, and I trapped it.
"Toushirou...What did they mean, Guardians?" He stopped, and turned to look at me.
"Once a century...Soul Society is blessed with a Heavenly Guardian." His eyes were crystal clear, a perfect balance to be teal. It was beautiful, and despite fearing I was about to hear something bad, I relaxed. "I...am that Heavenly Guardian." Not bragging, just accepting.
"They used a plural." He looked away.
"When I went back to Seiretei, I spent days looking to see if there was anything about another, but there wasn't. I asked Ukitake to continue the search, so I could come back here. He's said nothing so far." I looked down, my eyes not really focusing on the familiar pattern of my soccer ball.
Soul Society was all about balance; that's what the Death Gods are, keepers of the balance of souls. There were angels, & there were Demons. There were hollows, and there were Pluses. Shinigami were the inbetween. There was two to a set. But, something needed another to function perfectly. They would both have opposites. And if the pieces were put together right, it could end up a stalemate. A perfect balance.
No.
I forced the thought out of my mind. Forced out all the logic that stated it just might be.
You two are the same. You push away that which you do not want to accept. My eyes flashed, & I kicked the ball at Toushirou.
Are you saying I'm right? Suddenly, I really needed to fight something.
I have to? Karin, you should know by now if you look in your heart, you will find the truth. I felt a flash of fear. I couldn't stop myself from looking anyway; I had to know. The knowledge rocked my very soul. I closed my eyes, and shed my body before bounding away, into the late afternoon.
I was given no choice.
I was linked, to Toushirou Hitsugaya, and nothing in the world, could ever sever that bond. Not even the King of Soul Society. Time after time, we would find each other, we would fight together. Time after time, I would lose him, and my sanity, only to be reborn again together. It was a part of history, never noted. Never noticed. Because no one could see it. It could only be felt. And even then, no one wanted to accept it.
Not even ourselves.
I was given no choice about being linked to Toushirou Hitsugaya. And my heart had no will to Fight the love for him that froze in my soul. The fire, the passion was still there, burning brightly. But I'd numbed myself to it when I could, so it would hurt less when it was gone. It'd never workedbut honestly made it worse, but I'd stayed in the habit. It had transformed a piece of my soul.
See, Child? I sat on a small bridge over the river, my left leg hanging, and my arms wrapped around the right curled up to my chest.
Yes, I see, Reitō-en. Clearer than I ever have.
Augh, now time for that damn vocab T.T -opens last chap to c&p it-
Shinigami(s); Literally, Death God.
Onii-Chan ; Brother.
Arigato; Thank you.
Shikai; initial release
Bankai; Final Release.
Kidō; Demon Magic,
Hadō; defensive demon magic
Shihakushō; the black kimono Shinigami's wear
Sensei; Teacher
Senkaimon; the gate used to get to Soul Society.
Shunpo; Flash step
gikongan ; a soul with w programed personality, designed to follow orders, and remove a stubborn soul from the ...container? It occupies. Can be use in stuffed animals, gigai's, and humans
Gigantic; a faux body used by Shinigami in the real world, so they can be seen.
Riatsu; spiritual pressure
Taicho; Captain
fukutaicho; Sub captain ( I prefer to use Lt. (lieutenant)
Seretei; the center of soul society, and the place where the Shinigami's live
Rukongai; The town surrounding Seretei, with districts numbered 1-80, 80 being the worst.
Message me if I forgot any!
* YUHS! I'm so proud, this chapter (all the actual writing part, is 10, 000 words x333 now im going to bed, I DONT CARE ABOUT EDITING RIGHT NOW! I didn't finish my ela homework -.-"""