Ch.4
The hollow, laughing triumphantly, punched its hands into the air in victory. "Take that, shinigami! Too bad you didn't know- I can regenerate my body at will. Your puny kido has –"Who are you callin' puny?" a voice said coldly, cutting off the hollow's laughter. It was Hitsugaya Toshiro, the tensai taicho of the 10th division, Hyorinmaru in his right hand pointing threatingly at the hollow and Karin in his left as he supported her.
"Are you okay, Kurosaki?" Hitsugaya asked Karin, not taking his eyes off the hollow. "Yes…" Karin said quietly and she stood on her own, zanpakuto drawn. She was bruised badly and bleeding through the rips in her shihakusho she had sustained from the fall. Still, Karin ignored her wounds as she stared at awe at the boy in front of her, his white hair spiked as if defying gravity, his captain's haori whipping in the wind. Karin had never seen the 10th division's taicho before, but she heard stories from others around Sereitei about his intelligence and his powerful ice-type zanpakuto. "You're going to pay for that, hollow," said Hitsugaya, and in a blink of an eye sliced off both of his arms as the hollow howled in pain. "Finish it, Kurosaki," Hitsugaya said, his sea-green eyes locked with hers, "before he regenerates again." Hitsugaya could have easily killed this hollow with little to no effort, yet as he looked at Karin he thought she needed the experience more than he did. He also saw the fire in her eyes- "Just like that damn Ichigo" Hitsugaya thought. Karin's eyes looked was piercing as sharp as daggers as she leaped into the air. Her zanpakuto on the right, she swung in an upward movement and cut the mask cleanly in two. Before her feet touched the ground the hollow had disappeared, and Karin sighed in relief.
"Thank you, Hitsugaya-taicho," Karin bowed. "Hmm…working under Byakuya must've taught her some respect- finally," Hitsugaya whispered. Karin's energy was well known in her academy days. As Karin moved to raise herself, she swayed a bit, the blood loss making her a bit woozy. Firm yet cold hands caught her shoulders and steadied her and Karin cursed herself for appearing so weak. "Don't mention it," Hitsugaya said, not revealing any emotion in his voice. "Come on, let's go back to Sereitei. We'll have fourth division fix you up properly, but for now-" and Hitsugaya cut a piece from his haori and tied it firmly around Karin's arm to stop the bleeding. She winced as he pulled the cloth into a tight knot. "Thank you, Hitsugaya-taicho," Karin could barely think straight. "I said 'don't mention it'" and the two of them made their way through the senkaimon, Karin barely able to keep awake now that the adrenaline from the fight was wearing off.