I Pray

Chapter 4 – Good-Bye

Everything was all set. The only thing he had to do now was say good-bye. It had been three days since the incident Toshiro had with Karin. Three days and he still hadn't been able to confess.

From a few feet Yuzu cried as she handed Toshiro a bento. "Toshiro-nii, I made this for you. I hope you enjoy it." Toshiro smiled and gave her a hug.

Beside her stood Isshin who was crying buckets of tears. "Have a safe trip okay? And don't forget about us." He wailed. Isshin pulled Toshiro and gave him a bone-crushing hug.

Lastly, Toshiro looked around for the girl he wanted to say good-bye to the most. She wasn't there.

"Um where's Karin?" he asked shyly.

Isshin stared at him slyly as Yuzu grinned, "Ano I don't know. Last time I checked she was just here."

"I see, well I should get going. Thank you for everything. I don't know how I can repay you but thank you." Hitsugaya respectively bowed and turned to leave. The two Kurosakis waving goodbye to him.

Karin ran full speed.

"Shit! I hope he didn't leave yet."

She ran as fast as she could. Once she got home she saw her twin washing the dishes.

"Eh, nee-chan you're back –

"Yuzu where is Toshiro?" she panicked.

"Oh, you just missed him. He left right before you came in."

"Damn." Karin quickly slipped her shoes back on and ran out the house.

It was almost time. Any minute now and the portal to soul Society would open up and bring Hitsugaya back to Soul Society. Hitsugaya flipped his phone open to check what time it was. His mind drifted off to Karin. He wasn't able to do what he set out to do.

Maybe it was fate. Maybe they weren't destined for each other. Besides, even if he did confess there was always that chance where she could reject him. So many things held them apart from each other. She was alive he wasn't. They come from different worlds. He was a shinigami and she's just a human. There was also the fact that he was hundreds of years too old for her. It was just wrong. Maybe it was better this way. It seems that there was just too many things that would get in the way.

Karin ran up a flight of stoned stairs and saw white hair. She went further up and saw him standing on a bridge.

Good he didn't leave yet.

Karin's heart raced faster and faster as she drew closer and closer to him.

"Toshiro!" Hitsugaya looked up and saw Karin running towards him.

As Karin reached him, she stopped and panted. Out of breath, she grabbed his hand and slipped something in it.

Toshiro looked at his hand and saw a necklace. It looked like it was only half of another necklace. The necklace was a circle with a blue gem in the middle that resembled a lotus. Toshiro looked confused as Karin took it from him and put it around his neck.

"It was my mother's," she leaned against the railing, "Um it's a present. I couldn't think of anything so... uh I have one too." Karin pulled out a piece that looked exactly like the one hanging on his neck.

"This is the other piece to that." She pointed to his piece.

"Karin I –

"No, I want you to have it." She insisted.

"Toshiro?"

"Hm?"

"I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For not telling you about my condition, for always bothering you –

"You're not a bother," Karin dropped her head in shame, " is that how you really feel?"

Karin lifted her head. "Y…yeah –

"Don't think that way."

"Toshiro, everything you said three days ago, did you mean it?"

Toshiro felt his heart beat faster. He wanted to say yes, to end everything now, and come out with it all. He wanted to hold her and tell her how he truly felt.

"No."

It won't work out between us. He thought.

Karin felt her heart being crushed.

"Oh," she managed to say. She knew it. How could she let herself think that he would ever feel the same way? She felt stupid right now.

"Well, I guess I should get going." She said breaking the silence. She couldn't be there right now. Her heart heavy, ready to break down she couldn't let him see her like that again.

Toshiro felt his heart break as he saw tears form in her eyes. He couldn't leave her sad this way. He didn't want to break her heart but this was for the best. She had so much to look out for. She had a bright future and he didn't want to strip that away from her by being with her. It would cause a scandal and if people were to find out that she was seeing someone who isn't even alive, she would be labeled a psycho. There were so many wrongs that could happen with their relationship.

It was getting closer and closer to the time the portal will appear. Right when the portal opened, Hitsugaya pulled Karin into a hug.

Karin couldn't handle it anymore. She released the tears that built up in her eyes. Soon she began to sob which turned into fierce crying.

Everything around them turned black.