"A day to look forward to"

By:

Chapter 4

He ran as fast as he could. What could have happened to her? Damn! He shouldn't have left her all alone! How could he have forgotten it? With her strong reiatsu leaking everywhere, she would act like a magnet to attract every menos.

He was worried. He might not be able to make it in time. He decided to use his shunpo, or Flash Step. Soon enough, he heard a beep from the pocket of his hakama. He took his detector and flipped it open. Damn it! A menos is in kurosaki clinic! And it's no ordinary menos either, it's an adjuchas!

Suddenly, he felt someone following him. He turned around to see who it was. It was Rangiku matsumoto.

"Captain! Looks like an adjuchas is after kurosaki's sister. I've been informed just a while ago that an adjuchas is behind all these. The menos on the other side of town are just distractions in order to lure us from our posts. As soon as I left, a hollow came to take Orihime. It's a good thing I made it in time. Same went for Chad, Keigo, Ururu and Jinta. According to Soul Society, the menos are collecting humans with high spiritual abilities in order to achieve something Soul Society still hasn't figured out."

As soon as Rangiku finished her long explanation, they reached the street that leads to the clinic. Karin isn't there anymore. Instead, he found Yuzu lying unconscious on the ground. Obviously, she tried to fight the unseen foe that took her twin but to no success.

"Matsumoto, take her inside. I'm going after them."

Then he left even before Rangiku can make her reply. Yes. He could still feel her reiatsu in the air. They couldn't have gotten far. He followed the trace of reiatsu to the bridge that connects Karakura town to the other towns. As he stepped into the bridge, he felt a tremendous amount of spirit energy. Someone managed to track the adjuchas before him. He followed the source of reiatsu.

Soon enough, he saw an adjuchas standing before two shinigamis. It was Renji Abarai and 2nd squad captain, Soifon. As he watched them, he realized the two were not making any move. They don't seem to be attacking or anything. They just stood there. He ran beside Renji. Then what he saw made him gasp.

The monster's hands were coiled around Karin, as if those hands are ready to crush her any moment. Karin was unconscious, yet the expression on her face is the expression of someone that cannot breathe properly.

"KARIN!"

He drew his sword and took his stance. He was about to call out his sword's name when the menos chuckled and spoke.

"Planning to attack me, are you? What makes you so sure you won't hit this girl instead?" the menos said in a teasing voice as he squished her body like it was nothing more than a rag doll.

Damn him! He's using her as a shield to escape! He felt blood rushing through his head. He shouldn't have left her. He shouldn't have left his guard down. These were the things he was thinking of at that moment. He doesn't know what to do. If he attacks, he might hit her. If he doesn't, he'll take her with him. Then something happened.

Everyone gasped as the menos' hand fell from his shoulder to the ground. Everyone gazed at toshiro. Even with his sword in his hand, he managed to catch Karin even before she hit the ground. It was him who attacked the adjuchas without warning.

"But how did you- What the- Damn you! How dare you, a lowly shinigami attack me like that! Unforgivable! You will pay for this!!"

The menos launched at toshiro. He did not run. He didn't move. As the menos neared him, he silently raised his sword.

The menos' head rolled on the ground. It was finished. It was all over so quickly that Renji and Soifon stood there in awe and surprise. For a moment, toshiro's power seemed more than that of head captain Sensei Yamamoto- Genrusai.

Toshiro sheathed his sword then he placed his free hand on her forehead. Good. He was just in time. If he planned to absorb her spiritual energy, he still hasn't been able to do it before he died. Then Karin began to twitch. She was regaining consciousness.

"We must leave her before she wakes up, or else we'll risk being discovered."

He looked at Soifon, who made the comment.

"There's no need. She already knew everything."

Renji's eyes grew as big as saucer plates, captain Soifon gasped, while Rangiku, Yumichika and ikkaku who arrived just in time for them to hear that Karin knew everything, said "WHAT?!?" in chorus.

"Karin has the ability to see shinigamis and hollows. She told me that she have once seen her brother transform with her own eyes. Besides, this isn't the first time she's seen me in my true form. This happened before. Rangiku used the kido replacement smoke on her before, but now, it is obvious that she had enough spiritual powers to counter the effects of the kido smoke."

Then Rangiku, remembering that past event, explained the facts to everyone. She told them about the attack on park where Karin saw her captain transform.

Just then, Karin opened her eyes. The first face she saw was that of toshiro's, who was, at that moment, still carrying her. Yes. This is just how he looked like the first time she saw him. She looked around to see other shinigamis there as well.

"Toshiro."

He turned to look at her.

"Are you… alright?"

She looked at him and smiled before she nodded. Then he took her to a bench that was placed near the bridge and put her down. Everyone turned their attention to the two. Renji was about to make a comment when Rangiku placed her hand in his mouth to silence him. She had this naughty smile in her face as she looked at her captain.

"I say, we leave them alone for now."

At first Renji seemed confused, but as he looked at the faces of his comrades who were all facing Captain Hitsugaya's direction, he realized what Rangiku meant. He turned back and left, using his shunpo, mumbling something about being hungry. The others followed his lead, leaving matsumoto the last to leave the two chatting figures alone.

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"You're hurt."

Toshiro motioned to the cut on Karin's face. Yes. It was his fault. If he was there to protect her, she wouldn't have been hurt. Protect her. Why was he thinking of such strange stuff? That's right. It's because that's his job as a shinigami, nothing more. I mean, is there any other reason for him to protect Karin other than that? No matter what he thinks to try to convince himself, deep inside, he knew there was something else. Some other deep reason for him to protect her.

"No. I'm fine. It's just a scratch."

She looked straight at him and smiled, but that doesn't make him feel any better.

"It's all my fault, if I haven't left you-"

"Don't blame yourself. It's not your fault, really. And I like to thank you for saving me."

At that moment, toshiro realized that all her boyish ways of acting seemed to have vanished. It's almost as though she's as sweet and timid as Yuzu.

"We better go back now, before everyone notices were gone. I asked Rangiku to use the kido smoke on your sister, so she probably won't remember anything that happened when she wakes up."

"I understand."

He helped her on her feet. Then he realized that she still hasn't recovered her strength.

"Let me carry you on the way home. You still haven't got any strength to walk and your house is a long way off. It would be faster as well, considering that I can use my shunpo without worrying about leaving you behind."

She would have refused the offer but she was too weak to argue. And it would be also embarrassing if she suddenly faints along the way because she ran out of energy. She was left with no other choice but to agree.