Usted Está Aquí

By Stalk Me

Chapter Nine

The Longest Night

It was late; Yuzu was already asleep, but Karin was wide awake. She could hear the commotion that was happening downstairs as her father and Kon treated the beautiful woman in the clinic.

So she was Hitsugaya's vice captain.

Karin remembered Hitsugaya mentioning his second in command from time to time, but she never fathomed that the woman was so gorgeous. She felt foolish for feeling jealous of Yachiru now. How could she have ever been jealous of a young, albeit trendy, girl when Hitsugaya had spent decades working closely with someone so grown up and feminine as Matsumoto?

Karin sighed and kicked off her sheets. If she wasn't going to fall asleep, then she might as well go downstairs and confront her stressor head on.

She was dressed in her pajamas – shorts and a tank top. Her hair was piled into a messy knot at the top of her head. She must have looked a mess, but she didn't care. She knew that no matter what she was wearing or how her hair looked, she would never compete with Matsumoto.

She exited her bedroom and met an exhausted Kon in the hallway.

"Hey," he whispered. "You alright?"

"Yeah," Karin replied quickly. "Yeah, I'm just getting a drink of water."

Kon stared at her, seeing through her lie. He reached out a hand and patted her shoulder affectionately.

"Try to keep the noise down," he said. "Matsumoto is asleep. G'night, Karin."

"Night, Kon."

Karin lingered in the hallway as Kon opened his bedroom door and entered. She took a quick glance into his bedroom to see if Hitsugaya was staying the night there, but the room was empty. When Kon closed the door, she continued her descent down the stairs.

A single lamp was on in the clinic, and Hitsugaya sat in a chair beside the bed that held his sleeping vice captain. He glanced up when Karin approached.

"Hi," he whispered. He stood from his chair and took a couple of steps towards her.

"Hi," Karin whispered back. She gestured at Matsumoto. "How is she?"

"Good. Your father says that she should heal quickly now."

Karin nodded absentmindedly. Her thoughts were confusing. Why was she down here in her pajamas? Why was she talking to the one guy she swore never to speak to again?

Hitsugaya cleared his throat. "I should probably apologize for not calling or writing over the past three years. I thought you were turning me human but…" he gestured to his black hair, "…turns out it wasn't you. Just being cut off from Soul Society was turning me human."

Karin felt as if she had been stabbed. His words '…it wasn't you…' repeated over and over in her mind. She shook her head to clear it.

"So you're human now?" she asked.

"Almost, but not quite," he answered. "I still have some spirit pressure and…it's weird, but just being around Matsumoto seems to be strengthening it." He shook his head. "I don't know, maybe I'm just imagining it."

"So you're not human?"

"Nope." He took several steps forward, grabbed her hand and held it over the center of his chest. The muscle that was hinted at three years ago had fully developed, and Karin found herself blushing and wanting to pull her hand away from his chest, but he held it firmly in place. After about thirty seconds, she felt a single heartbeat. Hitsugaya smirked and dropped her hand. "See? Almost human, but mostly still dead."

Karin found herself laughing nervously as she rubbed her hand on her pajama shorts, as if she was trying to rub the feel of him away.

"Right, well. I better get to bed," she said as she backed out of the clinic. "I have to meet Puta before class tomorrow."

"Puta? You're still hanging around him?"

"Yeah, he's kind of my boyfriend."

The words were out of her before she could stop herself, and she almost regretted them. But when she saw a mixture of shock and pain quickly cross Hitsugaya's features, she felt vindicated.

"Oh, ok," Hitsugaya said, his face returning to a neutral expression. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she replied as she turned and headed towards the stairs. She stopped after a few steps and turned back to give Hitsugaya a slight smile. "Welcome back," she whispered before turning and running up the steps.


"No!"

Matsumoto woke with a start and found herself sitting up in an unfamiliar bed. Images of the war flashed in her mind, and it took her every ounce of strength that she possessed to block those images out. In an attempt to forget her nightmare, she concentrated on her surroundings. The room was dark, but she could make out several beds, a sink and numerous medical supplies. She knitted her brow in confusion over her whereabouts until realization dawned on her: She had fallen. She was on Earth now.

"Matsumoto?"

She turned very suddenly to her left. So suddenly that her side erupted in pain. She bit her lip in an attempt to keep from crying out and showing weakness, but a whimper escaped nonetheless. She closed her eyes tightly against the pain and placed one hand on her bandaged and aching side.

"Take it easy, will ya?" the voice said. It was deep and decidedly male. "I'll have to wake Kurosaki-san if you rip your stitches out." She felt her mattress dip as someone sat down next to her on the bed.

She opened her eyes and stared at the figure in front of her. The young man held her stare easily. He wasn't touching her, but he was close enough that she could feel his body heat. A familiar sensation made the hairs on her arms rise. She examined him as much as she could in the dark. He appeared to be in his late teens. Tall, judging by the long legs that hung off of the side of her bed. He was muscular, but not overly so. And his scowl was eerily familiar.

"I'm going to turn the light on," he told her. He leaned forward, his face coming very close to her own as he reached for the lamp on the bedside table. It was then that she felt it: his reiatsu. It was very weak – weaker than she ever thought imaginable for him. But it was there. And there was no mistaking it. The light clicked on and illuminated the face that she was once so familiar with but now barely recognized.

"Taichou?" she breathed.

He gave her a sardonic smile. "I don't get called that very much anymore. But, yeah, it's me."

She stared at him incredulously. Physically he was so much older than she expected, and she felt her lips tug upwards in a satisfied smirk. She had always known that he'd grow up well. Ikkaku owed her money; he had said that Hitsugaya would age into a short, grumpy freak with white hair.

Her smile faltered. His hair was no longer white. It was possible that he dyed it to blend in with the other humans, but then she got a good look at his eyes. Excluding a thin rim of blue, they were a dark brown.

"Your hair," she whispered, bringing her hand to run through the dark locks. His hand caught hers and, to her complete surprise, he lowered their joined hands down to the mattress and didn't let go. While he had always tolerated Matsumoto's penchant for entering his personal space, he had never initiated any kind of affectionate physical contact. It took Matsumoto a few moments to get over the shock and realize that he was talking to her.

"Yeah, it turned black ages ago. I'm almost completely human. Yachiru too. You wouldn't recognize her these days."

"I barely recognize you."

He blushed and quickly released her hand, bringing his own hand to run self consciously through his hair.

"Hey," she said quietly. She grabbed his wrist and forced him to look at her. "You look good, Taichou. Black hair, freaky eyes and all."

He graced her with one of his rare smiles before turning serious.

"You woke up screaming," he stated. He was hedging, she knew, into a conversation about how the fight was going.

"Go ahead and ask, Taichou."

"The war?"

Matsumoto sighed. He had a right to know, even if she didn't want to relive it. "It's difficult to say who's winning at this point. Both sides have taken a hit."

"Anyone I know?"

"A few lower members of the tenth. All the captains and vice captains are alive and mostly well. We've been switching out so that we can have recovery time with the fourth division. Except Zaraki, of course. He's a madman as usual."

"Of course."

"How many years have passed on Earth?" she asked, hoping to change the subject. Judging from his growth spurt, she guessed that he and Yachiru had been on Earth for quite some time.

"Three years," he replied. "Matsumoto?"

"Hmm?"

"When I fell…I remember being knocked out. It had to have been one of our people."

"It was."

She watched as Hitsugaya's face morphed first into shock, then into anger. He stood from her bed and began pacing back and forth, his hands in his hair. "Who? Was it planned?"

"Yamamoto. Yes, it was planned. He knew that we'd be fighting for a very long time, and he liked the idea of having someone in reserve. Someone who could join the fight at full strength when we need it."

"And he chose me and Yachiru. Because we're the youngest?"

"Yes. With Soul Society sealed off, any shinigami would age as a human would. He figured you two would get the most benefit from it. He also figured that neither of you would go willingly, which is why he knocked you out."

"Did he know that we would slowly lose our spirit pressure? How the hell are we supposed to fight now?"

"Oh, Taichou, I thought you would have figured that one out already. Yes, he knew you'd lose your shinigami abilities. And, believe me, it says a lot about you that you didn't lose them completely. As for how you'll fight…that's why I'm here. Just being within close proximity to my reiatsu will strengthen yours and Yachiru's. Hisagi's the next one scheduled to fall if I end up needing help in getting you two into fighting shape."

"…If you need help?"

"It took a long time for you two to lose your abilities…"

Hitsugaya sighed and returned to her bed. Instead of sitting on the edge like he had before, he laid down on his back next to her, his eyes staring blankly up at the ceiling. "So we'll get our abilities back slowly," he finished. He sounded despondent.

Matsumoto rolled onto her side so that she could get a better look at her Taichou.

'Tell him,' Haineko urged.

Matsumoto bristled at the command. She could feel Haineko urging her towards Hitsugaya…urging her to close the distance between herself and Hitsugaya. Urging her to become physical with him in order to bring his reiatsu back faster. The idea of becoming physically intimate with her Taichou was simultaneously intriguing and awkward for Matsumoto.

'Tell him,' Haineko repeated. 'He's old enough to enjoy it now, and if he knows that it'll make him stronger, you know he'd do it.'

'Push all you want, Haineko. Whatever happens between Hitsugaya and myself won't make you any closer to Hyounimaru!' Matsumoto scolded her zanpakou.

'Believe it or not, but Hyounimaru is whispering the same suggestion to Hitsugaya, even though Hitsugaya may not be able to hear him clearly. You know that this is the only way that he can get his spirit pressure back quickly. Time is of the essence here. Besides…look at him! The boy has grown up nicely.'

Matsumoto couldn't argue with her zanpakou there. Three years had passed on Earth, which meant that Hitsugaya was physically around age sixteen, probably pushing seventeen, given the maturity of his bone structure. He still held some vestiges of youth, and Matsumoto knew that he would continue to grow and change in the coming years. Still, he was more of a man now than a boy.

It wasn't as though Matsumoto hadn't thought about it before. Motherhood was something that she didn't get to experience when she was alive, and her only hope of it in Soul Society was if she and Hitsugaya copulated. So sometimes, during lazy afternoons in the office when she was putting off paperwork, she did contemplate about how it would be like once Histugaya had matured physically. They already had friendship, trust and loyalty. Maybe now an attraction would grow as well.

It was something she couldn't fathom back when the top of his head only reached her chest – but now...now that he matched her in height, now that he had filled out, now that his voice was deeper and a light stubble lined his jaw...now Matsumoto could imagine it.

And maybe, just maybe, Hitsugaya could imagine it too.

"There's a way…" she said. She paused, debating whether or not she should tell him. He turned his head to face her, his eyes questioning. "There's a way for you and I to speed up the process," she finished.

"I'm not going to take half of your spirit pressure."

"It's not that." Their arms were next to one another, so close that she could feel his body heat radiating off of him. "It's a loophole. A special perk that comes with our relationship as captain and vice-captain."

"Which is…?"

He turned onto his side, facing her. She didn't answer him; she was too taken aback by how close they were, his face mere inches from hers. She brought her hand to trace the line of his jaw, slightly fascinated at its mature angles and hint of stubble.

If he thought her actions were weird, he didn't show it. He gazed at her for a few moments, his brow knitted as if he were trying to figure out a riddle. Then, very slowly, he lifted his hand and gently tucked a strand of Matsumoto's hair behind her ear. It was the most intimate physical gesture that Hitsugaya had ever done in front of her.

"Tell me, Matsumoto. Please," he whispered. "I need to get my reiatsu back. I feel dead without it."

She had to tell him, yet she couldn't bring herself to tell him. She heard Haineko's voice purring in her ear, urging her to do what she needed to do. And, when Hitsugaya pulled her closer, she knew that Hyounimaru must have been pushing Hitsugaya as well.

She didn't tell him – she didn't say a word – but she had a sinking suspicion that he had a good idea of what it involved. His eyes flicked down to her lips for a brief moment before his gaze caught hers again. She was so close that she could feel his breath against her lips.

Their chests touched. Her leg slowly hitched over his hip. His free hand tangled in her hair, holding the back of her head as he pulled her closer. Her lips parted and his followed suit. Her lower lip gently brushed his, and then she paused.

'This is wrong,' she thought. 'He's my Taichou."

She pulled back slightly, but Hitsugaya followed her. His lips caught hers in a gentle, innocent kiss. He broke it and reclaimed her lips, this time with a little more confidence. His hand left her hair, and his thumb stroked her cheek. His kisses became more fervent. His tongue brushed her lower lip, seeking permission, and, with her resolve quickly dissipating, Matsumoto opened up to him.

'He knows what he's doing,' she thought, having to choke back a giggle. The idea that her Taichou had kissed other girls amused her and also calmed her. If he had done this before, then she at least wasn't forcing him to do something that he wasn't ready for.

He broke their kiss, his lips trailing across her jaw and down to her neck. When his teeth grazed a particularly sensitive area, Matsumoto moaned.

"Taichou," she whispered. She pulled him closer, silently urging him to continue, but hearing his title whispered on her lips seemed to have the opposite effect on Hitsugaya. He pulled back, his eyes wide with alarm, as if he just then realized what they were doing.

Matsumoto felt panic rise in her chest. She did not stay celibate for several decades just to have her Taichou grow up handsomely and give her the best damn kiss of the century and then pull away.

His lips were still slightly parted, and she caught the bottom one in her teeth, giving it a slight tug.

"Stay with me, Toshirou," she whispered.

She held her breath in anticipation. She had never called him by his first name. At least not since he became her captain. She didn't know whether it was out of line. Whether he would scold her or not. However, it seemed to have the opposite, more desirable, effect on him. He moaned, hitched her leg up higher on his waist and rolled her onto her back.

Suddenly, he was on top of her. Kissing her. His hand tangled with hers above her head. Her free hand snaked up his back, and pushed his T-shirt up with it. She loved the feel of his back muscles under her hand, loved the feel of his weight on top of her, loved the feel of his reiatsu strengthening with every kiss. Her own reiatsu was intensifying, and she felt the remainder of her wounds heal from it.

"So this is it?" Hitsugaya asked, a smile tugging at his lips. He broke their kiss and nipped her jaw playfully with his teeth. "We make out and I get my reiatsu back?" He moved his lips down to her neck, and Matsumoto arched into him.

"Kind of," she breathed.

He pulled back abruptly, confusion etched across his face.

"Kind of?" he asked.

"The more intimate we are, the quicker your spirit pressure will return," she explained. She reached up to him, intent on pulling him back down to her to continue their ministrations, but he pulled away and sat up, his legs dangling over the side of the bed.

"So for me to get all of my reiatsu back in one go, we would need to have sex?"

"Yes," she answered. She sat up and gently ran her fingers through his hair. He didn't shrug her away, but she noticed that he couldn't make eye contact with her and that he was blushing.

'Still a virgin then,' Haineko grumbled.

'Shut up,' Matsumoto scolded.

"You'll get your reiatsu back regardless of what we do," Matsumoto explained quietly. "Physical intimacy just speeds up the process. But we don't have to go any further than what's comfortable. Even simple gestures like hugs and hand holding will help. So…we'll do whatever you want, Taichou."

"Toshirou," he corrected.

"What?"

"When we're not at work, you can call me Toshirou."

"Okay, Toshirou." She liked the sound of his name on her lips.

"Listen…it's not that I don't want to," he continued. "I mean, you probably felt how much I want to." He was blushing again, but he was able to look at her while he said it, was even smirking playfully.

Matsumoto felt hope rise in her chest. He wanted to. He may not be ready to, but he wanted to, and maybe in a few years, when the war was over and things were relatively safe again… Matsumoto had to tell herself not to pick out baby names just yet.

"It's okay, Toshirou, I understand," she said. "We'll take it slow. As slow as you want. We'll build our way up to it."

Hitsugaya opened his mouth, looking as though he was about to say something, but Matsumoto cut him off with a kiss. It was innocent, but he reciprocated. She smiled as they pulled away.

"I think I'm going to try to get some sleep now," she told him.

He nodded and stood up from the bed as she got under the covers. To her surprise, he tucked her in. Then, with only a moment's pause, he leaned down and kissed her very quickly on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Rangiku," he told her.

"Goodnight, Toshirou."


Kon was startled awake by a pillow being dropped on his face. He pulled it away and sat up in bed, glaring his best Ichigo glare at the intruder.

"Hitsugaya?" he asked.

"Get up, loser. We're going running."

Kon blinked for a moment and checked his phone for the time. It was 5 AM, and the sun would be rising soon. Kon groaned.

"Hitsu-kun, you know I don't wake up before the sun."

"I know it's just…" Hitsugaya broke off, and Kon scrutinized him. He looked ill at ease, as if something were wrong.

"Hitsugaya…what is it?" Kon asked.

"I need to talk to someone. About something that just happened. I need advice, I guess. But…I can't talk about it here." Hitsugaya's eyes flickered towards the wall that separated Kon's room from the girls' room.

"Okay," Kon agreed. "Okay. Just a second." He sat up in bed and rummaged around on the floor for clothes. He found a pair of track pants and a tank top and put them on. Then he glanced at Hitsugaya who was still wearing jeans and a T-shirt from the day before. "I have more running clothes if you want to change," Kon offered. "We're probably the same size now."

Hitsugaya shook his head. "No, I just need to get out of here."

"Okay." Kon gestured to the door. "Lead the way."

As they left the bedroom and walked down the hallway, Kon pulled out his cell phone and sent a text message to Isshin:

'Going for a run with Hitsugaya. Be back before my first class.'

The two left the house silently and Hitsugaya broke into a run the moment they hit the street. Kon followed him easily but was shocked at how quickly they were running. Judging by Hitsugaya's black hair and brown eyes, he was more human than shinigami, yet he was running at a speed that was close to Shunpo.

"Hitsugaya," Kon said as they ran. "Humans can see us."

Hitsugaya slowed down to an appropriate speed, but they were still going fast. Neither spoke as they ran. Kon started to worry. It was clear that Hitsugaya was using physical exertion to deal with a strong emotion; he was literally running away from something.

The sun was rising as they entered the park and Hitsugaya skidded to a halt. Kon stopped easily next to him and sent his friend a worried stare.

"Do you want to tell me what this is all about?"

Hitsugaya was panting hard. "It's…Matsumoto…and I…" Hitsugaya groaned and hunched over, clutching his stomach.

"Matsumoto?" Kon asked. "Is she alright? Is her fever back?" He grabbed Hitsugaya by the shoulders and forced the fallen shinigami to look at him. "Hitsugaya, is she okay?"

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, she's more than okay."

Kon raised a questioning eyebrow. "Then what's wrong?"

"I kissed her." He said it so quietly that it was almost a whisper.

"You kissed Matsumoto?"

Hitsugaya nodded.

"What? Like, on the cheek? Because I know you two are close, and you've been away for three years, and she's been at war, of course you'd be happy to see her, and it's perfectly acceptable to kiss her on the…"

"It wasn't on the cheek," Hitsugaya said, pushing Kon away. Hitsugaya ran a frustrated hand through his hair then sighed. "We kissed, okay? We did a little more than kiss."

"You and Matsumoto?"

Hitsugaya gave him a sardonic smirk. "No, me and Isshin. Yes, me and Matsumoto!"

Kon couldn't help but grin widely. "Okay, man, I know you're going through some emotional shit here, and I need to be supportive, but before we get to that I just have to…" Kon held out his fist for a congratulatory fist bump. Hitsugaya stared at his fist for a second before grudgingly bringing his own fist forward.

"Okay," Kon continued. "I just have to ask…how was it?"

Hitsugaya looked annoyed, as if he didn't want to talk about it, but he ended up nodding his head. "It was good," he conceded. "More than good." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. "The thing is, I never thought of Matsumoto as a love interest."

"Naw," Kon replied in disbelief. "Were you blind as a prepubescent?"

"No. Logically I knew she was beautiful, it's just… She was my friend and my vice captain. She was great at combat. Shit at paperwork. She was kind and loyal and funny and a little bit irritating. But I never thought of her as anything other than that."

"And now?" Kon asked.

Hitsugaya shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know how it happened. One minute we were talking. The next we were lying next to each other. And then…we were kissing. And…I initiated it."

"And she reciprocated?"

"Yeah."

"And you both enjoyed it?"

"I guess so."

"So what's the problem?"

"We work together, Kon!"

"Oh…right."

"Of course our bosses would probably throw us a party if they knew we hooked up."

"What?"

"See, that's what makes this even more complicated. The noble families are dying out and the only way to start a new line is if a male captain and female vice captain have a child. So most of Soul Society is hoping for Matsumoto and I to become a couple. Isshin has money riding on it."

"He would."

"And…"

"There's more?"

"Yeah. Matsumoto told me last night that…if she and I become intimate…I'll get my full reiatsu back."

"So let me get this straight," Kon said. "You have a beautiful and intelligent woman who cares for you and respects you and apparently wants to sleep with you. You enjoy her company and find her attractive and you initiated a physical relationship with her…one which she reciprocated. And everyone you know is hoping the two of you get together. And if you do get together, you'll get your reiatsu back?."

"Pretty much, yeah."

Kon shook his head. "So what's holding you back?"

Hitsugaya blushed and averted his eyes. Kon felt his stomach twist uncomfortably.

"Karin," Kon said.

Hitsugaya's eyes widened in alarm.

"I'm not as stupid as most people think I am," Kon explained. "I knew about the two of you. I know you left because of her."

"I broke her heart, didn't I?"

Kon nodded. "And you'll break it again if you try anything with her."

Hitsugaya winced.

"Look, Hitsugaya, you and I are friends and whatever you decide with the Matsumoto situation, I've got your back. But stay away from Karin. I mean it. I don't care how you feel or how she feels. Unless you're planning on becoming fully human and staying on Earth with her, then I want you stay the hell away from her. Her life is going to be fucked up enough as it is once Ichigo returns home."

"What do you mean her life will be fucked up?"

Kon rolled his eyes as if he thought the answer should be obvious. "She's a teenage girl who has a crush on a shinigami and has grown to love me as her brother. But the thing is, she's alive, you're dead, and I'm a stuffed animal. When Ichigo comes home, she's going to lose both of us. And it was hard enough for her to lose you the first time."

Hitsugaya nodded. "I understand. Yeah…I'll…I'll stay away from her. We'll just be friends. Casual acquaintances. Whatever. Besides, she's dating Puta now, so…"

Kon nodded. "Right. Puta." He hadn't known that his adopted sister was actually dating the boy; he had his suspicions, but didn't know that they actually were a couple. If he had heard this news the day previously, he would have been upset. Now Kon was just relieved. At least Puta was alive.

"So what should I do about Matsumoto?" Hitsugaya asked.

Kon shrugged. "You know me. My advice is to tap that ass."

Hitsugaya rolled his eyes.

"But, seriously," Kon continued. "Just do whatever feels natural. The two of you have been separated for three years. A lot has happened to the both of you during that time. Your relationship isn't the same as it was back then. Just take it slow and see where it leads."

Hitsugaya nodded. "Yeah. I guess I can do that."

Kon punched his shoulder affectionately. "Come on. I'll race you back."