I don't own Bleach, neither the anime nor the manga nor the game nor the hair product!!!

Yo!! I'm emichii!! Welcome to chapter 10 of I'm a Soul Reaper, but I Love You!!!

We're in two digit numbers now!! Hurray!!!

Arigato gozaimasu for the awesome reviews!! Hope you like the tenth chappie!!

Read and review!!

"Ready?"

Hitsugaya gazed at Karin with his serious expression on his face. Karin tried to look calm but actually she was anything but calm. She met his stare as firmly as possible.

"RUN!!!" Hitsugaya yelled.

Chapter 10: The many Troubles of the Soul Society

Kenpachi and Yachiru watched in surprise and fascination as the tenth division captain and his friend bolted off.

"…Kenny?" Yachiru wondered, "Why are Snowy and his friend running away?"

Hitsugaya and Karin ran as fast as their legs could possible go. They ran without stopping and without looking back.

There was absolutely no way, Hitsugaya decided, that he was ever gonna let Karin fight Kenpachi. Especially since Karin had no sword. And if Kenpachi were to find out any more details about Karin not having a zanpakuto, Soul Society would definitely be suspecting Karin of being a fake shinigami.

"Aww…" Yachiru pouted. "I wanted to see you fight, Kenny!!"

Kenpachi focused his view on the two disappearing figures in the distance. His mouth stretched wide in a small smirk. "Hold on, Yachiru… We ain't letting them get away without a fight!!!"

Kenpachi, with Yachiru riding on his back, quickly gave chase to Hitsugaya and Karin. He was waving his old sword and shouting: "STOP RUNNING!!! COME BACK AND FIGHT ME!!!"

Hitsugaya threw a glance over his shoulder. The Eleventh Company captains were right behind them.

"…don't look now, but he seems to be catching up to us," Hitsugaya said. His voice wasn't any more panicked or stressed.

Karin frowned. "Thanks for telling me, but I don't think that helps."

Karin was troubled. Dammit. This would all be so much easier if her zanpakuto wasn't invisible half the time. She didn't understand why it wouldn't stay with her.

I don't get it, Hoshi Matsuri!! You're my zanpakuto, so you're part of me, right? Why won't you stay by my side?

Karin kept running, but she was getting quite exhausted. Hmm… she must be getting out of shape. When was the last time she played a good game of soccer?

Not only was she tired, she was troubled and bothered. She was worried of how she was going to get Hitsugaya in trouble and she was distressed at how she couldn't use her zanpakuto when she wanted. And in addition to all that, spiritual energy was leaking out furiously.

"FIGHT ME, DAMMIT!!!" Kenpachi yelled out. "ARGH!! You're just like Ichigo!!! Always running away!!"

Hitsugaya sweat-dropped. Like Ichigo?? Well, whatever would make you say that?

Unbeknown to all of the running maniacs, a small crack in the sky was opening up.

It was the huge amount of Karin's wavering spirit energy exploding that had drawn the Hollows into Soul Society.

Karin's spiritual pressure was soaring skyward, because of her panic and frustration. Kenpachi's overwhelming pressure was also weighing down on her, making her own pressure even more unstable than usual.

Hitsugaya suddenly realized how intense the spirit energy around him was. Almost immediately after he noticed this, he heard a bloodcurdling howl.

…crap!! Hitsugaya stopped abruptly. He turned his snowy-haired head upwards at the sky.

"What's up, Toushirou??" Karin asked, slowing down to a halt beside him, a big frown on her face.

She didn't need an answer as she heard Yachiru cry out: "KYAAHH!! Kenny, look at all the Hollows!!"

Karin took in the scene behind her. There was a crack in the sky, and Hollows were spilling out from it. Hollows were drifting down from the air, and the ground was also covered by them.

Karin felt her blood freeze. She heard a loud and chilling cry from one of the Hollows. And then all of the hundreds of Hollows attacked.

Hitsugaya yanked out his sword. He knew he would have to release his zanpakuto to defeat so many of them. The captain shouted out, "Reign over the frosted heavens, HYOURINMARU!!!"

Karin watched in amazement as ice taichou's zanpakuto appeared. The ultimate water-ice dragon zanpakuto emerged.

The Hollows started streaming towards Hitsugaya, but he swung his blade and sent ice flying towards the foe. The amount of Hollows didn't seem to decrease.

Hitsugaya threw Karin a meaningful glance. Stay out of trouble, and don't let yourself get harmed.

The Tenth Company Captain bounded out into the crowd of Hollows.

Kenpachi and Yachiru looked around them at all of the Hollows.

"Hmm… a killing spree, huh?" Kenpachi said thoughtfully. "Why not?"

The eleventh captain gripped his sword and scanned the view. He turned his head to Yachiru. "I'm not asking for help or anything, but go out there and beat up a couple of them, Yachiru!!"

"No problem, Kenny!!" Yachiru bounced off Kenpachi's shoulder and just about vanished among the huge Hollows.

Karin stared at it all.

The hundreds of Hollows… so many of them in their white masks, all trying to get to the core of the tasty spirit energy. They looked fearsome, and every one of them so different from the others.

There was so much. They flooded into the area. Hundreds of Hollows crowded into a small space, unable to get any further into Soul Society, because Hitsugaya, Kenpachi and Yachiru were defiantly stopping them in their tracks.

Karin watched as jets of ice blasted through a line of the Hollows. Hitsugaya swung his blade and sliced through the mask of yet another Hollow.

Kenpachi battled his way into the mass of Hollows. Bits of Hollow, and blood-like substances burst out into the air as he fought like a beast. It was quite a gruesome sight, considering he was slaying the Hollows so fast, they barely had time to disperse into the air without any more Hollow pieces blowing up. And all through it, Kenpachi never stopped smiling.

You couldn't really see Yachiru using her blade. She could hardly be seen at all. But hidden in the multitude of Hollows, she was there doing her part. Every now and then you saw a Hollow blow up into the air and you couldn't see how it was being killed. It was all Yachiru's doing.

The Hollows were diminishing, but it was still going to take a while to finish them all off.

Karin wished sincerely she could help. After all, this was partly her fault.

Karin scowled furiously. Why couldn't she help?? She wanted to be able to do something!!

She wanted her zanpakuto so badly. Hoshi Matsuri, why won't you come??

There was no answer.

Hoshi Matsuri!!! She was practically whining now.

She thought she felt its presence. She wasn't sure but she sensed something that reminded her of the strange spirit-like presence. Karin frowned.

Are you there?

Yes, I'm here.

I need you right now!! I want to help but I can't without you!! Hoshi Matsuri, I don't know why you won't stay in a sword-form and why you vanished after I encountered you, but… you're my zanpakuto and you're meant to be part of my spirit, so… please… won't you help me again??

There seemed to be a silence. Hoshi Matsuri's almost inaudible voice wasn't heard. It didn't give a voiced answer. Instead, it answered by appearing in Karin's hands.

The now-familiar wisps of misty-smoke billowed around her, and with a flash, particles seem to come together and Hoshi Matsuri formed.

Karin gazed down at her large, but not ridiculously-large-like-Ichigo's sword. She had a determined look on her face. Her grip tightened on the sword hilt.

She didn't know why, but when she had Hoshi Matsuri with her, her spirit seemed more complete some how. Maybe it was because since her last encounter with the zanpakuto, it had left her almost immediately after.

The Hollows around her stared at her with their hollow and empty eyes. Karin couldn't help feeling a bit of fear return again. She didn't want to be afraid, but the strange feeling of fear kept returning whenever she saw Hollows. Karin scowled angrily.

NO!! Dammit!! I don't wanna be scared!! Karin raised her zanpakuto towards the Hollow in front of her. I don't run!! I'm not going to run away from anything!! Fury rose up in her, and spirit energy started to gather in her sword. The spiritual pressure around her grew and grew to an enormous level.

"Karin??" Hitsugaya slashed through the Hollow he had been fighting and urgently looked over at the girl. He stared, his eyebrows deeply creased with worry. He couldn't see Karin's face, just her figure standing from afar. Flashes of light were streaming in towards her, coming together at her… zanpakuto?

Hitsugaya's eyes were wide open. Her zanpakuto appeared again!!

Instantly, spirit energy around him was hitting the sky and he could feel the pressure tremble violently. An incredibly loud noise just about blasted his eardrums. It sounded like something burning and falling at incredible speed.

"Karin!!" He yelled out. Dammit. What was that girl doing?? Hitsugaya struggled to make his way towards Karin. He frowned as he watched her.

Did she even know what she was doing? She was… pouring all of her emotions and frustration into her zanpakuto. Gathering hidden feelings and fears and pushing them all together. Binding it together with spirit energy and using it as a weapon.

Hitsugaya was astounded. Karin… just how much pain and turmoil have you been hiding? She… really is using an attack from her zanpakuto. Is this one of her zanpakuto's specialized abilities?

Suddenly, the noise stopped. And the sky turned a dark, deep blue. All of the soul reapers in the Seireitei were stunned. They looked up at the sky in wonder. Before, they had felt such mind-blowing spiritual pressure. And then they had heard deafening noise. And then suddenly, the whole Seireitei was silent; and the sky had changed colour.

Hitsugaya looked up at the sky.

The silence was cut when he heard the sound of stars falling. Staring into the deep blue sky in amazement, he watched as bright stars burning in flames came crashing down into the Seireitei. There were beams of flashing light and the sounds of explosions as the stars crashed down.

The Hollows gave roars of pain and anguish as they were enveloped by bright light, and blown up.

And then, just as suddenly as it had started, it all ended.

The sky returned to normal, and there were no more Hollows invading Soul Society. The whole of the Seireitei was as quiet as it had been before.

Kenpachi let out a slow withdrawn sigh. His assistant captain quickly rushed to his side.

"So…" Kenpachi said, "That is the new soul reaper's zanpakuto. And that was its ability…"

Yachiru sheathed her little sword. "It really wiped out the Hollows fast."

…thankyou… Karin felt exhausted. Her grip on her sword loosened and she lowered it down towards the ground.

She felt Hoshi Matsuri's presence still there. Karin could only just see the image of her zanpakuto. A floating spirit-like girl. The image was fuzzy and unclear and Hoshi Matsuri's face couldn't be seen.

Hoshi Matsuri, won't you please stay with me? Don't… disappear again.

Hoshi Matsuri shook her head slowly. I'm sorry.

What?? You're my zanpakuto?? Why can't you stay??

…I can try to explain but… you won't understand right now. Karin, you acknowledge that I'm your zanpakuto and that I'm part of your spirit. But… there are so many other things that are part of you that you won't accept… I'm sorry but I can't stay because there are significant things you have to face…

What the heck are you going on about??

…I'm sorry.

Karin struggled to hold on to her zanpakuto but it was useless. She couldn't help the distress and sadness she felt as she watched the zanpakuto dispersing into nothingness in her hands.

"Karin, are you okay??" Hitsugaya was asking, full of concern. He ran up to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder, frowning hard.

She felt his touch on her shoulder and she shivered. She looked away from him and answered, "Yeah."

"Your zanpakuto… disappeared again?" was all he needed to say. He already understood.

Karin simply nodded.

Hitsugaya said nothing more. He replaced his sword in his sheath and gave Karin a little nudge. The tenth captain walked off, and Karin followed behind him.

It was time to return to the place she would have to call home for now.

"Oh, Karin…" Hitsugaya spoke up on their quiet walk back to Tenth Company headquarters. The snowy-haired captain looked at Karin with his normally serious gaze. However, his voice was a little softer and slightly affectionate. It was the kind of voice he only used around Karin, because she was… the closest friend he had right now and for some reason, he could always be himself with her.

"Yeah?" Karin glanced at Hitsugaya.

Hitsugaya gave a little sigh. "…you wanted to know about her… Hinamori Momo is the assistant and acting captain of Fifth Company. She is… my childhood friend and…" he trailed off, looking awkward and unable to continue.

"…" Karin stared at Hitsugaya for a moment, her gaze hard. "…and the girl you're in love with, right, Toushirou?"

Hitsugaya promptly froze and his normally pale face started to turn red. "WHAT??" he cried.

Karin's expression was serious for a split second. And then, she cracked a bright typical Karin-like smile. "You're a cinch to read, Toushirou!!" she grinned.

"WHAT??" Hitsugaya felt his normally calm composure drift away. "Karin!!" He cried out.

Karin just smiled. "It's pretty obvious, you know."

And although, Karin kept her cheerful grin on her face, she felt a slightly familiar feeling of pain inside. And Karin couldn't see it, but behind her, and watching every thing was Hoshi Matsuri.

And Hoshi Matsuri had the most miserable and sad expression on her face.

…You'll understand soon, Karin…

Well… sigh… that was chapter 10. Damn, it took a lot out of me.

First of all, I'd like to say, although many of you took your first glance at this fic and decided it was a light-hearted humorous romance; it actually probably won't be like that for the whole thing. You see, although I have a couple of romance/humour fics, a lot of them have seriousness that weaves itself into the story. Because, I guess that's how I make it work. And also, I don't just write these more light-hearted ones. People say I'm more suited to a darker type of story. That's why I also write angst/romance, with a whole lot of angst, tears, love and bloodshed.

Eh heh!! I guess I've been going a little crazy lately. Compared to my other work in progress, The Love, Pain and Tears of Uchiha Sasuke, this fic I'm a Soul Reaper, but I Love you, doesn't have nearly enough blood. But that's just me. I'm getting all confused. Anyway, I guess it was a pretty serious chapter for all you light-hearted happy chappies, huh?? Tell ya the truth, I'm actually a happy chappie too, I'm just writing too much angst I guess!!

But not to worry!! Next chappie will be all happy and funny and light-hearted with humour again!! Hurray!!

Well that was chapter 10. Hoped you liked!! Read and review!!