Hey guys! Sorry about how long it took me to update this, especially after half of you asked me to update soon. ^^; I was busy writing an annoyingly important English essay (the course I do next year depends on it DX) and I was also kinda too scared to write for a couple of nights because of the riots taking place in the UK. I live 15/20 minutes away from the centre of Birmingham, and my grandparents live about 30 minutes away from Croydon, so yeah, I wasn't really in the mood to write for a little while. (Actually I was hudled up in my locked house while on the phone to friends and family while watching the news. What a fun couple of nights that was...)
But anyway, as always thank you so much for all of the alerts and favourites and even more thank yous to those of you who reviewed! I's also like to highly recommend a song for you guys to listen to. It's such a beautiful song, and I ended up crying the first time I listened to it, and after I read the translation I cry almost every time I listen to it now. It fits so well with this story, it actually kinda inspired parts of this chapter. It's called Implode by BoA (who's a fucking legend, I'd recommend listening to her even if it had nothing to do with this chapter XD) You can easily find an english subbed version of the song on YouTube and like I said, I really recommend it. I hope you enjoy this chapter! ^^
Review Replies:
Cittyno2: I know, I feel like a horrible person. XD I just continously torture all of the characters. XD I hope you like this chapter though ^^
Bleached-Whale: Oh lord, every review you send me makes me want to dance I swear XD You're so sweet XD Yeah, I was really worried about the pace, looking back at it I can see what you mean. But hey, things to learn from! ^^ Good point, to be honest I'm not even sure about that, the manga/anime doens't make it very clear either. I mean in the anime (not sure in the manga to be honest) they've used digital cameras, but maybe they can use them because I would've thought they'd be made out of soul particles (like everything else) while in the Living World that's not the case. I wonder if souls can use stuff or not...logically they wouldn't (in which case I'll try not to make that mistake again) but I don't know XD It's never really been clarified...I think. XD That shinigami annoyed the hell out me too, but I had to write him XD There's probably going to be a lot of angsty Ichigo in the next chapter, that could be interesting to write XD I know! They just kinda stand there in the background doing absolutely nothing. Hollows are creatures with no heart...they would not give a fuck, they'd just wanna eat. XD Indeed, there's some sort of strange silver lining here. XD Wow...I don't know whether to feel guilty or impressed with my writing. If it's any consolation, I teared up a bit as I was writing it, and I managed to cry twice while writing this one (although the music I was playing wasn't helping.) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Holy- I'm inspiring people...THAT IS AWESOME. I feel so proud. ='D I shall make sure to read it when you get round to it, and you're dedicating it to me...I may cry again. ='D You're so wonderful, seriously. (And about the procrastination, I'm awful too XD I've had an Ulquihime idea in my head for the past month now and it's still no where being written. XD)
1BleachFan: I know, I feel evil XD Like I said with Bleached-Whale, I'm not sure whether to feel guilty or proud. XD Yeah, I've decided to bump it up to an M, it's gotten a lot more serious than I had orginally planned to be honest. That shinigami was indeed annoying as hell XD Argh, I can't say anything about Aizen due to spoilers, sorry XD Except you know, he does indeed need to die. XD I'm so glad you enjoy this story so much, it makes me feel super happy XD Indeed, I love it when that happens! (Oh god Moustache man? I laughed.) I hope you like this chapter as much as the others! ^^
Every shadow has its twin: I know it's an awful thing to happen, I actually cried while writing it XD I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^
Bara-san: Indeed...nothing ever goes nice and happy does it? XD Please do, I hated writing that damn character, what an ass. XD I hope you like this chapter ^^
windkikyo: XD I'm glad you like it despite the sadness XD Please, enjoy this one too ^^
Twistedkorn: I'm glad you do! I hope you like this chapter too. ^^
BaS23: Don't worry about it! As long as you're reading and enjoying the story =P I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you like this one! ^^
Due to the space the replies take up do you think I should stop writing the replies here? I'll still answer your reviews, just privately instead. Let me know what you think, or if you'd rather I answer your review privately regardless just let me know ^^
Chapter 10: Pull the Trigger
Tōshirō could not believe how much of a pain Karin was. Ichigo was right, she could kick his ass. Which he supposed was a good thing because it means she was less likely to get hurt, but damn what an advantage it gave her. How an earth was he supposed to get her to the fourth squad? He wanted to keep her safe. Tōshirō had no idea how they had managed it, but they had moved away from the 72nd district to the 70th in the space of a morning. Karin was running out of energy though, and Tōshirō knew she had to stop running away soon. She still had it in her head that Tōshirō was going to hurt her, and if he was honest, the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't blame her. His story would sound odd to anyone...
Karin turned round to see if Tōshirō was still chasing her. 'Damn bastard just won't give up! Why! I'm nothing special...' She took a turn and slipped into a busy market making Tōshirō want to scream in frustration. Normally it wouldn't take 10 seconds for a captain level shinigami to catch up with a human, but Karin happened to be a rather fast and cunning human, and whenever Tōshirō got close she managed to sneak away and increase the distance between them. It would incredibly hard to distinguish ANYONE in the huge crowd of shoppers, let alone someone as sly as Karin. After spending a good 5 minutes in the market Tōshirō had lost Karin again. He looked round in all directions trying to find her. He could sense her reiatsu, but to single it out from hundreds of peoples took concentration, which was hard in such a noisy place. Nevertheless he tried and to his surprise figured out that she was somewhere above him. Tōshirō looked out of the corner of his eye, in the direction he suspected her to be. Karin was on the roof of a building, about two storeys high, crouching down. Tōshirō's eyes narrowed as he noticed Karin's scared expression and her heavy breathing (although he wasn't sure if that was from all the running or not.) He shunpoed his way to the roof and stood behind her. She didn't notice him. Tentatively, he took a step forward and softly spoke to her."Karin?" Karin still didn't look at him. After Tōshirō got closer to her he noticed that she wasn't taking her eyes off the edge of the building.
"Are you...scared?" The accusation made her snap back to her senses. She stood up and turned to him.
"I'm not scared!" Tōshirō raised his eyebrow.
"Really? Is that why you've spent the past 3 hours running away from me and then freeze at the sight of the edge of a building?"
"Anyone would run away from you. And I did not 'freeze' at the sight of the edge of the building." Tōshirō glared at her. Quite frankly he felt sick after all of the running and now all of sudden she happily started talking to him again. All week he had been feeling like he was breaking down and it annoyed the hell out of him. He was going to make sure she was safe, one way or another.
"Bullshit. You did. I don't see why you're denying it, it makes perfect sense afterall. The reason you died is because you got flung off the edge of a bloody building." Karin's eyes widened in shock.
"How did you know that?" Tōshirō roughly ran his hands through his hair in irritation.
"Oh for the love of! You're not stupid Karin! I know that because of the reasons I've been telling you the ENTIRE time. I knew you before you died! I've known you since you were ten! We played football together! After that we kept bumping into each other for years whenever I went to the Living World, until finally you moved here in Rukongai for your safety until that damned bastard Aizen decided to start fucking with your head. So we left here to live in the Living World together. And then everything went wrong! I had to go back, but you had to stay there. We had to be separated. You fucking PROMISED me that you wouldn't lose your memories. That you wouldn't forget the stuff we did together. That you wouldn't forget me! And of course hollows and an annoying bitch of a shinigami decided to get in the way of that too! Just because you can't remember doesn't mean I can't! I will always remember the times when we played football together, I will always remember the day you moved here, I will always remember the day we moved into an apartment together, I will always remember the night we first kissed and I will always, ALWAYS remember the day you died. So don't you fucking dare run away again. It's bad enough that you don't remember me, that you'll never remember me, but don't you dare put yourself in danger. I want you to come with me for a reason! So you actually have a chance of coming out of this battle with your mind intact! It's bad enough that you don't remember me, but please Karin, don't make me lose you forever."
Tōshirō had no idea when he had started crying, but he had. He swore under his breath and dried his eyes quickly. He was surprised with himself, he hadn't lost control like that for decades, and he didn't think he had ever sworn so much in a short space of time. He looked at Karin and saw her smiling sadly at him, and for the first time since she had died, she didn't look scared of him. "...Wow." Karin was staring at him with the same fascination a young child would have when meeting someone new. After a few seconds her expression changed, and she looked close to tears as well. "You must...really care about me..." Tōshirō nodded, slightly embarrassed. "...I wish...I really, really wish that I could remember all that." Tōshirō finished drying his eyes.
"There's no way you will." Karin frowned and her tears threatened to fall.
"Really?"
"Yeah...Well, there have been accounts of people having flashbacks from their previous life but they're so rare." Karin looked down at the ground in despair and embarrassment. She had just been running away for hours from the guy who was trying to protect her. Actually...it sounded like he loved her, but she couldn't be sure. He was actually telling her the truth. After finding out how much he cared about her made her want to remember everything. She was pulled back from her thoughts by Tōshirō speaking again. "Well, you're actually speaking to me without threatening me, I suppose that's progress..." Karin sighed and rolled her eyes.
"Is that your attempt to lighten the mood?"
"...Maybe." Karin couldn't stop herself from smiling. Tōshirō had honestly never wanted to kiss her so badly, to hold her, anything.
"So...can I get you to come with me?" Karin took a deep breath.
"Go where though?"
"Seireiti. The fourth division." Karin looked a little uneasy.
"I dunno. I think it's obvious that you're not gonna hurt me or anything, but other shinigami? That's a whole different thing."
"Why? Shinigami are just shinigami..."
"You guys have a bad reputation around here."
"Really...I had no idea." Karin nodded.
"We're not all bad." Karin smiled weakly and waited for Tōshirō to continue.
"Come with me?" Karin looked away awkwardly.
"Please?" Karin hid the smile on her face with her hand which caused Tōshirō to smile too. "I promise that you'll be safe. I'll stay with your 24/7 if you want me too."
"You'd really stay with me the entire time? But you're a captain...don't you have tons of work to do? Can you even make that promise?" Tōshirō shrugged.
"I'll make it so I can make that promise. I can just get people to deliver my paperwork and stuff directly to me instead of my office." Karin sighed in thought.
"Don't you still have to train?"
"The fourth squad have a training ground. I'm sure I'll be able to use it. I'll still be near." Karin sighed angrily. "What?"
"Nothing, it's just...there must be something wrong with me." Tōshirō raised his eyebrow and waited for her to continue. "I shouldn't be finding it this easy to trust you." Tōshirō looked at her hopefully.
"Does that mean?" Karin paused for a moment before nodding.
"I'll come with you." Tōshirō smiled, which caused Karin to smile too, but she looked away in embarrassment. "So how do we get there?"
XxXxXxXxXxX
After informing Rangiku of the situation, Tōshirō didn't waste any time and the two of them were in the fourth squad as soon as possible. Not knowing where to go exactly Tōshirō decided to visit Unohana's office in the hope that she would be there at this time. Tōshirō knocked on the door and waited for an answer. When there was no answer he knocked again, louder. Once again no answer. Tōshirō sighed and leaned against the office door. "What's up?"
"I know we're supposed to be in the fourth squad, which is here, but I don't know where exactly." Karin nodded.
"Oh." Tōshirō started to walk down the corridors of the fourth squad, with Karin following him, to try and find a captain or even a vice captain. After god knows how long Ukitake had found the two and called out to them, causing them to turn round. Before approaching Ukitake, Karin whispered in Tōshirō's ear.
"Just how many people know who I am?" Tōshirō waved his hand dismissively, planning on answering that later.
"Captain Ukitake. Would you happen to know where we're supposed to be?" Ukitake smiled warmly at the two teenagers.
"I'll lead you to the place!"
"Are you up for that Captain Ukitake?"
"Oh don't worry Captain Hitsugaya! Today is one of my rather good days. I've been up and about all day! It makes a nice change." Tōshirō offered the older man a smile and nodded, which Ukitake saw as a sign to continue walking. Eventually the trio had reached a fairly small ward, it looked like it could only contain 2 or 3 people comfortably at a time. After taking a quick look around Tōshirō turned to Ukitake.
"Isn't this your ward? The ward you go to if you happen to be particularly struggling?" Ukitake nodded gently.
"Yes, I offered it for Karin's use. To be honest the room's main purpose is to relax the patient, it's got a less of a hospital feel to it. I believe it would be more use to Karin for the next few weeks and months than it would me, although saying that I doubt Karin would mind much if I did have to use the room. After all, we are well acquainted, and I imagine she's used to patients being around, she was a nurse!"
"Was I?" Ukitake turned to Karin in slight confusion.
"You don't remember?" Karin shook her slightly hanging head. The more time she spent here the worse she felt. She kept meeting people that seemed so nice, and so trustworthy and she had no idea who they were, despite how close they could've been. It was all rather depressing. Ukitake nodded once slowly, smiled again and spoke cheerfully. "Well Karin, why don't you explore the ward while Captain Hitsugaya and I have a quick word!" Karin nodded and walked into the first of the rooms while Ukitake gently gestured Tōshirō to come with him round the corner to talk.
"Has she forgotten? Has she lost her memories? Completely?" Tōshirō nodded.
"Unfortunately."
"How did you even get her here then? She seems to trust you already." Tōshirō shrugged, which worried Ukitake.
"Does it matter? My job was to get her here, and she's here safe and sound." Ukitake's worry had started to show on his face.
"Captain Hitsugaya? Are you ok? I know you two were close."
"Fine." Ukitake couldn't help but notice that Tōshirō had looked away from his face when he had replied. He nodded before speaking.
"Ok. But Captain Hitsugaya, please remember, you know where to find me if you wish to talk." Tōshirō nodded, still looking away from the older shinigami. Just before Ukitake was about to leave the corridor Tōshirō shouted to him.
"Captain Ukitake."
"Yes?"
"...Thank you." Ukitake smiled sadly and left the two teenagers in the ward alone.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Later on Renji had come to talk with Tōshirō, Suì-Fēng was too busy. He briefly explained the situation, and apparently while Tōshirō had been looking for Karin it had been decided that she would be safer in the fourth squad because they could keep a closer eye on her and any changes that may occur. Despite the fact that Renji had been addressing both Karin and Tōshirō, she had managed to nod off in the middle of the conversation, well and truly tired from the events that had taken place earlier that day. After Renji had left Tōshirō picked up Karin from the seat she was sleeping in and gently put her down on the nearest bed, making sure she was comfortable. Tōshirō found himself staring at the sleeping girl. When she was like this, he could almost pretend that she hadn't forgot her memories, that she would wake and remember everything again. While he knew that would never happen, he couldn't deny the fact that deep down, even though it was childish, he was hoping for that to happen. Tōshirō sighed heavily and sat down in the chair Karin had fallen asleep in earlier. He too was exhausted. But he wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep. Now that he had no distractions or other jobs his thoughts could take over. Unfortunately the second that he had stopped ignoring his thoughts he felt like he wanted to cry again.
He knew that he cared a lot for Karin, that was obvious to anyone, even her apparently, even though she couldn't remember anything. He liked her a lot, but he never really took it further than that. The phrase 'You don't know what you have until you lose it' kept replaying in his head. It was way too relevant for his liking. Tōshirō was no expert, he barely had any experience when it came to relationships. But the way his heart beat had sped up when he saw her again, how nervous he felt around her all of a sudden...he almost didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't see anyway of escaping it. He had fallen in love with Karin. He had no idea when he had. But after he realised that she had lost her memories he knew. He finally realised that he was in love with her, after she lost her memories. Why couldn't he have figured it out before! He couldn't possibly say it now, it would scare Karin off. He remembered that at one point he had thought about the possibility. That night the simple word 'love' scared him so much. Why? Why was it so hard to say, even think about back then? It was all he wanted to tell her now, despite how nerve racking it was. Tōshirō wanted to let her know. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he never wanted to leave her,but he missed his chance. Who could tell if they were ever going to get that close again?
Tōshirō was far from stupid. He had to consider the possibility of Karin finding someone else. There was no guarantee that the two would become as close as they were. It hurt, to think about it, but he had to prepare himself for it. If Karin were to fall in love with someone else who the hell was he to stop her? That would be incredibly selfish, and she simply wouldn't be happy. A single tear rolled down Tōshirō's cheek as he looked at Karin again. At this point, the chance of getting really close again was just as likely as the chance of the two spreading apart. The mere thoughts killed him, but there was no way he could possibly live with himself if he stopped her from being happy. He knew that her memories were in there somewhere, but it looked likely that he had lost 'his' Karin.
XxXxXxXxXxX
The following morning Tōshirō was woken up by Karin. He looked at Karin briefly who had smiled at him before checking the surroundings and realising that he had managed to fall asleep in the chair. He bent his neck side-to-side which proved to be very painful, he had been stuck in an awkward position for too long. "You're neck ok?"
"It'll be fine." Karin nodded.
"A captain is waiting in her office to talk to you by the way."
"Captain Unohana?" Karin shrugged.
"I dunno, maybe. Sounds familiar. Whoever it was was the captain of this squad." Tōshirō nodded slightly, not being able to move his neck round too much.
"Yeah, that's Captain Unohana. I should go see her now then, you going to be alright on your own?" Karin nodded.
"Shinigami aren't as bad as I thought they were." Tōshirō gave her a small smile before leaving the ward.
Tōshirō knocked on Unohana's door and waited to be invited in. Unohana smiled kindly at him when he entered the room and gestured for him to sit down.
"What is this about Captain Unohana?"
"Karin Kurosaki. Captain Hitsugaya, has she completely lost her memories?"
"Seems that way. She can remember how she died, but I do not know if that is common or not."
"Hmm...it's not common or uncommon. Some people remember their deaths, some don't. Now Captain Hitsugaya, would you agree that her regaining her memories would prove to be useful?" Tōshirō paused for a moment, not really knowing where this was going, before agreeing.
"She would would be much more likely to keep herself safe." Unohana nodded.
"I thought as much. I was worried about memory loss when I had heard about the events a fortnight ago. She had begun training if I'm not mistaken?" Tōshirō nodded and allowed her to continue. "Being able to put up her own defences will help her out a great deal when it comes to Aizen, unfortunately after losing her memories I have no doubt that she will be unable to any more. And re-training could take months, especially to someone who doesn't even know who or how serious the enemy is." Tōshirō nodded slowly taking in Unohana's words.
"Excuse me if I sound ignorant Captain Unohana, but what are you trying to get at here?" Unohana smiled before answering.
"Surely you've heard of souls remembering their past life? I'm hoping for this to happen with Karin."
"But how?"
"Well this is why I have high hopes for this. Souls have been known to accomplish this on their own accord, but we can be more effective in this case. A basic function of memory is to remind you of things that have happened in the past, usually useful and highly relevant. A good example is when a young child touches something like a hot oven for the first time. They will do it out of curiosity, but are very unlikely to do it again because the sight of the oven triggers off the memory, which will almost always remind them of the pain they had felt. With Karin we have the advantage of so many people knowing her before we died. Being exposed to previous friends will help, but we can go a step further. Previously I used the word trigger. Captain Hitsugaya, can you think of anything that would act as a trigger to her memory? Memories are locked away until needed, however she doesn't know they they are needed because she doesn't know or understand the threat, so we need to do it for her. I'm hoping that with enough triggers, enough different memories will come back to her to the point where she should be able to connect some of them together, until she forms a full memory again."
Tōshirō sat in awe of Unohana's words. If he was honest, he had always thought of biology being rather complex, the mind especially. And yet she had described memory so easily. Then again, she could've been giving him a simplified version, but he didn't care. He didn't think there was anyway she could've got her memories back, but now she seemed to have a fighting chance. Admittedly other people were fighting for her, but she had a chance. When he noticed that Unohana had started speaking again he stopped thinking so much and hung on her every word.
"So Captain Hitsugaya, can you think of anything that would work as a trigger? Please state anything you think may have a chance of working. I'd much rather have a pile of objects that didn't work rather than a list of things we didn't try just because we weren't sure. Tōshirō nodded.
"To be honest Captain Unohana, there are so many things that could work, I'm not sure I could name them all. I imagine the main ones would be some of her sport equipment, maybe some of the uniforms she used in the past, her music, favourite clothes, books although I don't know which ones...While it would be tricky I can't help but think it would be easier to just take her to the Living World. Take her to the clinic her dad used to run, walk her round the area she used to live, go to the schools she used to attend, go to the apartment we lived at, a lot of objects that could work is in there." Unohana nodded but smiled sadly.
"I agree that it would be easier in some ways to just take a small trip to the Living World, but at the moment it's too risky, I want to keep a close eye on her. Although, I'm sure you could go to the Living World by yourself and pick up some items and take some photographs, they could work just as well as actually going to the places. Tōshirō nodded.
"Alright, but I'm going to need her permission first." Unohana smiled.
"Yes I noticed that you two were close, even after the loss of her memories. The most logical thing I can think of is that you were such a big part of her life than she couldn't completely forget you." The corners of Tōshirō's mouth lifted slightly, smiling slightly at the idea even though he was a little embarrassed.
After Unohana dismissed him from her office he went straight back to Karin who had become so bored that she had started to read some of the medical books in the room. "Anything interesting?" Karin looked up from the book and smiled.
"Actually yeah. It's intriguing to see how the body works...and some of it seems SO familiar."
"Well like Captain Ukitake said, you were a nurse." Karin put a bookmark in the book and paid full attention to Tōshirō.
"Oh yeah...Was I a good nurse?"
"That's one of the only things I don't know about you. I've never seen you while you were working...But knowing you, probably. You're the kinda person who if they're going to do something, they do it properly." Karin sat up from her slumped position, almost in a business-like fashion.
"So much DO you know about me?" Tōshirō thought for a moment before answering.
"A lot. You used to know a lot about me too."
"Can you tell me about my past?"
"...I don't think it's a good idea." Karin eyes narrowed, thoroughly confused. "It's so easy for people to create their own 'memories' from stories they hear, when all it their 'memories' are is their version of what they think could've happened."
"Oh..."
"Although, I was just talking to Captain Unohana about that. She thinks we may be able to get your memories back." Karin's eyes widened slightly and she grinned.
"Really?" Tōshirō couldn't stop himself from smiling back. He swore Karin's smiles were contagious.
"Yeah, although it would mean I'd have to leave you for a good couple of hours." Karin raised her eyebrow.
"Captain Unohana thinks we can set off your memory again by using triggers, but I'm going to have to go get them." Karin nodded slowly.
"Is this the only way with a chance of getting my memories back?"
"At the moment, yes." Karin nodded.
"Fine...You know what could act as a trigger?"
"You know how triggers work in it comes to memory? I didn't." Karin thought for a moment, confused.
"Good point...how do I know that? I suppose I just kinda knew..."
"Good. That means you can remember some things from before, although you might not know it." Karin smiled. "Why do you want to remember so badly anyway?" Karin shrugged.
"It's hard to explain...and embarrassing...I just feel like I'm missing out an a lot if I don't remember. But that doesn't really matter, what matters is getting my memories back!" Tōshirō smiled.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Tōshirō was genuinely surprised at easy it was to get Karin to cooperate with him now. After his little 'rant' she seemed to be able to trust him a lot more. He wondered just how much of his feelings he'd given away during it, Karin seemed to be so calm and happy during this. He couldn't help but speculate why. Maybe it was because the faces around here were familiar to her, even after she lost her memories, or maybe she really did want her memories back so badly. Before while they were in Rukongai she seemed very reluctant at the thought of Tōshirō leaving (how she trusted him so quickly was beyond him, but he theorized that it might just be blind instinct) and yet she was happy to let him go if it meant helping her remember things. Almost every soul was curious about their past at one point, assuming they weren't born in Soul Society, but Karin seemed especially eager to not just find out, but to actually remember.
After finding out that Karin was fine with him leaving for a couple of hours he phoned Ichigo to update him about the situation. (After a somewhat awkward discussion the two had agreed to continuously update the other if progress was being made on either side.) He had asked Ichigo to pile up anything that he deemed useful to save time and was about ready to go. He gathered himself, found a reasonably sized bag and shunpoed back to Karin. She was reading again, although this time she was humming a tune. It wouldn't have bothered Tōshirō except that the tune sounded familiar, and he knew it wasn't from Soul Society. It was definitely a modern song. Tōshirō could actually feel his spirits soaring, it seemed more and more likely that she would be able to remember. The question was would she be able to remember before it was too late? He sure hoped so. He said goodbye to Karin and left the fourth squad and into the Living World the entire time trying to remember the song the tune had come from. It would be fairly easy to grab a couple of CDs and her CD player, but he felt like he should make sure to get that song, whichever CD it was. Unfortunately, Karin had tons of CDs and there was no way Tōshirō could carry them all with him. He sighed before entering the apartment building, hoping that the potential triggers will work.
Hooray for a happier chapter! XD I know there's the whole issue of can the CD player work in Soul Society, but Shinji had a phonograph in Turn Back the Pendulum. I can't remember exactly (I plan to reread it before I write the next chapter) but I think Aizen disaproved of the jazz music, which I think was new to him which would suggest that it was from the Living World, but I'm not sure. I'll check and write the next chapter accordingly. ^^ I felt like there was a lot of dialogue in this chapter, so I hope it wasn't too hard to read ^^; I'm not sure when I'll be able to write the next chapter (there are rumours flying around that the riots are going to get worse DX) and I still need to finish off my essay, but I have a clear idea of what I'm going to write, so when I get round to it, it shouldn't take long. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! ^^
P.S - Please ignore the crappy title XD I could not think of anything else. Titles are definitely not my storng point XD