"Hey, you're not supposed to be carrying your Zanpakuto around the Seireitei!" A soul reaper called after Karin. "Especially not during peacetime as an academy student!"
"I'm bringing it home!" Karin howled back, lying as she continued on her way.
"I didn't make you braindead, right? You wouldn't be much fun for me if you are." The voice of her zanpakuto said inside her soul.
"No, I'm not!" Karin muttered under her breath, taking a turn. "Just ignoring the whiny asshole inside my brain." Her newly acquired zanpakuto was strapped to her back, the guard brushed against her right shoulder as she moved her feet.
"Good, you were all too quiet after I revealed myself."
"That'll happen when I get put in the center of attention."
Karin skidded to a stop as she looked up at the building. The kanji for 10 was painted upon the upper level. She made it without getting stopped too many times by passing shinigami. Mission accomplished!
"Hey, stop right there!" Two shinigami called as the approached Karin. "You're not apart of Squad 10, what are you trying to pull?"
"Uhh, is there a problem?" Karin asked, crossing her arms as she looked at the two squad members with an unamused gaze.
"We're not letting an armed academy student in here without permission from the Captain."
"Well, I'm friends with Toshiro, and Rangiku; the Captain and Lieutenant. I really need to ask them a few things."
"Captain Hitsugaya is doing paperwork right now. If you tell us your name, we can tell him you came by."
"Oh, come oooooon!" Karin grumbled. She didn't have time for this bullshit. "The 13th isn't nearly as stingy as you guys are, Rukia always gives me free reign-" Karin started before she noticed a blonde hair woman standing in the main doorway of the 10th.
"Saito, Kobayashi, Karin's a friend. She can come right on in when ever she wants!" Rangiku called as she stepped out into the open. The two lower ranking shinigami jumped and straighten their posture as they heard their ranking officer call them out.
Karin smirked slyly at the two shinigami as she walked past them towards her friend, at least, she thought Matsumoto was her friend.
"How have you been, girly? It's been such a long time since I've seen you!" Rangiku asked cheerfully as she draped one of her arms around Karin's shoulders, giving her a friendly squeeze. Karin couldn't help but smile as she experienced the kind gesture.
"Rangiku, it hasn't even been a full twenty-four hours since you were hanging out at my dorm." Karin pointed out, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Long enough that you've obtained a Zanpakuto!" Rangiku pointed out, winking at the shorter woman besides her. "Is that why you're here to visit the 10th? Or are you here to just here to see a particular white-haired Captain, hmmmm~?
Karin nearly choked on the air she breathed at that last comment. "No! Hell, no! 'specially after the bullshit he pulled last night-!" She shouted before her eyes met Rangiku's red cheeks and curious grin. "Aughhh, I can't believe you're assuming what you're thinking, Rangiku."
"What can I say? A man can get lonely sometimes…" The busty woman insinuate, hiding her smile behind her hand. "But, seriously, is everything alright between you and the Captain? He was in one of his moods this morning."
Karin's steps slowed to a stop as she looked at the ground.
"I don't know. Things are just...different now."
Rangiku looked at Karin with sympathy, her bluebell eyes glancing down at Karin. Karin wasn't wrong, but she wasn't exactly spot on either.
"A lot can happen to a person in a few years, especially here in Soul Society. You both have grown up." She stated, putting her hands on Karin's shoulders. Karin's dark eyes looked up to Rangiku's. "But that doesn't mean you two still are not friends."
Karin sighed, shrugging her way out of Rangiku's grasp with a small, but thankful, smile. "Yeah, I guess that's a point." She murmured, rubbing the back of her neck.
"Well, let's take a trip down to the office," Rangiku started cheerfully, winking at Karin, continuing on her way, "Obviously, you're not just visiting to see lil' ol' me, right?"
"Eh, two birds with one stone." Karin replied, smirking as she followed the Lieutenant down a couple of halls.
"Captain~! You'll never guess who came to visit us!" Rangiku sang as she slid open the paper sliding doors. On the other side of the threshold presented a rather crowded office. Shelves upon shelves of books, documents, and reports lined the walls. A few paneled windows were scattered about the room, but the one that first came to attention was the one behind the only desk in the room. A certain Captain sat behind that desk, filling out piles paperwork.
Toshiro looked up from a forum, his eyes falling on Karin.
"Rangiku, you know we have paperwork to do," The white haired boy pointed out as he placed his signature on the paper he had been working on, "we don't have time for visitors." There clearly still was an awkward tension between the two younger souls that had been left from the previous night's discussion.
"I wasn't sure where else to go." Karin grumbled as she reached back over her right shoulder and unsheathed the blade that rested there. She saw Toshiro's eyes light up with curiosity at the sight of the zanpakuto. "Rukia is holding combat practice from Squad 13, and this bombshell sorta dropped on me in class today."
"I'm not that much of a bombshell, Karin, after all, it's not like today is the first time you've heard my voice." She heard the voice inside her say.
"What am I supposed to do with this, exactly?" Karin asked as she walked over to Toshiro's desk and carefully placed the sword across his papers. "And for the love of God, how do I make him shut up?"
"Wow. Rude. That was a low blow, Karin. I'll remember that one." Karasugetsu grumbled. Karin had the feeling he was crossing his arm and pouting now. "Bitch." He finished with.
"I am not a bitch, you brat." Karin spat, causing Toshiro to raise an eyebrow and Rangiku to giggle. "If my bullshit sense is tingling, I'm gonna call you out on it."
"Haineko is a sassy handful," Rangiku started, walking over to some drawers off to the side and pulled on out. Inside, a short, pink-handled sword in a brown sheath laid dormant. Rangiku lifted her blade out of it and showed it to Karin. "Every Zanpakuto is different. Some are more chatty than, like Haineko, while others are more reserved, like Hyorinmaru. Right, Captain?"
"The same could be said about lieutenants." Toshiro muttered under his breath as he reached for his tea cup and too a brief sip. He looked over Karin's Zanpakuto with interest. His hand skimmed it's blade. "This is a very fine blade, you need to learn to wield it."
"I worked on my zanjustu over the summer, but that was just with wooden swords." Karin explained, reaching for her sword and sheathing it. "That said, I don't really see the difference practicing with a Zanpakuto would make."
"A Zanpakuto isn't just a sword, Karin." Toshiro stated, standing up from his perch at his desk. He moved over to where Rangiku was and retrieve his own Zanpakuto. His blade was the longest out of the three. The handle was wrapped in an icy-purple cord. The guard was a four-point star.
"Your zanpakuto is your power to wield, but you need to be ready to have such power." Toshiro instructed. "Usually, this comes from months, even years, of practicing and shaping your Asauchi. But there are rare cases in which your Zanpakuto manifests itself to it's master immediately."
Karin sighed with relief. She wasn't some abnormal, Mary Sue student at the academy. There were others that had stood in her shoes. "So, now what do I do?" Karin repeated her question from before. "I know I'm 'posed to learn it's name for shikai, but he already introduced himself as 'Karasugetsu'."
Rangiku looked from Karin to Toshiro. They're stories seemed to be a lot alike. Toshiro had obtained Hyorinmaru shorty after started at the Shino Academy. Instantaneously, he had learned his Zanpakuto's name and achieved shikai.
Those two could certainly learn a lot from each other.
"Do you know what Jinzen is?" Toshiro asked Karin, crossing his arms over his chest as he watched her.
Karin made a face and shook her head. Youichi didn't mention that, and they didn't go over it in class yet.
"Captain, what if you went out to the courtyard with Karin and teach her about it?" Rangiku chirped as she put her zanpakuto away.
Toshiro scoffed and shook his head. "Matsumoto, I have too much work-"
"Awww, Captain~! Come on, you should always have time for a friend! Especially a lady friend who could end up being your girlfriend~" Rangiku started before both Karin and Toshiro's faces turned a deep shade of red.
"A WHAT now!?" Karin cried, balling her fists at Rangiku's blunt stupidity.
"She's not my-!" Toshiro shouted before scoffing and running his hand through his silver mane. He wasn't in the mood to deal with any of Rangiku's teasing today.
"It's okay Captain, I'll take care of these documents while you're helping her! After all, it is a Captain's job to nudge their underlings in the right direction."
"I'm not his 'underling'! Stop talking like I'm not here!" Karin commented, cracking her knuckles from how tight her fists were. "Hey, are you even listening to me?"
Toshiro and Rangiku both looked to Karin. They could certainly see the resemblance to Ichigo now.
Toshiro sighed, scowling as he looked up at Rangiku. "Fine, I'll help Karin. But you better be actually doing the work instead of finding lower seats or even hiding it for me to find later." Toshiro warned as he slung his sheath over his shoulder. He fastened the flower-shaped badge on his chest, securing the turquoise scarf to his persons'. "Let's go, Karin." He grumbled as he walked out the door.
Karin glared at Rangiku, who just looked at her with a big smile. The Lieutenant winked and threw the dark haired girl a peace sign. That was when Karin knew Rangiku had been planning this ridiculous setup since the beginning.
Karin threw her busty friend a bird and briskly left the office.