Music blurred through the apartment causing the walls to shake and the neighbors to growl in annoyance, but inside the owner of the music was frustrated herself at the person she was teaching. "No, Toshiro. You're supposed to spin and thrust your hips, not spin and shake!" Karin groaned. She never knew that the white haired man would be such a hassle to teach. She didn't know what she was going to do, the Dragons had to dance at Urahara's club in three days and he still wasn't getting the dance, which was bad news for the group.
Toshiro groaned and collapsed on the floor of her apartment. They used the space for dancing since all Karin's belongings were either in storage or in the new house they were going to move into after the performance in the club. His body ached and his mind was filled with confusion. He never knew how much the Dragons worked, especially the red Dragon; they seemed to be stuck with the most difficult movements. Not to mention they had the best dancer in the group that could show them up easily. "Karin, it's too hard!" he whined, and the woman rolled her eyes and tapped his side with her foot softly.
"Come on, be a man." she snapped quickly before putting the song back on causing Toshiro to get to his feet ready for another try.
Girl, I can notice but to, notice you, noticing me
From across the room I can see it and can't stop myself
From looking and noticing you, noticing me
Watch out, I've seen her type before…
Toshiro fell and lay on the ground as the female dancer continued the routine. He loved her, but she was a real pain in the ass when it came to the Dragons and the routines. He understood that, since it was the one thing that she had to rely on for her career besides her schooling, but he wished she was would loosen up just a little bit with the dancing.
Getting back to his feet he watched as she spun and moved side to side with her hips before thrusting forward and moving her feet like a wave. With a smile on his lips, he grabbed her hip and brought her close making the raven haired beauty look over at him with a chuckle. "You really don't want to continue the routine." she commented before sighing and turning off the music; she could mentally hear the neighbors cheering in joy from the machine being turned off. Her grey eyes looked around the apartment that was so empty with all her things in boxes. She found it weird that everything was gone, but at the same time found it comforting that she wasn't going to be alone in a house anymore, and more importantly she was going to be with Toshiro in their own shared house.
"What are you think about?" he whispered in her ear as his hand played with the baggy shirt that hid her wondrous body from him and the world. He craved to taste her flesh and make her his, but he was going to wait.
Karin shrugged her shoulders and smiled softly "I'm thinking all the time" she snickered causing the man to roll his eyes and nibble on her neck softly at her obvious comment.
"No shit... what are you thinking about, right now?" Toshiro chuckled before kissing her cheek softly. Karin sighed and pulled out of his arms and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water or rather, a bottle, since all her glass cups were packed and in boxes and she was too lazy to search for them right now. Toshiro followed her and pulled her close, wanting to hear her reply to his question. He found a lot of her answers were meaningful and serious which made them valuable to hear, since there could be a life goal or perspective in there somewhere.
A smile covered her pink petal lips as she closed her eyes and rocked into his body. She didn't really want to give in with such ease, since it seemed that Toshiro had that effect on her when he wanted something. She hummed softly as she leaned against him and inhaled his scent of winter, spices and sweetness. "I want to know" she whispered as she looked up at him softly, when a puzzled look struck his face she sighed and grabbed his hands in hers "I want to know... about her." she sounded nervous about the whole thing but she wanted to know about this woman that was his first, not that it would change anything but she wanted to know for personal reasons.
Toshiro sighed and pulled her towards the couch that was the lone remaining furniture in the apartment, he was dreading the day she actually wanted to know about such a thing. Just thinking about the night made him sick to his stomach, for more than one reason. As they sat on the couch he felt Karin's soft and delicate hand tighten on his as if she was trying to tell him, that she was going to be there for him no matter what he tells her, which was helpful because he wasn't sure he wanted to tell her the story about the she-bitch that tricked him in such a way.
With her grey eyes on his aqua ones she grinned softly at him, to give him a reassuring feeling about the whole thing. "Don't worry about it, okay? Not matter what you tell me, I will still love you" she told him. With her thumb she rubbed his hand softly causing his skin to tingle at the touch.
Gathering his courage, he looked over at the boxes that shimmered in his eyes for the trust, commitment and honor that Karin had for him. Each box was like a reminder of what Karin was going to give and what she was willing to take for their relationship. It gave him hope and heart that she was going to be there through so much in his life, and he was hoping she was the one that would actually make his life complete but he wasn't going to say that yet. He didn't want to jump into something that should wait. "Just like regular people, nobles have women who live to pleasure men. Instead of them being 'normal' people, they are nobles that have disobeyed their parents and well... went out and lost their purity to somebody that wasn't meant to have it. When their parents find out, which they always do, their status goes down to being a pleasure hoe but I think of them as nobles that wanted to be with someone that they love and not someone that they are forced to love."
Karin was in shock at the news, women that were like her and were degraded like that for being in love and wanting to give something special to the one that they wished. It was disgusting, demeaning, cruel and heart breaking to her since there are so many women that give that to someone that they believe is the one so that when it is done, they might possibly have a little peace to remember the feelings that they had for the person.
"What about you? Are you labeled like that?" she asked him, if women were like that why not men? They were practically the same in theory and in the law, so shouldn't noble men be marked like a women?
"Actually, there is a saying in the noble society. They say: A woman of the rule shall stay pure until their wedding night, where the man that wears the ring should take her after he has lost his to someone that he does not-" he didn't agree with the whole noble society's saying, he thought it was meaningless and cruel to everyone.
"Whoa! Wait a minute...when you say lost his to someone that does not matter, are you saying that the men get to have sex with someone before they get married?" she didn't understand that being fair to anyone, especially the women, but yet again, it wasn't for the men either seeing as they had to give of themselves to someone they don't know, it was all torture.
"Well, that's what it is." he said so bluntly which only made Karin silent at the news, it was shocking and completely against gender equality but that was how the nobles worked, and that was how his father thought and did things in his family.
"My father wanted to marry me young, but couldn't because I was a virgin and I scared away all the noble women that were interested in me, with my wild side and lack of manners. So, he took matters into his own hands. On my 18th birthday he told my brothers and sister to take me out for drinks, when I mean drinks, I mean vodka and jack... all the hard stuff. I got hammered and came home only to have my father put me in a room where there was a noble taker, one of those women-" he was silenced as Karin embraced him tightly, he felt her burry her face into him as she hugged him close.
"I get it... I-I get it" she whispered into his chest as she held him. When she heard the story she didn't want to hear the rest, it was sickening and completely evil in her eyes. "You don't have to continue..." she trailed off as she thought of the shame and the power that his father had to live with for doing such a thing to his son, especially to someone like Toshiro, with his happy, stubborn and perfect personality.
Toshiro hugged her back as she held him; he always hated his father for doing such a thing to him. He thought that the one person in the world that would see his point of view would never do something like that, but he was wrong. His father stooped very low to do such a thing to him. He still remembered waking the next day to see the clothing on the floor that wasn't his and the smell in his nose as he yawned, and realizing what had happened. When he went to leave the room he heard the woman and his father talking about what happened and why, and heard the sound of his father ripping a check out of his check book. He had stepped out to show he had heard the whole thing. That was the day he lost both trust and honor for his father.
Pulling away from an embarrassed Karin, he cupped her face with his hand and looked into her eyes softly. "Thank you..." he whispered to her, causing Karin to freeze slightly at the words. He was thanking her for showing that there is compassion in this world and not just horror, dishonor and hatred; that there are people out there that can fix someone's heart. He had found the one that could fix his for the better, the one that was going to make him love and care for people again.
Karin blinked at his words and circled her arms around his neck softly "I want to show you something" she told him. She had a place in New York where she could be something that was not her and she wanted to share that place with him. "Come on" she said as she got off the couch and grabbed her jacket from a pile of boxes. She looked over as he stood and tossed him his coat before walking back to him.
He didn't know where she was taking him, but he knew that he wasn't going to ask questions on it either. He looked at the brick walls covered in spray paint and garbage bins, when they came to a fence he stopped and looked back down the alley way for another way to go. "Karin, this is a dead end" he said, before hearing the rattling of the fence.
Karin grunted softly as she jumped over the fence and back to the ground in her boots. She looked over at the noble and giggled at his puzzled expression "I didn't know I was dating a monkey!" he commented making her roll her grey eyes at his jokes. She wasn't a monkey but she was going to play along for amusement while he climbed over so they could continue their journey.
"Oh, totally! That means I am flexible in all my body parts" she winked at him as he blushed at her dirty mind that Rangiku and Rose had crafted so perfectly. When Toshiro groaned and went to the fence, Karin chuckled and watched as he climbed over the metal wiring. He dropped down in front of her and smiled as he looked over her body before looking forward toward the darkened street ahead of them.
"So, my little monkey, where to next?" he teased making Karin punch him in the arm slightly.
"Very funny." She snapped as she took his hand and began to lead him down the alleyway into the next street, where there were cars, taxis and other things that are so much a part of New York. When they were on the sidewalk, Karin directed him towards the cross walk were many people waited to cross the street. She looked over at him as they waited with the rest and shook her head at the sight of the handsome features. "What are you staring at me for?" she heard him ask, causing her to look towards the ground with a blush.
"Nothing" she sang as she dragged him across the street by his hand as the other people crossed. "Karin, where are you taking me?" he repeated, but she ignored his question and kept pulling him until they were outside an empty building. He looked up at the tall building and then to the woman beside him as she smiled at the several windows that reflected the lights of New York with such perfection and detail. "Come on" she smiled, and pulled him into the building.
His aqua eyes looked around the abandoned building that was covered in dust and dirt. "This place was a business company that went down the drain when the stock markets crashed... once it was put out of business it was left empty." she told him as she walked across the dusty floor, leaving her boot prints on the ground. Reaching into her jacket she pulled out an Ipod that flashed a bright pink in her hand, and with a smile on her lips she walked to the stairs which she began to climb. "Now, many people use this building for talent. On the third floor there is an artist group who paint on the walls, on the fourth floor there is a group of children who play instruments and make the most wonderful music" her voice echoed as she lead him up the stairs.
When they got to the third floor Karin brought him into a room were the walls were painted with such texture and color. The several swirls of blues and greens that made the scene in front of them play with perfection "I-It's the beaches of Spain" Toshiro gasped as his hands swept over the waves that were painted and then to the sand that made him smile "T-This... is remarkable" he was taken away by the beauty that the walls held. He had never seen such a sight in artwork. He saw people at their school paint, but they didn't compare to the piece of art in front of him.
Karin smiled at his words and nodded in agreement at the amazing painting "The painter is from Spain. He actually painted this to remember home and his family that is still there and not here in New York. He moved here to support his brother and sister when they came here to start a new life filled with adventure and hope... turned out that they didn't have what it took and they had to go back to school and get him to move here to help. He would come here to paint so he could see his home on the walls of the abandoned building because he had abandoned the one place he truly belonged" she explained with a smile on her lips. Toshiro smiled and wrapped an arm around her before pulling her close to him softly. He was grateful for such a beautiful sight, but he didn't know that there was more.
When the sound of a trumpet filled the air, Karin gasped and took his hand in hers before heading back to the stairs, where she excitedly pulled him up to the fourth floor of the building.
The sounds of instruments roared in their ears as they neared the doors, and with a push Karin revealed the empty fourth floor with its office space that was lite with lively lights of many colors, from greens to reds that made a breath taking sight. The sound of trumpets going up and down in a happy beat filled the air of the office causing a happy feeling in all that were listening.
Toshiro smiled as he took one of Karin's hands in his and placed his other one on her waist, he began to guide her onto the empty floor as the sound filled the air. With a bouncing step he twirled her making her boot fly dust into the air with grace and elegance.
A smile covered her lips as she looked at the noble bouncing around with his feet synced to the music, and her steps resembled 20's or 30's swing. It was fun but romantic at the same time for the both of them. When the music became too slow and the sound of a piano, a guitar and a violin parted the air, Karin rested her head on his shoulder as they swayed to the music that surounded them. "I call this group 'the Night of Life' since they play only in the night and they have so much life in their music" she told him as he spun her out softly and then pulled her back into his arms.
Toshiro smiled as he listened to the beat. "They do have much life in their music. It's like they belong to the notes that come from their instruments" he chuckled as he held her close; the music was like waves and waves that crushed on the shores of that painting he saw early. The notes danced and spun like they were set in nature with the winds in control and then the crash that would happen at the end of the day. It was harmony.
"There's one last place that I want to show you" he heard whispered in his ear as Karin laced her fingers through his and guided him to the stairs once again. He smiled as she climbed the stairs ahead of him and led him to the fifth floor of the building, where the sound of hip hop music and classical were playing. Before she opened the door she looked over at him and winked, "This is the place that will help you the most with the conversion to the two dances" she told him as she swiftly opened the door to reveal a group of hip-hoppers dancing with ballerinas in their hands.
It was breath taking and out of this world. The impromptu choreography was incredible.
The hip-hoppers waved their feet to the beat and the rhythm with their chests, the ballerina's twirled and moved with their arms in soft waves. It was a true illustration of stark difference, the hip-hoppers represented the stormy waves on the beaches and the ballerinas were the soft waves that echoed after them; when the storm was over they became one with a twirl and a lift that was an elegant crush of movement.
"No matter what has happened to you, Toshiro, there will always be a soft wave to fix it and make you sync with the love that you hold inside your body. That's why I brought you here. After your father did that to you, you never had peace with it. This building is the one place where people come to make peace with their past and what is to come. The painting of the waves and the beach that represented that man's past and what he wanted to be, the music that brought us to happiness and peace with the feeling, these dancers who brought peace between two different dances... this is a piece of peace." Karin told him while watching the hip-hoppers as they swirled the ballerinas and then dipped them easily but with grace. It was like a story to her, and that story was going to be her peace with things.
Looking over at the woman at his side, Toshiro felt a new sense of peace wash over his soul as he thought of how she was at peace with her mother's death. He remembered when they had first met and had sparked each other's interest. Then, it went to their common likes and fun that they held so much, they were a perfect fit it seemed. "Where's your peace then?" he asked causing Karin to look over at him softly.
"On the sixth floor" she answered as she looked over at him with a smile. He took her hand instead and pulled her to the stairs. He wanted to see what her peace looked like and what it felt like.
The stairway was dark and dusty but they didn't mind. When they were on the sixth floor Toshiro opened the door to see the office space filled with large pillows in reds and purples, candles dimly lighting the area as they walked inside. The walls covered in photos of people on the street crying, loving, playing and laughing it was like a lifetime on the walls. His aqua eyes looked at the instruments that were in the far corner of the room, a drum, piano, guitar and a flute that rested against the wall.
"The flute and guitar were my mother's gift to me before she past, the drums were from my father and the piano was from my Aunt before she went touring all over the world. This room holds all my secrets, from life to love..." she trailed off as she touched the pictures on the wall with her fingers. They weren't not color, but in black and white making it more effective. She looked at the mother and daughter at the park playing and laughing, it reminded her of her mother and how she used to do that with her before she got sick.
Arms wrapped around her waist causing her to come back to earth. Soft kisses went down her neck as she ran her fingers through his white hair slowly. When she looked over to meet his shimmering aqua eyes, her lips were captured with a deep and rough kiss that made her whimper in pleasure and joy. The kiss grew heated; the two wanted to touch and feel each other more and the room grew increasingly sweet with feeling.
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