A/N Flashback in this chapter!

Normal

Flashback

Several people saying something in sync

Toshiro's POV

I absently touched my hair, where it apparently had turned black for a short while, while waiting on Karin coming with breakfast. I thought back on what had happened yesterday, after Karin left…

-o-

"My, you're a surprisingly good teacher!" I turned around to see the eccentric ex-captain standing behind me.

"Who said I wasn't?" I asked indifferently, but Urahara had apparently gotten really interested in my hair. I blocked his hand, when he tried to touch it. I frowned. "What is it?" I snapped.

"Ah, sorry, sorry!" Urahara said, smile back in place, "But do you know that you have a black stripe in your hair? I'm certain that wasn't there when you got here," I looked disbelievingly at him.

"Excuse me?" I couldn't quite believe it. Hair didn't turn into another color for no reason.

"It's true!" he insisted, and suddenly frowned, "It's disappearing though…" I frowned confused. "And now it's gone," Urahara whined. My eyebrow twitched in annoyance.

"I'm leaving," I said and turned towards the ladder.

"Hold on for a minute, Hitsugaya-taichou!" I turned around again. "I sensed something odd about your reiatsu, when you had that black stripe in your hair. Be sure to tell me, when the stripe appears again!"

'How am I supposed to see when my hair turns black?' I wanted to ask, but didn't bother. I wasn't even sure, I believed him about it. Then again, why would he lie? I nodded at him in reply, and turned to leave. This time he didn't stop me.

-o-

I was brought back to the now, when I heard a knock on the door.

"Good morning, Karin, come in!" I heard Grandma's voice say.

"Good morning to you too!" Karin answered. I stood up, so I could go in and greet her. I would ask her about the black stripe on the way to Urahara's shop.

-o-

As soon as we had left Grandma Haru after breakfast, began Karin to ask questions. Not that I was surprised. She always asks questions.

"So, what are we going to do today?" she asked.

"We'll meditate like just like yesterday for an hour," I answered, "and then we'll begin training on how to keep your reiatsu in check with your eyes open."

"Is it going to be tiring?" now I remembered we had a soccer match at four pm, an hour after the training was done.

"Mentally, it can be a bit tiring, but physically, no." I answered, "After an hour's rest, you'll be back to normal. If anything, the meditation will help improve your soccer skills,"

"How will meditation help?"

"It'll help raise your awareness and focus,"

"Oh, cool!" she said, finished with her questions for now.

"Was there anything…" I searched for the right word, "…odd about my hair yesterday?" she looked at me.

"Hm? Oh, you mean that black stripe in your hair after the training? Yeah, that was pretty odd, but now it's gone again. Weird…" she said.

"Tell me if it comes back," I just said.

"Gotcha!" she grinned and switched topic, "Have you ever been to a arcade before?" just great, she was back to asking questions.

"No," I simply answered.

"Seriously?!" she yelled disbelievingly and then continued in a normal level voice: "How can you NOT have been to a arcade?"

"We don't have any in Soul Society," I simply answered,

"Well, they should!" I couldn't help, but smirk at her enthusiasm. I absently listened to her ramble about how the arcade awesome the arcade was (but not as awesome as soccer!). I had to interrupt her.

"We've arrived,"

-o-

I just looked at Karin, while she meditated. I had meditated a bit myself, while I waited for the hour to be over. Which was now.

"Now, open your eyes," I told Karin, "and keep imagining the container for your reiatsu," as Karin opened her eyes, I could feel her reiatsu trying to break out. After battling for a few moments lost Karin, and a outburst similar to the one yesterday came, just this one wasn't as powerful. I sighed. Not that I had expected more, but it was still a bother.

"Let's try that again," I simply said and was about to say more, when I noticed Karin staring at my hair. "What?" I opted to ask instead.

"The black stripe is back," she said while staring at my hair.

"Really?"

"Yeah! See?" she picked up her phone from her pocket and turned its screen towards me, so my head got reflected in it.

"You're right," I murmured and touched my hair where it had turned black. It didn't feel any different than the rest of my hair… I stood up. "The training is put on hold for now." I said and began walking towards the exit to the training area, "Tessai, let the barrier down,"

"Where are you going, Toshiro?" I heard Karin's voice from behind me.

"To see if Urahara have some answers,"

-o-

Urahara wasn't that hard to find, since he was right outside the ring of small mountains, we trained in.

"So it happened again," he mused, when he saw me.

"Do you have any idea why it's happening?" I asked.

"Maybe," he said, "what happened just before it appeared?"

"It probably appeared right after Karin's reiatsu outburst," I answered,

"Hm," Urahara said, apparently lost in thought, "It's disappearing again," I touched where the stripe were. I couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary. No surprise there, I couldn't feel anything out of the ordinary when it was there either. "But I DID notice something odd about your reiatsu, when the stripe was there," I turned my attention back to Urahara.

"What was it?" I heard a voice from beside me. I didn't have to look to know Karin had followed me.

"I felt some of Karin's reiatsu in Toshiro's reiatsu,"

"HUH?!"

A/N I'm mean XD I hope you enjoyed anyway.

Just a warning: I will take a one-week break from this story in a few chapters. Don't worry, I WILL make the arcade date first! But right after that, I'm taking a break!

Thank you to Kiku-Goldenflower for following!

MomoPeachFlower: And I keep ruining it! Don't kill me plz, it's not permanent!

forever122: If your question or statement was important, you'll remember it. But to answer your question: No, Karin doesn't have a white stripe in her hair. Next chapter will tell you why Toshiro has a black stripe in his hair. But I'm glad that my story is interesting!

biganimefan18: Thank you! And about the stripe, you'll get your answer in the next chapter!

Black Dragon Valkyrie: NOT TELLING!... Yet. Don't worry, answers will come in next chapter!