Hiroshi whistled.

"Did you really have to freeze him with his body cut up?" Matsumoto asked, sighing. She rubbed the back of her neck, looking at the stunning sight.

"I think this is the best way for sensei to be put to rest," Hiroshi disagreed with Matsumoto.

The sight they were looking at was a field of multiple ice columns. There were about twenty to thirty of them with about twenty to thirty pieces of Noburu inside of them.

Matsumoto shivered. She glanced wearily at her captain. She would never cross him.

Hiroshi was thinking about the same thing. He scooted a bit ways from Hitsugaya, giving at least a yard or so from himself.

"Well," she said, giving her best fake smile. "at least it is all done...cleanly."

Hitsugaya wasn't looking at Matsumoto or hearing her. Same thing applies to Hiroshi. He gazed sadly upon his dead fiancee.

"This is the last time, Karin," he whispered so softly

Pressing his lips softly against hers, he pulled her dead body close to his. He pressed against her body gently and then put her back down.

"There is no need for the drama," Aimi said from her spot next to Hitsugaya. "She may live. At least if she tries from her current state in limbo."

Hitsugaya, shocked, turned his head to her. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

"Just watch."

Aimi's eyes brimmed with her tears, slowly dripping down her face. The tears fell onto Karin's wounds. Drip...drip....drip..... Hitsugaya saw that it cleaned out the blood.

Aimi promptly pulled out a plastic syringe. Where did she get that? She quickly injected it into her arm, like you would do whenever you take blood for a donation. When she pulled out the plunger, taking out her blood, slowly.

"What's wrong with that blood?" Matsumoto asked, peering at the liquid that filled the syringe.

The blood that had come from Aimi's vein was not the normal deep red color. It was a bright purple.

Hiroshi stared in amazement. He remembered that blood. It had saved his life once.

"You can't waste your blood on such a lowly citizen," he argued.

Hitsugaya's vein popped out. He was getting mad (obviously).

"My fiancee is not a lowly citizen," he clenched his fists. "One more peep out of you, and you'll be like your precious sensei."

Hiroshi shut his trap. He didn't believe that Aimi needed to have spared her blood when he had been fatally wounded. He didn't want her to become anemic. It has been centuries since they had seen each other. Who knows how much of her blood was expelled from her blood stream?

Aimi found the place at Karin's heart. She felt Karin's chest to see where the rib that covered the heart was. Would she be able to get the syringe tip to reach it? Karin must have been developing for a while now. Her chest would be a problem. Aimi dug through her Shinigami robes and found a really long needle. I mean really really long. It looked like she was trying to stab someone and not heal them.

Matsumoto shook her head encouragingly at Aimi carefully replaced the short needle with the longer one, trying not to spill even an ounce of blood. Matsumoto looked at her chest. She would probably need the really long one too.

Aimi promptly but carefully placed inserted the needle into Karin's body. When she thought that it had inserted itself into the heart, she pressed the plunger in. All of the bystanders watched as Aimi's blood went into Karin's body, slowly. When all the blood in the syringe had been inserted, Aimi drew the syringe out.

The air grew cold and silent. The whole group watched for something to happen.

"Why isn't it working?" Hitsugaya mumbled. The tears were coming down his face.

Matsumoto watched them drip down. She didn't comment on it. Now was not the time for her silly antics. She just looked on sadly.

Aimi started to cry too. She bent down and used kidou to heal Karin's wound. The skin began to close up, but no blood came out. Aimi had expected that. If Karin was still alive, the blood would still be running. Seeing as how it stopped, showed that Karin passed away...again.

Soon the wound on her left side closed up, leaving no trace of her even being harmed. Aimi put her hands over Karin's eyes and gently closed them. She pushed back the wavy hair from Karin's face and straightened her necklace. Aimi took off her bothersome heels and started to pick up Karin. Karin's limp body seemed light. Guess death those that to you.

Hitsugaya watched as Aimi carried her bother over to him. She gently lifted it so that Hitsugaya could take it. He held out his arms and took Karin from Aimi. Karin's arm dropped. The moonlight shone now that it was nighttime and Karin's light had faded slowly away. Hiroshi came up to Hitsugaya and placed the now split in half Zanpakutou in Karin's other hand. It glinted a sapphire glow. Aimi looked to see where the sapphire color could come from.

That's when she noticed the bracelet. She thought it was very pretty but she wondered when Karin had obtained such an accessory.

"It was an engagement bracelet," Hitsugaya muttered, already walking away, towards where he had entered from the Soul Society. "That's why I have been saying fiancee."

Aimi mouth dropped in surprise. She was so wrapped up in trying to save Karin, which she cried on the inside that it was a total failure, that she hadn't notice how Hitsugaya had kept referring to Karin as 'my fiancee.'

Aimi dropped her head. Matsumoto grew stiff at the tense atmosphere. She took out her Zanpakutou and inserted it into the air. She unlocked the Senkaimon Gate. Out came four black as death butterflies.

I guess that a dead person doesn't need a hell butterfly, Hitsugaya thought.

He walked through the door, his tears flowing behind him as he went. Matsumoto picked up Shota's body while Hiroshi cut out the body parts, ice chunks included, of the ice columns. He placed them in a bag that he kept on him and tied the top. He said some words that sealed the bag shut, just in case Norubu wasn't frozen after all. It was very unlikely though. Soon the whole group stepped out out the gate, back in Soul Society. There waiting for them were all the captains. Hitsugaya didn't dare look at any of them in the eye, least of all

"Yo, Hitsugaya," he said. He strolled up to him. "Why is Karin sleeping in your arms? Whose this? Where's Aimi?"

Ichigo was staring at Aimi. He hadn't seen her without her disguise on. He was staring at her. Why did her purple eyes look so familiar?

Rukia, his lieutenant/wife, had already grasped the situation. She quickly bounded her husband in kidou. She didn't want him to cause a scene in front of Yamamoto.

"Hitsugaya?!" Ichigo yelled. "What is wrong with Karin?!"

Hitsugaya simply walked away with Karin in his arms. He never looked back no matter how many foul words Ichigo screamed at him.

He stopped briefly to say, "I'll let you know about the funeral."

When Ichigo heard this, he went into to a rage. He was yelling as many curse words as the mind could imagine.

Next time, they need to come up with a binding kidou for the mouth, Rukia thought, punching Ichigo in the mouth. He quickly shut up.

Matsumoto gently placed Shota's body in front of Yamamoto. "He was killed by his comrade, Norubu, exiled Shinigami of the Royal Guard," she informed him, kneeling. "His body was cut up and frozen in different bodies of ice, ensuring he won't be able to regenerate from his students' souls. What do you want us to do with him?"

Yamamoto looked at the bag held in Hiroshi's hand. "That is for the Royal Guard to decide," he said. "As for Shota, we shall bury his body where all the bad souls go."

Matsumoto shuddered. A Shinigami in a white cloak like Yamamoto's, came up and picked up Shota's body. He used shunpo to disappear and dispose of the traitor. Aimi watched him sadly go. She knows that Shota had never really cared about her, but she still loved him, if anything, as a brother. No matter how evil he became, she still had feelings for him.

Aimi turned in the direction that Hitsugaya had disappeared. She would help him arrange the funeral. She cried again, as she turned away from Hiroshi, whose eyes bore into her back. She didn't have time to deal with drama.

She found Hitsugaya in his quarters, pulling out the dress that Karin wore on the night of the party. It was still cute and unwrinkled. Hitsugaya swiftly undressed Karin from her blood soaked kimono and placed on the dress.

"We should bury her as quickly as possible to let her soul rest," Hitsugaya decided, not really talking to the new arrival in his room.

Aimi nodded silently and put make up on Karin's face. She wanted her best friend to die as beautiful as she always was. She curled her hair so that is lay out next to her body. She put on the heels that she had been wearing during the battle. They were new so Aimi didn't mind putting them on her. They were unscratched.

"You better go tell everyone," Hitsugaya muttered, watching Aimi at work. "I'll get a coffin."

Aimi nodded and headed outside. She sighed, a tear trickled down her cheek. She didn't want to cry. She had to hold back the tears. She did with all of her will power. She hadn't saved her best friend, what use was she?


The funeral took place later that day. Rukia had released Ichigo from the kidou. All of the Shinigami in Seireitei had gathered for the funeral. Karin would have never admitted it, but she was very popular, especially with the guys. Many of the Shinigami were crying, men and women alike, but none were crying as much as Matsumoto and Aimi.

"S-she was the b-best shopping buddy ever!" Matsumoto sputtered through big fat tears.

Aimi just stared at her legs silently and cried.

The funeral was one where the coffin would be lowered into the ground. Byakuya had eventually allowed Karin to be buried in the Kuchiki residence since she was after all, a sister-in-law. All the Shinigami were seated on folding chairs. A Shinigami was saying the words that a priest burying a person of the church might say. At the front row was Hitsugaya, Matsumoto, Aimi, Ichigo, and Rukia. Byakuya had refused to attend the funeral. He had been friends with Karin and he didn't want anyone to see him cry. It was all for his pride.

The procession went boringly. The air was just perfect as was the weather. Only the front row was cold. Hitsugaya hadn't bothered to control his reiatsu. He was sad again, he had lost her twice, now this time, for good.

Hitsugaya promised himself that he would never fall in love with another woman, ever. He had lost his soul mate. They were still so young...well they looked it.

As the coffin began to lower down, the whole group was in for a surprise. The coffin shook.

"What the-?" Hitsugaya said, looking at the rocking coffin.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!" a voice screamed.

The whole procession sat quietly. Soon the whole gathering was in chaos.

"Did someone just say something...."

"Who the hell said that?"

"Is the thing that lowers the coffin broken?"

"Did anyone just hear that voice?"

"I'm scared."

"Do you think that Karin's ghost came to haunt us?"

"I always thought she was a bit spooky."

"STOP TALKING AND GET ME THE HELL OUT OF HERE!"

Hitsugaya jumped up from his seat and quickly opened up the coffin.

Out popped Karin, her face flushed from anger. She jumped out. Her heel messed up her walking pattern, she quickly tripped and fell.

"Who put these stupid heels on me?" she asked, glaring at the procession. "And who in the world would lock me up? I haven't done anything."

"K-karin?"

Karin snapped her head at Hitsugaya. Her hard gaze softened. "T-toushiro," she whispered quietly, trying to get up. He laughed and kneeled down next to her. She kissed him.

The gathering went into chaos .... again.

"She's alive?!"

"I dragged my butt all the way out here because I thought she was dead."

"Is this some sick joke?"

"That can't be possible, my captain, Unohana, checked Karin's pulse herself. She had concluded that Karin had died."

"Well Karin's smacking on Hitsugaya. Does that look dead to you?"

"Break it up you two! Hey! THERE IS NO NEED FOR YOU TWO TO BE SHOWING SO MUCH LOVE!!"

Karin and Hitsugaya's veins popped out. They broke apart and turned to glare at the person who had told them to break it up. Karin quickly dislodged herself from Hitsugaya and ran to hug said person. The rims of her eyes began to fill up with tears.

"Sorry I scared you, Ichi-nii," she said, hugging him.

Ichigo's mad face loosened up. He wrapped his arm around Karin's back and rubbed it. "It's okay," he said. "As long as you don't die anytime soon...again, that's fine."

"H-how did you survive?"

Karin started a little. How did she survive? She shrugged as she turned to see who was questioner. She let go of her brother and hugged the next person to interrupt her happy moments.

"Aimi!" she said, squeezing her friend tight.

"It was because of Aimi she survived."

Karin looked over Aimi's shoulder to see Hiroshi standing there, trying to look as if he didn't care that Karin would live on to another day. He failed miserably.

Karin took in what he said, never the less, and looked at Aimi. Aimi looked as if she had been crying for nights without end or sleep. Karin gave a small smile and took Aimi's hands in hers.

"Did you save me?" Karin asked.

Aimi shook her head. "You must have had the willpower to live on," Aimi said. "My treatment only works on those who have will to live. If you had resigned to dying and purifying your soul forever, you would have left us."

Karin nodded, thoughtfully. "I needed to stay alive," she explained. "to marry Hitsugaya." She looked at Aimi and grinned evilly. "And to learn of your story."

Aimi sighed and smiled weakly. "I forgot I promised to tell you that, didn't I?" she exhaled in disbelief. "Of all the things to want to come back for."

The procession looked on that sweet moment in total and absolute silence. It was numbing and awkward for the other people.

"What happened to the creepy man and Shota?" Karin asked, breaking the silence in half. She had been too busy wanting to greet her friends again.

Matsumoto felt relieved. Leave it to Karin to make her feel better. "The creepy man killed Shota and Hitsugaya avenged your death by chopping up the creepy man like sushi and easily freezing the body parts in different ice chunks." She smiled like this wasn't gross.

Ew... Karin didn't want to think at all about Shota. It would ruin her happy moment of being alive again. She didn't know what death felt like. It was just dark and there were no emotions. She shuddered. She'll never go back there again.

"Um..." Hinamori asked, coming up beside Matsumoto. "can we leave since there is no point in a funeral?"

Hitsugaya nodded and sent everyone packing.

When everyone had left grumpily about having to take the time out of their day for a funeral that wasn't really a funeral...it's hard to explain...and then had to go back to work, Hitsugaya kissed Karin again, but quickly, and while Ichigo's back was turned. He didn't want Ichigo to start lecturing them about public displays of affection. He then hugged her and then whispered, "You kept your promise."

"I can't very well break a promise to my fiancee, could I?"

"When are you guys going to have the wedding?" Aimi piped up.

Karin and Hitsugaya broke apart. Why were their moments always to be broken up by their family and friends?

Karin shyly looked at Hitsugaya. "Whenever you want," she said.

Hitsugaya thought about it. He looked around the area. "Why don't we just have it now?" he asked.

Karin looked around too. All of her family and closest friends were here, so why not? "Who's going to say the words that will bind us together?" she asked.

Rukia smiled. "Me of course," she said. "I have to be a great sister in law after all."

And so, the couple that have endured many things were married in the place where the bride was about to be buried. Isn't that romantic?