Ugh, sorry for taking so damn long to post this chapter. My original plan was to write and post the first chapter of my new UlquiHime fic (which I did) then continue writing and post this, which didn't happen because I managed to fall ill. I apologize if this chapter isn't as good as the rest, it's been incredibly hard to write and even then it's still pretty short. Ah well, I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I've pretty much completely sorted out all the details and plot points and stuff and I have a pretty clear idea how the rest of the story is going to go, this does mean however the end is already on the horizon. (Just watch me accidently extend it by 5 chapters somehow now XD) It's a huge shame because I've really enjoyed writing this (and still will for a short while.) I have more HitsuKarin stuff planned out though! :D (Including re-writing some of my old stories. I don't want to write lots in detail here. If you're interested the reasons are on my profile.)
Review Replies:
Every shadow has its twin: Thanks, I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^
Twistedkorn: I'm glad you think so! I hope you like this chapter too!
Bleached-Whale: Gosh my writing never used to make people cry before. Not sure if proud or guilty, seriously. I don't know what to feel. XD I was thinking about using it as a trigger but then I realised that Tōshirō would probably be too nervous or scared to do it XD ASDFGHJKLSORRY. This chapter is way too short for me liking, but I have a feeling the next one or the one after that is going to be huge. Trust me, soon enough shit is going to go down and it's going to take a lot of writing to cover everything that's happening XD I always love your reviews seriously. Whenever I see the word review in my inbox I get really happy and when I see it's from you I end up doing a little dance/spazz thing. I updated as soon as I could with illness and schoolwork, but I feel so late. XD
Nightsparrow15: Well updates might get just a little slower because I'm working on two stories now, that might help. Happy 18th birthday for whenever it is! ^^ Chapter 8 review: Aizen really is a bitch, but trust me he'll get what's coming to him D I know, if I were Tōshirō it would've pissed me off, but the captains are just trying to be nice XD Good point about Mayuri, he's very intelligent, a little creepy, but intelligent nonetheless. "how lovers really kiss" I gotta say, I love your wording. Over the decades Tōshirō's picked up a couple things! X'D Honestly I've never been able to decide on an age for him. But I'd say late 130s to early 140s is probably right. ^^ Chapter 9 review: Ah Rangiku Matsumoto, she's a sneaky one...That's a scary coincidence...hmm really? I never knew that, how interesting. Ah see my brother says I'm kinda similar to Ichigo XD I'm the oldest of four children, if I hear strange or unusual noises, not matter what time of day (or night) I go to check it out, especially if it scares my brothers. I have a tendency to want/try to protect them. XD An example being (rather similar to the story if you think about it) when my next door neighbour was bouncing his basketball of our garage roof I opened the window and glared at him until he went back inside because the noise was scaring them. But yes, what a pity that is XD I'm glad you liked his rage, it was interesting to write XD I'm wondering if I should put in the story again (him being in the fourth squad for health reasons) just to torture him. Or is that too cruel? From what I've gathered, it's just chance. The higher the power the more likely you are to keep your memories, but there's still a chance that you'll forget. (And I needed a plot twist XD) Lord can you even find a trunk that I could fit in? XD Chapter 10 review: Good to know, I'll keep the replies up here then ^^ i'm so glad you liked Tōshirō's speech, it took quite a while to finish, I kept changing and changing it. Interesting, you're the second person who thought he should kiss her. I'm sure you'll like at least one bit of this chapter =D Ah you make a good point. To be honest I'm bad at naming chapters, I should probably limit the amount of words I use in a title XD I hope you like this chapter ^^
Chapter 11: First Encounters
Tōshirō wondered if all conversations with Ichigo would be awkward. None of them actually finished as such, they just kinda trailed off into the incredibly awkward atmosphere. Although Tōshirō supposed that was better then hatred or fighting or anything like that. He was currently standing in Karin's bedroom, looking around at everything. He realised that he hadn't actually looked at her room properly before. They only times Tōshirō was in her bedroom was if she was in there too, and if Karin was in a room...Well it wasn't the room he spent his time looking at. He didn't know how many CDs she actually had, but there were absolutely tons. Well it was true, she listened to music all the time, but he never thought there would be this many. Ichigo had pulled some of them out already, but obviously interests change all the time. It'd be good to get music that were her all time favourites, but unfortunately he didn't know what they were. He'd just have to pick up the ones where the titles or the name of the artists sounded familiar.
He had spent a good two hours or so in Karin's room looking for anything and everything that could work. He now had about 17 CDs, her CD player, her iPod, a couple of the books he had seen her read, a photo album that he had found under her bed and her childhood teddy bear (again found under the bed). He carefully packed the items before going over to her wardrobe. Tōshirō opened the doors to reveal the shocking amount of clothes she owned. What was the point of owning so much? He hadn't even seen her in some of these. Still, he looked through various articles of clothing, pulling out the ones he had seen her in the most. There were two drawers at the bottom of the wardrobe, the top one of which he pulled open. He shut it almost immediately, his cheeks tinged with pink. It had, at no point, occurred to him that he would come across her underwear (and pyjamas.) While he highly doubted that her underwear would trigger anything, he understood that it would make her life more comfortable. It's not like she could go out and purchase new ones due to being stuck in the fourth squad. Reluctantly he picked up four or five sets of underwear and packed them quickly in the bag, trying to get them out of his hands as soon as possible. Tōshirō knew he shouldn't really be that effected by Karin's underwear, it was just pieces of cloth sewn together. However, just as he knew full well he shouldn't be effected, he knew full well why. It annoyed him to no end. When did such things start to bother him? It was typical how he had desperately wanted to grow for decades but now that he was he found the processes that come growing distressing. Although, judging by the behaviour of the majority of teens, both human and souls, such frustration wasn't uncommon.
When Tōshirō felt like he couldn't collect any more he said goodbye to both Ichigo and Rukia and left to go back to Karin. When he had reached the small ward which was now housing the two of them it had gone past 7 o'clock in the evening. He opened the door to her bedroom to find her sleeping peacefully on her bed, still fully clothed, a book on the floor near the bed. Tōshirō smiled before gently waking her. Her sleepy eyes stared at him for a while before stretching.
"Why'd ya wake me?"
"It's only quarter past 7. You don't want to screw up your body clock too much."
Karin groaned as she sat up. "Oh...right...Oh hey. You're back."
Tōshirō nodded. "I've got quite a lot of things, but you still seem sleepy."
Karin rubbed her eyes. "I am. I'm gonna take a quick shower."
Tōshirō nodded. "Ok." Karin stretched again before getting up properly and walking slowly towards the bathroom in her room. She gave him a quick smile before closing the door.
Tōshirō decided to start finding homes for the things he had brought back. He had tried to plug in the CD player but it turned out that the plug and the socket weren't compatible, much to Tōshirō's chagrin. He'd have to figure out some other way to get it to work. He put her books on the bookcase along with her CDs and the photo album and pulled out the rest of her belongings. He had just finished putting Karin's iPod and her old teddy bear on her bedside table when he heard her bathroom door open.
"Oh you're still in here!"
Tōshirō nodded and turned to face her just before he started to speak. "Sorry I was just..."
"Just what?" Karin was trying her hardest not to laugh. Clearly Tōshirō had not expected her to walk out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped round her.
"You're...a lot more...confident these days."
Karin raised her eyebrow and smirked slightly. "Oh?" Karin walked closer to him. "Should I be nervous around you?" Tōshirō could feel his mouth going dry. Karin could see the small amount of panic in his eyes and decided to change the subject, even if his reaction was adorable. "So what's all this on the bed?"
"Just some of your human clothes. The ones you wore the most, I don't know if they'll help you to remember anything, but I imagine you'll be more comfortable."
"Thanks. Would you kindly go away now? I'm not going to change in front of you." Tōshirō quickly left the room leaving Karin smiling. 'He's so shy, even though we were so close. That's actually kinda adorable.'
XxXxXxXxXxX
Karin and Tōshirō were both frustrated. They had been trying to get her to remember something significant for the past 2 hours, but nothing seemed to be working. Karin flopped backwards onto her bed with an exasperated sigh. "Let's face it Tōshirō, this is getting us nowhere. All I've remembered is tiny, random and unimportant details."
"Well it's not like we haven't tried everything. Once I get your CD player working I'm hoping that might make a few things click. You used to listen to music all the time."
Karin nodded. "I guess...But I wouldn't get high hopes if I were you."
Tōshirō stayed silent for a moment before getting up from the bed. "I'm going to do some work. Why don't you try and get some sleep? I heard you tossing and turning all night."
Karin nodded again. "That's not a bad idea. Just don't let me sleep for ages ok?"
"Sure."
Karin was roughly shaken awake by Tōshirō later on. "What!"
Tōshirō stared into her eyes, like he was trying to see her very soul, the essence of her. It unnerved her a bit. "You were thrashing around in your sleep a lot. I was worried."
Karin shrugged. "People always move about in their sleep. It was probably just a nightmare."
Tōshirō sat down on the bed next to Karin. "So you don't remember anything from it?" Karin shook her head, confused slightly.
"I suppose it was just a normal nightmare then. I'll let you go back to sleep."
Karin nodded and fell back onto her bed. "Night Tōsh."
Tōshirō stopped moving away from the bed. "Wait, what did you just call me?"
"...Tōsh...Huh...When did I start calling you that?"
Tōshirō grinned. "Don't worry about it, just go to sleep."
"But..."
"What is it?"
Karin looked away from Tōshirō's face, and started to pay attention to the pattern on her blanket. "I can't remember much, but I know that I'm not the kind of person who gives nicknames to people. So...Why can I call you Tōsh so easily? Seriously...What were you to me?"
Tōshirō sighed heavily and leant against the door frame with a sad expression. "I don't think I should tell you. Not yet anyway. It would be better if you could remember on your own accord." Karin slid out of her bed and walked over to Tōshirō, standing in front of him in such a way that it would be difficult for him to get away if he so wished. "I know...but..." She tentatively reached up to rest her hands on Tōshirō's shoulder, surprising him. "Tōsh...I wanna know. Why am I so comfortable with you? It's so easy to be around you. I'm not supposed to know you...and yet...it's so easy to trust you...If it wasn't for our age I'd think..."
Tōshirō slowly moved his hands to rest on her waist, looking into her eyes. "You'd think what?"
Karin looked away from Tōshirō's eyes, just like she had done so many times before when she was embarrassed or nervous. "I'd think...I'd think that we were...engaged or something...I really shouldn't have trusted you so quickly. You would've thought that would go against instinct, blindly trusting someone you don't know. But...not trusting you felt like going against instinct. I wanna know who you are. I...I wanna be that close again."
Tōshirō gazed at Karin as she leant up towards him. Her hands moved from his shoulders up into his hair. Tōshirō let his hands slide from her waist to the small of her back, pulling her closer. Karin seemed to be struggling to keep her eyes on his, she was just as embarrassed and nervous as she was when they had kissed for the first time. Then again, she probably thought this was her first kiss. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly before pulling back again, observing her reaction. Karin sighed slightly as she leant against Tōshirō, fairly red from the physical contact. "Well...I should... probably get back to bed." Tōshirō nodded and let her walk back to her bed, looking back at him for a moment before getting into bed. Tōshirō closed her bedroom door and made his way to his room.
XxXxXxXxXxX
The next couple of days were quite frankly, uneventful. They were still trying to get Karin to remember anything significant. Unfortunately they were having no such luck yet. Little details were bleeding through, but it wasn't good enough. Although it was a start. What didn't help is while things weren't really awkward between the two, it wasn't exactly comfortable either. Neither of them knew what to do next when it came to each other. So they just ignored whatever feelings they had and went on trying to get Karin to remember things. It scared Tōshirō a bit though. Trying so hard to remember appeared to be taking a toll on Karin. She got tired quicker and she slept for longer hours. It honestly worried him a lot, but he decided not to let it show. While she hadn't admitted it, Tōshirō knew she was scared enough as it was. From hearing snippets of other people's conversations and other things she was starting to grasp the threat Aizen's posed to not only Soul Society, but herself. It was obvious that the idea frightened her a lot. He didn't need to get her all worried over something else on top of everything else too. Unohana didn't think it was anything to worry about yet, after all teenage sleep patterns can change and fluctuate depending how much they were growing at the time.
Tōshirō was walking to his temporary bedroom in the ward after completing all of his paperwork. Due to Rangiku being a pain as always, he was currently making his way to his room at 2 in the morning. Just after he passed Karin's door he heard her mumble something. Curious, he opened her door quietly. Something was different about the room but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It looked slightly different, and it felt different. How on earth does a room change in the space of a couple hours or so? Slowly Tōshirō entered Karin's bedroom, eyes roaming the room to see if he could spot anything unusual. But there was nothing, the room was just different. He couldn't tell if he liked it or not. It was just different to the norm. It was very strange.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Before they knew it, two weeks had passed and pretty much no one had made any decent progress. Karin was still struggling with her memories, the 'defeat Aizen' group were getting stronger but at a very slow pace and it was incredibly difficult to increase the defences around him any further, luckily something else seemed to be stopping Aizen, but nobody had any idea what. Karin appeared to be having less nightmares, but she was murmuring to herself more and more. Tōshirō honestly didn't know what to think of it. The entire situation was getting weirder and more confusing as time went on. He was glad that Ichigo and Rukia were coming back to Soul Society soon though. They had dealt with almost all of the issues with the authorities, and Tōshirō hoped seeing their faces would trigger something in Karin, after all she had known both of them a lot longer than she did him.
Tōshirō woke up with a start early in the morning. He had no idea what had woken him up, but something did. He checked the date to see that today was the day that Ichigo and Rukia were coming back. Maybe they had knocked? They didn't specify what time they would come. He checked the front door to the ward, and after seeing there was no one there he decided to check on Karin. He doubted anything serious had happened, he would've heard her if she was having a nightmare (or an attack from Aizen for that matter) and if she had woken up she probably would've come to see him, she usually did. When he got to her bedroom's door he saw a faint glow from under the door. Had she fallen asleep without turning off her lamp by accident? When Tōshirō opened the door he looked at all of the possible light sources before becoming thoroughly confused. The glow wasn't coming from anything in particular, the room was just brighter than every other room. But if anything there were less windows in here than there were in his room so what on earth was making the room light up like this? He was about to leave her room when he heard her murmur something. He got closer to Karin to try and hear what she was saying. It was probably nothing, she had been known to talk in her sleep before, but he wanted to check.
"I can't...h..." Tōshirō raised an eyebrow. What on earth? "But...I can't...I'm listening...but I can't." Very quietly, Tōshirō whispered to Karin, asking her what she couldn't do. "I can't...hear...you're mouth's moving...but...I can't...I can't hear..." Tōshirō took a step back from Karin in shock, staring at her. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it before? How could he have been so stupid! It was practically the same thing that happened to him! The light was coming from Karin. She was talking to her Zanpakutō! She had to be, it made perfect sense. When Hyōrinmaru first started talking to him the room always got colder and sometimes got covered in frost, and the room was practically glowing right now. She was confused at the fact that she couldn't hear whatever was talking to her, just like he was. Why had this never occurred to him? It seemed awfully obvious now. Everything fit. She was a soul after all, and a powerful one at that. Losing her memories didn't change her power. It was just bad luck that she had forgotten. Power did increase your chances of not forgetting, but it didn't get rid of the possibility completely. There was absolutely nothing stopping her from getting a Zanpakutō. Tōshirō was mentally kicking himself. Seriously, why hadn't he thought of that before?
Tōshirō wondered what he should do. Well, obviously he was going to tell Unohana, but it's not like Karin could enroll into the academy, but she could do with being trained. Saying that, Ichigo didn't train for long. He pretty much just made it up as he went along. Tōshirō understood that Ichigo was more powerful than her, but he honestly doubted that it would take Karin a lot longer to train to a decent level. Even Ichigo had admitted it, Karin was smarter than he was, and she had a tendency to strategically plan everything. Tōshirō's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He walked out of Karin's room and went to the entrance of the ward, spotting a rather familiar head of orange hair. He offered a small smile as he opened the door, which to his surprise, Ichigo returned. Tōshirō assumed he was just happy that he could see his sister again for the first time in over a month.
"Hey Tōshirō, where's Karin?"
"She's still asleep."
Ichigo nodded. "Fair enough. I won't wake her. Anything new since you last phoned?"
Tōshirō nodded and gestured for both Ichigo and Rukia to sit down. "Literally 5 minutes ago. I think she's encountered her Zanpakutō."
Ichigo's eyes widened. "You're kidding!"
Rukia smiled a fraction. "That was quick."
Ichigo spoke with a sort of pride. "Just what I'd expect from her. Any idea what her Zanpakutō is like?"
"All I know is that it involves light."
Rukia spoke with a smile on her face. "I bet it's pretty." Tōshirō nodded slightly and allowed Rukia to continue speaking. "So how do you know?"
"She's doing the same things I did when I first started seeing and trying to talk to Hyōrinmaru. Her bedroom changes when she's asleep and she keeps talking in her sleep. Actually she's probably doing it now."
Rukia nodded. "I think most shinigami encounter their Zanpakutō in their sleep. Apparently the atmosphere of my room changed when I slept."
"Wait a sec, so does this mean she's just getting her Zanpakutō normally and safely like every other shinigami does?"
Tōshirō answered Ichigo's question. "Yes, she's not in danger, and as far as I can tell she's not causing anyone else discomfort or pain."
Ichigo grinned. "Good. I have no problems with her being a shinigami, I just want her to do it the right way."
The second Karin woke up and entered the main part of the ward Ichigo practically came flying at her, hugging her as tightly and quickly as he could. "Um...Hi?"
Ichigo let go and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry, I haven't seen you in ages." Karin nodded slowly and gave Ichigo a small smile. She knew that this man was her older brother because Tōshirō told her, and he did indeed look familiar, but she couldn't really remember anything. It annoyed Karin to no end. There were so many people who wanted her to remember things, but she simply wasn't making decent progress. She hated it.
XxXxXxXxXxX
Tōshirō woke up to a loud banging on the ward entrance door. He groaned and quickly put the top of his uniform on before grabbing his captain's cloak which he put on as he walked towards the door. He opened it with a confused look on his face.
"Abarai?"
"It's Aizen. He's managed to break through the first wall of defence we put around him."
Tōshirō ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Is it possible to put it back up again?"
"We have no idea. The captains of our group, except for Captain Zaraki, and Hisagi are trying to, but it's hard. I thought I should tell you, that way you can keep an even closer eye on Karin."
Tōshirō nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate you telling me."
Renji nodded too. "So...out of interest, is it true? That Karin's met her Zanpakutō?"
"God, I always underestimate how quickly rumours and gossip can go round. Yes, it is."
"...Awesome. Well I wish you both luck." Tōshirō nodded and watched Renji go. He closed the door and walked over to Karin's bedroom, deciding to check on her. He opened the door to reveal a sleeping Karin, looking perfectly peaceful and content. Tōshirō sighed, wondering how long that will last. He looked at Karin's sleeping form once more before closing her door again and going back to his room.
Crappy chapter is crappy. I always hate these bridge type chapters, I always find them so hard to write. Ah well, the next chapter should be decent. I have the majority planned out and you should be finding out more about Karin's Zanpakutō. I've got the appearance and the abilities sorted out, I just have to decide on a name. Seriously, I cannot wait to write the next chapter, chances are it's going to be the one where tons of stuff happens. (which may mean it gets exceedingly long, but hey XD) Well I hope you liked this chapter, and I hope you're all looking forward to the next, I certainly am! XD