A/N: Okay, so I obviously lied when I said that this would be up by the end of the week, and I'm sorry about that! Now I'd like to take this short little rant to really thank FlyingLikeAButterfly for being the first reviewer of my first ever Bleach Fanfic. As a thank you, I'd like to tell them that if she(?) wants me to, I'll write her(?) a one-shot! (Just private message me the pairing and any prompts, just no lemon!) Now onto the last chapter, not including the epilogue, of The Secret of Seireitei!
Karin's POV
The next week and a half went by in a blur, with reviews for the rest of my first week, and then Captains and Lieutenants coming in the next week. The only new lesson that I learned because of the Aizen threat was how to defeat a Hollow. All you had to do was cut through its mask and it would disappear. I threw myself into my studies and stayed late most days until almost eight at night to practice and become stronger. Occasionally Ikkaku and Yumichika would come over and spar with me. Even though I was nowhere near Ikkaku's swordsmanship levels, I was exceeding those of the lower-seated officers, or at least that's what I was told. One night I even got Kira and Shuuhei to help me out with my self-defense and hand-to-hand combat. Renji came over a couple of times to help me learn more sword techniques and improve the ones I was a little weak on and one night we had a very interesting conversation.
"So Renji," I panted as the two of us took a quick water break, "How's Tatsuki?" Just as I predicted, Renji flushed and choked on his water.
"Shu-shut up! You should be focusing on your graduation, which, for your information, is in exactly one week! Now let's do it again, going through the movements," Renji snapped after he recovered. A little while later when I looked at him, he was still blushing a little bit.
I took that as a yes that they were dating. Every night that I stayed later, Ichigo would bring me supper and sit with me to talk while I took a ten minute break to eat. He updated me on the daily lives of our friends, and even shared an important piece of information with me on our last night of doing this.
"I'm going to be gone for a while Karin. I haven't been entirely truthful with you and Yuzu, and I need help with training of my own. Plus where I'm going, I will hopefully be getting us more allies for our fight against Aizen. I leave tomorrow actually," Ichigo looked over at me, and I tried to hide the hurt I was feeling. I knew it was selfish of me, but in only three days I'd be graduating from the Academy, since today was Tuesday night.
"You do what you have to Ichigo, I'll be fine here. I'll take care of Yuzu and Rukia while you're gone and everything, and I'll gladly kick Jinta's as- I mean butt- if he does anything stupid to Yuzu," I forced myself to smile at my brother, who didn't buy it for a minute. I dropped the act and looked at Ichigo seriously, "But make sure that you come back alive and in one piece, otherwise I'm going to have to kick your dead butt all over again!"
"And maybe I'll even let you," Ichigo said as he ruffled my hair. I stuck my tongue out and slapped his hand away before he too, turned serious, "You can't tell anyone about this though, only the Captains and Lieutenants know about this." He stood up, grabbed our dishes, and walked out of the training dojo.
Alright Karin, now's the time to work harder than ever. Yesterday Captains Yamamoto, Soi Fon and Komamura came to test our speed, tracking, strategy and agility. Today we had Captain Ukitake come with Lieutenants Hisagi and Izuru to watch how well we attacked and defended ourselves without zanpakutos. According to the schedule Miss Ochi gave us, tomorrow Byakuya and Zaraki will come with their lieutenants (and in Zaraki's case, his third and fifth seat) to see how well we can fight and spar. Thursday we have testing on our knowledge of medical training and the tracing of poisons. Friday is the day that all of the Captains and Lieutenants come to watch us in test situations.
Wednesday and Thursday went by just fine, although I was starting to miss Toshiro's company. I was a little surprised that he hadn't tried to talk to me yet after hearing how desperate he sounded when talking to Matsumoto. Thursday night I went home right after school to eat a big meal and then go to sleep. Granted it was only seven at night when I went to bed, but as predicted, I was up often tossing and turning. Come Friday morning, I was the first one in classroom at 6:30 am besides Miss Ochi. I stretched on my own and went over everything I'd been taught and what knew to be my weak points. By the time I was done with all of this everyone else had filed in and followed my lead. After a half an hour pep talk, Miss Ochi led us out of the classroom and off of Academy grounds. We were then led to an open area in the forest.
"Alright class, here's the deal. We have a few test Hollows that will be popping up randomly. Your jobs are to eliminate them, plain and simple. Some of you will be injured, others will not. It is up to you on what to do if you see a classmate fall. Think of your classmates as your squad members. Your test will begin in one minute," Miss Ochi disappeared from sight and everyone stood dumbfounded. Are they idiots, they should be doing last minute preparations, not having a 'Who can look like the biggest idiot' contest.
"Okay, it's up to all of you on what you want to do, but I think it might be best if maybe we kind of work in smaller teams. That way, if someone is injured, one person can help, and the others can defend the two while they make do with what they've got. What do you all say?" I said while putting my hair up into a ponytail. When I looked around, I saw everyone but Kaoru nodding.
"Well that's not how it'll work on real missions, so I decline," Kaoru sneered.
"Fifteen seconds until they attack!" The shy girl I had sparred with on the first day, whose name I had learned to be Midori, piped up and we all nodded, drawing our swords. Just as the timer hit zero, the first Hollow popped into the clearing. The people closest to it attacked, and were able to defeat it easily. Then the clearing was flooded with the simulation Hollows and everyone was busy. People tried to divide up into groups of three, which seemed to work out the best since they could, for the most part, have each other's backs. I cut down Hollows left and right, trying more to defend those who had their backs turned to a Hollow. When almost all of them were gone, and we were taking care of the wounded, did I notice Kaoru struggling against a particularly tough Hollow. As I was about to run over and help, the Hollow smacked Kaoru to the ground with its tail, then loomed over the unconscious boy.
Goddamn idiot! I gritted my teeth as I ran over to the Hollow as fast as I could. Once I reached Kaoru, I blocked with my sword to prevent the Hollow's claws from getting ahold of him, "Midori!" I yelled behind my shoulder to the girl, "Could ya spare me a second and get Kaoru outta here? I don't want to risk his life." Midori nodded and scurried over. When the two of them were a safe distance away, I moved quickly out from under the claws of the monster, panting at this point. This particular Hollow was a disgusting sight: it had long, gangly arms and short legs. Its head and torso were also large which made its moves more cumbersome. Thankfully for me, my four new friends ran over and distracted the Hollow long enough for me to catch my breath, then I ran up an arm. Once I was on the neck, I slashed through the mask and the Hollow disintegrated.
Miss Ochi came out a few seconds after a group of my classmates had defeated the last Hollow. I was sitting, much to my displeasure, while Midori checked me over. "Alright class, that was spectacular! The Captains are going to talk while we make our way back to the Academy to get cleaned up. I have to say now though, I am so proud of all of you guys and girls! Let's go then," Midori held out a hand to help me up, and I gladly took it. Miss Ochi led us all back the way we came, and while I was walking Renji, Shuuhei, Kira, Matsumoto, Rukia, Ikkaku and Yumichika all walked up to me to give their congratulations. A lot of my classmates gaped when they saw me talking to so many high-ranking officers.
"Karin!" Matsumoto picked me up and squeezed me, once again, into her overly-large breasts. Thankfully it was only a short hug, but it still made me wonder if she was really happy for me, or trying to put me into a chokehold.
"Our own little prodigy is all grown up now, huh?" Renji grinned, "I swear it was just yesterday she was holding a zanpakuto on the wrong end."
"Idiot!" I hissed and punched Renji's arm. I heard a couple of my classmates gasp at the contact. Huh I guess you're not allowed to hit a superior officer, "I was in kendo before I even came here, so of course I knew how to hold a sword right!" Everyone chuckled and we continued on our way.
"I'm sure that your brother would be proud of you had he been here," Rukia smiled at me and I hugged her tightly, "Now we've got to go, but wait up after class, a bunch of us want to take you out for a celebratory dinner tonight, our treat." I nodded and ran to catch up with my classmates. We were back in our classroom in no time, and the only person who was badly injured was Kaoru, who was just waking up. Not long after we all had gotten into our seats, the Captains came in in numerical order, with the Lieutenants behind them in the same order.
"All of you showed great strengths today, each in your own way. However, as the tradition goes, we must pick the one student who showed the hardest, and the best work. That is why through a unanimous vote, we have picked Karin Kurosaki. She was introduced into our lifestyle a month ago, but has only been training to become a Shinigami for the past three weeks. Karin, please stand up," Captain Yamamoto looked at me and I swallowed then followed his orders, "Since you will be undergoing more training under the careful watch of Captain Hitsugaya, you have been placed into the Tenth Division as the Fifth Seat. Do you accept?"
I swallowed again and nodded, "I do."
"Good, you will begin on Monday after you have had the weekend to move into your new quarters. As for the rest of you," Captain Yamamoto turned to the class, "You will all learn of your Division assignments now." Lieutenant Sasakibe read the list of my classmates in alphabetical order. As much as I despised Kaoru, I was glad to learn that he was placed in the Eleventh Division where his temper and straight-forward attacks would be welcomed. Midori was placed into the Fourth Division, and the four guys I befriended all went into the Eighth Division,
"You are all dismissed now," Captain Yamamoto said and the class hurried out to pack their bags. As I had promised, I waited for my friends who were ready to leave almost right away. I was surprised to see so many people I had not expected had showed up to my dinner. Our group included: Captains Ukitake, Kyoraku, Komamura, Unohana and Toshiro, all of the Lieutenants showed up except for Nemu, Hinamori and Sasakibe, and Ikkaku and Yumichika tagged along as well. I didn't know so many people would want to come to a celebratory dinner for me making Fifth seat, I wonder why they all came?
"Well Karin, everyone likes you! Captain says that even Soi Fon wanted you in the Second Division! But now you get to work with me!" Matsumoto said, knocking me out of my stupor. Huh, did I say that out loud? She ran squealing to Shuuhei and Kira about how much fun the two of us were going to have. I learned from Shuuhei and Kira one night over dinner that the three of them were pretty constant drinking buddies, although Matsumoto hadn't gone drinking for a while since Gin came back. I dropped behind the group a little ways with Rukia and enjoyed my temporary freedom from the large crowd.
"Karin, aren't you going to change out of your dirty uniform before dinner?" Rukia asked. I was hoping she wouldn't notice that. I didn't do laundry this week because I've been training so hard. Now the only clean clothes I have is that formal dress that I wore to Byakuya's.
"Naw, this is fine. Besides, I don't have any clean clothes at home, too busy training you know," I forced myself to act like my usual nonchalant self, and shrugged.
"You only wore that lace dress once, why not wear it again just for fun?" Rukia asked, "Hey guys, I'm going with Karin so that she can change into something a little cleaner, we'll be there in a few minutes!" Rukia grabbed my hand a dragged me towards my room. Hm, I'm having a sense of déjà vu, I wonder why? Oh yeah, that's right; IT'S BECAUSE EVERYONE INSIST'S ON DRAGGING ME AROUND LIKE A RAG DOLL! Geez, Rukia's only my height, if not a little shorter, and yet she's strong enough to drag me around like I weigh nothing.
During my mini in-my-head rant, I hadn't noticed that we were almost to my apartment. I gulped, really not enjoying the idea of getting back into that dress, "Alright, let's go get the dress then. And remember, the sooner you put it on, the sooner you get to eat," Rukia told me, tapping her foot while I stepped into my room. I quickly put the dress on, along with the strappy little sandals and stepped back out.
"This is the most I'm doing. I'm not letting my hair out of its ponytail, and I'm definitely not putting any makeup on," I crossed my arms and scowled, "Now can we go and eat?"
"You look so pretty in that dress! I wonder if I should have gone with a dark grey though to match your eyes? Well, we can go if you really aren't putting on any- ow! Watch how hard you grab my arm, that hurt!" Rukia yelled as I dragged her out of the room this time. Okay, now I understand why they did this, it's a lot of fun to drag someone around! I quickly walked to the dining hall and then let go of Rukia's arm to open the door. The biggest table was filled with my friends, and I was pleasantly surprised to find that Orihime, Uryuu, Chad, Yuzu and Tatsuki had come too. There were only two places left, and the chair at the head of the table had a balloon tied to it that had 'Congratulations Karin!' written on it, so I think I had to sit there. I noticed the stares I got from the assorted people sitting down. Some people (Renji, Ikkaku and Kyoraku) smirked or grinned, others gushed about how 'cute and grown up' I looked (Orihime, Matsumoto and Yumichika) while almost everyone else looked either stoic (Toshiro, Chad, Nanao) or uncomfortable (Uryuu, Kira and Ukitake just to name a few).
"Any comments and I will not hesitate to slap you, no matter what your rank is," I growled. I ignored the rush of comments from those who ignored my warning and sat down. I was happy to notice that Tatsuki and Renji were holding hands under that table, and even waggled my eyebrows at them when they looked my way, causing them both to blush. On my left sat the happy couple with Shuuhei on the other side of Renji, and on my right was Toshiro. While I was unhappy with that last part, I ignored him and tried to have fun for the rest of the night. All was going well until Renji, that idiot, let an important piece of information slip.
"I can't believe that we have to go and fight tomorrow! Our last full day was spent watching a bunch of kids run around trying to kill fake Hollows! No offense Karin, you were actually the only competent one out there. Obviously, otherwise you wouldn't be Fifth seat of Captain Hitsugaya's division," Renji said after dessert was served. Everyone froze and time seemed to slow down, and everyone's reactions slowed with it. Most people were stunned into silence, and others just gasped. Tatsuki hit the back of Renji's head and called him an idiot. Other's just grimaced and looked like they were hoping for the best.
"YOU IDIOT! WE ALL MADE AN AGREEMENT NOT TO TELL KARIN THAT UNTIL AFTER WE WERE ALL DONE EATING!" Tatsuki smacked Renji's head again while she yelled at him.
"Wait, what?!" I jumped up, self-consciously checking to make sure that nothing was showing then continued on my rant, glaring at the assorted group, "Why didn't you guys tell me this? And you told Yuzu before me?! I'd rather be told about it and be unhappy then be told the day before you all leave!" I hissed and I could feel tears pricking at my eyes again. You will not cry in front of your friends and sister. You will not cry in front of your friends and sister.
"We didn't want to distract you from your studies," Orihime offered meekly.
"I may be the youngest person here, even if only by a few minutes, but I am NOT a little girl! I'm old enough to understand my duties to myself and the people around me to know that I couldn't slack off in my studies. Did you think that by putting off telling me until the last minute that I'd be any happier about it? Well newsflash, I'M NOT!" I pushed my chair out from the table so quickly that it tipped over. I stalked out of the room, leaving everyone behind me. Probably not your best idea Karin. They were only looking out for you and you yell at them then storm out. Yeah, you're really nice, aren't you. I kept walking, just letting my feet carry me someplace. Normally, I always hurry along my way, not really noticing what everything around me looked like, but tonight I did. I was walking along an empty street, all by myself. Eventually I came to a stone fountain and sat on the edge, absorbed in my thoughts once more.
I've been wondering for a while how this place seems so big, like it shouldn't fit in this valley, yet it does, even leaving plenty of space between here and my brother's house. I wonder if I could make a break for it without being caught by anyone? Ugh, what am I saying, I'm going to be needed here, and just because I'm mad at my friends doesn't mean I can run from my responsibilities. That would make you an even worse person than before, and you're a pretty horrible person for doing that to your friends. I should just-
"Am I interrupting anything?" An all too familiar deep voice asked, indeed interrupting my thoughts. Toshiro sat down next to me on the fountain and I moved over to put a little bit of space in between us.
"Actually you were interrupting the guilt trip that I was taking. How mad is everyone at me?" I asked, not daring to look up from the ground. I shivered, it was getting to be fall after all, and at night it got to be pretty chilly; especially if you're wearing a little sundress and sandals. To my surprise, I felt a warm jacket being dropped onto my shoulders and glanced up for a quick minute to see if it really was Toshiro. Yup, it is.
"No one is mad at you, your reaction was completely called for in all reality," Toshiro said then he shifted, and I might be wrong here, uncomfortably and continued, "Ichigo told me that you overheard my conversation with Matsumoto Karin, and that's the real reason that I came out here; to tell you that the conversation wasn't about you." My heart fluttered and stopped for a minute, but soon picked up for the few missed beats while butterflies found their way into my stomach. Not about me? Does that mean he still likes me? No, he has too just be telling you a lie because he feels bad. I frowned and the fluttering stopped.
"Oh really?" I asked, my sarcasm at almost a record high, "If not me then who? I heard what you said. 'I have no clue how to tell her that I don't really return her feelings, and I hate the feeling of leading her on like this. I don't want to hurt her feelings, but I just don't like her in any way!' Yeah, who the hell else could you be talking about Toshiro?" I still didn't look up from the ground, and was surprised to find Toshiro lifting my chin up to look at him. My eyes flickered to his and his façade of being emotionless had been dropped. His eyes were full of guilt and some unreadable emotion, maybe worry?
"The conversation was about Hinamori, not you. You're the reason I had a talk with Hinamori about the whole relationship issue; I like you not her," Toshiro told me. I felt my eye widen, and I searched Toshiro's face for a minute before hugging him tightly. I could tell that he was surprised because he stiffened, but he soon relaxed and wrapped his arms around me too. Burying my face into his chest, I finally let all the tears I'd bottled up for thirteen years loose. Not in a loud, obnoxious sob, but just falling silently down my cheeks.
"I don't want to stay here tomorrow, I want to help fight on the battlefield!" I whispered into Toshiro's chest. I felt fingers run through my ponytail for a few seconds, causing me to shiver, until I got my answer.
"I'd feel a lot better with you here, and I know a lot of people who would agree with me. Nanao will be here tomorrow too, along with Yuzu, and I know that they'd really like your help. Now," I felt Toshiro stop running his fingers through my hair and instead grabbed my chin to tilt my head up. While his face still lacked emotion, his eyes were softer, "Let's go back to your party. I know that if you wanted to, you could just pretend that nothing happened." Toshiro stood up and pulled me with him. We walked back to the dining hall in companionable silence.
The rest of the party passed without mention of the next day. Renji and Tatsuki barely left each other's side, the same thing with all of the other couples. Everyone had fun, and all too soon it was time for everyone to go home and get rest for the battle. I walked home with Yuzu, after holding back tears and telling all of my friends who were going off to fight that, "They'd better comeback alive otherwise she'd bring them back to life and kill them all over again."
"Karin, can I stay in your room tonight?" Yuzu asked timidly. Of course this is going to affect her more; she's the one who's prone to worry. Obviously she's going to need all of the sleep she can get, while I on the other hand am not going to get any sleep at all.
"Of course Yuzu, but you're going to bed as soon as we get there," I replied as we neared my rooms. She nodded and yawned as I unlocked my door and stepped inside. We both quickly prepared for bed and slipped into the sleeping places designated before Yuzu had moved out. Within minutes I heard Yuzu's soft snoring coming from the bedroom, but sleep evaded me. I rolled over onto my back and stared at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts.
I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight… I wonder what everyone else is doing right now; are they sleeping, or are they fitting in some last minute training? Tomorrow is going to be a very long day. From what I got out of Toshiro and the others is that they don't expect the battle to last long, maybe eight hours or so. I'm going to have to help Lieutenant Ise as much as I can tomorrow, no complaining at all. She's probably going to be in worse shape than me what with Shunsui going out to battle; he was her very serious boyfriend, not an "I-like-you-but-I-don't-want-to-start-anything-until-after-the-battle-so-you're-not-heartbroken-if-I-don't-come-back" relationship like Toshiro and I. What about Orihime and Uryuu? They were both going out to fight, and they must be worried about each other. Then there are all of my other friends…
What if someone I care about doesn't make it back? So many of my friends are going out to battle. There's Tatsuki and Orihime, who took Yuzu and I under their wing when we had arrived… well more Yuzu than me due to my adventures, but still. Then there was Uryuu and Chad who helped me literally discover my fate. I can't forget all of my Lieutenant and Captain friends who helped me to become stronger, especially Renji and Matsumoto. As much as these people mean to me, there are those who are so important to me.
First was Rukia. She had practically dropped her Lieutenant duties to come and pick up Yuzu and I, even though those probably were part of her duties… I was still kind of fuzzy on that whole part of the story. She helped me get back the book, and to distract Ichigo long enough to let me do what I needed to do. And while she may have used me as a dress-up doll a couple of times, she did it with my best interest in mind.
Next came Ichigo, my brother chalk full of brutal honesty and strength, but managed to leave enough space for his idiotic tendencies. As much as he annoys me sometimes, he's still my brother. What he said to me earlier during our talk, about big brothers being born first to protect the little sisters from being hurt, it really made me realize that just because he had been missing out of our lives for a couple of years doesn't change the fact that he's my brother. He better not do anything too stupid, otherwise I'm going to have to kick his butt in his afterlife and make it hell for him. I don't know what I'd do if Yuzu and I lost him.
When I think about Ichigo, I can't help but think about Yuzu too. Not because they look alike or anything like that, but because Ichigo and I shared the same over-protectiveness of Yuzu. If Ichigo didn't make it back, I think that Yuzu would be heartbroken. She would have lost both of her parents, plus her hero, her older brother. Granted she'd still have me, but how much can a sister fill the void of a missing brother and parents?
Lastly was Toshiro. For some reason, I'm the most scared about him going out onto the battlefield. It's got to be because he's so young that he shouldn't be there in the first place, I mean Toshiro is my age! Then there's always the fact of which that I care for him so deeply. I'm not sure if it's love, but I've never felt this strongly for someone outside of my family. The way he came after me tonight, and the way that he comforted me, it made my heart stop beating for a good minute. He is so strong, maybe even stronger than my brother when he finally reaches his full potential. He better come back alive too, otherwise I'll have to kick his ass to! In all retrospect, I realized that my rather… violent thoughts were just about the only way to calm my nerves; I couldn't deal with them any other way.
"Karin?" I sat up and looked around the room. Yuzu had walked in, looking like she had a much better sleep than me. I rubbed my eyes which were sore from staring at the ceiling all night and noticed that it was light out, "Did you stay up all night? That's not healthy Karin! You lie down and get some sleep and I'll make some breakfast for the two of us. We need to keep our strength up if we have no clue when the troops will get back. Do you know what Lieutenant Ise will be having you do today?" While she was talking, Yuzu was bustling around the kitchen trying to piece together something for breakfast from the meager offerings my cabinets gave her.
I yawned and stretched my back. What are a few hours of lost sleep going to do to me? I'll bet anything that Nanao won't be on top of her game today either, "Yes I stayed up all night, no I'm not going to try and sleep again, and no I have no clue what she'll have me do. I was going to head over there at about seven o'clock, that's the time I usually have to be places around here anyways," I stood up and walked over to the kitchen. It looked like she was making oatmeal, but I really didn't know what it was. I was about to open my mouth and ask her when a loud knock on the door interrupted me.
"Karin, you have ten minutes to get ready in there, you too Yuzu. There will be breakfast provided at your stations when you get there," Lieutenant Ise said through the door. We both replied with an "Okay!" and we both hurried to change into our uniforms.
After we had finished changing I looked over at Yuzu seriously, "Yuzu, no matter what happens today, Ichigo and I will always be there for you. I don't know when this fight will end, but I will come and find you afterwards, got it?" Yuzu nodded and we both left the room to go our separate ways. It was a brisk five-minute walk to the Eighth Division offices where I knew I could find Lieutenant Ise.
"We have a lot of things to prepare," Lieutenant Ise told me as soon as she saw me walk through the door, "We have to patrol the borders of the city, make sure that the Fourth Squad has everything that they need, and make sure that everybody is prepared to fight if need be." Lieutenant Ise pushed her glasses up and I nodded in reply.
"If you can handle organizing the border patrols, I'll go to the Fourth and see if they need anything. When I get back I'll gather the rest of the Shinigami and start warming them up, not matter what their division," I looked for approval, and upon receiving it, I was off running towards the Fourth Division.
"We don't need anything," The third seat told me as I entered and asked my question, "Captain Unohana planned for this in advance and made sure we had all of the supplies that we would need. Thank you for the concern and consideration though." I nodded again then ran back to the Eighth Division.
"They didn't need anything," I told her upon arrival. She nodded, writing something down, and then looked at me with a very critical eye, "Um, Lieutenant Ise? Did you need something?" I was beginning to feel uneasy with the look she gave me before her look finally softened a bit.
"Do you miss him? Do you feel as if though you're not sure what will happen if he doesn't come back?" For a moment, I was stunned. I knew that she would miss Shunsui, but I never thought that she'd ask me about it. She's normally similar to Toshiro in that aspect, never sharing her feelings.
"Yeah," I nodded then shrugged, "Of course I miss Toshiro, and of course I want him to come back. If he doesn't I know for a fact that I'm not going to just sit around and do nothing, I'm going to get stronger and avenge his death. The same goes for my brother, and Rukia, and all of my other friends, you included Lieutenant Ise," Lieutenant Is looked shocked for a moment then smiled at me.
"Call me Nanao; if you plan on theoretically avenging my death, then we should at least be on a first name basis. Now, let's do our work so that we can be ready for whenever our loved ones come back," Nanao pushed up her glasses, a new determination in her eyes, and we both set out on our separate tasks.
While I was leading everyone through warm-ups, with Nanao watching and making sure everyone participated to their full potential, a messenger came up to me. He was out of breath and it was hard to make out what he was saying, "Fifth Seat Karin, There is a Hollow too strong for the troops to beat and require assistance." I glanced at Nanao who nodded and started barking out order to the others gathered around us and told me in the midst of it to go and fight. I followed the messenger to the spot where the Hollow was and was shocked. This Hollow wasn't like any I had seen before, not that I'd seen a lot of Hollows; this one was huge and wearing a black cape. Its masked head was easily twenty feet in the air and had a pointy nose. The Hollows' arms just kind of hung there at the moment and I remembered from the Academy that these things could fire some sort of… stuff at whoever they were attacking. The border patrol that had encountered it was mostly lying on the ground injured. I'm going to guess that that's what happened to them.
I turned to the person who had come to get me, and to my surprise I noticed that it was someone from my class. I couldn't remember his name, but I did remember that a lot of these people left here were my age and recently graduated, or close to graduating, "Make sure all of the injured get to the Fourth for treatment, and then ask Lieutenant Ise to set up another border patrol. He gave one nod, and then ran off to carry out my orders. Turning around to face the Hollow, I grinned. This is going to be a fun challenge.
The Hollow finally seemed to acknowledge my presence and looked down at me. It swung its arm at me and I took advantage of the opportunity to run up his arm and slash my sword through its mask. As it disintegrated, I frowned to myself, that was way too easy for being so big. I think that Miss Ochi said that these were called Menos, and they are fairly difficult to beat. Not much I can do about it now I guess. While I was scanning the area, I saw the new border patrol come running up, panting.
"Are you alright Miss Kurosaki?" An unranked Shinigami asked me and I forced myself to not roll my eyes.
"I'm fine. And don't call me by my last name, there's three- oops plus Rukia now so there's four of us with the last name Kurosaki. I don't care whether you call them by their first name or last name, but please call me Karin, and JUST Karin," I smiled at them while they nodded vigorously, "Good, continue patrolling the border and report back to me when the next patrol come out." I turned and was about to walk away when one of them, who I now recognized as Kaoru, snorted. I sighed and turned back around, "Yes Kaoru?"
"Lieutenant Ise is the one in charge of border patrols, not you. Besides, I'm not in your Division so you really can't tell me what to do," Kaoru sneered and I counted to ten in my head.
I was about to reply when I heard a woman's voice behind me, "I believe that all of you were told that Lieutenant Ise and Karin were to be in charge along with the help of any other high-ranking officers while the battle is going on. If Karin asks you of tells you to do something, I'd suggest you do it and not face the anger of your Captain," The voice said and my eyes widened when my brain finally started working again.
"C-Captain Soi Fon!" Kaoru stuttered and bowed quickly.
"Thanks Byakuya, I probably could have beat some sense into him, but an injured Shinigami isn't as good as one who's just dumb," I said, bowing my head slightly and turning around to face the one Captain I thought despised me.
"It is no problem Karin," Was that a smile I saw edging its way onto Soi Fon's face? I must be hallucinating, she doesn't smile! "Although when I came to deliver a message to Lieutenant Ise and you, I did not expect to watch you defeat a Menos so quickly. That is part of the reason I came as well, to help defeat it." Captain Soi Fon said and handed me a letter, "Please wait to read it until you are with Lieutenant Ise, I'd tell you what it said, but the Head Captain gave no indication as to what it says. I have to get back to the fighting. As for you," She turned to Kaoru, "Who is your captain?"
"C-Captain Zaraki!" I think that I actually heard Kaoru squeak when he answered the question. Captain Soi Fon only snorted in response, then was off running so fast I only caught glimpses of her, and even then she was easily 20 feet away from where she had been before.
"Alright, you" I pointed to a random member of the patrol, "Will report to either Lieutenant Ise or me when the next shift comes." I waited for a nod before I was off and running to find Nanao. When I finally reached her, I held out the letter. She stopped what she was doing, which was directing everyone around so that when the fighters came they could get immediate help.
"Everyone, keep doing what you're doing. If you finish your duties, report to this courtyard and wait for further instructions," Nanao pushed up her glasses and gave them all a look that dared them to defy her orders. Once we were sure that they all kept working, we retreated to Nanao's office to read the letter.
Lieutenant Ise and Karin,
The fighting is already drawing to a close. So far the casualties have been very light on our side, and there are three Arrancar willing to cooperate with us. We will need to have cells for them ready, and if you could put a barrier around them, that would be preferable Lieutenant Ise. Karin, if you could see to it that there will be plenty of moral support for when we get back, that would be much appreciated. I have witnessed firsthand your ease in dealing with large groups of people, so I put trust in you. I have a feeling Karin is frowning right now so I will explain, many of our fighters are becoming discouraged, so the crowd upon return will hopefully raise morale. I also have a feeling that the two of you, along with everyone else left behind is worried about the conditions of your loved one. Captains Kyoraku and Ukitake are both doing fine, Shunsui was slightly injured while he was fighting Coyote Starrk, (he took a Cero to the back) he was proven to be perfectly okay when the former lieutenant and now Visored Lisa Yadomaru confronted him about the extent of his injuries. As for Ichigo, he seems to be doing fine, fighting with the bull-headedness that defines him. I expect we will be back in roughly three hours as long as Aizen appears as we predicted and we do not encounter any major setbacks. I will send someone ahead to tell you when we are nearby.
Until then,
Head Captain Yamamoto.
I looked up at Nanao, who was shocked. She didn't even react when I waved my hand directly in front of her face, "Nanao!" I shook her shoulders and her head snapped up to reveal her smiling, "Geesh, don't do that to me! I was worried that you got broken or something. What does the Old Man mean by placing a barrier around the cells? Aren't there already bars there?"
"That's right, you don't know about the Demon Arts. Some Shinigami like me are able to do what we call the Demon Arts which is basically using our own stores of energy to create things like barriers or other things similar to bullets. Captain Unohana and a lot of the Fourth Squad members are very good at the Demon Arts and use it for healing when the wounds are very bad. Captain Soi Fon uses it for what she calls Flash Step to help her move more quickly. I'll see if when we have time I can figure out if you're able to use them and then teach you some of them, and maybe Captain Soi Fon will teach you flash step if it's possible. However, I feel it is time for us to get busy doing our duties. If it doesn't take you too long, do you think maybe you could find out a way for those returning to eat? I would, but these barriers take a lot of time and concentration if we want them done right," Nanao straightened herself out and walked off to the cells where, oddly enough, had been held captive for those few short hours. I got up and walked outside, wanting to get everything down so that I could prove myself to everyone.
I don't even know if anyone is doubting me, but I just need to be sure that everyone will take me seriously. All throughout my time on the kendo team and on the soccer team I had been underestimated, but now I refuse to be. As soon as I got to the courtyard where everyone was waiting, I heard a murmur of voices. As soon as I stepped into the courtyard, the voices hushed and all eyes turned to me expectantly.
"The fighting will supposedly be over in a few hours. So far there have been few casualties, but," I looked over them as they all seemed to sag in relief for their comrades. I knew from my time as captain of the soccer team and being on the kendo team, that for all good information, you need to keep your teammates on their toes and be ready to still accept the worst. The majority of the time it was my job to pump the team up, I even had a medal somewhere saying that, "A lot can change in even the span of a minute in a fight. We still need to be prepared for casualties and injuries. What I want all of you to do now is of the utmost importance. I need you all to support your comrades, both literally and figuratively. Anyone who can cook needs to report to the kitchen immediately to help make something edible. If all goes well, maybe, no promises here, just maybe we can talk the Head Captain into giving us a party to celebrate our victory. Now let's work!" I whooped, smiling a laughing while the others clapped and laughed with me then set out to do their jobs.
Two hours passed quickly while I helped others gather materials for a banner and directed others to go onto the battlement wall and keep a watch out for any signal that the others were coming back. Yuzu had found me in the confusion and asked what I needed her to do.
"I know you did this all the time for Goat Chin and I, but could you go and keep an eye on things in the kitchens? The Old Man wanted Nanao and I to help bring some moral support to everyone coming back and to make sure that there would be food ready as well. I suspect now that he wanted the 'moral support' to help make time go more quickly for us and distract us from-" I was interrupted by a wave from a squad member who had been keeping watch on the battlements. He was supporting a person, and upon closer inspection I realized that it was Tatsuki who looked completely worn out. She still had enough energy to raise her head to smile at me and wave her hand. I rushed forward and grabbed her other arm and put it around my shoulders while Nanao finally made an appearance.
"Open up the gates on the wall that Tatsuki came in and make sure that there are enough medical supplies, stretchers and people to help with the injured. Any of you who don't have anything to do will help their injured comrades to a bed in the Fourth Division or onto a stretcher here if they won't make it. Follow any orders that any Captain or Lieutenant may give you. Now!" Nanao gave orders in her clear and calm voice, but I could see her hands shaking. She was sweating slightly and I could tell that she was over exhausted as she told a group of ranked Shinigami to be prepared to bring the prisoner Arrancar to the cells that she had created a barrier around.
"How's ever-" I started but was once again cut off by the arrival of people. The Shinigami who had been fighting were starting to file in.
First to come in were the Shinigami who sustained little to no wounds. As a looked for familiar faces I saw Orihime who was clutching Uryuu's arm, Chad, Matsumoto and many others. When Matsumoto saw Nanao and me standing together, she made a beeline for us. I momentarily ignored her to find more friends.
Next to come were those who were supporting each other. Among them I saw Renji and Rukia along with several of my high ranking friends. I felt my heartbeat speed up when I noted the missing faces of a couple of important people. Vaguely I noticed that Nanao was gripping my arm as she hadn't yet found Shunsui either.
There had been cheering and respectful clapping as the first two groups of people walked through the gates, but it quickly became deathly quiet as the last group came in. Those who had been injured bad enough that they were either unconscious or had been brought in on make-shift stretchers. I felt my gut sink as I saw Ichigo being carried in, unconscious. The next person I saw was Soi Fon. It's not possible, I just saw her a couple of hours ago and she was perfectly fine, even her usual snotty self! Nanao leaned on me and gasped, tightening her grip on my arm as she saw Shunsui being carried in as well, right next to Captain Ukitake. I almost ran forward to my brother, but Nanao held me in place. Where's Toshiro? He has to be somewhere in one of these groups.
"Nanao, go to Shunsui," Matsumoto told Nanao, prying her hands off of my arm. Once Nanao had nodded and walked after her Captain and lover, Matsumoto turned to me. I had never seen Matsumoto serious before, and it didn't suit her, "Karin, Toshiro was injured. Badly," Matsumoto swallowed, "Aizen cut down him, Shunsui, Soi Fon and a couple of others with no effort on his part. Your brother did something, I'm not sure what, but he was able to use most of his energy to defeat Aizen once and for all. Your brother will be fine, but I need you to do me a favor. I have to go and see Gin, but I don't want to leave my Captain alone, will you stay with him? If you're still worried about Ichigo I can always divide the time."
"No," I answered quickly, "It's the least I can do. Besides, he's my friend too and I want to keep an eye on him. I also don't want to be there when Ichigo wakes up if Rukia is there because that will sure be interesting," I forced out a chuckle for Matsumoto, but lost all function of my lungs as my eyes slid past her to land on Toshiro.
He was bleeding and covered in blood all over. His eyes were closed and his skin had almost a deathly paleness to them. I ran over to Toshiro as they brought him in and helped direct the people carrying him to one of the private rooms set aside for the Captains and Lieutenants. I walked out while the healers of the Fourth used what they called kidou (I took this to be those Demon Arts Nanao was talking about) to heal his worst wounds.
"Karin Kurosaki, just the person that I wanted to see," I turned around quickly to see the Old Man walking towards me. His wounds looked serious, but he was walking around like nothing had even happened, "I wanted to thank you for the hard work you and Nanao put into making sure that things ran smoothly while the higher-ups were gone. Soi Fon told me an interesting bit of news as she came back that she saw you take down a Menos with ease. With news as interesting as that, I'd like you to know that I will be monitoring your abilities as you get more training. Now go and see your loved ones." With that he walked past me and into a room.
I don't know how long I just sat outside Toshiro's room, waiting for the healers to come out and say that I could see him. Finally, after what seemed like hours, they gave me the news I wanted and I rushed in. Toshiro was still pale looking, but not nearly as deathly. His breathing was steady and even, as indicated by the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. I noted with distaste that although he was bandaged, they had not cleaned much of the other grime and blood off. I rolled up my sleeves and grabbed the sponge in the basin that was on the table next to the bed. I made quick work of getting the grime and blood off and simply wiped my hands on the pristine white towel they had left there. Well, it's not pristine anymore now that I'm done with it.
Once I had finished cleaning up Toshiro's chest, a very well-defined chest I might add, I sat down next to the bed. I gulped and avoided looking at Toshiro's face, "Why did you do something so stupid you midget? It's bad enough that I had to worry about my idiot brother, but you too?" I placed my hand on top of Toshiro's and squeezed lightly, feeling a soft squeeze in return. I chalked it up to subconscious reflexes and continued, "I need to pick the people I care for better." After a day of such excitement, I was beginning to feel my lack of sleep from last night. I laid my head down on the bed next to Toshiro's head and made sure both of our arms were in comfortable positions. As I closed my eyes, I heard the sheets and pillows rustling a little then felt a something warm being pressed against the top of my head.
"I think that you're doing a great job," Toshiro whispered into my hair, and I sat up. He looked at me then pulled me closer; we still hadn't let go of each other's hands. I was pulled onto the bed alongside of him and I blushed from how effortless he made it seem by completing the task so fast. I felt my face get warmer when I realized that Toshiro was laying on his back and I was laying on my side facing him. His head turned towards mine and butterflies erupted in my stomach at our close proximity. His other hands came up and cupped my cheek while he looked at me intensely and leaned closer until he whispered in my ear, "Sorry if you don't like what I'm about to do, but I have to do it."
His sentence alone sent shivers down my spine and when he gently placed his lips over mine, I felt electricity running through me again. It was everything a first kiss should be; sweet, gentle yet still passionate. When we pulled back after a few seconds, I was out of breath and it didn't seem to be coming back anytime soon.
"Karin Kurosaki, I care for you very deeply, will you be my girlfriend?" Toshiro asked me.
"You idiot, I thought you knew that I hated those sappy moments," I smiled, "But of course I will."
TADA! I thought I'd end the pre-timeskip with a little fluff between Karin and Toshiro! So the next chapter will PROBABLY (no promises) be fairly short as the word count for this story has now reached into the 9,000's. I've only gotten a few things left to say. 1 thank you for waiting an extra week, but in return I made the chapter HUUUGE and 2) REVIEW PLEASE! Even a simply "Good!" or "Terrible everything" is appreciated! Ta-Ta for now!