A/N Hey guys! I'm back! Sorry for the late update, I was busy! So, in the previous chapter, we discover more about Hitsugaya's past, and a strange man who appears to be his father! But then, who is the other man in the picture with the ice prince's family? And the Unknowns attack! It seems that they are absorbing Hitsugaya's reiatsu! :0 Why is that so?! In this chapter, there'll be a time lapse, as well as some girl talk between Matsumoto, Rukia and our poor Karin! What will they talk about? Read on to find out! Happy reading! :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. Kubo Tite owns it all.
Ichigo was struggling. He had already come out of his gigai and was facing the Unknown in front of him, along with Renji and Rukia at his side. But the problem was, he didn't want to fight in his own house and wreck it. And there was no way the Unknowns were going to listen to him if he asked them that they were going to take the battle elsewhere. He doubted the beasts even have brains.
But there was another problem, and it was a major one. Two Unknowns were, strangely, biting Hitsugaya. And the ice captain seemed to be getting paler as each second passed where they stayed on him. He was slumped on the ground, a sheen of sweat on his face and trickling down his chest, where his clothes had been ripped. The wound inflicted on him by the Unknowns was still bleeding profusely.
Ichigo narrowed his eyes. Just what were the Unknowns doing to the ice captain? It was bizarre enough to see them appear out of nowhere.
Hitsugaya's teal gaze caught his, and the Substitute saw the anguish in them. He was in pain.
"Ichigo, stay focused! We need to take down this Unknown first before we can reach Hitsugaya Taicho!" Rukia snapped at him. Ichigo nodded, trying to get the image of the ice captain's pained eyes out of his head. Of course he would be in pain. He was being bitten.
The Unknown in front of him flicked a forked tongue in and out of it's mouth. Occasionally, it glanced back at the trapped ice captain and its two fellow creatures, and Ichigo saw a hunger in its yellow eyes unlike anything he had seen before.
It was like it was craving for something.
Something that Hitsugaya...
"Ichi-nii! Toushiro's reiatsu is depleting! IT'S DEPLETING!" Karin shrieked, her voice panic-stricken. Ichigo blinked, and finally noticed the ice captain's reiatsu. Sure enough, it was dropping.
Rapidly.
"TOUSHIRO!" He roared, and charged at the Unknown without a second thought. The black monster hissed and blocked him with a katana. Then suddenly, behind them, the two Unknowns released Hitsugaya and he lay on the floor, shivering and clutching his side, where blood was pouring from the new bite wounds.
The Unknowns approached Ichigo, hissing, and the beast which the Substitute had been struggling against leapt back. Ichigo narrowed his eyes at it as it inched towards the gasping Hitsugaya, then pounced on the ice captain.
It ripped one of his pant legs off and sank deadly canines into Hitsugaya's thigh, like it was eating a juicy chicken.
The ice captain gasped, wincing and shuddering, his teal eyes flashing with pain. "S-sto-p," he choked out, weakly hitting against the Unknown's head. But that seemed to make it bite harder.
Hitsugaya cried out, and his eyes sent a desperate plea, meeting Ichigo's own brown gaze.
Help me.
The ice captain's reiatsu was waning, dropping at an alarming rate. Ichigo could barely sense it anymore.
"GET OFF HIM!" He roared at the Unknown, trying to barge past the two other creatures blocking his path. Even though he didn't like Hitsugaya for seemingly trying to hook up with Karin, he still thought of the ice captain as a little brother. A brother he didn't have.
Rukia and Renji went to his aid, and very soon the living room was a mess. Hinamori accidentally blasted a hole through the wall with Tobiume, while Hirako had sliced up one of the sofas. Matsumoto's Haineko shredded the curtains, and Kazuko chopped off one of the dining table's legs.
But the Unknowns were unfazed.
And then more came.
Two other Unknowns came in through the broken windows and slithered towards Hitsugaya, before they bit him too. One bit his bicep, and the other, his calf.
Hitsugaya's body convulsed, giving a single shudder, before he became limp.
"TOUSHIRO! HANG IN THERE JUST A BIT LONGER! OI, TOUSHIRO!" Ichigo roared as the Unknowns blocked his path to the dangerously weak ice captain. Hitsugaya didn't seem to hear him. He still lay, motionless, bleeding profusely on the ground. Only the faint, rapid rising and falling of his chest indicated that he was alive.
Then the two other Unknowns let go, licking their black lips as Hitsugaya coughed, curling into a ball in pain. He clutched at his leg and waist, whimpering softly. Ichigo saw him reach a trembling hand into his pocket, blood trailing down his chin.
The ice captain took out his soul candy, and the Substitute finally realised what he wanted to do.
Hitsugaya wanted to get out of his gigai and get away from the Unknowns. He would probably gather up the last scraps of his reiatsu and use shunpo. Yes, Toushiro! Hurry up and get away! Ichigo urged in his mind.
But an Unknown caught sight of the action, and lunged at the ice captain, grabbing his neck and slamming him hard against the wall. The soul candy flew from his hand, landing some distance away where Byakuya stood, watching still.
Hitsugaya choked, struggling weakly against the Unknown as it tightened its grip on his neck. "L-let... Go..." he rasped, kicking out at the beast with a foot. The Unknown hissed and forcefully tilted the ice captain's head away, exposing his neck.
And it bit him right there.
The ice captain convulsed, his pupils dilating in pain. Then he once again grew limp, his eyelids fluttering as they closed slowly. "TOUSHIRO!" Karin screamed, and rushed at the Unknown biting her friend, kicking it in the head with a powerful attack.
The Unknown screeched, jumping away, hissing like a snake. Karin grabbed Hitsugaya's motionless, bleeding body tightly to her, looking at the beast with a fierce defiance in her eyes.
The black creature let out a fearsome screech, and dove at Karin.
"KARIN! GET OUT OF THE WAY!" Ichigo roared, pushing against the other four Unknowns. His sister put her body in front of Hitsugaya's as she clutched him, eyes squeezing shut, waiting for the pain.
Then a sakura petal drifted by.
And pink blades engulfed the Unknown, tearing at its skin. Dark blood gushed out of the wounds, and it gave a final screech of agony, before a portal appeared behind it and it disappeared, escaping quickly. The petals continued to ravage the other Unknowns, ripping them and shredding them causing them to flee.
Once the last Unknown escaped, the petals formed back into the blade of Byakuya's Senbonzakura. "B-Byakuya..." Ichigo stammered, feeling quite shocked. He never thought that the Unknowns could be so easily dealt with by the 6th Division Captain when the other Shinigami had such a hard time coping.
"Instead of gawking, Kurosaki Ichigo, I believe that there are more important matters to attend to." The Kuchiki noble said, glancing to the limp Hitsugaya in Karin's arms. Ichigo started,then nodded quickly, rushing to Karin's side.
"Are you alright?" He asked, worriedly looking at his sister. Karin didn't reply, instead just staring down at the ice captain's broken body.
"Ichi-nii... How can someone bleed so much...?" She whispered hoarsely. Ichigo realised that Hitsugaya was bleeding heavily, his skin frighteningly pale. His reiatsu was almost completely out.
"We need a healer!" He snapped behind him, where the other Shinigami were watching him. "Someone, fetch Inoue! And we need someone who can use Kidou- Hinamori-san, hurry!" The 5th Division Vice-Captain hurried to treat Hitsugaya, shoving Karin away with a glare. Matsumoto turned out of the house.
"Ichigo, help me carry him to the sick bay. We'll treat him there, and I can bandage him up once he's healed." Isshin instructed, crouching beside Hinamori. Ichigo nodded, and slowly, as gently as he could, lifted Hitsugaya up in his arms, then followed his father out of the destroyed living room, heading for the clinic. Hinamori and Rukia followed behind closely, while Karin merely retreated upstairs. Kazuko and Renji began cleaning up as best as they could, while the two remaining captains sat down on the last surviving sofa and began discussing quietly.
Things were beginning to get quite out of hand.
Three weeks later...
Karin slowly walked home from school, shivering. She felt a tingly sensation run up her body and wrapped her arms around herself. Her third-last session with Hishiri had ended. Two more days to go, she thought to herself.
She thought back to the events that had happened over the past weeks. Hitsugaya had woken up after the incident a week later, completely exhausted and silent. He had barely said a word to anyone, including Karin herself, only sitting on his bed in one of the clinic's wards and staring out the window. The only time he spoke a lot during that period was when he told everyone about what the Unknowns did to him, absorbing his reiatsu. There was always someone with him of course, in case another Unknown attacked.
The ice captain had stayed that way, in a dream-like state, for almost the entire of the second week, before he decided to move around.
And that was when the Unknowns striked again.
Luckily, because Byakuya had been the one who was with him at that moment, they were easily defeated, but not before they managed to injure Hitsugaya with a few swipes to his body. The ice captain had passed out again after the ordeal, most likely in shock and exhaustion.
But the wounds were not as severe as before, and he woke up after two days. Currently, he was still recuperating, but this time moved to Ichigo's room, where the Substitute could watch him, along with another Shinigami, usually Hinamori, Matsumoto or Kazuko.
Karin sighed. She felt utterly useless. In fact, by letting herself get raped by Hishiri everyday was causing her morale to drop even further.
She couldn't even do anything to protect Hitsugaya from such a dangerous threat like the Unknowns. If only I had more power... If only...
"Karin?" Came a soft, familiar voice, and Karin spun around to see Rukia and Matsumoto behind her. The two women wore matching expressions of worry and concern.
"Ah... Rukia-chan. Rangiku-san. Is... Is there a problem?" Karin gave a strained smile, trying to look normal. An uncomfortable feeling twisted her stomach, and a shock ran from her chest to the rest of her body. A memory of Hishiri doing intimate things to her flashed through her mind, and her smile wavered.
"We need to talk Karin," Matsumoto said, taking her hand. "It's concerning Taicho..." she paused, looking at the soccer girl dead in the eyes. "And you,"
Karin soon found herself in a V.I.P floor of an expensive café. She had no idea how Matsumoto had even afforded it. Perhaps the salary of a vice-captain is higher than the average of people working in businesses, she thought. Then Toushiro's salary would be even...
"Do you want to drink anything, Karin?" Rukia asked, shifting the menu to her. Karin shook her head, her stomach feeling empty.
"It's fine... I'm not hungry," she forced herself to smile, even though it didn't quite reach her eyes.
"At least have something. You must be hungry after such a long day of school," Matsumoto urged. Karin refused still. A tense silence descended amongst the three women, and Karin played with the hem of her uniform, squeezing her legs tightly.
"So... What is it that you need to talk to me about?" Karin asked, trying to break the uncomfortable silence. Matsumoto and Rukia glanced at each other.
"You're... being raped aren't you?" The 10th Division Vice-Captain asked softly. The words echoed through the air like the whispers of death. Karin's breath hitched in her throat, her eyes widening.
"I-I..." she stammered, unable to say anything. How did Matsumoto know?!
"You don't have to hide it anymore Karin. I told Matsumoto Fuku-Taicho about what Hinamori Fuku-Taicho is making you do. I told her everything," Rukia said, gazing at her. Karin felt like the world was crazhing down on her.
"W-why? If Hinamori finds out that you know, she'll... She'll frame me for sexual assault!" Karin spluttered, her voice choked. Matsumoto sighed.
"I know. Rukia told me about that too. How Hinamori took photos of you and Taicho sleeping together... And taking advantage of the pictures the security camera took while you two were in the bathroom during our setup," she lowered her head. "We're so sorry. If we hadn't done the setup, perhaps..."
"What's past is past," Karin said, swallowing. "Nothing can change that,"
Both Rukia and Matsumoto looked guilty. "Is that all you want to talk to me about?" Karin asked, getting ready to leave.
"No! Of course not. There are... Other things," Rukia said.
"Karin, you like my Taicho don't you?" Matsumoto asked. Karin froze, a blush rising up her cheeks.
"I-I don't understand what you mean," she stuttered, looking at the ground. Matsumoto looked at her sternly.
"Don't lie Karin. I know you like him. No, 'like' is too vague a word. You love him," she corrected. Karin bit her lip, hunching her shoulders.
"... What about it?" She snapped, glaring at her hands under the table. "I doubt he even likes me back anyway,"
"And maybe that's why... I'm falling for you,"
Hitsugaya had said those words to her, before the Unknowns attacked and severely wounded him. She doubted he was even telling the truth. He had been so exhausted till he even mistook her for his mother when he woke up. Certainly, what he said was false.
I shouldn't get my hopes up. In the end, I'm nothing but a friend to him. Hinamori's the one he cares about the most... Hinamori... Karin winced at the memory of the 5th Division Vice-Captain's mocking, taunting smile, her sinister smirks, and flashing brown eyes.
"Karin, look. You shouldn't be so negative about it," Rukia said gently. "It's alright to feel that way. It's what everyone feels when they first begin to experience love," Karin's head shot up, an eyebrow raised.
"Rukia-chan, does that mean that you...?"
"Yes... I'm in love with your brother. But don't tell that idiotic strawberry. He doesn't deserve to know yet," the petite Shinigami gave her a crooked smile, a sad smile on her face. Karin gaped at her.
"But, Rukia-chan! Ichi-nii..." Karin stammered. Should I tell her about what Ichi-nii says to himself every night?
"Oh, don't bother trying to motivate me and cheer me up Karin. Ichigo deserves to have someone better, despite being such a massive knucklehead. Inoue would be a good choice for him," Rukia sighed, smiling wistfully.
"Anyway, back to Taicho and Karin..." Matsumoto coughed. "Tell us about your real feelings Karin. What you truly, truly feel, deep down in your heart," The soccer girl hesitated for a moment. Then she sighed.
"I admit it, I really do love him. Toushiro... He's unlike any boy I've ever met. He's humble, kind and caring, sweet, smart, handsome even... But he... He must be in love with Hinamori. He must be. Who wouldn't? I mean, just look at her! She's cute, pretty, quite clever and she's his childhood friend," Karin burst out. The two women blinked, stunned.
"Is that really what you think?" Matsumoto said. "Taicho isn't the type of man who likes a woman for being all perfect and innocent. He prefers women who are themselves, and in some way similar to him,"
"But Hinamori..." Karin protested.
"Hinamori is Hinamori. I'm telling you, Taicho only thinks of her as a sister whom he needs to protect," Mataumoto explained.
"How do you know that?" Karin snapped, feeling frustrated.
"He told me," the busty vice-captain gave a helpless shrug. Karin's jaws dropped.
"Why would he tell you?" She gasped. Matsumoto giggled.
"The advantage of being a vice-captain is that you'll grow closer to your captain than anyone else. I've been with Taicho for a few centuries already, and I can tell you that I know what he thinks most of the time," she smiled. "Taicho told me once, when I asked him if he thought of Hinamori as more tha a sister. He said he didn't, and that Hinamori would always be Hinamori to him."
"Then I asked him what type of girls he liked," Matsumoto paused, recollecting her memories. "He said he liked girls who weren't too fragile and easily frightened of things. He preferred tougher girls than childish ones. Then he also said that it would be better if the girl had a similar passion to him," Matsumoto listed. Karin frowned. What type of girl was that?
"You see Karin? I can tell you, very certainly, that Taicho only loves Hinamori as a sister." Matsumoto smiled. Karin felt little relief from that.
"Even if he only thinks of her as a sister, Hinamori thinks of him like he's her husband!" Karin spat, feeling a familiar surge of rage. Both Matsumoto and Rukia looked equally shocked.
"She does?" They exclaimed at the same time. Karin nodded, a little disheartened.
"She's possessive of him, and she even said I seduced him! She called me a... a..." her voice choked into a sob, and she buried her face in her hands. "She said I didn't deserve him..." Karin whispered.
"And she's right. I don't deserve him. Toushiro is... He's..." She sobbed. "He deserves better than me. I'm just a tomboy whom no one likes. I-I'm not pretty, or sweet. I do things other girls don't like... And..." Karin gulped. Tears stung her eyes as she readied herself to say the next few words. "Like Hinamori said, I'm a-"
"Don't say it," Matsumoto suddenly snapped, gazing intensely at the depressed soccer girl. "Whatever you were about to say, don't you dare say it,"
Karin blinked, stunned.
"You have no right to be so negative about yourself, Karin! You don't know how Taicho feels!" The busty vice-captain exclaimed.
"But-" Karin sniffed. Matsumoto reached out and put a hand on her shoulder.
"It's okay to be upset and worried Karin, but to be so negative of yourself? That's not right. You should never hate yourself. It'll make you feel even worse," her voice softened.
"Even if it's just unrequited love, continue to love him. Even if he doesn't know about your feelings, still love him. Then one day, perhaps once you have the confidence, confess to him. Don't mind Hinamori- she's just jealous of you because Taicho is giving you more attention than her," the vice-captain smiled.
"Why would she be jealous of me? It's not like he likes me-" Karin began.
"I told you not to be so negative!" Matsumoto chided. Karin kept quiet, tears welling in her eyes.
"Remember when Taicho said he preferred being with you rather than with Hinamori? That's the reason why she's jealous. She just wants his attention, like he used to give her," the strawberry-blonde woman said gently.
"U-used to?" Karin hiccupped.
"You never realised that Taicho doesn't pay her much attention anymore?" Matsumoto asked. Karin shook her head.
"You see Karin? You only worry about what Taicho thinks. You don't notice what he does. Taicho doesn't talk much- though he nags a lot- and that's why his body gestures and expressions are important if you want to know what he's feeling or thinking," the 10th Division Vice-Captain said. Karin never thought of that.
"Really?" She whispered, feeling slightly hopeful.
"Yup. I've been observing him for a while, and I can tell that he doesn't give Hinamori much thought anymore. His attention has gone... elsewhere. To a particular person, actually," Matsumoto gave her a mysterious smile.
Karin found that slightly more comforting. "A-are you sure? You're not lying?" She asked. Matsumoto laughed.
"Of course I'm sure. Why would I lie to someone who likes Taicho?" She answered smoothly. Karin managed to smile a bit.
"Thank you Rangiku-san..." Karin sobbed, and found herself beginning to cry. I'm such a weakling, she thought to herself, but didn't feel like trying to stop. Matsumoto blinked, then sighed and got up, sitting down beside her and pulling her into a hug.
"There there, you big baby. Rangiku-san's here," the vice-captain soothed. Sniffling was heard and Karin saw that Rukia was crying too.
"Matsumoto Fuku-Taicho! You were so motivating!" The petite Shinigami exclaimed. Matsumoto smiled and pulled Rukia towards her too.
"You two are such massive crybabies! If you keep crying, no man will like you!" She chuckled, holding onto the two sobbing girls. Karin felt reassured.
Rangiku-san is amazing, she thought. Toushiro is lucky to have her as his vice-captain.
Thank you Rangiku-san. I won't forget what you said.
I only have to last two more days of torment. I'll pull through. I will. Then, I'll just continue to help Toushiro from the sidelines. I won't get jealous if Hinamori spends more time with him. I'll just watch him, guide him, and even if he doesn't like me back, continue to love him.
Toushiro is the only boy I've ever loved after all.
A/N So that's the end guys! :) Matsumoto gets Karin sorted out from her troubled state! Always the matchmaker and motivator! XD Next chapter, things get more serious. The mastermind behind the Unknowns begin to make his move! Hinamori strikes again! And things go from bad to worse for both Karin and Hitsugaya! See you in the next chapter! Thanks guys! :)
Reviews make me work faster, so do review and tell me what you think! XD