Chapter 28: The Letter, and then some
Ganju leaned over to Karin and whispered,
"When I brought back Rukia-chan to the 13th squad, I spotted a gate…" he said quietly. Karin raised an eyebrow.
Rukia, Ganju and Matsumoto where still bent over the wall when a hell butterfly appeared to them. Matsumoto caught it and after a few second's pause, she stood up and ran to the office.
Rukia looked over to Ganju who shrugged, as if in answer to her. Suddenly they could hear Hitsugaya shout something. Then Matsumoto went out, a little anxious.
"What is it?" asked Rukia, worried.
"The sotaicho is looking for Hitsugaya taicho." she replied, "I don't know what it is he wants, but I have a pretty good idea."
"It's about the ryoka, right?" said Rukia. Ganju coughed loudly. She hastily added, "Not that I consider you a ryoka."
"Yes well, I expected this." said Ganju. Then he looked up in the sky. "Im just a little worried of what Karin would do or think."
"Me too. I mean she has barely been here, and she has to leave." said Rukia. Matsumoto sighed.
"I just hope taicho will do something he won't regret." she said.
"Yeah." replied the two in unison.
Suddenly the door burst open and Rukia dove for cover in the bushes. Ganju and Matsumoto pretended to be unknowing. Then a few seconds later Ganju gave her the clear sign.
"I guess I better go back and check on Ukitake taicho." said Rukia. Ganju stood up.
"I'll come with you, I have nothing better to do anyway." he said. Rukia looked pleased and nodded.
They started walking slowly back to the 13th squad, talking about random things that seemed to just pop inside their brains. For enemies of before, they acted like best friends.
Then they finally got there, and Rukia bid him goodbye. Ganju was about to leave, when a gate caught his eye.
"What is that?" he asked himself. He walked cautiously to the gate and saw that it lead to Rukongai.
He found himself thinking that if he knew this before they wouldn't have had a hard time getting in Sereitei. He shrugged and went back to the 10th squad not thinking that this new found knowledge with have any use to him a few hours later.
"So you are sure it leads to Rukongai, then?" she said. Ganju smiled wickedly.
"No I don't." he said. Karin wacked him on the head with her shoe and he grimaced.
"Baka!" she boomed. Ganju smirked.
"You don't have a choice you know." He said. "And even if it doesn't lead to Rukongai, im pretty sure it leads somewhere outside Sereitei."
Karin scoffed and crossed her arms.
"So anyway, here is my plan." He said. "You make sure that you send your dear Toushiro a message before you leave, because that might be your last. Then you meet me at the 13th squad. It's pretty close here. And it's easy to spot because of the number thirteen sign. So we meet at the gate. If by any chance you get attacked by anyone on the way, you do this…"
He took one ball from his back and said,
"Cover your nose." He ordered. Karin did as she was told and watched as Ganju dropped it on the ground.
A red color oozed out of the ball and they waited until it cleared, which seemed like a minute. Then Ganju said,
"When inhaled, the inhaler is rendered motionless. It's not fatal, but it's enough to knock out the weaklings." he said. Then he threw to her two balls, which she almost failed to catch.
"Damned fool! You don't throw things like that at me unwarned!" she growled. Ganju smirked.
"So ill be on my way, make sure nobody catches you when you send that guy a letter." he said warningly. Karin nodded and watched as Ganju started walking away.
Karin put on her shoes quickly and ran to the office.
When she got to the door, she opened the door quietly. The door squeaked and she closed her eyes. Luckily, none of the woke up.
She threaded her way to the table and stopped when he heared a voice. Ichigo was stirring, and he mumbled something incoherent. Karin sighed with relief inwardly. She tiptoed and made sure she wouldn't step on the two.
Finally, she got to the table and she fumbled inside the table for paper. Then she found a stationary set, it looked old and it was yellow. But it had to do.
She took a pen and scribbled her letter on.
Her hands were shaking as she wrote each word, feeling her heart drop with every letter. When she finally signed her name a little slower than the others, she gripped the pen and her mouth trembled.
Why does it have to end like this?
The pen dropped on the floor as she kissed the letter sadly. She bent down to pick it up, her heart still heavy. Then she folded the letter and placed it in a place where she knew he would find it immediately.
Funny how ironic this was. She just got there to find someone, and now that she found him… The people around him want her to leave.
With one hand feeling the wood of the office, she closed her eyes. The feeling of him. It was here. She imagined him signing paperwork and ordering officers to get the job done here.
Too bad she couldn't see it herself.
Then she remembered that she had to hurry, Ganju was waiting. She threaded her way out of the room and ran out without looking back.
After all, it was harder to leave something of you learned to look back.
HT/KK
She finally got to the 13th squad, and spotted Ganju who was leaning on the wall.
"You took your time." he mumbled. Karin said nothing. She wasn't in the mood to explain what happened, and the look of Ganju said that he wasn't going to force anything out of her.
"Did you pass by any guards?" he asked. Karin showed her balls and said,
"Yeah, but I dodged them easily." she said, then stretched out for him to take them. He waved his hand.
"You keep it for the time being. We might need it soon." he said. It was obvious. If there was a gate over to a different place, no doubt there would be guards. Karin nodded and put them back to her pockets.
He gestured for her to come nearer as he peaked behind the wall. There seemed to be no one out. Karin looked around and gasped as she saw a unconscious guy on the floor, who had drool on his face.
Ganju grinned at her as he saw her look at the guy.
"He was sleeping when I got here. I knew these people where sloths." he said. Karin didn't know what to say.
Then he went forward and Karin ran after him. The run didn't take long when they saw the gate. Karin looked at it. Instantly, she felt that Ganju was right to say that this gate led to Rukongai.
"I'll be first, Karin-chan. Then when I open the door, you come forth, got that?" he said. Karin nodded.
Then Ganju put his hand out.
"Give me one of those balls, will you?"
Karin gave him one and watched as he jumped over the wall and then she heared someone gasp.
"Who are you!?" one said.
"Stupid! He's one of the ryoka!" another said.
Then a thick envelope of red smoke started moving around behind the wall. There was a few coughs. Then a few gasps. Then a thud. Followed by another, and another. It seemed to go on.
How many are there? Karin didn't know. She was just waiting. The a minute later, the gate opened, and she went in cautiously.
Several men where unconscious on the floor. Karin looked around and found Ganju sitting on the floor nearby.
"That's pretty cool. How come you didn't use it with the Soi Fon woman?" she asked. Ganju shook his head.
"Won't work with the captain class… Im sure that she could suck out the poison with her sting." he added. Karin nodded with awe.
How much did he know about Sereitei?
"You're probably wondering why I know these things?" he asked, as if reading her mind. She nodded.
"Me, Ichigo and some friends were here 5 years ago to save Rukia from her death penalty. Of course that's a long story." He said. Then without waiting for her to answer, he gestured for her to get moving.
They started walking on the path. There was silence. Both of them absorbed in their own thoughts.
It seemed to take forever to get to the end of the path.
"Why don't we run?" she asked. Ganju didn't look at her, but he answered,
"Why should we run?" he said. Karin felt her face grow redder.
"It's not time to play mind games! What if Toushiro catches up with us?" she boomed. Ganju still didn't look at her.
"This is the last place he'd expect us to be." He said.
"How're you sure of that?"
"Im sure because this gate looks like it was not supposed to be known." he just said. "A simple secret between the sotaicho and the 13th squad."
Karin sighed. She knew Toushiro was somewhere out there. His reiatsu was far away, and it seemed that it had been going around.
Could he be looking for me now?
Has he read the letter?
Then her stomach rumbled. Ganju finally looked at her.
"Hungry, eh? Too bad I didn't pack any food. You haven't eaten." he said. Karin grinned at him sheepishly.
"Don't worry about me. When I get back to Kenta, she will cook something for me." she said.
"Not over there, you're not. We are going to nee-san. You have to stay there for the mean time, far away from the gates as possible." he said.
Karin lived with Kenta. On coincidentally it was right in front of a gate.
"Right." she said. She didn't really care where she went. All she cared was that Toushiro be far away from her as much as possible. And that she gets to eat something.
Then she spotted a small bush with berries on it.
"Think I can eat those?" she asked Ganju as she stopped walking. Ganju shrugged.
"I wouldn't know." He said. Karin went closer to the bush and picked a berry and popped it in her mouth. Ganju's eyes widened as Karin started chocking.
Ganju patted her at the back, and the berry went out. Who would have thought a berry could be deadly, and choking hazard?
"Didn't your mom teach you not to pop unknown things in your mouth, kid?" he asked, as she panted.
She stopped panting and looked away. Ganju felt himself grow guilty.
"What is it?" he asked, for the 3rd-4th time.
"My mom died when I was four." she said quietly. Ganju looked at her.
So… She knows the feeling of loosing someone.
I do too…
And I can't imagine the feeling of having to let go.
Poor kid.
"Sorry to hear that." he said. Karin nodded and smiled at him. He watched as she tried to hold back a few tears.
"Never mind that. It has been 14 years…" she said. Then she started walking again. Ganju followed slowly.
HT/KK
They continued walking the path that seemed to be endless. Finally Ganju spoke.
"I know how it feels." he said. Karin looked at him.
"What are you talking about?" she asked. Ganju closed his eyes.
"Losing someone… I lost my brother." he said. Karin gritted her teeth. Where was he getting?
"How?" she finally asked after a moment of silence.
"To a shinigami… Do you remember my first title, when I first met you?" he asked, half laughing. Karin grinned a bit.
"Self- proclaimed death God hater or west Rukongai." They both said at the same time. Then followed by a little laughter.
When it subsided, Ganju turned serious again.
"I hated death gods, because a death god killed my brother…" he said.
"Do you know who did it?" she asked. Ganju gulped.
"Yes. Shiba Kaien, my brother was the lieutenant of the 13th squad." he said, then added, "Do you know who is a 13th squad?"
"Kuchiki Rukia!" she cried in shock, "Rukia-san killed him?"
"Yeah, but don't get me wrong. It was an accident really. But I was young and unforgiving before, I didn't care if it was an accident or not… I hated her." he said. "But eventually we fixed it when I went with Ichigo to save her."
He continued,
"At first, when I found out that it was her… I was reluctant. But soon after, I realized that she was sorry about it… And then I found out the real story." he said.
He looked at the sky, and told her about what happened. Karin gasped at the right places.
"Im sorry, Ganju-kun." she said. Ganju grinned at her.
"Don't mention it, brat." he said. Then there was more silence.
Even though Ganju told her the story of Kaien, she couldn't bring herself to tell him about her mother.
She didn't have to, when they finally saw light. Karin smiled brightly.
"FINALLY!" she boomed, hunger and desperation getting the better of her.
Ganju smirked as she ran forward, her now long black hair swishing in her speed. He walked in his normal pace. As he got there, he put a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him, the moonlight shocking her pupils. It was dark in the woods, she just realized. He gripped her shoulders and said,
"Welcome back, Karin-chan." he said. Karin grinned as her stomach rumbled louder. They laughed as they started walking faster.
HT/KK
A few minutes of fast walking seemed to be good for them, because minutes later, they saw one of Ganju's boars. Karin groaned. She hated them, no matter how useful they claimed to be.
"Bonnie-chan!" shrieked Ganju, as if finding lost love after years. Karin giggled as he ran forward, ending up getting ran over by Bonnie-chan.
"Yay." she said, faking excitement.
"We'll be there in minutes now!" he boomed as he went up on her, and patted her back for her to get on.
Karin went reluctantly forward and got on the ugly pig, holding on to Ganju for dear life.
"HOLD ON!" he cried, as he kicked her on the side.
"Don't worry about that!" she screamed. Then Ganju laughed as Bonnie-chan ran fast, or as fast as her small legs can take her.
