Welllllll,
Lots to say. So I have a few notes from last chapter I'd like to present before we get onto the Chapter at hand:
1. I realized this after I posted the story, but I misspelled Rikichi's name about seventy times. That's what proofreading at 1 am does. Never do it. Anyway, I'm sorry. His name is spelled RIKICHI if you were curious. I'm currently using my "Get out of Jail Free" card with the grammar police.
2. Sorry if the battle scenes last chapter were...bleh. I usually don't write fights, so I'm still practicing. Reviewer Stormcrowley gave me some good suggestions though, so hopefully you'll find the fight this chapter...a little better! ^_-
3. The rating T for TEEN comes in to play...uhm A LOT this chapter! Expect Violence, Blood, and Excessive Swearing...um, because Kenpachi's involved! Just letting you know ahead of time!
and
4. I have Homemade Fanart! I have two pieces so far. I tried to put the links on here, but they didn't work. (?) BUT you can go to and look up "Romania Black" and I have them on my profile. One picture is a SPOILER for next chapter...so be ready for that. I hope you like them!
Lastly,
Special Thanks to Reviewers/Readers: (So many good ones this week I had to separate them!)
Kaishei (Thank you for the Fave!)
theloverofanime (I'm glad you like that Hitsugaya's back! Also, I've wanted to have Rikichi in the story for a while, but not until last chapter did he have time to shine. He's totally Renji's little brother, and hopefully he'll be back in future chapters. I'm glad he got a good reception!)
Stormcrowley (Two things about your great comments: one, yes, poor Rikichi; he had a little too much high powered Reitsu for one day around him. Two, I'm very grateful for your comments about music in writing the battle scenes! I usually listen to folk music oddly enough when I write, but not this chapter! haha, I turned on some Marilyn Manson, oddly enough. bwaha. As for fighting styles, that's so true. In this chapter, we'll see a glimpse that Leta definitely is like Kenpachi when it comes to sparring.)
ticking-clocks8 (Thank you! Also, I hope you like the fanart!)
Wolfsbane706 (Thanks for the detailed and helpful review! I keep up pretty faithfully with the manga and anime, which makes it hard for me to write about characters whose fates are still relatively unknown..*cough cough*Rangiku*cough cough* Gah, anyway, I plan to introduce as many characters to Karin, especially at the upcoming ball. As for Captain Commander, I don't want to reveal too much on him/her yet, since the manga could squash my dreams. -_- I will be looking to the Bleach Wiki more for Kido info and stuff like that I haven't memorized haha)
and Garnet-AsianAngel (Yes, getting lectured by Toshiro is no fun...but as for what happens, you'll have to read below!)
Thank you for all the support in this story! I only hope to hear your ideas/comments, as they are SO inspiring and helpful to me in writing this.
Enjoy the chapter,
Romania Black
Chapter Thirty-Five
Curiosity kills the Cat.
Luckily it has eight more lives.
Leta appeared to have an upper hand on the battle when it started, her spiritual pressure matching Kenpachi's with perfect precision, amplified by her nimble agility as she punched and kicked all of the tall, boulder-muscled man's weak points. She had kneed his neck, scraped the flesh behind his knees, even managed a punch and slice with her sword to his under-armpit.
But her list of weak points was running out. And despite the red liquid dripping down his muscle-honed body, he was still standing.
Karin had noticed that their fighting styles were eerily similar. Both relied on their blades to make the initial injury, but were not afraid of also using their other limbs to stop or distract the opponent. Leta and Kenpachi had a habit of holding their swords at random moments with both hands, which seemed to allow the blade to gain power and momentum temporarily.
Leta ducked under Kenpachi's sword as it swung down towards the ground, slamming her foot against his shin as she dove under. The force caused the taller captain to stagger a step, giving Leta an opening to run her sword into his calf. Karin flinched as the blade sank cleanly into his flesh. But to her shock, Zaraki merely laughed and used his other foot to slam Leta in the stomach. The kick forced Leta to retreat from his body, dragging her bloodied sword out with her. She rolled across the ground but quickly gained her footing, kneeling in the dust as Kenpachi examined the wound. He didn't look too concerned, and started stalking back towards her, his leg barely carrying a limp.
"Come here," Zaraki growled, as his sword grazed the ground like a shark approaching its prey.
Leta jumped in the air and used Kenpachi's shoulder as a brace, leaping from it to his back, where she spun and went to sink her sword into his shoulder. But the captain anticipated her move and instead spun the other direction, now behind her, he moved the sword to slice her from behind. Leta dodged the blow and turned to run her sword into his arm. Zaraki knocked the blade away with his free hand and drove his own sword into her leg. Leta let out a cry of pain, the first during the fight, and retreated a few steps, blood leaking down her robes. Karin winced; Leta didn't look like she could take the same amount of pain as the other captain.
"Quit running away," Kenpachi looked angrier, as he dove jutting his sword left and right, trying to impale her. Leta was dodging fairly well, but for some reason she was involuntarily clutching her sword from time to time with both hands, as if preparing to strike but then changing her mind and letting go to dodge Kenachi's reach.
Why is she doing that? Karin thought with a frown.
"I'm not running," Leta protested, but it was in a weak voice. She gripped the sword with both hands and rammed it into Kenpachi's blade. The two swords were clashed together, shaking violently in their weilder's hands.
"Bullshit," Kenpachi sneered.
The ground was strewn with small red lines, trails of blood from Leta making swirls in the dirt. Karin couldn't deny it, in a matter of minutes, Leta was starting to look on the losing side.
"Aww, she's about to lose."
Karin nearly fell out of the tree. She turned in surprise to see it was only Yachiru sitting behind her on the tree branch. Apparently the small pink haired girl had noticed Karin's presence.
"Y-you! How did you know I was here?"
"I sensed you," Yachiru answered bluntly. "Is Leta having as much fun as Kenny?"
As she said this, Kenpachi gripped Leta's arm and threw her towards the wall, slashing at her back as she was in midair. A splatter of blood erupted into the air.
"I doubt it," Karin answered soberly.
"That's too bad," Yachiru sighed with a bored expression, looking down onto the arena. "But she's no captain, so how could she beat Kenny?"
"There's really that much difference in power?" The question was more for Karin herself than Yachiru. The miniature pink-haired girl shrugged,
"I don't know. But she's about to die."
Karin's head spun around, "What? Die? I thought this was a clean fight? The captain said it was!"
Yachiru giggled, "It is a clean fight! Neither of them are cheating. But Kenny's probably gonna kill her. He gets really happy when he gets to fight to the death."
Karin felt a cold sweat on her brow, her face white. Leta's fighting him because of me! And now...she's going to die because of me...
"I have...I have to stop him from doing that," Karin couldn't believe she was saying the words. It seemed ridiculous. What could she do? But if she dies-
"Whatcha talkin' about, no boobs?" Yachiru tilted her head, "Doggy said we couldn't interfere."
Karin started towards the edge of the branch, where it touched the wall of the arena, ignoring her first comment, "I won't get in on the fight itself," She explained to Yachiru, "I'll just have to beg Captain Zaraki not to kill her."
Yachiru frowned, but there was amusement playing in her eyes, "I don't think he'll listen," She said in a sing-song voice.
It was a terrible plan, and Karin knew that he probably wouldn't listen. But then again, if she didn't and he killed Leta...not only would she not have a teacher or friend, but their plan to infiltrate the Ball may not even occur. And they'd already put too much at stake to risk it not happening.
Karin noticed that the Seventh Squad captain had disappeared completely from the arena as she touched down onto the edge of the stone wall. She also noticed no other Shinigami were nearby. Why is no one watching this fight? She wondered. Maybe...maybe the captain knows she's about to die and is keeping his troops from watching...
Kenpachi had grabbed the sword out of Leta's hands and threw it aside. Grasping her by the head, he tossed her into the air and gave her a swift kick to the stomach, sending her flying. Leta let out a huff and cough of blood as she smashed into the wall and fell onto her stomach, her head face down in the dirt. Her limbs twitched and a giant portion of her put-up hair had fallen down her backside. It was clumped at the small of her back but Karin could have guessed her hair as long as Leta was tall. Karin hit the ground, the dust settling at her feet.
Leta! Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead. Not again. Please don't be dead!
"Ah, not getting up, Kamaguchi?" Kenpachi looked disappointed, "Too bad-"
"Hey! The fight's over! Stop!" She called out, ignoring how ridiculous her voice sounded.
Kenpachi, who was about to lean over Leta's body to grab her, stopped in mid-step. His head turned slowly towards Karin, his face slack and his eye narrowed.
"Eh? Who the Hell are you?" He raised a thin eyebrow, eyeing her with annoyance.
"Oh, uh, I," Karin thought he knew her.
"Eh?" Kenpachi squinted and then his eye widened with recognition, "You're that broad from Byakuya's Division I saw the other day." He straightened, still standing beside Leta's prone body. "Heh, Whatcha want me to do, kid?"
"Don't kill her!" Karin yelled instantly.
Kenpachi gave her a devil's smile, as if about to torture her, "Who said I can't? She lost fair and square. Unless," He eyed her up and down, "You want to fight me in her place."
That was the last thing Karin wanted to do. "N-not really, um, sir. I just wanted you to not kil-"
"Wait," Kenpachi suddenly sniffed the air, his head erect and his eye darting like jumping jacks. There was a tense look about him. "I smell him. I smell that Kurosaki kid."
"Kenny!" Yachiru popped up from Karin's side, nearly scaring the skin off her.
"Shut up, Yachiru," Kenny growled, "I smell Ichigo Kurosaki nearby..."
Karin's eyes widened, No way! Really?
"But Kenny," Yachiru frowned, "That's just No boobs here!" She pointed at Karin angrily, "You're smelling her."
What? Karin's face fell. So no Ichigo...
"What are you babbling about?" Kenpachi was now facing Karin and Yachiru, "She's not Ichigo. She can't have his scent." Kenpachi scratched the side of his face. His eye narrowed on Karin, then, to her utmost horror, it widened as if he was remembering something crucial.
Karin felt her legs lock to the ground in sheer fear.
Ohhh no. He wouldn't.
"Wait. Yachiru, didn't we get some message from Central the other day-"
Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.
"-sayin' that Kurosaki's brat sibling was here now?"
Why am I in this arena? Just say no, Yachiru, just say-
"Yeah!" Yachiru jumped up and down, pointing at Karin, "That's her!"
I am the biggest idiot in the world.
Kenpachi's wide eyes were suddenly followed by the most murderous, evil grin imaginable. His dark eye cast down a look of pure terror onto Karin.
"Ichigo's sister, eh? I fought your brother."
Why did you come here, idiot? "Really?" Karin took a step back. "I'm sure it was a good fight." There's no one here to stop him you moron!
"Oh," Zaraki's grin widened. His teeth looked like shark's. "It was. I wonder if you'd put up a similar fight?" His sword was gleaming in his grip. Karin didn't want to find out if the edges were as sharp as they looked.
"Oh, I doubt it," Karin stepped back again, her face giving off a nervous grin, "He was much older than me, and had trained a lot longer-"
"I don't give a damn how long you've trained!" Kenpachi roared, his eye almost glowing, "It's in your BLOOD! The will to fight! To fight me now!" He raised his sword, his yellow aura surrounding his body like a plague. Karin forced herself not to faint at the pressure.
You should have left when Rikichi told you to. Now you're going to die you idiot! He doesn't know how strong he is compared to you and he's going to kill you!
Kenpachi was stomping towards her as she backed away, his sword raised high in the air.
"Running away too? They always run!" He roared angrily, swishing the blade from side to side, it's silver metal slicing through the air around him. Karin kept backing away in fright,
This is it. You'll never get to see Ichigo, Yuzu, Goatbeard, Yoruichi, Jinta, Ururu, Urahara, Tessai, Rukia, Renji, Leta, Toshiro-she felt a slight stab in her heart-He'll hate you for this. For dying so stupidly. So easily. Momo's death will have been in vain-
"So then don't die, you fool."
Karin, who had been nearly running towards the arena gates, stopped in her tracks. Who was that?
"Me, dummy," The voice was familiar, serious, but joking at the same time.
Yakyuu?
"Duh. You have any other voices in your head I should know about?"
Kenpachi stopped momentarily, eyeing Karin suspiciously. "What the Hell is she doing?" She looked like she was having a mental conversation with herself. He looked to Yachiru for an answer, who was eyeing her as well.
"Oooh, Ichigo did this before too, Kenny." Yachiru mused, "When you first fought him! I bet she's about to use some awesome special power!"
Kenpachi looked from her to Karin and gave a wicked grin, "Good. Let's see what she's got up her sleeves." This day was getting better and better.
He's ridiculously strong! I have no chance, Yakyuu!
"You won't win with that attitude," Yakyuu's voice griped, "Look at him! Don't you remember what that Kamaguchi woman said? He can't call out his sword!"
Neither can I, remember?
"Oh you can call me out," Yakyuu's voice said with glee, "Just do it. No one's watching! Kick this bastard's ass and take revenge for the Kamaguchi woman! I'm fighting with you, remember?"
She was right. They were alone. But did she really want Kenpachi to see her-
"He won't see you," Yakyuu interrupted, "Because I won't let him."
It was risking possible embarrassment or death. And Karin wasn't about to choose the latter.
"I think she's done getting ready," Yachiru smiled widely and jumped out of Kenpachi's way. "Go Kenny!"
"It's about damn time," The captain smiled evilly, his grin taking up all of his face. He raised his sword to chest length.
Karin focused her eyes on Kenpachi, feeling a warmth growing inside her chest that was swelling to every inch of her body. Her skin had that cool oily feel to it again. Her crimson sword was searing at her side.
Meanwhile, Leta was slowly lifting her head off the ground, grabbing the side of her face and checking to see if it was bleeding. Luckily her head was clear. The rest of her, not so fortunate.
"Oh wow," Leta grinned with a soreness to her voice, "I haven't lost that bad in a while. Owwww, Zaraki's still one to give a beating." She suddenly realized where she was. "Wait-Where'd Kenpachi go? And that's when she saw him and Yachiru. And the person with a large growing red aura surrounding them. An aura that was shaped like a-
That spiritual pressure...It can't be...Karin?
The young Shinigami drew her hot sword from its sheath and thrust it in front of her, so the blade was flat and horizontal. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stared at Kenpachi in front of her, his sword ready to strike. He was taking great satisfaction in the lead-up to this moment, as if it was a taunt from an opponent.
What is she doing? Didn't we just tell her not to- Leta blinked angrily, and suddenly was sensing two spiritual pressures coming towards them. Her eyes widened as her mouth dropped open in surprise, Oh no-
Karin opened her mouth, "Surrender,-"
Leta jumped clumsily to her feet, "NO! Wait, Karin, Don't!"
"-YAKYUU!"
The sword instantly melted into ribbons of flames, the fire fusing with Karin's skin, it surged all around her. She felt as if she was becoming one with the fire itself, as if her power was taking control of her being, yet she was the puppet master. She held the strings to what it could do. The sword was completely gone now, but she felt as though...it was part of her.
"Kick fire at him." Yakyuu's voice echoed in her ear, "Do it."
Karin lifted her leg as if to kick a soccer ball and swiped the air. A flaming yellow-orange ball was sent flying towards Kenpachi, who was so stunned, didn't move to dodge. The ball collided with his shoulder and immediately erupted onto his skin. Instead of fire though, his shoulder was covered with a thick, oozing dark red liquid.
"The fire will thicken upon impact with the enemy," Yakyuu's voice stated proudly, "Like-"
"Lava," Karin whispered to herself.
"What the Hell?" Kenpachi turned to his shoulder, "What is this?" Whatever it was started to sear his flesh.
Can I shoot this 'fire' from anywhere? Karin asked in wonder, staring at her hands, which looked like they were set ablaze. She could barely see her actual skin through the thick flames.
"Of course," Yakyuu bragged, "Try punching."
"HIYAA!" Karin thrust her arm forward and punched towards Kenpachi. A fireball slithered from her fist and impacted with the captain's other shoulder, sending him backwards. He was still clutching his sword, but looked utterly stunned, an expression Karin had never seen the tall man wear.
"I did it!" Karin cried out. This power! It's incredible! And...it's me doing it! It's us! None of this was Momo's old powers she'd loaned to Karin when she'd transformed Karin into a Shinigami.
"Now," Yakyuu's voice became heated, "Let's defeat him! Take your-"
"Bakudo 61: Rikujokoro!"
She couldn't move. Karin felt a pain in her abdomen from all sides. She looked down to see a rod of yellow light sticking out from her side. Baffled, she twisted her torso in place; there were six light rods coming from her body. "What is this?" She cried out in surprise. The flames couldn't break the light.
"It's a binding spell," the voice beside Karin answered coolly. Karin saw with horrified look Leta Kamaguchi, who was clutching her side with one hand, and had the other spell-casting hand raised in front of her. Leta eyed Karin sternly; it was the first time Karin had seen Leta look so...teacher-like. Karin gulped loudly, her eyes fearful.
"I-I-didn't think you-I had to-"
"I should have guessed you'd come watch," Leta let a sly grin slip across her face. "After we told you specifically-"
"You still breathing?" Kenpachi's voice roared with amusement from behind them.
Leta tilted her head playfully backwards towards the captain, "Who said we were finished?" She frowned, "I don't recall telling you to switch opponents."
Zaraki gave her a dark smile, then pointed to his shoulders, "This hurts like Hell, girl!" He tried to touch the lava but drew away, his fingers singed, " Hey Smiley," He gave Leta an agitated look, "tell that student of yours to get this shit off me!"
Leta let out a sigh, looking from the captain to Karin, "You've really made a mess, haven't you? We told you not to release your sword, but you just couldn't help it, huh?"
Karin gave Leta a look of disbelief, "He was going to kill you!"
"Do you really think my Captain would let him?" Leta's face was now registering a very uncharacteristic, disappointed expression. Karin felt her face redden at her own naiveness.
"I-I-"
"It's too late now," Leta frowned, looking past Karin's shoulders. "I'm going to release the binding spell, but I'd advise you not to go out of Shikai."
"Why?"
"Because you'll be exposed," Leta eyed Karin with a pitiful glance, "And we have company."
"What?"
Leta released the binding spell and Karin kept the fire surging around her. Company? Her Captain? Oh no, Karin glanced down. She couldn't see anything but fire. She knew the fire on her body didn't affect her own skin, so she touched her stomach and gasped. There's no clothes! Her face felt like it was on fire itself now.
"Exactly," Leta gave her a sympathetic sigh, seeing that Karin realized what had happened. "Don't worry, all I can see is your face. The rest is hidden in flames... luckily."
"Can nobody hear me, dammit?" Kenpachi roared, as Yachiru curiously touched the lava on his shoulder with a stick she'd located on the ground.
The heavy gates to the arena swung open loudly.
Leta sighed, Hoo boy, this is going to be awkward. The Academy instructor rushed to the gates, as Captain Komamura stepped into the arena, his captain's Haori swinging in the breeze. Next to him, paling in size, was to Karin's nightmarish horror, Captain Hitsugaya.
You're kidding me, Karin squeaked in her mind, and forced the flames to grow in intensity.
"Captain," Leta knelt at Sajin's feet, her head bowed.
The dog-faced man gave Leta a concerned glance, "You've bled considerably."
Leta lifted her face and smiled, "Ah, it's not too awful," She involuntarily clutched her side with her left hand harder, "What I should expect for challenging Zaraki without releasing." Her eyes turned to Hitsugaya, who was staring forward with a whitened, grave expression. "See anything you like, Captain?" She flirtaciously grinned.
"Is that," Toshiro's mouth was half-open, speechless, "Ka-Miss Kurosaki?"
"Ah," Komamura's voice was rumbling, "So that is her. I've wanted to meet the sister of Ichigo Kurosaki." His dog ears twitched slightly, "She can release her zanpaktou already. Interesting, wouldn't you say, Madame Kamaguchi?" Karin was surprised her superior used honorifics to a subordinate.
"Very," Leta noted, appearing oblivious and amused, when Karin knew good and well it was an act. "I had been knocked unconscious by Captain Zaraki and awoke to see her in this condition." She explained as they walked towards Karin and Kenpachi, who was yelling at Yachiru to back away from him while he had lava on his body.
"It is indeed curious," Komamura said in a concerned tone, only this form of concern differed from that which he'd shown Leta; it was much more ominous.
Leta interrupted him before he could continue thinking, "I need to help get the, err, lava it appears, off of Captain Zaraki, if I may Captain." She motioned to Kenpachi, causing both Toshiro and Komamura to look surprisingly from the Captain to Karin, who was still standing stationary and ablaze.
"Do as you need," Sajin said stoically, as Leta rushed to Kenpachi's side. Komamura towered over Karin. He was much taller in person and he even...smelled...like a dog. "Greetings, small sister of Ichigo," He spoke like an old man. Karin hoped he couldn't see her frown.
"It's a pleasure to meet you...Captain Komamura?" She restricted her hands to her side. "I'd shake your hand, um, Sir, but..."
The tall Captain gave her a puzzled look, "Can you not release yourself from Shikai?"
"Captain!" Leta called from a distance. She had her hands bent over the lava, which was now covered in a baby blue iridescent light. "Would care to come and assist me for a moment? I should be able to remove this now, but I need someone's help lifting it off."
Captain Komamura glanced from Karin to Leta. "Curious." He gave Karin a curt bow of his head, "Excuse me, young one." And Sajin walked towards Leta, Kenpachi, and Yachiru; leaving Toshiro and Karin standing next to each other, an awkward silence sprouting between them, with no noise but the crackling of flames around Karin.
Toshiro finally looked at Karin with an angered face, the corners of his mouth dragged into a permanent frown. "You do realize how much danger you've put yourself in?" He broke the silence. "From risking your freedom with Captain Kuchiki to risking your life with Captain Zaraki?" He looked at her incredulously, "Have you honestly made it your goal to challenge all the Gotei 13 Captains?"
Karin opened her mouth in protest and clenched her fists, "I'm sorry, Captain, but I didn't realize you'd become my caretaker." She glared at him, "I wouldn't exactly call the prison cell I stay in at Squad Six 'freedom' for one. Two, I was being an idiot but I thought Leta was in danger. I'm sorry to make you worry so much," She snapped with biting sarcasm, "And three, I hadn't originally planned to but maybe I do want to meet all the Captains! Is that any of your concern?"
The two shot icy stares at each other.
"Why are you here anyway?" Karin looked at him with an angry, yet slightly childish frown, "Stalking?"
Toshiro's eyes widened, "No!" He said defensively, then calmed himself. "Actually," He gave her a contemptous look, "I wasn't even coming here to begin with. I saw that Shinigami who brought you here and he told me where you were."
Rikichi! Karin's face fell, her heart crushed.
"Don't worry," Toshiro sighed, looking away as he saw her face crumble, "He's not going to be in trouble." He couldn't believe how obnoxiously naive she was. At the same time, staying mad at her was proving more difficult than he would have liked to admit.
Karin let the words sink in, realizing he'd let Rikichi go off the hook, and smiled to herself. "Thank goodness."
"There!" Leta clapped her hands together in triumph. The lava, which was now black, lay in a hardened pile beside Kenpachi. Komamura was staring at the charred remains of Karin's attack while Yachiru was asking 'Kenny' if he was okay. Karin stared at the captain's shoulders. They looked as if they'd been severely burned, the skin singed a dull grey around them. Karin gasped, Was that because of me? The answer was obvious.
"You'll need Captain Unohana to look at that wound," Leta observed, "It needs to be healed before any infection can settle into it."
"At least it's not weighed down anymore," Kenpachi noted, looking absolutely unaffected.
Leta returned to Karin's side, avoiding any further discussion of Karin's abilities, "It's a surprise seeing you here Captain Hitsugaya."
"I was told Karin was here without permission," Toshiro said professionally to Leta, who chuckled, her eyes gleaming instantly.
"Who told you that?" She laughed, and both Toshiro and Karin stared at her, startled. "I told Karin I was fighting Captain Zaraki; she was more than welcome to come." She winked at the young Shinigami, "I was just surprised she had time away from homework to attend."
Karin could not have been more loving of her instructor than that moment. Toshiro had an utterly confused and shocked look on his face, his mouth gaped open. The two stories he'd heard about Karin's reason for being here were now completely conflicting with each other. Captain Komamura frowned down at Leta.
"Perhaps next time you should advise her of the rules of battle," He cautioned. Leta nodded her head deeply.
"Of course, Captain," Leta replied with a more honoring tone. Her respect for Captain Komamura was admirable, Karin noted mentally.
"You have been in Shikai mode a long time, young one," Komamura looked down at Karin, as if remembering she was even there. "You should seal your zanpaktou before you run out of energy."
"Oh!" Leta stared as if she just remembered Karin was there. The instructor gave Komamura a troubled smile, "Well, she cannot actually do that yet, Captain."
"Oh?" Komamura eyed his subordinate suspiciously.
"Why would that be?" Toshiro asked in a challenging voice, his arms crossed at his stomach.
Leta gave Karin an apologetic look before closing her eyes, her smile fading slightly, "Tragically, her clothes...are not flame-resistent yet."
There was a moment of silence as both Komamura and Toshiro glanced from Leta to Karin.
Karin wished the flames could hide her face as well, because she knew it was bright red.
"Oho," Understanding etched its way onto Komamura's face. "I see. I'll fetch young Miss Kurosaki some robes from our barracks." Karin couldn't read his face, but something about the way the edges of his canine mouth almost curved suggested he was actually smiling at her predicament.
Kenpachi called out to Leta as he walked towards the group, "What the Hell are you babbling about, woman? Where's Komamura running off to?"
His mouth sealed shut, Toshiro's cheeks could not have been pinker if he'd drawn on them with markers.
"Something wrong, Captain?" Leta asked, holding back a smirk. She had never seen the captain look so flustered. But then again, she imagined he'd never seen a girl naked before, much less stood next to one. Not that you can actually see anything but Karin's face...still...She held back the urge to giggle.
Karin wanted to die. To evaporate. To vanish from all sight; anything to keep her from seeing the embarassed look Toshiro had engulfing his face. No punishment could be worse than this right now-
"No boobs! I can see your no boobs!" Yachiru joyfully cried out, jumping up and down in place.
"Eh, I see," Kenpachi gave Karin a crooked smirk, "So you've been naked this whole time?"
Yikes! Well, that's all for this chapter. Sorry it took so long to get to you! Buuuuuut, if it makes you feel better Next chapter is the NOBLE SUMMIT BALL! I hope to have it up as soon as possible. Thank you all for being such loyal, amazing readers and reviewers of the story. I've taken all your comments to heart, and they've inspired me to say the least.
Have a great weekend,
Romania Black