The ultimatum did not work in the end as a girl with pinkish red hair threw a fireball at the two, interrupting their conversation. Ichigo was tired of all this drama and just wanted to go home and sleep. It was bad enough he was on a manhunt filled with dead ends looking for Aizen. "Who is there!" Ichigo demanded before looking up at the girl
"Hand Hitsugaya Tōshirō over to me or else." She said.
"Excuse me?" Ichigo questioned
"If you get in the way, I will eliminate you." She said, unsheathing a sword that ignited into a flame.
Ichigo was too tired to be dealing with this. "Tōshirō! What the hell is going on?" Hitsugaya looked conflicted for a moment before charging.
The fact that he charged was expected. The fact that he was charging at Ichigo left him dumbfounded as he blocked the attack that sent him sliding backwards across the concrete. "What the fuck are you fighting me for! Oi!"
"Stay out... please!" This sounded more like a desperate whimper than it did an actual threat. This caught Ichigo off guard as Hitsugaya managed to throw him off his feet and send him flying into a nearby playground. While trying to get back up, he was reminded they still had unwanted company as a fireball was thrown directly at him. She threw another fireball into the dust storm surrounding Ichigo and as the dust cleared, Ichigo was still standing, significantly hurt as he bled from a cut on his forehead but standing nonetheless.
The girl looked annoyed as she threw another ball of fire in his direction. "Getsuga Tenshō!" He proclaimed as he wanted his sword sideways in an arc, releasing white ray of light that cut through the fireball, turning it into nothing and hurling towards her. She flash stepped to vanish for a moment before reappearing.
"Who the hell is this man?" She hissed before fading into thin air.
"Hey!" Hitsugaya called out but she was already gone.
"Tōshirō." Ichigo called out but he had lost far too much blood and started to feel the world around him fade. Ichigo was powerless as the young captain gave him one last stare before leaving, letting him fade into the darkness.
"... So, you're not dead?" Kei asked as he tried to understand everything that just happened that evening while they sat on Haru-baachan's old porch after clearing the glass and making it safer to sit. Yuzu looked at him and shook her head no. "But... the two of you are soul reapers and your father was a soul reaper while your mother was part a special human society that does the job soul reapers do without adhering to their creed?" Yuzu nodded. "But now there are good and bad soul reapers..." Yuzu nodded once more to make sure he was following. "... and Karin got kidnapped by a bad one so that's what this issue is all about."
"There are no good or bad reapers." Karin muttered under her breath as she paced up and down around the yard. "They're all bastards."
"I just... I'm trying to let this all sink in." Kei said.
"So, what does Hitsugaya have to do with anything?" Sachiko asked. "Is he a shinigami?"
"Yes, but he is a high ranking officer in their military." Yuzu said
"... isn't that boy 19 or something?"
"Technically he is much older. He was my dad's subordinate when he still had that position when he was in Soul Society." Yuzu explained. "They just age slower because the passage of time there is much slower than the one here."
"That doesn't explain why they took Karin or why they're trying to take her again." Kei said
"Shinigami have these special swords that have a specific power. What we think is that —"
"The power of my zanpakutō was needed to help them achieve their plan so they took me." Karin interrupted her.
Kei sighed. "This all sounds so... surreal. Karin, you've been dealing with this this entire time?" Karin stopped to look at him. "I... understand not saying anything because... what help can we be? We're just ordinary people but... that isn't something you should be dealing with alone."
Karin frowned. "... you couldn't have known. And this isn't your fight. Hell, this wasn't my fight either but I got dragged in. I just didn't want the same to happen to you guys. These shinigami bastards are diabolical and unpredictable on both sides. I'd hate myself if something ever happened to you or Sachiko or any of our friends."
"I should have been more cautious though..." Kei sighed. "I'm so sorry." Karin nodded at him in appreciation and she smiled softly at him before hugging him from the side.
"And I should have never taken out all my frustration on you. You were only trying to help." She said.
"Wait... so what's going on now?" Sachiko asked
"Those girls are hunting Tōshirō." Karin said
"Why him?" Sachiko questioned.
"Well as you can see, the whole situation is complicated. It doesn't just stop at flying girls throwing electric balls at each other." Yuzu said
"She was talking to me." Karin rolled her eyes
"And I answered, now what?"
"Okay, how do we mend this current mess?" Kei said. "You guys can't hate each other forever."
"I don't care." Karin scoffed
"She insists on being difficult even though I tried to help her —"
"For the millionth time, I don't need perfect Yuzu to save me from shit."
"For the millionth time, I'm not perfect." Karin sighed, ignoring her completely.
"Kei, take her home. I need to clear my head,"
"As if I'm not taking you home." Yuzu rejected
"You and what army?"
"Karin, you look like a zombie. I don't like agreeing with her but she's right." Sachiko said
"I'm glad it's abundantly clear no one here likes me." Yuzu said
"It's that entitled attitude of yours that makes my ass crack itch." Sachiko rolled her eyes before turning back to Karin. "As for you, let's head back and you get some rest, okay? You've been clearing your head the whole night and thinking too much will only make you feel worse."
Karin sighed. "... fine." Sachiko stood up and patted her arm on her back before pushing her out of the yard. Yuzu winced as she stood up and Kei steadied her.
"Thanks... at least someone still cares." Yuzu sighed but Kei said nothing in return. "You haven't talked to me all evening. What did I do now?"
"You said we weren't friends and that you have no interest talking to me. What changed?" He asked.
"I was in a bad space—"
"No, Yuzu. You were being self centred." He sighed. "I've never seen this side to you before and tonight, I understood why Karin was so angry. You made everything about you and how you felt."
"What, so how I feel isn't important?" Yuzu asked. "My experiences are not irrelevant."
"Yuzu, your sister, the one you have claimed to love and care about so much, literally admitted that she was abused while she was gone. She talked about getting tortured and abused... and all you can think of is what you did for her?" Yuzu had no words to reply to this statement. In fact, this was the first she was hearing of it. "... after hearing all of this, it makes sense why she doesn't like Ichigo so much. Because Ichigo only cared about his role in playing the protector... not about the lives of those directly impacted. He neglected family to play the hero... just like how you disregarded the fact that Karin is not okay to do the same. And the worst part is that you don't accept responsibility for the mistakes you made, you just cling onto the things you did to help."
He sighed before kneeling down in front of her. "You're too weak to walk home so hop on." He said.
I told you that the bearer of the truth needs to see the truth for what it is. Kyōgetsu said. There's a reason why I'm a mirror. Our own reflections are the ugliest because we see who we truly are. Either confront the reflection... or ignore it out of vanity and self-importance.
Ichigo vaguely heard Rukia's voice followed by Renji's as he roused back to consciousness, only to hear Renji yell out something prior to punching him in the eye. Ichigo garbled in pain as he shot up to a sitting position, fully awake now. "See? My way got him up faster!" He bragged to Rukia.
"You dumbass! What the fuck was that for?" Ichigo yelled at Renji
"It's your fault for getting your ass kicked!" He smugly said, butting heads with him like a bull.
"Are you crazy?" Ichigo seethed
"Can we focus on what happened here?" Rukia called for their attention and Ichigo paused before looking around. The sun was out and it was morning. He sighed as he face palmed himself.
"Shit! How long was I out for?" He huffed before scratching his head. "And where did that pipsqueak go?"
"Pipsqueak? You met Hitsugaya-taichō?" Rukia asked. "Where did he go? When did you see him?"
Ichigo sighed. "Yuzu found him when she went out for a run. She took him back to the clinic and her and my grandmother stitched him up. He was probably going to stay until he got better but... something happened to him."
"Hmm?" Rukia hummed in confusion
"I heard him talking to my grandmother and I'm assuming it was about Karin and something he read... I didn't hear much but... it set him off." Ichigo sighed. "He didn't look or act like himself either. He looked tormented."
"Why didn't you stop him?" Renji gritted his teeth at him
"I tried! But he chased after some weird girl who looked like an arrancar." He explained
"Did he say anything?"
"Something about getting the ōin back." He said. "But he mentioned a Kusaka. Do you guys know him?"
"Who?" Rukia asked
"He said it's the name of a dead man but... it sure meant something if he was talking to my grandmother about it." Ichigo said.
"What was the context of the conversation?"
Ichigo shrugged. "They were talking pretty quietly. All I heard was his name."
"If he was talking to your grandmother about this man and it was in relation to Karin-chan... could all of this be connected?" Rukia wondered out loud. "Renji? Can you head back to Soul Society as ask around? It might have to do with the attackers that Matsumoto was talking about."
"Why me?"
"Because your role and division aligns better with what's going on. They're more likely to let you see her." Rukia said before turning to Ichigo. "Ichigo, may I speak to your grandmother in the meantime? Possibly even Karin but... I don't want to push any boundaries."
"If she's back home then maybe..." Ichigo sighed. "She went to a friend's house."
"So, they casually missed each other is what you're saying? Just out of luck?" Renji asked and Ichigo blinked before feeling stupid.
"Karin ran away when she saw him, didn't she?" Ichigo sighed. "No wonder Yuzu was acting weird."
Two shinigami sharing a zanpakutō is against the law
We don't need two shinigami
Balance must be maintained at all costs
One must be chosen... and the other must die.
All these voices surrounding him said but Hitsugaya was not deterred, even as a small boy in the academy. "Then I'll give up Hyōrinmaru." Hitsugaya claimed. It was not worth it. Neither of them needed to die for this conflict to be resolved.
But the judges of Central 46 he stood before were not amused by his selflessness. "You cannot defy us." One of them said
"You cannot doubt us."
"The decisions of the Central 46 chambers are absolute."
Hitsugaya woke up and cringed at the light from the sun hit him in the face. He awoke in some monastery. His search for the girl brought him here but he strayed further to find a place to sleep. He sighed, leaning his head against the large wooden plank. He was a fugitive now. Everything that could go wrong had gone wrong and he did not see it coming.
Kusaka did not deserve to die then... Hitsugaya thought as he painfully stood up on his injured leg with his stab wound dealing extra pain and heaviness to his body. But he certainly deserves to die now. He continued walking. How did things gets so wrong? He thought sadly. He was always so careful. He was always trying to be careful. But this all backfired on him. But now something dawned on him...
If the whole point of the plot was to get him away from Karin long enough for Kusaka to take his place, does it mean that he's the one who exposed him in the first place?
Karin groaned from her slumber as the light from outside the window of the cabin stung her eyes. She turned to hide her face in Tōshirō's chest who laughed in a soft, quiet chuckle. He was awake for a while now, contemplating what had happened between them the night before. They were each other's firsts and he wouldn't have had it any other way. She was not much shorter than him but she was smaller in comparison and her frame fit with his so well.
"I should be getting ready to leave." He said and Karin grunted, swearing something at him in her drowsy state before pulling away to look up at him.
"Can't you leave later?" She asked and he shook her head. "But your mission starts two days from now."
"I have to prep."
"I doubt spending a few more hours with me, your girlfriend will hardly put a dent in your efficiency." The word girlfriend was not one who understood how to feel about yet. It sounded so juvenile because he felt like what the two of them shared was so much more than that. But similarly, saying friend demeaned what her position was in his life. Partner was better but it was far too serious especially in a situation like this where the future of their relationship was so bleak. He needed less reasons to get attached... he was already observing her very under dressed frame and aching to feel her again.
"... a few hours won't hurt then." She smiled at his response before pressing a quick peck to his lips it he held at her hair and kept her in place. She approved of this action and kissed him back in a slow, sloppy, open mouthed kiss.
"I could get used to this..." Karin sighed as she stopped kissing him for a bit.
"It is an... eye opening experience."
"Not the kissing or the sex, you dumb dumb." Karin said with a giggle, pulling away to look at him. "You, like this. I like it."
"Me like this?"
"You being okay with kissing and cuddling, being goofy and funny and curious... I don't know, it makes me melt a little." Karin smiled at him and in the sunlight, she looked quite radiant as her light brown skin glistened. He doesn't know how it won't register in his brain at all how beautiful she is. It's like every single time he's left thinking hard on something he already knows.
"I'm not the best at... showing my emotions." He admitted
"Oh?" She cocked an eyebrow at him teasingly. "So that easel is like what... Something you do on the regular?" She motioned to the gift he had gotten her which was placed in the corner.
He chuckled. "Of course not. I'm better at expressing myself with actions than words or emotions."
"So why do you restrain yourself so much?" She asked. "I totally agree that you are better at doing than saying because of how reserve you are but... you don't even try to hold my hand. Last time I touched you because you had a stain on your collar and you looked frightened."
He sighed. "... It's because I'm not supposed to be here... and I'm scared of drawing attention to you." He admitted.
"Okay but that's out in public?" She pointed out. "What about when there are walls around us or something?"
"Because when I start, I don't know when or if I'll stop."
"Sir, you have more self control than I do." She said. "You stop when I tell you to or when you feel like it... It's up not that complicated."
"I mean stop in a continuous sense." He said. "I still have responsibilities."
Karin sighed. "I get that... but the point of being here is to get away from your responsibilities and be with me even if it is just for a little bit."
He sat up. "I should get you home."
"My dad's at a conference." She said as she sat up as well, the blanket that was covering them fell and bunched at their waists. "We have all day to do whatever." Hitsugaya looked skeptical but Karin took this opportunity to straddle him and hold his cheeks in her hands. "We. Have. All. Day." She repeated before kissing him gingerly, giving him the opportunity to make up his mind and pull away or continue.
And he did... he was tired of being cautious.
He pulled her closer, her chest flush against his as his tongue moved to explore her mouth and she let out a strangled moan as she sucked his tongue. He held onto her hips and pulled them against hers, urging her to move against him. They paused their kissing to look at each other for a moment before Karin pressed her forehead against his and silently nodded, giving permission. Hitsugaya took this and moved her hips around before they both let out a moan as they reconnected. Hitsugaya had closed his eyes from that but Karin patted his cheek gently her hand, prompting him to look at her with open eyes. "Keep your eyes on mine." She pleaded, stroking her thumb against his cheek and pressing her nose to his. She let out another sighs as he started to move. Now that they had experienced each other, they couldn't get enough and Hitsugaya didn't mind. They were isolated , shielded and in their own little bubble.
Or so he thought.
Fast-forward a couple of months and he is seated in the sōtaichō's office after being collected so kindly by the ōmnitsukidō. He was being treated as though he was under house arrest which he most likely was. "How long has this been going on?" Yamamoto asked him and Hitsugaya played dumb, raising an eyebrow at him.
"Not sure what you're saying." He said and Yamamoto dropped an envelope on his desk. Tōshirō looked between the sōtaichō and the envelope and the old man stood up to walk to his window.
"Open it." He instructed as he stared outside and Hitsugaya sighed before opening the envelope and pulling out its contents. Pictures... of him and Karin. Hitsugaya looked up at the sōtaichō's back then down at the stack in his hands. The first picture was tame and meant nothing really, it was just them walking really, not even holding hands or anything. In fact, he was walking ahead of her. He moved to the next, them playing soccer. Nothing to warrant panic but as he moved down the pack, her started to feel uncomfortable.
There was a finally a picture that was taken from outside the window to Karin's room and he immediately knew this was going south. He was taking a nap on her bed while she played with a fortune teller. His head was rested on her lap. He moved down another picture and it was him hugging her, probably saying goodbye before he left. The next was him and her chilling in the living room, talking to her dad. Hitsugaya was seated upright but Karin was lying down on this couch with her torso on his lap. All of these are taken from outside a window.
The next one was taken from outside the cabin window. His arms were wrapped around her waist as she drew against the canvas. His lips were to her ear and her eyes were closed with a big smile on her face, probably laughing from something he had told her. He felt trepidation as he probably knew what was about to come next. "Keep going." Tōshirō looked up at the back of the sōtaichō before huffing and following orders.
The next one was him kissing her on the cheek and he couldn't even remember what was happening at his point because her face was facing elsewhere. That's when he noticed where his hand was upon realising that her skirt had ridden up. He skipped to the next one immediately and dropped the deck back into the envelope when he realised the next one was much more explicit than the other suggestive ones. "I've seen enough." He said
"Keep going."
"You've made your point!" Hitsugaya snapped and Yamamoto turned to look at him. Realising that he had just risen his voice against his superior for the first time ever, he withered into the chair. "How long did you have someone following me?"
"I had no clue you were acting out of line." Yamamoto said. "Luckily for me, someone sent this in."
"Who?" Hitsugaya asked.
"Does it matter?" Yamamoto moved back to sit at his desk. "How long was this going on for?"
"... a year and a half." Hitsugaya admitted.
"Have you no shame?" Yamamoto asked but Hitsugaya did not reply. "Answer me!"
"... No." He said honestly. "I have never let my allegiance to Soul Society or this court waver. What I do with whom in my spare time concerns no one except the parties involved."
"Silence!" He yelled and that actually made him quiver a bit. Yamamoto took the envelope and burnt it to a cinder. "Are you so naïve to think that somehow this would not affect your duties?" He huffed as he calmed down. "You're a child, of course you are naïve. Maybe we made a mistake... maybe we selected the wrong one."
Hitsugaya's eyes widened at him as he felt hot all over his body. Selected the wrong one... killed the wrong one... another pawn... another life lost in vain. "Is that all we are to you?" He asked and Yamamoto huffed.
"No... but to Soul Society—"
"Stop using Soul Society as a scapegoat for your thoughts!" Hitsugaya accused as he felt the bloodrush through his veins faster. Was it fear? Was it rage? Was it grief? The clusterfuck of emotions was just swirling around his head as he found it harder to breathe. "How do you really feel?" Silence. "Tell me!"
"Tōshirō, you are one of the brightest boys I have ever had the pleasure of having under my wing." The sōtaichō said softly. "You are on route to do amazing things... but I cannot allow you to ruin your own life. I'm sorry but it is for your own good. You are officially on probation and surveillance until further notice." Everything he said after that was a flurry of sounds that fell upon his ears and turned to static. His fate was being announced before him as his freedom was stripped away for what felt like the millionth time. His autonomy and personhood was under question as he felt something important to him slip away once again.
The last distinct thing he heard was: "I'm sorry but you left me with no choice."
Karin had always told him there was a choice and whoever claims otherwise is just evading responsibility for the things they do wrong. Her voice was clear as day in his head... but he knew he was likely never going to hear it again.
Back in Soul Society, the figure with the metallic, beak mask that covered his face was standing on a roof, looking over all of Seireitei with the two girls with the skull masks on his side. "So Yang, you failed to capture Kurosaki Karin."
"I apologise." She said. "She was much too powerful even without a zanpakutō."
"So... sōnshō is working I see." He said. "That means she is no longer of use to us. I'll deal with her myself as soon as we finish this. But Yin, you found Hitsugaya, how was he?"
"It appears the goteijūsantai have yet to make contact. Do we capture him before they do?"
"No, I'm quite enjoying the little set up we have here." He said. "As long as I share Hyōrinmaru, he no longer belongs anywhere. He'll have no choice but to join us,"
"Join?" Yang echoed. "I thought the aim was to kill."
"... Aizen knows the importance of allies." He said. "And Hitsugaya-taichō would be an excellent ally to have. Soul Society has already made the mistake of excommunicating him for years now. The only thing that would drive him to madness... is if Karin was to die at the hands of a shinigami."
Karin was in her room, sitting cross legged on the bed as she stared at the nearby wall. She managed to get a short nap in but even that didn't help. Yang was Keiko... meaning that Aizen has ultimately achieved his goal or at least part of it. But if that was Keiko then where was Hana? Were they still together?
Hitsugaya running away from Soul Society meant trouble. If Kusaka was causing this mess then that meant he was using his powers under the guise of Hitsugaya. From what she understood, the case cornering Kusaka was kept under wraps so she doubted anyone else other than the sōtaichō or Central 46 knew of his existence.
She heard a knock on her door. "Karin... it's Ichigo. May I come in?"
She blinked at the door in surprise before nodding. "Yes..." She said, wondering when did he come back.
Ichigo came in with Rukia behind him and he closed the door. "Are you doing okay?" Karin said nothing but simply nodded. "... I'm... not going to take too much of your time but Rukia would like to speak to you."
Karin turned to Rukia who smiled softly as her before sitting on the edge of her bed. "Hi! I heard you were making progress with therapy. I was really happy to hear that." Karin said nothing but nodded. "I'm sorry about everything that happened and I'm sorry that we keep asking much of you. But we need to find Hitsugaya-taichō."
"I haven't seen him..." Karin shrugged
"I know you haven't. That's not why I'm here." Rukia said. "Soul Society is a mess right now and you've seen that... but Hitsugaya going missing is a very huge issue. Seireitei has considered him a fugitive and treason is often paid for with life."
Karin was not surprised in the slightest. The sōtaichō was very much a trigger happy bloke. But she was surprised that Hitsugaya was actually at risk now. He was his favourite for a lack of better words. "Right now, we are dealing with something concerning Hitsugaya's past and he was notorious for keeping his private affairs tightly locked away. We went to the Shinō Academy at different times, I graduated years before him. He was raised in Jūnrinan and I was raised in Inuzuri. He has a sister... or at least a sisterly figure, Hinamori Momo but I doubt she knows much." Karin was waiting for her to get to the point. "Do you know anything about Kusaka Sōjirō?"
Karin was tempted to say yes... but feared making things worse. Moreover, she would be expected to talk about how she knows of him... how she knows him and she wasn't ready to confront those memories yet. She knew it was selfish given that Hitsugaya was struggling but she was stuck. There was also the added issue of Seireitei not taking it seriously once they hear that she has some involvement in this issue.
"No... You're right about Hitsugaya keeping his private life a secret." She was lying, Hitsugaya desperately wanted someone to trust without having to feel like he was burdening them or placing their lives in danger. "He did mention a friend once in the Shinō Academy who was very important to him but never mentioned a name. Said he died..." Rukia looked at Ichigo who also caught on. Karin was glad she dropped the correct hint.
"That's very helpful. Thank you," Rukia said.
"I... have a question," Karin asked. "What exactly happened?"
"Hitsugaya was tasked to transport an important treasure belonging to the royal family and the convoy was attacked. The attackers took the treasure and fled and Hitsugaya chased after them. However, Hitsugaya committed several felonies according to our law: he abandoned his team, he masked his reiatsu during a time of crisis and he broke probation for a former misdemeanour."
"Probation? You mean by coming to the human world?" Karin asked. It was funny how him coming here to see her, something completely harmless, was considered a misdemeanour.
"He had an anklet installed on his leg that he removed before fleeing. It was found on the outskirts of Rukongai." She said
Shinigami are so stupid! Karin inwardly complained. "... Was it outside Jūnrinan?"
Rukia blinked at her. "Possibly..."
"... Hitsugaya has family in Jūnrinan." Karin informed. "A person who he talked about very often was Kirishima Eiji. His grandmother married his 'father' at least in the Soul Society sense, before she died. Eiji and Tōshirō are in the same age range and used to spin tops together in Seireitei. The Kirishima family own a tavern."
Ichigo looked shocked. "He told you all of that?"
"Hitsugaya preferred talking about memories he was fond of... not memories that bring him pain." She said. "You're better off finding Eiji if you want answers on where he was last seen."
"But... if him and Eiji are brothers like him and Hinamori are siblings... then wouldn't Eiji be just as likely to be completely blank on things?"
"... Not if Hitsugaya went to him for help to remove the anklet." Karin said. "He isn't an idiot. If he could take it off by himself, he would have. If he wanted to not be followed, he wouldn't have done it in an obvious area he frequents. If he was desperate and just wanted to leave, it would make sense going to Eiji, someone Seireitei has no clue exists, over Hinamori who is also a shinigami with a duty to abide by conduct laws."