Author's Note:
Hi everybody! Are you ready for chapter 13?! In this chapter, our favorite busty blonde from the 10th division finally gets some attention! Who doesn't love Rangiku? X-D Just as a heads up, I'm describing her as a blonde because her hair was always a golden color in the manga; despite the anime portraying it with an orange hue. Most people call her a strawberry blonde, but I'm trying to stick as close to the manga as I can, while just throwing in bits and pieces from the anime to tie the story together.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has read and stuck with this story so far, and those who have left reviews! Most of you are guests, so I can't thank you by name, but I really appreciate your kind words, and constructive criticism, along the way. It makes me a better writer, and it makes me smile to see so many people excited about every new chapter. I know every author says this, but it really does cheer my heart, and motivate me to write, when I hear that you all are enjoying the story.
I'd also like to give a special thank you to faithful and regular readers/reviewers of this story, TheQueenofGoodbyes and MikeRyder16! I greatly appreciate your words of encouragement, and I am very glad to know you are enjoying the story so much! Sadly, I didn't think to incorporate a feel-good chapter with Yuzu comforting Karin in this story, but I will keep that thought in mind for a future HitsuKarin fic! ;-)
Have fun reading!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. All credit goes to Tite Kubo.
Looking back longingly once more at the Kurosaki Clinic from atop a nearby building, Toshiro opened a senkaimon to return him to Soul Society. Taking a deep breath, he took in one final view Karakura Town before stepping through the opening; the senkaimon disappearing with a flash.
Once again seeing Soul Society stretching out before him, a dull ache settled in his chest. 'No turning back now.' he thought sadly; stepping out of the portal, and onto the solid ground of the Seireitei.
As soon as his feet met the floor, he was smothered in a large hug; blond hair swishing on either side of him, and a very large chest pushed up against his back. "Captaaaaiiiiin! It's so good to have you back!" the cheery voice of Lieutenant Matsumoto rang from behind him.
Despite his melancholy attitude, he couldn't help the slight smile that made its way onto his face. Even with her constant antics, and extremely lazy and selfish personality, he had missed his bubbly subordinate. "It's good to see you too, Rangiku." he replied as she relaxed her grip on him, and came over face him; a huge smile on her face.
That smile dropped a little, though, upon seeing the look her captain was sporting. While he'd never been an overly expressive man to begin with, there was a dullness in his eyes now that hadn't been there before he'd left. She noticed he also had dark circles under his eyes; either from lack of sleep or stress, she wasn't sure. His face seemed sullen; the general demeanor of which was more akin to someone attending a funeral than coming back home after almost a year away. She could tell something was wrong, and it concerned her. Giving him a slightly worried look, she raised a questioning eyebrow. "Captain, are you alright? You really don't look good."
Toshiro averted his gaze from hers; starting his walk back to the 10th division barracks as his hand reflexively came up to gently rub the concealed nail marks at the junction of his back and neck, and trying to suppress the blush that he could feel appearing on his face. "I'm fine, Matsumoto; I've just…had a long day. I didn't get any sleep last night. Come on, let's get back; you need to update me on what's happened in the time I've been gone." he said as he walked away; leaving his concerned lieutenant to stare at his back, and wonder what the hell had happened to the Toshiro from a year ago.
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Karin woke up around 7:00 to the light of the early morning hours just starting to shine through her window, and the cold February wind whistling outside. Shivering slightly, she reached over to the other side of the bed; unconsciously looking for the usual heat source to be found there…and her hand hit cold sheets. Her eyes snapped open, and she sat up; glancing around her room quickly before spotting a blob of teal sitting on her desk. Inhaling sharply, she got up on shaky legs, found her discarded clothes on the floor, re-dressed, and walked over to the neatly folded strip of cloth. On top of the scarf that she'd never seen Toshiro go without the entire time he'd stayed with them was a piece of paper with a simple note written on it: I'll always be with you, and I'll always be yours – Love, T.H.
Karin felt her tears well up and heart shatter as she gently picked up the scarf, and wound it around her neck; clenching the ends, and holding it close to her. It smelled like winter and balsam fir, and caused memories of gentle hands, strong arms, soft lips, and whispered promises of love and devotion to come flooding back. All at once, her legs gave out on her, and she collapsed to her knees on the floor; restrained tears on the brink of escape.
Not ten seconds later, her door gently opened; Isshin walking in silently, closing the door behind him, and getting down onto the ground next to her. Karin looked at him in confusion; wondering what he was doing there. She didn't want anyone to see her like this, but when she looked into his eyes, she could tell immediately that he knew about everything; knew that she needed him there. Seeing sorrow and understanding in his face, Karin gave in to the incredible pain she was feeling, and let the tears fall as she let her father encircle her in his arms while she cried. She hated being the weak one, and she'd always taken pride in never crying since her mother's passing; but, now, it felt like a piece of her was missing, and she couldn't stop the tears from falling. Cuddling up to her father, she held him and the scarf close while Isshin wordlessly rubbed circles on her back.
Giving her a kiss to the top of her head, he kept rubbing calming patterns onto his daughter's back as he felt her sob and shake in his arms. "Shhh, shhh, it's okay, Karin; I'm here. I know you're hurting right now, and it feels like something's been torn away from you; but I promise that this hurt will mend. You won't go through this alone. We all love you, and we're here for you…always."
Isshin held her for what felt like hours as Karin cried herself out; his own heart aching for his daughter. While he didn't know the pain of having to give up the person you love, he knew very well the pain of having the person you love taken away from you. Nothing had matched, or could match, the unbearable sorrow he'd felt when Masaki died; but watching his usually strong daughter collapse into a puddle of tears and sobs in his arms brought out a new type of sorrow he'd never experienced before: one of a father mourning for his child's unbearable pain and loss.
It took a long while, but gradually, the sobbing and shaking in his arms stopped. Looking down at Karin, he found her looking up at him; her eyes red and puffy, and her cheeks tear-stained. Giving her a small, somber smile, he reached up to rub her head. "Feel any better?" he asked; already knowing what her answer would be, but wanting to get her talking a little bit, and out of her own head.
Karin shook her head slightly in response, as he thought she would. "Not really, but I'm glad you're here, Dad." she replied; voice raw with emotion. A moment of silence passed before she spoke again; her curiosity getting the better of her. "When did you figure it out? How'd you know?"
A small smile made its way onto Isshin's face as he pulled back from her slightly. "Well, I've known about it since very near the beginning. I've been around a long while, Karin. I've seen a thing or two in my time. With the way you two looked at each other, it was obvious to me."
Karin nodded in response before nestling her head back onto her father's chest. "I didn't think it'd hurt this much." she murmured; burying her face into the scarf around her neck.
Isshin nodded in understanding; knowing how she must be feeling at the moment. "I never imagined I'd feel the kind of pain I did when your mother died…it was worse than every injury I'd ever obtained in my career as a Shinigami combined." he said; pausing for a moment before continuing. "When I was talking to Toshiro last night, it was even obvious through his thick mask of stoicism."
Pulling back slightly, Karin looked at her father; surprise in her eyes. "You saw Toshiro before he left?"
Nodding in confirmation, Isshin decided to explain. "I ambushed him when he was on his way out of the house. I knew something had been going on with you two, but I needed to find out if he'd been serious about you, or if it'd been some sort of casual thing on his side. I didn't think it was, since Toshiro is a person who never does anything by halves, but…well, as your father, I just needed to confirm my suspicions."
Taking in the information, Karin nodded; waiting for him to continue. She was surprised that Toshiro had told her dad anything; though, if he was feeling the way she was feeling right now, she wasn't surprised he'd been unable to hide it completely.
After a moment's pause, Isshin looked at the expectant face of his daughter, and smiled sadly at her as he continued. "He loves you, Karin…more than anything. It made me happy to listen to him talk, and know that there's someone out there that loves you as much as I do…and it made me incredibly sad to see his face crumble when he said goodbye. He cried...I've never seen him cry before, ever. He looked like his entire life was falling apart, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. I've never seen him that broken."
Karin felt fresh tears make their way to her eyes, as she snuggled back into her father's embrace; letting the salty streams of water flow freely down her cheeks.
Isshin encircled her in his arms again; letting her cry as much and as long as she needed to.
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Two and a half months later…
The days following his return had dragged into weeks, and then months for Toshiro. He was back at his division, but his heart wasn't in the job anymore. He still supervised the training of the Shinigami in his squad, but it felt more like going through the motions now, as opposed to genuine excitement to keep his subordinates in shape and improving. He was significantly more withdrawn, and threw himself into his paperwork and private training; working himself for hours both before and after the rest of his squad started and ended their day, and quite often didn't bother to eat. The happiest he'd seemed since his return was two months ago when he'd gone to the Head Captain's office to go over his final report on Karin's training and current skill level. After that, his enthusiasm had waned considerably. He still performed his duties with the same level of detail, precision, and efficiency as he had before, but his usual drive was now gone; something his subordinates noticed almost immediately.
He also found himself much shorter of temper, too. He'd snapped at Matsumoto, his squad members, fellow captains, and even Momo, who'd been doing her best to try and cheer him up since he got back. He had a feeling Karin had asked her to look after him when he returned, and he was grateful for the attempts; he just didn't want anyone around right now. Consequently, he'd been unintentionally harsh with everyone more than he cared to acknowledge. He wasn't happy; and, for the first time in his life, he wasn't doing a good job at hiding his emotions. He was aching to have Karin back; and, to his surprise, he even missed the rest of the Kurosaki clan…even the bickering, and fights that came with them. He'd felt like part of a real family when he was there, and it was something he'd valued and cherished. Now that it was gone, he could feel the absence of it keenly, and everything else felt dull in comparison.
He would oftentimes disappear to quiet places around the division, and lose himself in his memories; almost always finding his way back to the framed pictures Karin had given him for Christmas that were sitting on his desk. A few of his subordinates had commented on them, but none were brave enough to pry. Not even Matsumoto had tried; seeing how touchy her captain had been since his return. He felt lost; without a clear sense of purpose anymore. He had duties here, but his heart was somewhere else, and he didn't know how to cope with that reality.
He never used to let his emotions rule his actions, outside of that near-fatal encounter with Aizen when the traitor had tricked him into stabbing Momo. He thought he'd learned his lesson after that, but apparently not. This was a completely different side of himself that even he was a stranger to, and he honestly didn't know what to do with it.
Even now, he was currently in his office; leaning against the frame of the giant window behind his desk, and staring unseeingly outside; his mind elsewhere. It'd now been almost three months since he'd been back, and Karin's birthday was coming up in a few days. He had an idea on a present; he just needed to figure out how to make it, and get it to her.
He was so lost in thought, he didn't even here his doorknob turn, or his lieutenant bound in with a stack of papers in her hand. "Hey captain, I need you to sign these for me. I'd do it myself, but I'm just sooooooooo busy with other important stuff, I…" she trailed off, realizing that Toshiro wasn't hearing a word she was saying as he stared blankly out his window.
Raising a curious eyebrow, she decided to simply set the stack of papers down on his desk. Her captain hadn't been himself since he got back, and it was really worrying her. He'd been in his own head way more than normal, he was more short-tempered with everyone; he was keeping everyone at arm's length; and he wasn't taking care of himself; working himself to the bone, and immersing himself in paperwork and training more than he used to. He wasn't even yelling at her for drinking on the job anymore, which was extremely concerning. She'd tried to get some answers, but no matter how many times she asked him about it, he refused to confide in her…or anyone, really. He wouldn't even talk to Momo about what was troubling him, which astonished her. It was like he'd walled himself off from the world around him.
After leaving the paperwork on his desk, Rangiku made her way back towards the door; taking one more look at her captain. She was about to turn away, and step over the threshold, when she suddenly stopped. 'What is he wearing?' she thought; looking closely. On Toshiro's wrist, she could make out what appeared to be a bracelet of some kind, which he was absent-mindedly fiddling with. Looking closer, she could see it was made of some kind of thread or rope of multiple colors, and it had a round clasp on it. Even though she was somewhat far away, she could barely make out the letters T.H. and K.K. inscribed on the clasp, along with what appeared to be a date from thirteen years ago. Recognizing the date as the first time he and she had met Karin and her soccer friends, all of a sudden, it clicked. 'It's a soccer ball. The pictures, that bracelet, the strange mood, and the refusal to talk to anyone about it...Ha! I knew it! He was interested in a girl from the world of the living!' she thought excitedly; ecstatic about her little discovery. 'It's about time he started trying to make a life for himself outside of work! I was starting to think he'd die a grumpy, old, single man.'
Almost immediately after her little revelation, though, reality hit her like a freight train, and her excitement was cut short. 'Wait a minute…' she thought; a shadow making its way onto her face. Her smile immediately dropped, and gave way to a frown, followed by solemn understanding. All at once, Rangiku traded her happiness for pity. 'If I'm right, then that means that he had to…oh, captain.' she thought sadly, now understanding the reason for his perpetually bad mood. She knew better than most that a broken heart could be far more painful than a broken limb, and just as debilitating.
Suddenly, Rangiku felt riddled with guilt. She knew that Toshiro had borne the brunt of her anger at Isshin when he'd abandoned the squad, and his responsibilities as captain. She'd made it very clear that she'd felt betrayed, and left in the lurch, and poor Toshiro had picked up a lot of the slack that their captain had left behind. After that, she'd watched the tiny little third seat step up, and become the reliable and dependable captain that everyone needed. She knew that he was a man of strong convictions, and took his duty very seriously; and she was sure that was at least part of the reason why he was standing here now: because he didn't want to let her and the rest of the squad down the way they felt Isshin had…even if that meant sacrificing his own happiness. Not only that, but relations between Shinigami and humans were still pretty stringent. Ichigo may have helped them to start breaking free from the archaic laws of thousands of years ago, but it was all still very new. She knew the kind of trouble he and Karin would get into if their relationship was discovered by Central 46.
She couldn't let him do this. She'd watched him grow from boy to man, and he'd always given everything he had for the sake of his friends, his comrades, and his division. Now, he deserved something in return. 'He was still practically a child when he became our captain, and he's never let us down. He took on so much responsibility at such a young age…he's never had a chance to live his life. He deserves that much, at the very least. I've gotta find a way to fix this.' she thought somberly; feeling at least partly responsible, but determined to make things right.
Contemplating what could be done for her captain, a thought came to her, and she wasted no time. Quietly closing the door behind her, she made her way out of the squad 10 barracks, and over to the 1st division to request an audience with Head Captain Kyoraku.
She was just about at the barracks for the 1st division when she spotted a figure standing in front of the doors leading to Shunsui's office. Looking closely, surprise came over her face; she couldn't believe her eyes. "Captain Shiba?!" she hollered as she ran up to the tall dark-haired man with a captain's haori tied to his left shoulder.
Sure enough, Isshin turned around upon hearing his old name, and gave Rangiku a big smile. "Rangiku! Hey, I've told you before, it's just Isshin now; but it's good to see you again. What brings you all the way over here?" he asked as she came to a stop before him.
Rangiku locked eyes with her former captain; wondering what on earth he was doing back in Soul Society. He never visited unless it was necessary.
Contemplating it for a moment, a thought came to her. 'I wonder…' she thought as she considered how much to tell him. He could be here because of something completely unrelated, for all she knew. 'Well, I can give it a shot, and see what his reaction is.'
After a moment of silence, she responded with a single word. "Toshiro" she said; seeing Isshin's eyes widen ever so slightly. 'Yup, I think he knows.' she thought as she studied her former captain.
When he merely gave her a nod in response, she decided to reciprocate his question. "So, what brings you here, Isshin? You never visit unless there's something important going on."
Isshin took a moment, and studied his former lieutenant before answering. "Toshiro…and Karin. Yuzu, too, actually. She's invited a few Shinigami to her wedding, and they'll need permission from Shunsui in order to go. So, I'm letting him know who she's issued invitations to, but my main focus today is Toshiro and Karin." he responded; watching as immediate understanding overtook her face. For all her silliness and antics, Rangiku was a very astute person who rarely let details slip past her unnoticed. 'She knows.' he thought; the look on her face confirming it to him.
All was quiet for a moment as they just stared at each other, with a silent understanding passing between them before the doors to the 1st division opened; Nanao standing in the doorway. "Head Captain Kyoraku will see you both now." she said; ushering them into the building.
Rangiku gave a confused look back at Nanao in reply. "Both? How'd you know I wanted to speak with the Head Captain?" she asked, before a thought came to her. Turning her attention to Isshin, she saw the slight smile on his face, and adopted one of her own. "You knew I was coming here, didn't you?"
Isshin gave a small chuckle in response; closing his eyes briefly, and nodding in confirmation. "I may have felt your reiatsu heading this way while I was on my way here, and told Nanao we both wanted an audience with Shunsui." he replied; opening his eyes, and finding her gaze.
Rangiku gave an appreciative smile towards her former captain before they both focused their attention back to the 1st division lieutenant; walking across the threshold, and into the building, as the doors closed behind them.
Rangiku took a deep breath as she and Isshin were ushered into Shunsui's office; going to stand by his desk. The Head Captain had always been a pretty free thinker who respected the rules of Soul Society without letting himself be controlled by them. So, Rangiku was hopeful that he would hear her out, and consider what she had to say.
Looking to her right, she saw Isshin's jaw set; determination in his eyes. She had a feeling their motive for being here was the same, but she wanted confirmation before Shunsui made an appearance. Getting his attention with a slight nudge from her elbow, she spoke. "Isshin, I have to ask…are we here for the same reason?" she said; her blue eyes set on her former captain; waiting patiently for his answer.
Isshin locked eyes with her, and nodded. "If the reason is Toshiro's romantic relationship with my daughter, then yes. Karin's been…struggling, since he left. She's not happy, and it's painful to watch. I want to find out if there's anything I can do to help them." he replied sympathetically; seeing her eyes light up at his answer.
A huge smile made its way onto Rangiku's face as she put a hand on his shoulder. "That's great, because I actually have an idea about how to fix this, and I could use some support. Shunsui may be skeptical about it, but I know it's the right thing to do. Would you help me out with trying to persuade him?" she asked; her big blue eyes hopeful.
Curious to hear what she'd come up with, Isshin nodded in agreement as the head captain walked through the front doors of his office; looking from one Shinigami to the other. "Well, well, well, this is an unexpected pleasure. How have you been, Isshin?" he asked, making his way toward the pair; pink kimono flowing behind him.
Isshin nodded in greeting to the older man. "I've been well, Shunsui; thank you. And thank you for seeing us." he replied; watching as the Head Captain made his way over to his chair.
Shunsui paused, fixing his gaze on the pair before taking a seat behind his desk. "Now, I may very well be wrong, but seeing as how you're here, Lieutenant Matsumoto, I'd like to start this meeting by asking if this visit has anything to do with Captain Hitsugaya, and his strange behavior as of late?" he asked, clasping his hands together in front of him; elbows on his desk. The surprised looks on their faces answered his question as he smirked in response. "I thought so. I've been hearing rumors going around about his change in mood and temper recently; Lieutenant Hinamori even just paid me a visit about it. From what I gather, his job performance hasn't changed, but he doesn't seem to be as happy as he was…you know, based on Hitsugaya's typical level of visible happiness. Is that correct?"
While that was a bit of an over-simplification, Rangiku nodded in confirmation; not sure whether to be happy that he'd already heard about at least part of the situation, or disappointed that she didn't have the element of surprise anymore with what she thought would be new information to him.
Rising from his chair, Shunsui walked over to the pair again; grabbing their complete attention. "Given that you're here also, Isshin, I assume the reason behind his listlessness has something to do with the young Miss Kurosaki, and his time spent training her?" he asked; receiving a single nod in reply from the former captain.
Taking the confirmation, and pressing on, Shunsui continued his line of questioning. "I know very well how Central 46 will feel about this, and what their response will be. So, the question now becomes: what can be done about it that would meet with Central 46's approval? Without their consent, those two are in huge trouble, if my assumption about the nature of their relationship is true. So, we need to have a persuasive argument, and a solid plan. I assume you're both here because you've had some thoughts about solutions?" he asked; watching as they both nodded in unison. "Good. Alright, let's take this from the beginning. I want both of you to tell me everything you know about this situation, and we'll go from there. Rest assured, no one outside of this room will know anything about this." he finished; giving Nanao a dismissive gesture as she nodded, and closed the doors to his office; leaving the three of them to talk alone.
Hmm…I wonder what Rangiku has in mind…? :-P I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! The Isshin x Karin father-daughter scene was sweet to write for me. Despite Karin being a tomboy whose father gets on her nerves a lot, I can definitely see her going to him for comfort when her heart is broken. I'm best friends with my mom, and love her very much, but I'm a Daddy's girl, too. Nothing beats the comfort of your father's embrace when you're hurting from a failed relationship, or separation. Dads make everything better :-D
I honestly feel bad for Toshiro in this chapter; he's having to deal with emotions that are still new to him, while trying to remain loyal to his position as a captain. Poor guy can't catch a break. :-(
Alright; now that this chapter is done, we're heading into the three-part finale of this story! There will also be an Epilogue to follow the final chapter, so we get to see how everything turns out in the future :-D I'm not sure yet if I'll post all three parts together, or space them out, as usual. Just keep your eyes peeled, and your notifications on!
It's hard to believe we're getting close to the end, but I hope you've enjoyed the ride so far!
I'll see you all next chapter!
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