AN: Welcome to another chapter 3
Please leave a review I would love to hear your thoughts!
Happy readings!
(ps: the updated cover is a little spoiler for this chapter it's gonna stay there until I post the next one hehehehhe)
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Chapter X
Wishes
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Of all things that Ichigo had imagined or planned to do in Hueco Mundo, taking his little sister for a stroll was certainly not one of those things. Still as uncanny as this whole situation was for him, he couldn't say he was too displeased.
The only thing mildly displeasing was actually getting here.
As far as gargantas went, only Kisuke Urahara could fully understand how they worked. But he had prepared a few trinkets along the way to give Ichigo autonomy to handle anything that might happen in Hueco Mundo.
In Ichigo's hand lay a small butter knife. It was absolutely silly looking with its bright pink case printed with Chappy the Bunny. But according to Urahara's instructions, this little knife was able to cut open a garganta. Urahara called it "Chappy Spreader", neither Karin nor Ichigo was overly fond of the name.
He glanced down at Karin's excited grin and felt a strange type of happiness, her smile was almost foreign to him, he couldn't remember the last time he saw his sister express more than the usual 'resting bitch face, and that was his own fault. Yuzu was the clingy sister and whenever he was home, Yuzu always tried to get his attention one way or another, but Karin? Karin was too much like himself to beg for the attention of anyone. He imagined that she didn't mind or care that he wasn't the most present of older brothers, but he felt guilty anyway. Not for her own sake, but for his own. What did he lose all this time? If this whole situation taught him anything, it was that he knew nothing of his sisters.
But these thoughts were pretty useless to his pragmatic approach. There was nothing to be gained from sulking over memories lost. Once they arrived in Hueco Mundo, Ichigo looked around the familiar landscape, while Karin had a more bewildered look, it looked endless, but besides that, there wasn't much going on.
"I hope you know Hueco Mundo is not a theme park ride, Karin."
He warned her but Karin didn't seem to pay him any mind.
"Wow, you don't say." She spoke sarcastically and scoffed, giving a light shake of her shoulders. "You do realize I've been dealing with Hollows for years right?"
Ichigo stopped to look at her surprised.
"Years? How?"
Karin scratched the back of her head.
"It was not long after Rukia first showed up…we had this whole thing called…Karakura heroes." It felt absolutely silly when she said the name out loud.
Ichigo blinked five times in a row.
"Wasn't that like a playtime thing?"
"Yeah…sure. We played…and we also went after smaller hollows…"
"We? Who's we? And HOW on earth were you able to destroy hollows?" Ichigo frowned slightly, it better not be some nosy shinigami trying to drag another Kurosaki into Soul Society, he thought.
Karin sighed, it was a little tiring to explain everything now.
"It doesn't matter. Anyways, aren't you going to actually show me what this Hueco Mundo is 'oh so dangerous?' I think I am pretty capable of handling…I don't know 4 or 5 low-rank shinigami on my own."
Ichigo frowned.
"That's very specific."
"Is it?" She rolled her eyes avoiding Ichigo's gaze.
"Karin…"
"What?" She groaned in response. "C'mon, let's just get going. So this is Hueco Mundo? Just a desert?"
She kicked some sand.
"Yeah…basically."
"At least there isn't much to get wrecked…heard the battles you fought here got really nasty."
Ichigo flinched, he wasn't sure if he was ready to talk to Karin about what happened here. Memories of his rampaging Vasto Lorde form weren exactly pleasant, and although it had been fully tamed, he wasn't proud to tell that to his younger sister.
Although Yuzu was the one that idolized him, Ichigo knew Karin had this desire to be strong, or stronger than him. He didn't want to nudge her in the wrong direction.
Karin looked at him, and being quite perceptive she spoke out casually.
"You don't have to worry about being apologetic to hollowfication. I have no interest in that. I heard enough about what you went through."
Ichigo was surprised she caught on quickly, but he smiled a little. She really did resemble him in many ways, and that made him a little proud.
"Cmon then. Let's see if you can show me those skills….Yoruichi taught you to flash step, didn't she?"
Karin nodded.
"Yeah?"
Ichigo grinned.
"Try to keep up then." And he flashed out of sight immediately.
The younger sister followed, using flashstep on such a wide area was absolutely liberating, and doing this with her brother, almost felt like she was a little kid playing tag again.
"GOTCHA!" Karin shouted before appearing above Ichigo, but he was too fast for her and dodged with ease. Karin plopped head-first into the sand.
"Cough! Pftt! Great now I'm gonna be spitting sand for a month."
Ichigo laughed.
"That wasn't a bad move. I'm just faster." He said in a cocky manner. Karin squinted her eyes and swiped his legs, making him fall on his butt.
"HEY! That was low!"
"Considering I just swiped your legs…yeh it was pretty low." She replied defiantly.
That was when they heard something in the distance. It seemed to be approaching them fast, even the ground was shaking. Karin stood up frowning, as the enormous spiritual pressure gave her a headache.
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Back in the barracks of squad 10, Toshiro Hitsugaya should have been absorbed in his work, as usual, as he was supposed to. But, truth be told, he had been going through a roller coaster of events he would not have pictured himself in lately. Things that kept his mind away from work.
Sitting behind his desk his fingers traced the colorful stripes of a yoyo tsuri ball, still filled with water.
He thought that after exploring the strange connection between his and Karin's zanpakuto, his mind would be more at peace, and he would be able to go back to his routine. And yet here he was, in another moment of uncharacteristic procrastination, looking at silly things, thinking about silly memories.
Silly, but happy memories.
Between the games and food, he could still see the bright smile of the raven-haired girl in a ponytail. A grin that didn't hold back from it's sincerity, that belonged to someone he had learned to call a friend. It was a heartwarming memory, and the corners of his lips curled into a small smile. Her laughter was light and unworried, free of any resentment and he felt grateful for that, Karin had enough reasons to keep her distance and deny him her friendship, but she didn't. He could not help but feel adrift in the memories of the festival, her round dark eyes, blue as the night sky, looking at him wide with surprise. He chuckled. Karin was always so self-assured, yet, he managed to catch these awe-struck expressions quite often.
Toshiro was distracted, but his lieutenant was not.
Matsumoto had noticed he was anything but focused on work today, and it was a little creepy for the lazy lieutenant. It was one thing to be troubled by something, she knew how to handle that…but he wasn't troubled today…he was just…spacing out? daydreaming? Matsumoto wondered if that was really something her captain was capable of. She observed him quietly when she could, this time, however, she wouldn't tease him.
"Ah! Rangiku-san!" A light voice chimed in. "I brought in the documents you asked."
"Oh, Hinamori, you are here already? I was expecting you to take longer." Matsumoto whined in her usual tone as Momo approached her with a small pile of paperwork
Momo chuckled and shook her head.
"I'm sorry Rangiku-san, I will try to take my time in the future. Should I just hand this over to you or to Shiro-chan?" She said as she moved towards the door to his office.
"I don't think you will get many results from him today."
They both peeked from behind the doors, and there they saw the captain, sitting and fiddling around with a colorful water balloon, wearing a dorkish smile on his face.
"What is…wrong with him?" Hinamori asked, the sight was almost unsettling.
"Don't tell him I said this…but I think…he had a date."
Hinamori turned surprised.
"A DATE?!"
"Sshhhhh! He will hear you!"
Momo cupped her mouth.
"Are you sure? With whom? When? How?!"
Matsumoto raised an eyebrow.
"You sound way more curious than I expected. Who else can it be, is not like captain has talked to more than a handful of women"
Momo's cheeks flushed slightly.
" You mean…Kurosaki-san? Oh n-no I didn't mean it like that! I just…wonder how you managed to figure that out…"
Matsumoto sighed and tilted her head back.
"He is fiddling with a yoyo tsuri ball, those are only given at festivals, and we both know he would never in his right mind go to a festival to play games willingly. Meaning someone must have convinced him."
Momo nodded at Matsumoto's reasoning.
"But how can you be so certain it was Kurosaki-san?"
"Yesterday I convinced him to go talk to her, he told me Hyorinmaru had been demanding it from him for some time."
"Oh…" Hinamori lowered her eyes slightly. "I hope Shiro-chan doesn't get ahead of himself…"
Matsumoto raised an eyebrow.
"He can take care of himself."
"Can he? I don't know, Rangiku-san, Shiro-chan has always been so clueless about other people's feelings…"
Matsumoto stared at Hinamori silently for a couple of seconds, her usual cheerful eyes were narrowed in a critical gaze.
"I think you got it all wrong, Hinamori. Captain Hitsugaya has always been very perceptive of what other people think and feel." Matsumoto lifted her eyes towards the half-opened door. "He knew from day one what you felt for that man. And that was the fuel of his hatred for a long time. Knowing how much you suffered over him."
Hinamori flinched. It was still hard for her to talk about Aizen, especially when Toshiro was involved.
"Y-yeah..t-that's why I'm worried. I'm just r…returning the same sentiment." She tried to explain herself but grew uneasy under Matsumoto's eyes.
"Captain Hitsugaya is not a child, Hinamori. He can take care of himself." Matsumoto repeated, sounding disapproving, but she wouldn't shove in Hinamori's face how she was the one responsible for much of Toshiro's heartbreak, as she constantly chose Aizen over him, and how much crap she made Toshiro go through, but Matsumoto didn't really have to say it. Hinamori knew it all too well.
"I just hope he doesn't get hurt…"
Their conversation was interrupted by another shinigami from the 10th division.
"Lieutenant Rangiku!" He called and both women turned, the shinigami looked a bit out of breath to deliver his message.
Toshiro was still absorbed in his thoughts when both lieutenants entered his office. Snapping out of it he quickly hid the Yoyo Tsuri ball under the table.
"Matsumoto! How many times do I have to tell you to knock at least!" He groaned. "Huh? Hinamori? What are you doing here?"
"She just came over to hand me some paperwork, captain..whiiiiich you could kindly take off my hands yesss?" Matsumoto interjected and flopped the small pile on Toshiro's desk.
Toshiro rolled his eyes.
"You could try to do some work for once, Matsumoto."
Hinamori smiled.
"It was just a quick stop."
"Ah yes captain, before I forget, let me just pass on the news I just got. Shinigami from the 12th were spotted on Rukongai…"
Toshiro frowned annoyed.
"And how is that relevant?"
"They were apparently after Karin Kurosaki, and they engaged in combat…"
"WHAT? How many?!"
Toshiro immediately had his eyes wide open and stood up from his seat.
"I think the reports said there were 5 in total."
Before they knew Toshiro was already rushing out of the office, gone in a blink, without saying a word.
Matsumoto blinked and sighed.
"Aaaah that captain! He didn't even wait for me to say she already took care of them!"
Hinamori kept her eyes on the open door.
"It is very impressive Kurosaki-san was able to handle 5 shinigami at once…"
Matsumoto chuckled.
"Are you really surprised? Judging by her father and brother alone, I would not expect anything other than this."
"But will Shiro-chan be alright? What if he gets more worried when he doesn't find Kurosaki-san or the shinigami?"
"He will probably get angry at me later for not 'telling him'" Matsumoto huffed.
"Seems like he really cares about her well-being. I first didn't know what to think of it when he asked the commander to be handled the responsibility of his training…they must really be good friends…" She lowered her eyes and Matsumoto patted her shoulder.
"Cheer up Hinamori. Everything will be okay. How about we go drinking later heh? I will definitely need it when the captain comes back all grouchy."
Toshiro would for sure blame Matsumoto for not telling him the situation had been dealt with, as he quickly found out when he arrived at the scene.
He knew that no one would dare attack Karin near the Shiba manor, so it had to be somewhere else. He took a wild guess and got it right. Going straight to the place he had shown her, where they performed the synchronized Jinzen.
There he found the place had been mildly affected by the fight, the grass seemed scorched and when he placed his hand on a tree trunk that had blade marks, he could feel Karin's lingering reiatsu. When he touched those spots he could feel the same sensation the burning chain gave off during Jinzen. It could only be Karin's reiatsu.
I feel it too, master. She called upon the other.
Toshiro felt Hyorinmaru stirring.
"She released shikai?" Toshiro grew more nervous, Karin was reckless but she was more self-aware than her brother at least, she wouldn't go around using shikai to attack other shinigami while she was on this weird probation period….would she?
Or perhaps the situation had become dire to the point she had to call upon her zanpakuto. That option was even more unsettling.
His worries escalated when he saw a splatter of blood on the ground. He couldn't tell if it was Karin's or not, he could feel the spiritual signature, but it could be possible that this had been inflicted by her and thus still carried her signature. But Toshiro could not handle the impatience and anxiousness he felt, so he rushed back to the Shiba manor, in hopes of finding Karin there. He needed to know if she was alright, and what those shinigami wanted to do with her.
He ran back as fast as he could, not even the twin guards of the manor caught him in time as he burst into the manor.
"Where is Karin?!" His angry voice disrupted Kuukaku who had been smoking and relaxing, minding her own business.
"Oi! What's this all about?! You can't enter my house like this you brat! Captain or no captain!" Kuukaku groaned from her seat.
"I received a report about Ka-... Kurosaki being attacked! I looked for her and I found the location, and there was blood. Is she here? Is she alright?"
Kuukaku blinked taken aback by the young captain going absolutely bananas in front of her.
"First of all captain, I suggest you calm yourself down first. Secondly, Karin is fine. She came by a while ago, although she didn't mention any fighting. But she left with Ichigo already." Kuukaku said dismissively, still grumpy about Toshiro's demanding tone.
"Ichigo?" Although Toshiro was calmer now that he knew she was alright, he was still considerably anxious. "Where did they go?"
Kuukaku lifted an eyebrow. "You just won't quit with those questions will ya? Ugh. He took her on a field trip, he is in charge of her training today. They went to Hueco Mundo."
"WHAT? Who the HELL thought that would be a good idea?! Karin is still leaking reiatsu like crazy, she is practically a luminous billboard for hollows!"
Kuukaku's patience was running thin.
"I told you already to CALM THE F*** DOWN! GEEZ! Who do you think you are, really? You come here barging into my house, and now you think you can question what is or is not done here?! You really ARE a brat! I'm not gonna let you disrespect my clan anymore, boy! Karin is with Ichigo, he is her older brother and fully comprehends his powers, he will be able to protect her unconditionally. Meaning she will be safer with him than she could ever be with you!" Kuukaku roared out completely annoyed.
Toshiro shut up at last. Feeling the bitter jab of Kuukaku's scolding. And worst thing is that nothing she said was untrue. Ichigo was far more powerful than himself, and he had every right and reason to protect Karin. But Toshiro? What right or reason did he have to say anything? Toshiro felt a sharp sting of jealousy. He was called a prodigy once, but Ichigo was the true genius, he never felt jealous of Ichigo before, though, so why now? Why did it matter?
Toshiro was starting to run out of excuses for himself. The connection between their zanpakuto was already old, and he was starting to feel it wasn't just because of that. Did he feel responsible for Karin? Was that it? No…he knew it wasn't as simple as that.
His thoughts were interrupted by Kuukaku's voice again.
"Look, I know you want to dig deeper into the whole thing with Karin's zanpakuto, but you gotta take it easy. Everyone knows about your training session with her by now, and now you are being watched as much as she is." She warned him.
Toshiro turned and raised an eyebrow.
"Me? Why would I be watched?"
"Because this is not the first time this zanpakuto connection is seen, others might want to know more about this occurrence. I'm still doing some research but as soon as I find some relevant information I will pass it on. So no need to get all jittery. Just be patient and careful and I will get you what you want."
Toshiro looked on at the older woman and his narrowed eyes silently doubted she knew what he wanted. But, regardless, he bowed respectfully.
"I apologize for barging in. Please continue to take care of Kurosaki." His tone was formal and cold, Kuukaku snorted as she watched Toshiro turn and leave her house.
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Back in Hueco Mundo, Karin's headache made her groan but Ichigo was quick to come to her aid.
"Karin? Are you alright?"
"I think there is someone coming…" She warned her brother who narrowed his eyes.
"I will take a look around, stay right here, don't move." He said vanishing with flash step.
But that decision might not have been the wisest. Karin felt the presence approach her and heard a creepy cackle behind her. When she turned she saw a familiar but unknown face painted in black and white, with a weird purple headdress, and a captain's haori.
"I knew it wouldn't take long to find you, Karin Kurosaki."
"Who are you?!" She frowned sensing this man was up to no good.
"Ah how rude. You don't even recognize one of the captains of the Gotei 13. I am Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and I think you owe me an apology."
Karin took a wary stance.
"For what?"
"For treating my men so poorly when they were so thoughtful of going all the way to Rukongai to invite you over." He smiled with his yellow teeth.
"Tch you call that an invitation? Sorry but you gotta improve your host skills….and perhaps select better heralds." She smirked.
"As useless as they were, for one thing, they gave me the opportunity to see your shikai." He stepped closer to her.
Something in his voice made Karin's skin crawl, she stepped back.
"You have a remarkable reishi signature, and unlike your brother you were not contaminated by Hollow…a perfect mix of quincy and shinigami…I wonder what else you inherited from your father…the burning blood of captain Isshin has always been intriguing. Perhaps you can serve as a decent replacement." He stood out his hand towards her, and Karin's knees buckled. The unsettling sensation was truly terrifying.
"What do you know about my father?" She asked with a trembling voice. She knew she could not take on a captain alone, not now…could she?
"Oh I know a thing or two…" He chuckled maliciously. "I could tell you about it if you came over and allowed me to run some tests on you."
Karin felt herself freeze on the spot.
"Like hell I'm going anywhere with someone as creepy as you!'
"Ah so that's what this is all about."
Ichigo's voice came from behind Karin as he stepped to stand next to his sister.
"You came all this way to snatch my sister as one of your experiments? Hah! That's pretty ballsy." Ichigo spoke with a fierce glare.
"It was merely an invitation." Mayuri justified himself without much care, shrugging his shoulders.
Suddenly the sands beneath their feet started to shake, Karin could feel the earth vibrating beneath them, she never felt an incoming stampede before, but she imagined it was something like this.
Karin saw a giant monster approaching them fast, similar to a snake, with big lips and a hollow mask! There were other figures there as well, but Karin could not make up what they were before she heard a very girlish voice squeal.
"ITSUUUUUUGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO"
Long flowy hair and a busty figure tackled her brother.
"SUPER ACCELERATION!"
And headbutted him to the stomach.
"Ugh… Nel! Damn you! Couldn't you just greet me normally just once!I didn't expect to see you …" Ichigo on the other hand seemed absolutely used to this.
"Ichi-nii…what is going on?" Karin looked suspiciously at the three hollows behind the green-haired woman. She quickly turned around to see where Mayuri was, but he was nowhere to be found.
"Don't worry Karin, they are friendly. This is Nel…"
Nel looked up and leaned over the smaller Kurosaki, who was quite similar in height to herself, if not slightly shorter.
"Ooooooh who is this?"
"That's my sister, Karin." Ichigo explained and Nel smiled ever so brightly.
"Aaaaahhh Itsygo lil sisss? Are you a shinigami too? These are my brothers! This is Pesche and Dondochakka, and Bawabawa!"
"Aaahh Ichigo also has a little sister! We are the sameeeee!" Pesche joined in enthusiastically while wiggling his purple body.
"We are DEFINITELY NOT THE SAME!" Ichigo shouted back.
"Eeeee Ichigo little sister! It's a family reunionnnn it's so touchinnnggg!" the easily moved Dondochakka cried.
Ichigo groaned.
"Cant you all just calm down?!"
Karin was taken aback by Nel's enthusiastic nature, and she introduced her 'family' while still hugging Ichigo, or more like, crushing his bones.
The Hollows shouting and Ichigo's pained groans made Karin stretch her lips into a thin line. She sighed waiting patiently for the ruckus to end.
"Enough enough!" Ichigo shouted at once. "We are not here to play!"
"Eh? No? What are you here for then Itsugo?" Nel asked.
"Train….hmm..yeah. Like a field trip."
"Aaaahh then there is time to play!" Nel interjected.
"Wait up! What are you doing here after all!" Ichigo stopped her before she tackled him again.
"Ah we were patrolling the area on behalf of Harribel!"
"Yesss Our lovely and beautiful queeeennnn!" Pesche declared.
"Queen? Hueco Mundo has a queen?" Karin asked curiously.
Ichigo nodded.
"Yeah, ever since Aizen was defeated Harribel has taken over 'management'. She was the Tres Espada on Aizen's elite army, the third strongest, like Nel over here, before she lost her memory." Ichigo quickly explained.
Karin turned to look at Nel's smiley face, and her eyes went wide. "Espada?" She really did not expect someone this happy-go-lucky to be something as powerful as an elite warrior. "That makes sense…I felt you reiatsu then…" Karin nodded rationalizing the situation.
Nel smiled and tilted her head. "You did? Aah Nel thinks baby Itsugo is very nice too!"
"I wasn't saying you were nice." Karin scoffed.
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH HOW CRUEEEELLL!"
Karin let out a soft giggle.
"Relax. I didn't say you weren't nice either."
"AAAHH So baby isugo like Nel! I knew it!"
"Hey, its Karin! KA-RIN."
"Kabin?" Nel repeated.
"No …"
"Definitely sounded like Larin." Dondochakka added.
"IT'S KAH! KAH RIIIN!" Ichigo burst losing what was left of his patience.
Shenanigans apart, soon enough Karin, Kabin, or Larin, would soon understand the necessity of Nel's presence there. The group suddenly heard strange noises, like echoing screeches.
"Oi…is that what you were patrolling for?" Ichigo asked Nel with narrowed eyes. Nel seemed to have turned on a switch as her cheerful expression melted into a sharp one.
"Yes. There have been a few occurrences of more hollows going feral, eating each other. This sounds like one of those cases."
Karin froze in place.
"Eating each other? Hollows are cannibals?"
Nel nodded.
"Not all, some of them are, we have varying degrees of rationality. Not all of us have recovered our reasoning. Some still act like mindless beasts."
Karin lowered her eyes, she couldn't help but think of that little boy she saw turning into a Hollow all those years ago.
"But what are you doing here Itsugo?" Nel asked tilting her head.
"Ah, just….hmm…field trip? Showing Karin around..." Ichigo replied scratching the back of his head when the group heard screamings and roars in the distance.
"What was that?" Karin asked narrowing her eyes.
"The reason why we patrol," Nel replied sharply.
Ichigo placed a hand on Karin's shoulder.
"Stay close." He told his little sister, as he focused his gaze towards the sounds.
"OOOOOOh does that mean we are actually gonna fight?" Pesche squirmed. "Since Ichigo and baby sis are here, they could do give us a little hand riiight?"
Dondochakka immediately chimed in.
"I wouldn't be against that….those screams…are pretty scary…" The painted masked hollow comically held onto his 'brother', as the duo whined.
Karin grinned. She was excited. Nel smiled back at her sensing her adrenaline spiking and nudged her head.
"Field trip heh? Sounds like a good game to me." Nel grinned back at Karin and immediately used Sonido to move. Karin felt the impact of Nel's rapid moving technique and was surprised for a moment.
"Focus Karin, is just like Shunpo. Cmon! We can't let Nel have all the fun!" Her older brother smirked and both dashed after the former Espada.
The sight they found was pretty compatible with the horrific sounds they heard. It was a group of Menos Grandes chasing down a lesser Hollow. They had the typical Gillian appearance, with their pointy noses and spikes around their bodies. Karin tensed up, but didn't falter, she immediately flung herself towards one of the Gillians that reached out to grab the runaway hollow, first blocking it's boney hand with her sword.
" I think it''s really nasty to hunt down your own kind." She groaned as the Gillian pressed it's hand harder trying to crush her. But Karin moved quickly to the side and with a swift swipe of her blade, followed by a blazing flash of fire, cut off the Gillian's hand. It shrieked loudly.
"KARIN! BE CAREFUL!" Ichigo called trying his best not to freak out seeing his sister jumping into he was stopped by 3 Gillians that stood in his way. Ichigo frowned and slashed through the hollows with ease .
"Itsugooo I don't think you need to be so nervous," Nel spoke as she disposed of another hollow.
Karin was focused on her own fight, and she didn't really care for Ichigo's older brother complex. She jumped up and quickly cut the Gillian's mask in two. Not giving Ichigo much time to help her.
The group of menos was quickly dealt with now. Karin panted a little , more from the excitement rather than the actual physical strain, but her breathing soon became steady as she watched the hollow she cut disintegrate slowly. She looked back to see if the lesser Hollow was okay but the small creature quivered in fear against a rock.
"It's okay now…no need to be afraid.." Karin tried to reach out with her hand, but the hollow smacked her hand away, and fled desperately.
Karin's eyes lowered. She didn't expect a thank you but seeing how terrified it was, even at their savior pained her. She turned her head to watch the remains of the hollow she attacked disintegrate slowly into the air. Her eyes moved from the sand to her hand and the sword she held.
"They are…purified right? Ichi-nii…" She looked at Ichigo. "Even though I'm not a shinigami…they can go back to Soul Society now cant they?"
Ichigo stepped towards his sister and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I suppose so….I honestly never thought much about that. But you have a zanpakuto…so I think it works just the same." Ichigo spoke softly trying to encourage his sister.
Nel approached them as gleefully as ever.
"Pheew my job here is sooo much easier with you two around! Karin looked so cool with that flame strike!" Nel chuckled while wiggling her fingers playfully.
Karin gave her a half smile in return, not completely at peace with her first official Hollow purification.
"That reminds me…" Ichigo spoke again clearing his throat for a second and taking a deep breath. "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING JUMPING IN THE WAY OF AN ATTACK LIKE THAT?!" He shouted scolding his sister.
Karin blinked and immediately turned a sour face.
"I got the job done, didn't I?"
"You could have been crushed!"
"But I wasn't." She smirked.
Ichigo opened his mouth to protest once again when a loud growl was heard. Karin immediately blushed in embarrassment as the growling came from none other than her stomach.
"Ah…sorry. I skipped lunch." She chuckled.
"Oh right…you didn't get to eat the rice dumplings Yuzu made. Oi! You three, we are gonna sit down a bit. Karin is hungry."
He called out to Pesche, Nel and Dondochakka.
"OOOH! Are we gonna eat then?!"
"Not you!" Ichigo smacked Pesche's head with his fist at the fraccion's suggestion.
Karin had already sat down and was unwrapping her lunch when she spoke.
"I don't mind sharing."
"Aaahhh Karin-chan is so nice~" Pesche whined and wiggled next to Karin.
Ichigo frowned. Now that he knew what the food prepared by Yuzu really was, he was wary.
"Karin, are you sure that's a good idea? Yuzu made those for you, specifically. She would kill me if she knew I let others take it." He tried to keep the focus on something else other than Yuzu's reiatsu.
Karin lifted an eyebrow and rather she knew about it or not, she didn't seem to care.
"Dont be stupid. Nothing bad can come from sharing food."
Nel and Dondochakka quickly followed and the green-haired Espada looked curiously over Karin's shoulder. "Oooh that looks yummy!"
Karin smiled and just as she said she would, she shared her lunch giving the trio a rice ball each. When they eat, they can feel their energy increase.
"Wow! This is like magic! Just a tiny bite and I feel so energetic again! I COULD CONQUER THE WORLD HAHAHAHHAHAHA" Pesche wiggled his arms in the air before chomping down the rest of his share. Dondochakka was also amazed by the taste of the food and cried out loudly.
"This is the best food thank you Karin-chaaaannn!"
Karin laughed at them and began to eat herself. Despite the light and enjoyable mood, Ichigo kept his eyes fixed on his sister. As she chewed and swallowed, he could sense her reiatsu growing.
"So what dad said was true…it's just like the zero squad…" He recalled.
Nel also sensed Karin's reiatsu growing, but she didn't think it was anything in particular, after all she was Ichigo's sister right? Just like him, she should have an absurd amount of reiatsu, that's what she thought.
But the growth wasn't normal at all. And Ichigo became increasingly worried.
"Karin… next time when I tell you to stay close, you ACTUALLY STAY CLOSE, alright?" He scolded her. "It could have been really dangerous."
"Oh relax, you brought me here for that after all, right? We didn't come all the way here to just play around."
"Ooooh play! I would like to play!" Nel clapped her hands together, absolutely missing the point. And Dondochakka and Pesche quickly joined in after hiding behind a rock for the confrontation.
"Ohh! Are we gonna play a game?!"
"Its it eternal tag?"
"No its NOT!" Ichigo interrupted before those three entered a spiral of nonsense.
"Hmm we could play. Although I didn't bring my soccer ball with me…" Karin didn't seem to catch Ichigo's hint.
"Oooooooh soccerball? What is that?" Dondochakka asked while wiggling next to Karin.
"It's a game, you kick a ball between your allies and your opponents and you score goals."
"Karin now it's really not the time fo-"
"I WANNA PLAY SOCCERBALL!" Pesche shouted and Nel added in.
"ME TOO! ME TOO!"
Karin laughed, now Ichigo was completely ignored, as the younger Kurosaki finished eating she dusted her hands off and stood up.
"Just call it Soccer. Let's see…I guess I can use these to makeshift a ball." She grabbed a nearby rock around the size of her fist and took off her haori. Then, Karin wrapped the rock with the cloth until it resembled a ball. "That should do it. At least for some small playtime." She grinned.
"YEEESSS! SOCCER! SOCCER!" The trio chanted around Karin, excited, and immediately they began to play.
Ichigo groaned and sat down to watch as Karin ran around with the trio. He really wasn't interested in watching his sister deal with Pesche and Dondochakka's annoying excitement, not one bit. So he leaned back on a dried up tree and relaxed for a moment.
His tranquility was short-lived as he soon enough heard Pesche pained scream. He opened up his eyes and was ready to cut down whatever that was that attacked them…except…there really wasn't any threat at all.
Karin was next to Pesche, looking quite worried.
"Dammit, are you alright?! I'm so sorry I don't know what happened!"
"Karin, what's going on?!" Ichigo rushed to their side.
"We were just playing and I think I kicked the ball too hard…it hit Pesche right in the face…and…hmm I think I chipped off his mask…"
Ichigo's eyes widened. That was dangerous, if she breaks his mask in half without her zanpakuto..what would happen to his soul? Did Karin's reiatsu react so strongly to Yuzu's power-up food, even a simple ball could damage a fraccion's mask without her even trying?
Pesche, on the other hand, was trying to laugh it off. "Don't worry Karin-chan it was a tiny scratch! I'm not that weak hahahah…although…I wouldn't mind being a little stronger than I used to be ….BUT DONT WORRY! IT was nothing!"
"Still..I'm sorry" Karin said gently rubbing the indent her strike made, wishing it could just go back to normal, as she felt increasingly guilty since the lesser hollow's rescue, the last thing she wanted was to put a new friend in danger.
Ichigo sensed another surge of energy. Karin began to unconsciously leak reiatsu, this time even Nel turned her face in a mixture of worry and surprise.
Karin's hand was glowing, and her deep red reiatsu seemed to be absorbed into Pesche's mask. Her eyes widened as her body reacted on its own, and a soft glow enveloped them for a small moment, before fading again.
"W-wha…what was that?" Karin looked down at her hands.
GASP!
She heard Nel and turned her head again.
"P-..pesche…" The Espada spoke tearing up, Ichigo also looked at them with his mouth open agape. Karin's eyes widened in horror, did she hurt Pesche?! She immediately turned back.
Pale blonde hair, gently cascaded down his shoulders. A white uniform, the mask that once covered an entire face, now stopped after framing his golden eye, while the other remained hidden under a purple cloth. Pesche had regained his original Arrancar form, Karin's reiatsu had somehow repaired the mask that was ripped off by Szayel Aporro, reversing Pesche to his previous self before he and Dondochakka altered themselves for Nel's sake.
Pesche lifted his hand to touch the restored mask, then slowly looked down at his hands. This wasn't just in appearance…he could feel his old self entirely…his power. Everything was back.
"Wha…how did you…" He looked back at Karin, completely speechless.
Karin couldn't say anything else either. That funny-looking beetle hollow had turned into a beautiful man right before her eyes as if this was some strange version of the 'Frog Prince' fairytale.
There was a moment of dead silence before Nel tackled Pesche.
"Your mask! Pesche! Your true mask!" She hugged her brother and Dondochakka cried while running to join the hug.
Ichigo stepped closer to Karin.
"Karin…what did you do?" He looked down at his sister, worried…
"I don't know…I just..wished the mask wasn't broken and..my reiatsu expanded on it's own..and…ugh.." She flinched, feeling her head spin, and she placed a palm on her forehead.
"Even with Yuzu's power…this was still too much," Ichigo spoke.
"Yuzu?"
He nodded silently.
"She has been pouring her own reiatsu into our food to make us stronger…don't worry dad is already taking care of her. He was the one that told me." Ichigo immediately calmed his sister down before she could ask any more questions.
"Karin! Thank you! You restored my brother's mask!" Nel said looking at Karin. Her grateful expression moved Karin's heart and the young Kurosaki smiled, but her energy which was at a peak moments ago, plummeted down, and Karin's legs faltered.
Pesche immediately stood up and held onto Karin, so she would not fall down.
"Karin-chan..thank you. Thanks to you, I can protect my own family again" He spoke in a soft tone. "There is only one way to pay you back…"
Ichigo squinted his eyes…
"WE MUST BE MARRIED RIGHT AWAY! MY BELOVED BRIDE I SWEAR I WILL PROTECT YOU TOO!" Pesche declared oh so dramatically while flipping his glorious hair in the wind.
Karin's eyes twitched and her nose wrinkled.
"Ah she is so bashful she is speechless! Worry not my fair lady! I shall be gentle~"
"WHAT THE HELL?! GET OFF ME!" Karin shouted as her face became red.
"OI! PESCHE…DO YOU WANT ME TO SPLIT YOUR FACE INTO TWO?" Ichigo threatened and Pesche immediately stepped back.
"Now now…let's not get too aggressive here, now I have a pretty face again I don't want to ruin it…"
Although Pesche was handsome now…he still remained a coward at heart. At least for silly things like this. Still as the group continued to walk, Pesche would constantly try to flirt with Karin, who was starting to regret doing whatever she did back there.
Nel walked next to Ichigo, and she spoke in a wary tone.
"Restoring arrancar masks…"
Ichigo glanced at the Espada.
"We don't know how she did this, or even if she can do it again." Ichigo said protectively.
"Still…Pesche's restoration will not be easy to hide…I might need to tell Hallibel…"
"I understand but…if you can….don't tell her who did it…please, Nel."
Nel smiled.
"And how could I ever say no to you?"
Ichigo smiled gratefully.
"Thanks."
This had been more than enough excitement, and Ichigo decided it was time for them to go back before Karin (or himself) actually murdered Pesche. Using Urahara's garganta knife Ichigo cut open the pathway.
"Well I guess that's it. It was good seeing you guys, take care. And Pesche…" Ichigo squinted. "Behave."
"When have I done any differently!" Pesche protested and Nel chuckled.
"Karin-chan…" The green-haired espada called.
"Hm?"
"Thank you, for everything, you have no idea what it meant to us what you did for Pesche. So if you ever need help, you can count on us." Nel spoke softly and Ichigo smiled pleased. It was good to know Karin would have more allies of her own.
Karin smiled, feeling a mix of satisfaction and pride. But their moment was interrupted by Pesche's loudmouth, who remained as obnoxious as he ever was.
"Yes! You can call me whenever you like and I will come to your rescue! And you can call me after hours too~" He wiggled hos eyebrows thinking it was charming…it was not. The only skinship he received was a fierce bonk on the head by Ichigo's fist. Karin just rubbed her temples.
"Alright alright, let's go already." She urged her brother and the Kurosaki siblings left Hueco Mundo at last.
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Toshiro felt a strange sensation, something like a tingling on the tips of his right hand fingers. He rubbed his hands to get rid of the sensation, but it didn't seem to do anything. As he made his way back to Seireitei, without much thought except perhaps of the rather embarrassing outburst of protectiveness, followed by scolding by Kuukaku Shiba, he reached for the necklace Urahara had given him when he first tested Karin's training.
He still had no idea what these little crystals could do, but he felt something like an Aura around it, he hadn't felt that before. Could it be it was activating something? He wondered curiously for a moment before his peripheral vision caught two figures approaching.
The siblings were unmistakable, well…perhaps Ichigo was the one that everyone noticed when arriving, but Toshiro felt just as aware of Karin's own reiatsu.
"Kurosaki!" Who did he call? Karin or Ichigo? The confusion seemed to have successfully reached the duo as they looked at each other for a moment wondering the exact same thing.
"Are you alright? I received a report about captain Mayuri's men coming after you!" Toshiro frowned stepping closer to them. Ah so he was talking to Karin. She looked up between him and her brother, Toshiro was only slightly shorter than Ichigo now, and the substitute Shinigami for a moment was distracted thinking when did he grow so fast all of a sudden…
"And why did you come here?" Ichigo raised an eyebrow.
"Because I felt responsible, Kurosaki." Toshiro glared in return. " As I was directly involved in your sister's recent development. I don't want her to get into trouble because of that." He sounded sharp as always and absolutely sure of what he was saying.
Toshiro's concern didn't sit well with Ichigo, or perhaps he just didn't want to admit he was being overly protective of his little sister after listening to Kuukaku and Yoruichi encourage her to date, and that somehow the captain was in the list of possible options.
"But you are not really responsible for any of it. So no need to meddle so much. She is with me."
"Listen here Kurosaki-" Toshiro was about to continue the argument when Karin interrupted them both.
"Don't even think about fighting now!" Karin huffed a little annoyed and groaned placing a hand on her head. "I already have a headache and the last thing I need is.." She paused feeling a little dizzy for a second, she shook her head and shrugged it off while she could. "Are you two having a fight over nothing?"
"Are you sure you are alright though? Kuukaku told me you went to Hueco Mundo…" He asked while firing a side glare at Ichigo again. "Did something… strange happen there?"
Karin paused and looked at the captain, nodding her head slightly.
"So that explains it. I felt a strange aura on Urahara's crystal a few moments ago."
"Really?" Karin quickly connected the dots, could it be the crystal was reacting to Pesche's restoration?Or perhaps was it still rubbing off from the synchronized Jinzen?
Ichigo looked lost as the two exchanged knowing glances. And that annoyed him even more.
"Perhaps I should ask Urahara if he kno-..."
As Toshiro pondered on their next steps, Karin felt dizzy again, her legs faltered and she lost her balance, almost falling down. Toshiro quickly moved to support her, holding her arms.
"You are exhausted."
Ichigo's eye twitched at the scene. Since when was Toshiro Hitsugaya so considerate? What's this?!
"Then I will take her to rest. You can think of your planning on your own." Ichigo moved Toshiro out of the way and picked Karin up in his own arms, lifting her off the ground completely.
"Ichi-nii! What are you doing?!" She cried out little embarrassed.
"You are tired, so I'm carrying you. And you, captain Hitsugaya, you can go back as well. I can handle this"
"Of course you can, Kurosaki."
Ichigo didn't waste another second and walked past the white haired shinigami.
"W-Wait a second! Oi Toshiro! I will see you tomorrow okay?!" Karin tried to reach over Ichigo's shoulder to call out to the captain. As she fumbled in her position trying to make sure he heard her, while bickering with her older brother, Toshiro couldn't help but chuckle slightly.
He didn't reply anything but only lifted a hand bidding her goodbye before turning his back to leave. She was alright and that was enough to know for now. Tomorrow he would ask her what happened without Ichigo's interference. Yes that was a good plan.
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The next morning was bright and sunny. But Toshiro's plan was overruled by Ichigo. The orange haired man kept an eye on Karin like a hawk, even when Toshiro arrived at the Shiba Manor, he was sure to keep Karin always busy, never giving an opening for the 10th division captain to talk to his sister.
And so was the next day….and the one after that.
Toshiro was annoyed. Ichigo was definitely doing this on purpose! Karin was focused on whatever exercise Ichigo threw at her, although it was usually just sparring as Ichigo always had a more practical approach to training. And as his opponent, Karin couldn't afford to let herself be distracted by Toshiro's presence.
So the white-haired captain just lingered around, waiting with his arms crossed, watching Karin train. And Ichigo would not let Karin rest until Toshiro left. After the second day, Toshiro was well aware of that, and Karin was absolutely exhausted. So at least, he let her rest and left without talking to her.
"Ichi-nii…what…." She panted heavily. "What the hell is this for? It's been three days we've been fighting basically non-stop!"
Ichigo looked towards Toshiro's figure walking away from the manor. He huffed slightly.
"ICHI-NII!" Karin shouted to grab his attention.
"Eh? Ah that. What, are you tired?" He grinned. "Would you rather be fighting Nichirinmaru itself?" He asked while reminiscing of his own experience when he fought Zangetsu to achieve Bankai for the first time.
Karin looked up confused.
"What do you mean?"
"Nevermind. Is not like it's an emergency anyways." He petted Karin's head only to have his own hand swatted away.
"So are you done now? Can I rest?"
"Yeah sure." He nodded. After all, Toshiro left. Perhaps he wouldn't come back tomorrow. That's what Ichigo wished for.
"Geez why are you so stubborn on training with me these days…I don't get it."
Ichigo didn't say anything but watched Karin wipe her face.
He had acted on impulse, that's true. But after seeing Karin restore an arrancar mask…he couldn't help but grow more worried than ever and be it by older brother's jealousy or educated suspicion, Ichigo feared Toshiro's loyalty would line up first and foremost with Soul Society. If word got out that Karin was restoring arrancars…who knew what could happen to her, perhaps she would be imprisoned for good.
"Would you prefer training with Toshiro?" He frowned a bit.
"W-wha.. What are you saying?! Don't be ridiculous! Why bring this up all of a sudden!" She blushed a little looking away.
"Don't trust people so easily Karin. There is a reason why dad wanted you out of Seireitei. Toshiro is cool and all…but be careful. The issues between shinigami and hollow are more complex than you think."
Karin turned back to her brother. She knew he meant well…but gosh was it annoying when he tried to keep her immaculately safe from everything.
"I know." She looked at her hand. "But you trust both hollows, shinigami and quincy, don't you? So I too will trust individuals, no matter who they are. If they are my friends, I will trust them."
Ichigo sighed, he couldn't argue with that, because he agreed fully with her.
"I just wish you wouldn't take unnecessary risks…things are pretty dangerous as they are."
Isshin observed his children's training. He was pleased to see Ichigo taking responsibility for Karin, and even happier to see Karin progressing so fast. His children were strong each in their own way, and that made him a proud father.
But he wasn't a complete fool, he knew very well Ichigo's devotion was fueled mainly by his tendency to protect by isolating, so a fatherly interference was much needed.
The next day, Ichigo was ready to resume training with his sister, Isshin placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Ichigo, why don't you go do something else today? I want to teach Karin something special."
"Huh? Ah sure…I guess." He scratched the back of his head.
"Good boy. I will see you home for dinner then." Isshin said while pretty much shooing Ichigo away.
Karin was waiting for Ichigo, and was obviously confused when Isshin showed up instead.
"Dad? Where is Ichi-nii?"
"I told him to take a day off." He grinned cheerfully, but Karin remained with the usual unamused expression.
"Ah. Alright then. So I guess is back to our usual training?"
"Eeh…sort of." Isshin chuckled and Karin raised an eyebrow.
"What do you mean sort of?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, we just need to wait a little more…"
And as Isshin planned, Toshiro arrived. He knew that boy just as well as he knew his own children, he knew Ichigo's protectiveness wasn't going to beat Toshiro's stubbornness. He would come back again, and he did.
"Ah captain! I didn't expect to see you here today!" Toshiro said surprised when he saw Isshin.
Isshin had a wide grin on his face as he reached out to mess Toshiro's hair playfully.
"Is that so? Good to know you can still be surprised!"
"Your brother won't train you today?" Toshiro looked at Karin and she shook her head in response.
"Apparently not."
The young captain didn't say anything and his expression hardly changed from the usual scowl.
"You are welcome to join us Toshiro," Isshin added. "I won't wear my dear daughter down so much as Ichigo did hahaha!"
Toshiro simply nodded, this made everything easier for sure. Without Ichigo's vigilance, he could finally talk to Karin properly.
When the training session began, Toshiro watched Karin, Ichigo's training surely had a positive effect on her, she was a lot faster and moved more swiftly, but there was something fundamentally different in her style than Ichigo's. Ichigo was all about speed, but Karin had a stronger base, grounded. He noticed she was able to withstand stronger attacks from Isshin when staying put and then swiftly moved to strike.
"Very good! But don't let your guard down!" Isshin followed with a series of attacks with his blade engulfed in flames.
"Burn! Engetsu!"
Toshiro became a little uneasy, seeing Isshin's zanpakuto again, the flames of Engetsu, was nostalgic, to say the least.
"Erupt! Nichirinmaru!" She called out quickly, not realizing she had no need to chant the whole release command, and Isshin smiled widely as he saw her shikai, he slammed down against her sword and the fire of both zanpakuto burned brightly.
But Karin didn't back down. Her expression was sharp and her eyes focused. She blocked his attacks and locked her position firmly on the ground. Both blades seemed to be ablaze, but Karin didn't seem to struggle with the close heat as she once did.
Isshin was pleased but his moment of distraction would quickly cost him. Karin seeing the opening, moved underneath Isshin's arm, using the chain of her hilt to latch onto Isshin's ankle and trip him.
Isshin fell on his knee and Karin placed her sword near his neck.
"Well done daughter." She lowered her sword and Isshin got up. "You are quickly learning to withstand Nichirinmaru's fire. Don't forget the most important thing is to grow along your zanpakuto harmoniously." He tilted his head to Toshiro. "That's a lesson for you as well."
Toshiro blinked.
"Excuse me?"
Karin seemed a little confused.
"What do you mean, old man? Toshiro has full control of his zanpakuto doesn't he?"
Toshiro frowned. His obvious expression surely raised a flag for Karin. Did she say something bad?
"Don't you?" She asked him directly.
"My bankai is…" He groaned. "I can't wield its full strength without aging my body first."
Karin was surprised to hear that revelation. Toshiro looked away embarrassed and a little ashamed, a faint tint of red on his cheeks could be seen.
"First of all Karin, there is no such a thing as full control. You must always learn new things, your zanpakuto is part of your soul, and even when you become an old lady you will still find new things about yourself." Isshin explained.
"Does that mean the physical power to endure a zanpakuto's strength always goes like this? and if she should force her body to change to achieve Bankai?" Karin wondered a little frustrated but her voice didn't show many alterations.
Isshin shook his head.
"His issue is not the physical part, but a simple matter of maturity. He has been always ahead of everyone else, but his Zanpakuto refuses to let him wield his power unless matured, forcing Toshiro to slow down his own pace. But instead…" He squinted his eyes at Toshiro. "He did the exact opposite thing and forced maturity."
Toshiro had a sheepish and rather nervously sassy expression as he avoided Isshin's eyes.
"Well…it was an emergency."
"Yes you did what you had to do. Besides, I dont think it matters now. You have been growing faster, perhaps because of Hyorinmaru…who knows, maybe soon enough you wont need to change yourself at all."
Karin observed the two and wondered how Toshiro's bankai worked, did he change much when he forced his body to mature? What did he look like? He already looked older than when they met, she had to look up when he talked to Ichigo…although he wasn't as tall as her brother, he was did seem to be growing, becoming larger and taller, even compared to when she arrived in Soul Society for the first time.
"I would sure like to see it once…" She spoke aloud without realizing. Both Toshiro and Isshin turned to her surprised.
"Bankai is not for play time!" Toshiro blushed and tried to fake annoyance while Isshin laughed softly.
"Ah! Sorry."
"Well I think that's enough training for today, you have been working very hard lately so I will let you have playtime with your friend HAHAHAHHA!" Isshin laughed.
Toshiro and Karin blushed furiously and quickly cried out.
"WHAT ARE YOU SAYING OLD MAN?!"
"THERE IS NOT PLAYTIME CAPTAIN!"
"Yes yes, you kids behave." He winked before leaving making the two even more annoyed!
Karin sighed shaking her head.
"Dont mind that."
"Never do. Anyways…I needed to talk to you before…" Toshiro turned to Karin.
"Yeah I imagined. But Ichi-nii was very meticulous about training me lately." Karin huffed annoyed.
"Yes. So it seemed." Toshiro frowned a little. "Could you tell me what happened when you were out with your brother? There was a moment I felt something very strange on the tips of my fingers, and the crystal Urahara gave us also seemed reactive to something…"
Karin was unsure, and she felt a little nervous, as she recalled Ichigo's warnings.
"Nothing much…I just fought my first Menos Grande that's all…" She didn't want to say anything about Pesche's restoration, and she felt a wave of guilt sweep over her. Did she not trust Toshiro? Didn't she tell Ichigo she would trust her friends?
"A menos?! Karin! That is dangerous!"
"Oh relax don't you even start? It was fine. I wasn't alone and we dealt with the group quickly." She waved her hand dismissively.
"A GROUP?! How many hollows were there?!"
"Nevermind that." She huffed. "What matters is that they were beaten, and I took good care of myself on my own too. So there, no need to nag or freak out. Gosh you sound like my brother!"
Toshiro frowned.
"Did you have any difficulties while fighting?"
Karin shrugged.
"Not really, I think I just used up a lot of energy."
"Then perhaps the reaction I felt here was about that…" Toshiro crossed his arms thinking. "Did you use your shikai?"
Karin shook her head.
"Not really."
That confused Toshiro. If she didn't even use shikai, what could have triggered the reaction? He surely didn't feel anything different when she was fighting off Mayuri's men…unless…
Karin watched him think and ponder, and she knew he would soon figure out she was keeping part of the information from him.
"Well if that was all I'm just gonna keep practicing." Karin couldn't decide if she wanted to trust Toshiro with that information or not, so she would keep herself busy until Toshiro left.
But it only made clearer for Toshiro that something was up and that Karin was indeed hiding something. Whenever they talked about the connection and possible causes Karin always looked enthusiastic, but today she hesitated and sounded elusive.
The girl stepped away from him and began practice some hand to hand combat on a wooden dummy. Toshiro watched silently only for a moment before he stood up and when she was in the mid of swinging a back hand strike at the dummy, he held her fist, while standing behind her.
"You are a terrible liar, Karin."
She felt his breath near her ear as he leaned over her shoulder and her heart thumped rapidly. She froze on the spot.
"I'm not lying."
"But you are not telling me everything that happened, are you?"
He lowered his head, turning his face slightly towards hers, and spoke in a low tone, she could feel his body standing so close to her, his hand was ice cold, and it only made her own body feel warmer in comparison.
She jerked away from him, turning abruptly. Karin's face was flushed red and she looked nervous. Toshiro thought it was because she was caught lying. She tried to laugh it off nervously.
"W-what are you saying? I have no reason to lie to you. But I don't think I have to give you a full detailed report on how I'm fighting or what I did out there." She challenged him, slowly regaining her confidence now she put some space between them.
Toshiro didn't reply. What she said was true. The words of Kuukaku echoed in the back of his head. He had no right to demand anything here.
If she couldn't trust him completely yet, then it was his own fault, he told himself.
"You really did grow…" That was all he could say. At least he should acknowledge her own capabilities now, perhaps he was nagging too much.
"You're talking like a teacher." She snorted sarcastically and Toshiro smirked shaking his head slightly.
"Well..I could still teach out a move or two." He sassed her back.
"HA! Then come on, teach me a lesson!" She tilted her hips to one side before falling into fighting stance. No swords, she planned on taking him head-on, confident her physical combat skills would be superior.
Toshiro let out a half chuckle. "If that's what you want." He unclipped Hyorinmaru from his chest belt, placing it on the wooden deck behind them, and stood out his hand, gesturing for her to come at him.
And for the next 3 hours, they fought on and on and would always knock her down, but Karin would always get back up. Even the captain was starting to feel worn out.
"You really have no brakes do you?" He asked her looking down at her form on the ground, again.
"What? I thought you were going to teach me something." She panted heavily but still had a smug grin beneath the messy raven locks as she looked up at him.
"Could it be all you had to teach was quitting?" She taunted him successfully.
The sun set and the moon rose, and still, they fought. But Karin seemed to be lasting longer each time she was thrown down and got back up. Toshiro could feel it, it was like she was absorbing his movements into her own, moving around him, like water accommodating to a container. Their movements, punches, dodges, kicks; every shift and evasion, it all became synchronized. They were fighting but somehow that felt like a dance. Toshiro could not help but be amazed at Karin's growth and adaptability.
"You are skillful." He focused again on their sparring. Toshiro shifted his weight as Karin attempted a roundhouse kick, she missed him and her used her own momentum to throw her off balance, slamming her against a tree, holding her wrists above her head.
"But you can't win with that alone. Besides…if you keep going you are going to pass out."
Karin groaned as he pinned her back. "Same goes for you!"
"No. I am a soul, you are a living human."
Karin looked back at him.
"Ah..right…" He was technically dead, wasn't he? Still, for a soul, it was weird she could feel him as if he was a regular human too. She wasn't using a gigai, this wasn't just her soul, it was her real body, and Toshiro wasn't…yet it felt just the same.
Toshiro let out a soft chuckle.
"What are you laughing for?" Karin asked a little annoyed.
"Not much…Is just hard to tell what you're thinking when you look at me like this."
"Like what?" She looked up at him, and Toshiro noticed how close their faces were. He hesitated in front of her eyes, how come whenever they were alone, they ended up so close?
"Cut-" He couldn't finish his sentence as Karin took his distraction as an opening and swiped his left leg, and this time, at last, Toshiro Hitsugaya was the one to hit the ground.
"What the…." He was dumbfounded as he lay flat on his back,
"HAH! How about THAT for the experience!" Karin boasted one last time, pinning him to the ground. "Not so funny when you are the one immobilized huh? can't beat me with skill alone!"
Karin was so self-absorbed in her victory laugh, she didn't realize the position they were in, or better yet, her position sitting on Toshiro's waist.
"Ah…" He was too tired to protest now, so he would let her have it. Inadvertently his hands rested on her thighs, and he just looked up at her as she grinned proudly at her feat. She smiled like the tomboy he met in Karakura all those years ago, but she sure didn't look like one anymore, although she remained oblivious to her own maturity.
She looked happy, and it made the young captain feel a pull toward her, like a magnet. Karin had been like a gleeful spirit, that switched between aggravating him and comforting him. Her raven dark hair and blue eyes and bright smile made her fit in perfectly with the night sky above her.
"Do all stars feel warm?" He asked himself while his hands slipped up to her waist.
And that was when Karin noticed him, she looked down with parted lips, and her eyes slowly widened, while her cheeks reddened.
She slumped down next to him, as the quickest way to remove herself from that strange sensation.
"Aaaah …" She exhaled and tried to catch her breath. "You're right though…"
"About you being sore tomorrow?" He asked.
"No. I …didn't tell you everything. Something else happened in Hueco Mundo…I ate something that made me feel stronger and…I…" She was nervous. "I restored a destroyed Arrancar's mask, I don't know how..it all happened very fast..but I touched it with my right hand..and you said you felt something in the same hand right?"
Toshiro looked at her wide-eyed, restored an arrancar mask? How was that even possible? He needed to report this!
He stopped his own thoughts.
"And why did you decide to tell me…" She knew he would report it…report her. He would do according to his duty and responsibility as captain…right? She shouldn't be telling him this!
"Why did you decide to tell me?"
"Because I want to trust you."
This was a blow he did not expect. She knew exactly what it meant to tell a captain what she was able to do to an arrancar. She knew it all! Still…she chose to say it anyway. If he reported this now, he would be betraying her, and this felt a lot worse than he imagined.
" You are always doing this."
Karin furrowed her eyebrows.
"What?"
"Always giving me something I did not ask for. Your friendship…your trust. You just constantly shove these things at me and you dont even expect anything in return."
Karin looked back up and smiled despite Toshiro's soft-spoken frustration.
"I guess you'll just have to deal with it."
"I'm glad I picked up that soccer ball in the middle of the road. Thank you for trusting me."
Karin smiled peacefully now. This was the right choice after all.
"You guys have much clearer skies here…It's really beautiful.." Karin said content, Toshiro glanced at her. "Back home we can't see that many stars at night."
"Yes…"
He looked back up but the sky felt less bright than it did a moment ago, but he smiled.
Karin glanced at Toshiro, he wasn't looking at her, and his smile was so gentle, she felt a tug in her chest, her cheeks warmed up again.
Karin wished this moment would not end, and that she could always see him smiling like this.
A shooting star crossed the skies…
But these were just wishes.
AN: ooh my gosh I'm SO sorry for being so late! But I MADE IT before the month's end!
Thank you so much for your patience.
Also if you notice, the cover of this fic changed to a PESCHE'S REAL FACE ( a little fanart of this month's chapter by yours truly) I will keep it as the cover until the next update, and then I will place a link to the full image on my profile. I have been looking for a way to add images but FF is quite finicky about that. BUT STAY TUNED I WILL LET YOU GUYS KNOW WHEN I post links to my lil' sketches.
Please don't forget to leave a review! I will see you guys soon!