They were moving too slow. Way to damn slow. Why did clocks always go so slow on the last day of school?
Karin heaved a sigh, twisting her pen around as she waited for that final bell. She'd already finished her final, so these last few minutes were torture. All she wanted to do was get home, leave her body, and head straight to the Soul Society. Being the end of the year she'd had to stay in the World of the Living to study for some time, leaving her dragon in the realm of souls as well as most of her friends. She was anxious to return.
At least the demons left her alone here.
Steel gray eyes caught onto someone looking at her, one of the boys. He had a stupid grin on his face and was looking her over. She went a bit pink and scowled at him, not liking the attention. Upon hitting nineteen she had grown rather well into her matured body, which included a set of…assets. She was also very lean, thanks to constant training, and it wasn't all that uncommon for guys to be staring at her.
'Wait until they found out I'm taken,' she scoffed mentally, refusing to look that boy's way.
'And by a king, no less,' her inner wyvern snickered. 'These idiots don't stand a chance.'
'Even if I wasn't, I'd rather fry them then date them. They're creepers!'
She glanced back at the clock and resisted the urge to groan loudly. Was it frozen? It seemed frozen. She was sure someone had broken it just to piss her off. Her pen tapped repeatedly on her thigh as she waited anxiously for the bell.
After what seemed like forever, that heavenly sound, though it was actually a really annoying screech, went off and she wasted no time grabbing her things and bolting out the door. Man was college a drag! Now she could get back to the Soul Society and see everybody. But first, to find Yuzu. She had promised to take her younger twin home so they could pack before they headed off, Yuzu just as eager to see her brother as Karin was.
She caught a flash of white and grinned, heading over. Yuzu still took Shimmer with her everywhere, even if the healing dragon was too big to sit on her shoulder anymore. That made her smile fade a bit; if Shimmer couldn't sit on Yuzu's shoulder, why did that splash of white seem to be about that height? She pushed through the crowd, finally realizing that the white she had spotted was NOT the crystal dragonling.
He was dressed casually, suggesting a Gigai, his hands in his pockets, looking bored with being there. Teal eyes were turned upwards but it was obvious he was waiting. Her heart began to race and her smile grew wide.
"Whoa, who's that hottie?" Someone whispered behind her and she stiffened, smile fading.
"Don't know, never seen him. He's damn gorgeous though," Another girl giggled.
"Back off," Karin snapped and they jumped in surprise at her tone. "He's taken."
"Oh?" One of them put on a brave face. "Says who?"
Karin just smirked at them and walked towards the white-haired figure with purpose. She let her Spiritual Pressure flare for a brief moment and that entrancing gaze snapped in her direction, a smile gracing his features as she approached him.
"What brings you here?" She asked mischievously. "Haven't been here since my birthday."
"And here I half expected you to tackle me," He chuckled.
"I thought about it."
He hummed in response before his gaze flickered to the two girls watching them with gaping expressions.
"Do you know them?" He questioned her.
"No, but they really want to know you and I'm not about to let them," She linked his arm through his and started walking off, scanning the crowd for her honey-blonde twin.
"And you once said I was possessive," Though she wasn't looking at him, the sarcasm was clear in his tone and she could practically see his smirk.
She rolled her eyes and kept walking.
"Hey, help me find Yuzu; we were going to head back to our dorm to pack for the Soul Society."
"Such a Kurosaki, still can't sense Spiritual Pressures."
"Shut up, there are too many people." She poked him sharply in the side and was rewarded with a grunt, though it was more of surprise than pain. It would take more than that to hurt him.
"Hmph, she's a few yards to your right and behind us. Shimmer's hovering above the crowd trying to spot you." They stopped walking as Karin turned that way, spotting the crystal dragon. Leaf green eyes spotted them and the sparkling white dragonling let out a happy chirp that they could hear from there, diving back down to supposedly her partner. "Now they're heading this way."
"I know the last part, dummy." This time she elbowed him. Well, tried to, he moved swiftly out of the line of fire while still remaining linked with her arm. She huffed at him but couldn't stay mad for long; it wasn't often he played around, his grin as contagious as it was rare. Then again, it wasn't as rare around her.
They waited patiently side by side while Yuzu rushed over, looking a little flustered, and straightening out her yellow sundress.
"Hey Karin," She smiled despite her panting. "Hey Toshiro! It's good to see you again!"
"And you as well." He paused as Shimmer flew over and curled her tail around his arm affectionately, rubbing her head against him. "And you too, Shimmer."
She gave a happy chirp that made the girls giggle before returning to her partner's side.
"Are you coming with us?" Yuzu looked up at the young king with wide brown eyes that absolutely no one could resist, just like no one could resist Sylfie's laughter.
"I'd planned on it," Toshiro replied with a small nod.
"Yay! The dorm isn't too far at least!"
She walked ahead of the pair with Shimmer gliding through the air above and beside them, the dragon adding in small bits of conversation as Yuzu chatted on about how school was, how she thought she did on the test, and life in general. Karin let her talk while occasionally replying to a question or putting in her own input on something. Toshiro remained quiet, arm still linked with Karin's and not about to remove it any time soon.
When they reached the dorm Karin gave a gentle tug on his arm, signaling she wanted him to stay outside for a moment. Yuzu walked on in, with Shimmer only glancing back briefly, and it was only then Karin turned to him.
"How long are you staying?" She'd meant it to sound innocent, but more of her uncertainty and longing had crept in than she'd wanted. As always, he noticed it instantly and frowned.
"A week. It was all I could get," He told her apologetically.
To his surprise, she smiled.
"That's better than just a day or two." She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "I'm glad you're here."
His smile was genuine and he returned her kiss, his on her forehead. They did this often when he came to visit, teasing the other to see who would snap first and go for the real thing. More often than not Karin lost as her impatience had her practically pouncing him. She refused to this time, though, and walked inside with an alluring glance and swing of her hips that she knew drove him crazy.
It didn't take long to pack, the girls already having done most of it as the end of school approached, eager to leave the World of the Living and rejoin their male half of the family. Now they just had to make a stop at Urahara's so Yuzu could pass through the special gate and Karin could drop off her body. From what he'd been told, though, Toshiro knew Yuzu was close to being able to separate from her body as a Soul Reaper like her sister, her constant interaction with the Soul Society and her own hidden power as a former member of the Royal Families boosting her Spirit Energy.
Kisuke greeted them with his usual enthusiasm, looking the same as ever, and gladly went down to set up the altered Senkaimon for them.
"Where did you get your Gigai, King?" Kisuke asked the white-haired man as they all followed him down, eyes alight with curiosity.
"It's just a shell of Spirit Energy." Toshiro replied, lifting his right hand out of his pocket. Now Karin understood why he'd never removed it, his birthmark still glowing brightly even on the faux body, something definitely noticeable to humans. It flashed a bit brighter and his outline blurred, shifting into his true self, a man dressed in a white Shihakusho and a dark blue haori with silver designs along the edges, a silver dragon curling around on the back. Senjumaru really loved to play up his power.
"Oh?" Kisuke was intrigued now.
"It takes quite a bit of Spirit Energy to maintain it, don't even think about trying to copy it." Toshiro snapped at him. The shop keeper huffed as if hurt by the suggestion but was clearly miffed about being told not to do it. The young man was scarily observant sometimes.
"Well, I suppose you best be on your way." He waved at them with his fan. "I'll be heading there eventually!"
"Okay!" Yuzu waved to him with a smile, never noticing his more sinister side that normally creeped everyone out.
Karin joined them after placing her body safely away, glad to finally be doing what she preferred. By her father's insistence she was still going through school and trying to live a mortal life, but more and more she found it all mundane and useless. She was following in her brother's footsteps, it seemed, and was far more eager to be in the Soul Society. Sometimes she'd help the squads with simple jobs and menial tasks just to get away from homework. And it wasn't just that human life was boring to her now, it's that everything about her life revolved around what happened in the realm of the spirits, including her love life.
The gates gave off a glow to signal they were ready and the group darted through. Thankfully Kisuke had upgraded the gate so it could stay open longer, since Yuzu wasn't the fastest runner, as well as avoiding the cleaner that ran through every so often that was capable of destroying them. Then again, they did have the Soul King with him. All he had to do was aim and fire, able to speak Kido spells in his head, never uttering a word aloud. It still amazed many Soul Reapers when they saw it happen themselves.
Light blinded them for a moment, forcing them to pause and adjust to the suddenness of it. Since Kisuke was no longer an exile, his makeshift Senkaimon had been hooked up directly to the main one, and it was there they found themselves. A small group of people and dragons awaited them there. Before anyone could move or speak, a scarlet blur shot forward and rubbed her head against her partner, purring happily.
"Easy, Dyrilæn!" Karin laughed at her dragon's enthusiasm. "You'll knock me over!"
"Your dragon's like a puppy," Ichigo laughed, walking up to them and ruffling his sister's hair.
"At least she's glad to see me," Karin retorted, pushing away her brother's hand. "Your dragon always looks like he's upset with you."
Ichigo glanced over to one of the dragons gathered, a large dragon of dark black, though his scales had a light blue fading to the edges, and eyes of gold. His forelegs were wings, making him look similar to a wyvern, his belly scales dark gold, spines down his back an even darker black than his scales, same for the crest over his nose, horns silver and curled down like a ram's. Aberon, the Dark-Lunar type dragon, and Ichigo's partner. True to Karin's words, he did seem mildly upset.
"Perhaps it's just a feature, like your brother's scowl," Toshiro remarked sarcastically.
"Says the Ice King," Ichigo growled back, making a jab at Toshiro's constant appearance of uncaring. Even now he seemed disinterested with staying among their group, Momo, Rukia and Renji stepping over to join them along with the Ice-Lunar dragon Tælaf.
"Oh, you're new," Yuzu said to the small Ice dragon with a smile, Shimmer hovering just behind her and also looking at the dragoness curiously.
"Tælaf," She replied with a short bow of her head. "I came here to find a partner, and I did."
"Who?" Karin questioned, her own partner still rubbing her head against her.
Smiling, Tælaf took a stance behind the petite Lieutenant of Squad Thirteen, Rukia beaming as if she'd just won a prize.
"Oh, how cool!" Yuzu grinned, rushing over and hugging the black haired girl. "I see more and more dragons each day, I wonder who else will get one."
"Tch, there's another dragon back at Squad Ten." Renji grumbled, upset about not getting a partner. Momo sighed at him. "Apparently she's Rangiku's partner, though."
"You had to have seen that coming, considering the kind of dragon Ahvain is." Toshiro said to the red-head.
"What is she?" Karin asked him.
"A Wind-Gravity, but it's more of her personality that made it obvious."
"She's annoying," Aberon growled.
"Perfect match then," Karin snickered, managing to get a laugh out of the Dark dragon.
"Well enough standing around, let's get to work," Rukia spoke above them, tone serious. "Karin, you're still trying to get Bankai, so we've got a lot of work to do."
"Oi, first day of summer break," Karin frowned. "Don't I get at least one vacation day?"
The Lieutenant chewed on that thought for a moment, looking back on her knowledge of human world traditions. The first day of summer was always a big thing to students, so she supposed one day of relaxing wouldn't be too bad. Plus, with Toshiro there, she'd probably be too distracted, as she usually was on his rare visits, which is why it had been surprising to see him back so soon. Best to wait until the king had returned home so Karin could focus better.
"Alright, but just for a little bit," Rukia shrugged, turning to Tælaf. "I haven't had a chance to get to know my partner anyway."
The Ice dragon purred at that.
The group started heading off into the Seireitei, talking amongst themselves. Tælaf had most of Rukia's attention during their trek, which upset Ichigo slightly, but that was remedied as Toshiro caught the orange-haired man's attention, Karin and Yuzu close by to hear him.
"Where's your father?" The young king questioned.
"Probably off drinking with Rangiku," Ichigo grumbled. "Why?"
"There's something I need to discuss with all of you Kurosakis. I'd prefer not to repeat myself and his thoughts are what I seek most on the issue."
"Issue?" Karin wrinkled up her nose, wondering if her family had maybe done something wrong. Other than maybe another drunkard in the city and Ichigo's fights with Kenpachi, they hadn't done anything drastic or damaging enough to warrant the Soul King's attention.
"Don't worry too much, no one's in trouble," Toshiro smirked slightly and she rolled her eyes, though she secretly wondered if he was psychic now, as that's exactly what she'd been worrying about.
Turns out, Isshin wasn't out with Rangiku getting drunk. He was sulking about NOT doing that, as Ahvain was taking up most of Rangiku's time that day, leaving him to drink alone. Thankfully he was still sober enough to have a decent conversation with, though Toshiro knew it took a lot to get the man drunk anyway and most of it was acting. Either way, he didn't need Isshin's drama at the moment, as this was a serious matter.
"I'll see ya later," Ichigo promised to Renji and Rukia as they walked off, Tælaf close behind and listening intently as the two Lieutenants told her about life in the Seireitei. Momo waved to them all with a grin in Toshiro's direction before heading off to her Squad barracks. Dyrilæn, Aberon and Shimmer were allowed to stay, being partners to the Kurosaki children.
"So, Toshiro," Ichigo crossed his arms and turned to the young king, his sisters beside him and Isshin wiping off that goofy grin to don a more serious expression, listening intently. "What did you want all of us for?"
"Before I tell you I need you to promise me not to speak of this to anyone unless I give you permission," Toshiro responded, his stance casual but tense, gaze looking between each of them with a slight intensity that made them nervous.
"That serious, huh?" Isshin frowned and the white haired young man nodded. "You have my word, Hitsugaya. I won't breathe a word of it."
Toshiro knew he was telling the truth, as the man kept his eyes locked with his own teal gaze, signaling he couldn't be any more serious. Now for his children.
"You know I won't tell anyone if it's that important," Karin promised. "And neither will Dyrilæn."
"Not that we can disobey the Dragon King," Aberon bowed his head down. "We drakes will remain silent."
"Agreed," Dyrilæn nodded. Shimmer just gave a short bark of sorts and wagged her tail.
Toshiro knew he could trust the dragons to remain silent. They respected privacy, being lone creatures themselves for the most part, not to mention they had to obey the one crowned their leader. The others were different…there was nothing to tie them to keep such a promise except their own respect and loyalty towards him, and Karin her affection. He hoped it was enough.
"I won't tell anyone, promise," Yuzu said with sincerity, and no one could deny that she was telling the truth.
Ichigo kept a scowl on his face; suspicious of what it was he was promising not to tell. But, there wasn't much he could pin against Toshiro to refuse it, and heaved a sigh.
"No one's getting anything out of me," he vowed.
Toshiro visibly relaxed his stance, a grateful look in his eyes. They waited with baited breaths for whatever secret it was the king was entrusting them with.
"I wish to restore your family's status as a Royal Family among my realm," he said clearly and they all let their jaws drop. But it wasn't over yet, as Toshiro looked right at Ichigo. "And you, Ichigo Kurosaki…I personally request that you become a member of Squad Zero, a Royal Guard."
Nothing was said. Silence stretched between the group as they all looked at Toshiro as if he'd grown a second head.
"WHAT!?"
Bet most of you saw that coming with Ichigo ^^ And congrats to any who knew Taelaf was Rukia's dragon, haha. Enjoy! Beta'd by Writer of Craziness.