Oh my, that was a very long time ago... I honestly don't have a good excuse other than the fact that it slipped my mind. Which I'm really sorry for. I was supposed to post this before the exam period last year, as you can tell that never happened. I think the ending of the original manga made me kind of disappointed and well, that's why I just stopped writing this story. Again, I am so sorry about that.
Thank you so much to everyone that has been following this story and left a review.
Disclaim: the original manga belongs to Tito Kubo.
Very quick recap from the 'past' in chapter 20:
Toshiro and Karin ends up back where they were a few years priory: in the base of operation of mister Yin Yang. There they are separated where one is with the male and the other with the female. Karin meet an other soul who's been there the longest. She told Karin that the man behind everything has a project to create a perfect opposite. Therefor everyone are paired up, a male on one side with a female from the other. Through out the experiments, people and souls dies. Karin and Toshiro soon figure out that there is some kind of connection between their zanpakuto. They managed to mentally communicate through a sort of bond. As a last resort, since Karin watched her new friend die, she managed to use both their zanpakuto destroying the base.
Chapter 21: shattering the walls
Knowing fully well Renji wanted her to talk to Ryuu at the first possibility she had and that he would most definitely bug her until she did indeed speak, they made a deal. She would tell Ryuu everything, but not before the end of the two months. After all, if Ryuu ended up hating her after that, she'd rather have him somewhere else than at home.
She new she had to tell him eventually, but how on earth was she supposed to say it? Just say it like no big deal? Or making him guess on his own? Not to say that with Yuzu sad and devastated, Karin had no one to tell her worries.
She would have considered Renji. Actually she did and his only answer was that this was her fault entirely so she could fix it on her own. What made him so sour about the subject was beyond her. He acted foolishly. In the end she managed to push away the guilt until the very last night.
The time they spend together was most him talking about his adventures or his misadventures for that matter. Sometimes they sat down and meditated; others, he fought with his uncle. But most of the time they pretended he wasn't in the world of the living on a vacation to see if his energy would stabilize. Soul society was so far away.
Nevertheless, she could clearly see that the other place had changed him. Not only were his reflexes much better, but his ability to look at a problem differently gave him a maturity he didn't have before. She doubted he could see it for himself though.
How many time had she seen him smile so happily when he was a child. And then, slowly, the smile turned into a frown. He closed himself up. She could always blame it on his dad, but believing that would be tainting her good career as a doctor. Soul society must have opened him up somehow or closed him up even more. She couldn't tell, which saddened her. But he looked happy talking about the other place.
The last evening on the 15 of August, she found him sitting on the roof. There wasn't anything special with that portrait, after all Karin had always shared her love for stars with her family, it just felt so 'ancient'. Especially when he was sitting there with his pyjamas and the stuffed animal he used to sleep with. Ryuu would always stay her Ryuu no matter the outcome. He could hate her but she would always love him. Strange how you never get that love before you become a parent yourself.
"Hey sleepy guy," she said as she sat down beside him, "ready to go back to your home?"
"I am home," he mumbled into the fur of the stuffed animal. A dragon mind you.
"What have I done now," she huffed playfully. "And here I thought I was the perfect mom. Come here." She tucked him in a light hug.
"Mom," he winced as he pushed her away.
"Finally some reaction," she teased. "But seriously, do you like the people in Soul society?"
"Yeah," he trailed off, "they're okay."
"So that's it? You are leaving and all you have to tell me is that you're going somewhere you don't really like," she asked playfully annoyed. He seemed to pick up on her slightly sever tone but relaxed when he saw the smile.
"Can you stop me from going back," he asked thoughtfully.
"No, I can't stop you from going, but I can stop them from stealing you." They sat in a comfortable silence before he dared speak again.
"I like it there. To a certain degree anyway." He must feel like she didn't get him since he continued. "I mean they understand me somehow. After all they also have problems sometimes. Somehow I see myself making a home there." He looked sideways back at her before adding, "you don't mind do you?"
The smile she gave him made his shoulder relax. "It's your life Ryuu. I don't want to be the person that is standing in your way."
"Why did you never leave for Soul society," he asked out of curiosity. "Uncle Renji said you have as much potential as captain Kurosaki. So why did you never leave?"
"I didn't want to," she decided on answering.
"But mom, wouldn't the fact of you going to soul society mean that you could be with dad and that it wouldn't be illegal for me to exist?" Such innocence, and thinking about it, so true.
"I couldn't leave this world yet Ryuu. Even if my father is a soul reaper my mother was still human, making me a human. Well sort of anyway. And then there is your aunt. I couldn't leave my other half in this world." She remembered the pain she felt when their brother left them behind.
"Ryuu, you need to understand that every decision you make in this world will have consequences. Your uncle didn't have any choice but to stay in soul society since his reiatsu was to high for the world of the living. I mean, he was that powerful that he even gave away his ability to his closest friends without even knowing it. Soul Society couldn't have such a destructive force in the world of the living. Not to tell that after the last big war, he was even more powerful than when he started. To conclude: he needed to stay in Soul Society. That didn't stop us from going to visit him."
"But aren't human strictly forbidden from the soul society?"
"Well we were an exception." She smiled at him understanding he wasn't getting what she was getting at. "Ichi-nii had no choice really but to stay where he was. So in return from stealing him away, we were granted passage to the other world instead. I only visited him once though."
"So that's where you meet dad," asked the boy with glee.
"No, we met in the world of the living." She could feel his brain working. "My point with my previous story, if you'll let me finish, is that your uncle was not permitted to leave that place in 50 years."
"That's a long time. Is he a prisoner or something?"
"It is just that he need his energy to become 'normal'," she said marking the last word. "His energy is off since he lived in the world of the living. Him staying makes his energy more fluent and more usual. Easier to manipulate or something."
"But you can go and visit him with your free passage, right? Can you come and visit me too then?" she really should stop getting his hopes up. She just shook her head.
"The time we visited I managed to awaken my Zanpakuto, something that wasn't supposed to happen. Seeing this, the head captain excused himself and said that Yuzu or I shouldn't go back to soul society unless we want to end up like Ichi-nii."
"So why didn't you just leave. You have no friends here anyway."
"Hey," she said undignified, "I have friends, you little. And like I said before: I am still human. For me to go to soul society, I would have to die."
"But uncle is on the other side of the world."
"Don't worry, you'll get eventually that everything is different for him." She smiled at his confusion, if he only knew how many rules Ichi-nii had broken in the few years he didn't live there. "I stayed because I wouldn't see my sister go thought that same again. When Ichi-nii 'died', she locked herself up. Never did she want to think about the other realm or the fact that he was alive in another world. I mean, she even dumped her boyfriend because he could see spirits. I wouldn't want to lose my sister. You get that right?"
"I just don't see how that was the best decision," he said once again holding his animal tight. Such a child he could be sometimes.
"We made a deal too." He looked up at her surprised. "Until my sister or I dies, we would not be dragged back to soul society. No matter what happened, we were considered full humans in their eyes until we were dead and buried. They would leave us alone and we wouldn't be holding any grudge against them for taking our brother. I suppose that is why they sent someone to teach me to control my energy in this realm instead."
"Really? you never talks about when you were young. So what did you do for them to come to you?" The spark of interressed was back in his eyes.
"Oh I just managed to burn my life chain off." She smiled at his surprised face.
"Is that even possible?"
"Well, remember I told you about our visit to soul Society. It seems like ever since that time my beloved zanpaktou had been burning away bit by bit the chain. Don't really remember how it happened since I kind of blacked out. But anyway they sent a soul reaper to check if I was dead or not. I wasn't, as you can see." She grinned at him. "And yes apparently it is."
"So that's where you met dad?"
"Yes, that's where I met him again."
"Again?"
"We met once when I was 11. Not that I remembered then, but we did."
"And so," asked the child eagerly. "What happened then?"
"Well, that was one of the longest summers of my life. He could be such a stiff person sometimes. Not to mention that my training is technically not even finished as I lack a lot to learn on the kido front. Never became a fan of that." This earned a small laugh out of the boy who said somehow proudly:
"I managed to blow up a binding spell."
"Oh I know," she said laughing with him. "Renji has a tendency of telling me the biggest problems you end up in." He just looked away.
"So was dad a good teacher?" She had an inkling he wanted to know the most while she was actually talking about it.
"Stick in the mud," she answered flatly. "In the beginning anyway. Then he started to learn how I worked best and let me do my own schedule. Well I still had to stand up at 8 o'clock in the morning every day for practice. But in all honesty those summers with intense training to get up early paid of when I started my studies." He looked lost at the sky, surly trying to picture what his dad must have looked like.
"So he's a good guy?"
"Yeah I suppose."
They sat in silence looking up at the cloud free sky above them, the stars still so hard to see due to all the lights from the city. She understood she had to tell him sooner or later. She never had to really thing about how to start the conversation as Ryuu bettered her.
"So what is it you really wanted to tell me," he asked.
"Something I should have told you a long time ago," she whispered. Ryuu on the other hand seemed overly excited by this prospect.
"So who's dad?" She made a strange noise of annoyance at the back of her throat at his excitement. "Not exactly," the smile was gone in a second, if not faster. "It's more important than that." That peaked his interested at least. "I've told you before that your dad left before you were born, that in a matter of fact he don't even know you exist."
"So he is still alive," he cut her of. She sight, this was going to take forever.
"Well I most certainly hope so. Anyway, as I was saying, he don't know because he left to early. Something happened that year that broke at least a handful of rules soul society live by. Not to say it had its toll on his mind and body." She paused to make sure he followed. Another thing struck her that she hadn't been thinking about before.
"Ryuu, don't you have two zanpakutos?"
"Huh?" Asked the boy taken by surprise. "Well yes." He said looking back at his stuffed animal.
"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of zanpaktou is it? Do you know it's name? Has something happened that I should know of but that you haven't told me?" She was worried but he must have taken it as an insult as he commented angry back.
"What has that to do with any of this? I thought you were going to tell me something, not the other way around."
"Wow, kid, slow down. That's not what I meant," she said raising her hands in front of her face. "I'm just worried about you. As your mother I'm allowed to be." He didn't answer her. She supposed she had to find another way to tell. Reel smooth Karin.
"Your father's zanpakuto is Hyorinmaru, but I suppose you already knew that." This caught his attention as he turned his head so fast she was afraid he'd hurt himself.
"Hyorinmaru is a zanpakuto," he asked dumbfounded with round eyes.
"Well, yeah. What else did you think he was?" She asked curious while raising an eyebrow.
"I don't know. Some kind of spirit," he trailed of. She just smiled for herself. "In my defense you never told me he was a zanpakuto before." How in the world had he known that the captain had an ice zanpakuto, trained with him for so long and still not know that the name of said weapon was Hyorinmaru?
"Well," she said with the smug look," you never told me you knew him." He just hold the animal closer to his chest. "I even had to bribe your uncle to tell me. That's also why I'm concerned that you are not telling me the entire truth."
"So dad's zanpakuto is Hyorinmaru," he said as if he wanted to skip the subject. So there were something he wanted to hide from her. "Wait, then dad must have been the one to warn captain Hitsugaya about my where about that time I was used as a lab rat."
She didn't know why she flinched. She didn't know if it was the mention of his name, the fact that it would be a perfect opportunity to tell him "hey guess what: that's because he is your dad", or the fact that Ryuu calling him that, just felt wrong.
"I sure must ask the captain if he knows my dad when I get back," the kid continued. She could see him light up when he mentioned his name.
"You sure like that captain, don't you," she said innocently looking at him. Strange how they had found each other without even knowing who the other was. Maybe Rangiku was right, it would be fine.
He smiled happily back at her. "Oh you have no idea. He really understand my situation. Well not entirely but. Oh and did you know he used to be a child prodigy. Actually he still is, but he's not that small anymore. He's more like a super cool brother with the mind of an old grandpa. Did you know he told me about this awesome thing he did once. Eh, I don't really remember what it was, but it sounded really funny." He slowly looked at her and added.
"Yeah, his cool I guess." And then he just looked down again, the energy gone. "But don't think about it. Anyway, what has dad's zanpakuto anything to do with the whole story thing you wanted to tell me?"
She breath in before continuing. "Hyorinmaru is one of the strongest ice based zanpakuto's in the entire Sereitei. My zanpakuto, on the other hand, is a fire based zanpakuto, well kind of anyway. Doesn't that ring any bell for you?" She looked at him, but he just seemed lost.
"You have two zanpakutos Ryuu, which by now you should have figured out, is not normal. Following so far?" He nodded.
"Good. If I am correct you have one that is capable to freeze and one that can heat things up. In other, words a combination of ice and fire. That's also why I'm worried about you when your uncle tells me you have somehow lost the other one."
"I haven't lost it," he defended, "I just don't know how to awaken my zanpakuto, that's why I only have one."
"Ryuu," she said calmly, "the zanpakuto you are training around with is the realised form of one half of your zanpakuto." He looked at her surprised then angrily.
"Just finish the story so I actually understand where this is going."
"As you wish. Three years before you were born, well technically nearly four years before, I was killing a hollow when something struck me and dragged me to a strange cave. The man responsible, I will just keep on calling him Yin yang, was some sort of mad scientist. He captured innocent souls, and humans, and used them as his person lab rats. All different type of nasty things were performed on these people."
"Is this a horror story," asked the kid suddenly. "You are really bad at inventing stories thought."
"Are you serious Ryuu?" She breathed inn before continuing. "No, no, this is what happened and it might help you understand your ability."
"Okay," he said calmly.
"Anyway, Yin yang is a mad scientist who was obsessed with perfect opposites as he liked to call them. He bound two souls together and tested if they could support each other or if they ended up nullifying each other."
"So you and dad were like these test people," he asked. She nodded trying her best to hide the hurt in her eyes as she recalled the nightmare.
"He tried his best to create a couple that could give him what he wanted. The fact that our zanpakutos were that different, was the perfect opportunity for him to create a balancing force in between. And it is my belief that what he wanted was you."
"Me? Why me," he panicked.
"Because you are the perfect balance having the ability to control both the cold and the heat. I don't know a single other person that can do that. Truth, your uncle once mastered both the soul reaper energy and the Quincy energy, but that is something totally different. But it also comes with a great cost. I'm sure by now you understood that there is a part of you that is off? That is because you are focusing only one half of your energy."
"But why? Why would he want to create something like that?" The panick was clear as day in the boys eyes and his thoughts seemed to be going at miles per hours.
"I don't know."
"And why you? why dad? Why me?"
"I don't know, kid. I just noticed something was of with you when you came out of that pit with two blades. Your hair even had white strips a periode. Still has by the way." She smiled playing with the white lock hidden in between the messy black hair.
"Why have you never told me this," he said trying the best to hold back the tears. "Don't you think you should have told me that I am an experiment. Because I am, am I not? An experiment. A failed one too."
"Come here," she said putting him on her lap. "I didn't tell you because deep down I wanted to believe you were not conceived in that hell hole. But I've come to the conclusion there is no other way. I'm truly sorry Ryuu."
"What about dad? Why did that have anything to do with his punishment? I mean, it was against his own will wasn't it," asked the kid wiping away the tears.
"Soul society have very strict orders when it comes to humans and especially relations between humans and soul reapers. Just a single wrong move in the world of the living could have caused your death back in the days. Then the rules were bend to a certain degree because of your uncle Ichigo. But that didn't change the fact that was we were doing was wrong."
... Past ...
They search the entire lab to see if they could find someone else down there. They found the tunnel, the corps of all the people and the place where they kept all the instruments.
But they couldn't do anything more as the entire construction was burning and falling apart. They barely made it out alive. Karin having to drag the poor captain out of the tunnels since she apparently was less affected by the smoke. Their tired limbs feel to the ground after escaping. They didn't know where Yin yang was, which pissed Karin. He probably was long gone anyway, so resting a bit couldn't hurt much.
"Karin," whispered the white haired over to his companion. "Karin, can you hear me? Karin," he pushed himself to say louder, "absolutely don't fall asleep on me. We need to get out of here."
She didn't respond him, but she could hear his voice in the distance. She tried her best to get up but no matter what, she just fell right down.
"Soul society," he murmured. She turned her head and opened her eyes just barely. "It's the only place we can get out energy back."
She could see him dragging his body up. Apparently he managed. He must be using his ultimate last forces as he pointed his zanpaktou to the air and opened a senkogai. Helping her up he dragged her through the portal.
It was dark and raining in soul society. At least a minimum of people would see them as they dragged their bodies through the streets. The closest was the first squad since they appeared on the ground and since he didn't know how long he had been gone, talking to the head captain was the smartest thing to do.
She was nearly blinded by the light when they entered the hall. The captain must have known they would be coming or he wouldn't be standing right in front of them with a serious look on his face.
Trying not to drop the girl beside him, the white haired fell on his knees when he knew she couldn't fall further down.
"Head captain," he said his voice nothing but a hoarse whisper.
"Don't," said the eldest. "I don't want to know. I hope you realise what you have done could be punishable by death. For the meantime, I am stripping you away from your position as captain as Lieutenant Matsumoto has been the acting captain for the last year you have been gone."
"Sir," he added, "if I could just explain." He cut him off again.
"I really don't like to seem like the bad guy young man, but my hands are tied here. You will have plenty of time to explain yourself at the next captain meeting."
"Yes sir," he answered, even if venom was hear in his voice.
"Kid, what have you done?" Asked the eldest with more sympathy in his voice. "Why did you bring a human here?"
"Sir, she is injured beyond compare and."
"You should have taken her to Urahara. Don't you see you are making things worse for yourself? You leaving on a mission and coming back a year later can be blamed on the mission you where one. But you coming back with an injured human soul after all this time doesn't look good for you."
"But we were ambushed."
"I told you to spare your story for later. I don't want to think about it right know. I'll take care of the girl. I really don't want to do this but it is protocole. Guard, take him to a sell and make sure he is healed properly."
She could feel the last touch of his hand leaving the spot cold.
"Oh and kid", added the man that apparently was closer to her than before, "please refrain from showing any sort of attachment to the girl or you might get in even more trouble."
The "yes sir" was the last thing she hear of his voice before she drifted into the black nothingness.
She woke up in her own bed the next time she opened her eyes. Looking down on her was Yuzu smiling at her. She didn't get was she was saying. Her head started spinning and she had to think back at what happened last. They took him, blamed him for something that wasn't his fault. If anyone, she was the one responsible to end up in the mess to begin with.
She could hear the distant rumble of her father and sister as she tried her best to move. It hurt so much. The world turned. Not a single thought made sense. Her head was spinning so much. She wanted to throw up but there was nothing there to through up. The water, or what she thought was water, was the closest thing she dragged with her when she fell face forward. Her arms were still too weak. She had to go back. Was it one thing she was sure of, it was that she was no longer in soul society. She had to get back and tell them she was the cause. She had to see him again.
Someone must have hit her pretty bad in the head as she no longer remembers what she was so worry about; until she did.
"Sit still," came the hard voice of her sister. "You are far from good. You have major blood loss and an extremely low level of oxygen in your body. Do you understand, you could have died."
Karin recognised that voice. It was the I-really-want-to-forgive-you-for-your-stupidity-but-since-I-am-more-worried-about-you-I-will-be-hash-for-your-own-good. She was happy that her sister had stopped with her period of utmost hating the other side.
"Yuzu," she tried speaking but instead of a word, it was more like a growl.
"Don't speak sweaty." She placed the cold tissue slowly on her forehead. "I haven't seen you in a year, Karin. Do you even know how scared I was? Don't answer. I have asked all your friends where you were. If they had any clue. I found a life less body, Karin. Good thing we know Urahara or you wouldn't have a body to go back to." Maybe that would have been better, then Soul Society could really blame anyone seeing she'd be dead.
She went on rambling about everything. Apparently Urahara's price to keep her body safe was for Yuzu to accept a date with that stupid red head that still hang around his shop. And if Karin got it right, they were dating again. Karin felt safe. She felt at home, far, far away from her traumas and that hell hole she escaped. She could see the eyes of her late friend in her sister's. The lifeless eyes as they stared back at her one last time. She could still remember the joke the bastard made when he revealed he had just cut her through since she was worthless now that he had her.
"Karin, are you okay?"
She snapped back at the voice of Yuzu. She hadn't felt the tears roll down her eyes before she felt her sister drying them away. She preferred to go back to sleep to forget. Her dreams were an infinite loop of destruction: the tunnel, the bodies, the flames. They had gotten back their zanpakuto but she hadn't been able to talk to her inner spirit in a very long time.
The next day her father passed by and told her what had happened in general the last year she had been out. The fact that her studies had been cut and she needed to talk with the administration if she wanted to be let in. As for her apartment, her father had paid it off while she was gone. No matter what he said, she felt like it had no importance right in the moment. Her mind going over and over the experience she had survived. How many times had she asked herself "why me?". They were two survivors of all those innocent souls. Maybe it would have been better if she just died there too.
The week passed and she refused to speak. Her few friends from the school passed by to ask her where she had been. They told her to come eat dinner with them when she felt better. For her to come out and have some fun. Her voice came back to her on the fourth day, but she didn't dare speak before the end of the next week.
"Dad, who brought me home?" It had eaten her since she woke up. She remembered the head captain talking about taking care of her and she remembered that Toshiro was treated like a criminal.
"Abarai brought you to Urahara. Said they had tried their best to heal your wounds but it was better for you to recharge in the world of the living. Urahara called us and we brought you home."
That was the only thing she said for the next month. She moved back into her apartment, cleaned the old dust away and didn't get out again until her sister dragged her out for a family dinner. She could see they were worried about her, but she couldn't make herself care. Every time she saw them, she remembered those innocent that she had left die in a dark tunnel. She didn't even give them a proper burial. What about the ones that were waiting for their loved ones?
She went back to the cave the third month. She needed to. Some of her books stated she needed to face the problem face on, go back to the source of origin. She didn't find it. She used the next month searching for that cave, she never really stopped. If there were just a little to salvage. Maybe a body to bury, names so she could talk to families. Anything.
It's the fifth month that she called her sister in pure agony as her body felt like someone was manipulating her like a doll. Her sister called their father and Urahara. Each painful memory she had tried so hard to get over came flowing back to her. From the first night, the electricity, the experiments, the waiting.
They found nothing wrong with her.
Karin pretended everything was fine after that. It was mentally she convinced herself. She was becoming mad. She started her studies again. Started her psychology course again. Reading kept her mind occupied. But no matter what, when she closed her eyes she could see the bodies. And the dragon, always that ice dragon bleeding out.
The first time she noticed something was really off, she was eating out with her friends when the sudden urge to puke came over her. She continued every time she ate something her body didn't like. She brushed it off as some stomach virus. The second time was when she actually like the food Orihime, that was visiting, had made. She was surprised that she had actually made something edible. Her own food didn't taste that bad.
The third thing was the next time she saw herself in her soul body again. She hadn't dare do it in a year, but she wanted to be able to help and the frustration that she didn't manage to find that cave was aggravating her. Her usual flat belly was bulging outward. She didn't really think about it then and there, but it bugged her that she could become fat in her soul body if she wasn't training. Well that's what she thought any way.
Yoruichi was the one to point out to her that with her reiatsu and the little food she ate, there was no possibilities for her to get fat even if she didn't train constantly. So no matter what, she had to get to the evidence that she was indeed pregnant. She told Yoruichi, that promised she wouldn't tell anyone. She got a call from Urahara a few days later telling her to come by for an ultrasound. She should have guessed she told him.
He never told anyone else though and made her promise not to tell anyone. Made her promise. She wasn't even allowed to tell her family. They were very supportive though.
It wasn't long after, that she saw him again. His pure white hair and piercing eyes. Dressed in a simple robe, no Haori. She was sleeping actually when he came. He just laid there beside her until she woke.
"Hey." Something was off with his eyes. For all answer she hugged him. He hadn't bothered with a gi-gai which meant he wasn't there for long. They just lay there in the safety of each other's arms.
"Karin," he murmured in her ears, "marry me." It shocked her, that forwardness. "I don't ever want to lose you again. I have spent the last year trapped in a cell thinking about what happened and I don't want to lose you again." She had loosened her hold on him so she could see him straight in the eyes.
"I," she didn't really know what to say. "Wait cell? What happened when I left?"
"I shouldn't have said that. Don't worry about it," he reassured her stroking her black hair.
"Oh no, you have no right giving me that. What happened?" Maybe she wanted to skip the subject he all but thru at her, but she's been eating herself up about this.
"They found me guilty for leaving my post and for many different reasons actually. Some even I am certain they invented, but I can't say for sure."
"And?"
"They stripped me of my position. I am currently just a low guard. No worries." He waved it off holding her tight again. She couldn't explain the calm she felt radiating from him.
"Will you please marry me," he asked this time. He looked her in the eyes again. Unsure of what to answer she opted for the most stupidest thing to say.
"You don't have any ring." At that he shook his head in amusement. Leaving her side she felt like the misery was back around her. She did not expect though, for him to kneel before her, showing her a simple silver ring.
"Karin Kurosaki, you have caused me more problems then what I could ever believe I would get myself into. You have showed me a world of sorrow and happiness. And if our recent adventure has told us anything, it's that we are made for each other. I don't know what tomorrow will bring but I wish never to lose you again. So please, Karin would you do me the honour of marrying me?"
She felt as frightened as she was happy. On one side she wanted to jump into his arms repeating the same thing over and over again. But then again she wasn't sure what to think. She didn't want to rush it even if she knew there was nobody else in the entire world she would love the same.
"I want to live my life," she finally said. He must have anticipated that answer as he didn't even flinch at her rejection.
"I would wait a thousand life times if that is what you want." He kissed her hand before looking back up at her. "What do you say then?"
"Your making this very complicated for me," she smiled. "But since you asked so nicely, I suppose I can't say no."
"I want to hear you say it Karin. Will you marry me? Will you take me even with all my many, many flaws that you keep telling me about?"
"Yes, I'll marry you," she said with a sight.
"Oh, I didn't know this was such an obligation to you." She could feel the heat rising to her face.
"I'd love to marry you, but," she added.
"That's more like it," he said before kissing her. She pushed him of still smiling.
"But I want to live my mortal beautiful life to the fullest and you have to promise me that Rangiku stays far away from this."
"I would literally do anything for you," he said kissing her forehead before putting the small ring on her finger.
They didn't have much time to talk after that and she never managed to tell him about the little body growing in her belly. He left before she woke up, leaving behind a letter which didn't give much information might she add.
Rukia was the one that came as a life boa. She came with news from the Seireitei. Not only did she come to tell that their brother had become a vice captain but she came with a side note for Karin. Turned out Toshiro had been in jail for the last year answering hearing after hearing about something no one really knew about. He had lost his title as captain as well as the title of soul reaper. The time he had come to see her he had ran away just to say goodbye one last time. They didn't know if he was going to be executed or not.
Rukia mentioned something about her not really being allowed to tell her this, but she felt she had to. She went on and on about the trials the questions. She concluded that he had been charged with both being in a relationship with a human and the death of the soul reapers that were with him on the mission he was ambushed. None of them had survived. Never did she mention the cave or Yin yang and she could only imagine they hadn't believed him.
She even asked Rukia: "What about the Cave?" She didn't know anything about the cave, or the experiments or anything remotely similar. She didn't know what happened that year.
"It was foolish of you," said the oldest. "Who could have known that the two of you could be so foolish. I understand your pain but you shouldn't have stolen him from soul society as you did." Karin stayed speechless to that, they all thought they had ran away together. She didn't even bother to explain, if the ice captain didn't get through to them then she most definitely wouldn't.
Rukia didn't visit again. The next one that came to her front door was Ikkaku. She didn't even know him that much so she thought it must have something to do with her brother. It wasn't.
"Rukia is not allowed to come here anymore," he said as she opened the door. "Can I come in?" He had traded his usual cloth to that of human clothing.
"What happened?" Karin hadn't been out much and was having a hard time deciding what she should do: go out and buy baby cloth or give the unborn child away. Apparently she should decide before having the baby since she would not give it away when it's here.
"That's my question? What happened? how come Rukia is not aloud to visit Karakura or even Sinji?" He towered over her a bit and even if she normally would have just ignored the fact that he was still there, she was as interesting in what he had to say.
"I don't know. And I know absolutely nothing about Sinji." She felt a little offended by his way of speaking to her. "What are you doing here?" He looked away a moment as if not sure if he should tell or not. "Oh come on, who am I going to tell?"
"That's the problem, I'm pretty sure you told no one that Rukia came to visit, yet she has been bane from coming to visit you. So why did she come here?"
"To talk. Ask me how I am and stuff." She crossed her arms, if he thought she would talk on Rukia, he was dead wrong.
"Talk about a certain captain?"
"Yes, about my brother."
"His no captain." They only looked at each other contemplating what the other would do. "Your brother is worried about you. Everyone know what happened to you and he wants to know that you're fine."
"I'm fine." She went back to the door to let him out but he stopped her and whispered in her ear:
"Watch out for yourself. Someone is watching you and him. His trials are going viral and most of them are based on false accusations. We commonors don't even know what is wrong, but the system seems to be corrupted in some way. He's not dead yet." And with that he left her there standing, trying to proceed all the information she just got.
He never came again either. None of them came back. She had had the visit of most of her brothers friends and they all vanished after that. She became paranoid and didn't even bother to go outside. Until Renji came by her door.
"May I enter." She closed the door behind him and followed him into the apartment.
"What can I," but she never finished as he put up some kind of kido around her sofa and told her to sit on it.
"Don't speak, just listen, I'm not really allowed to be here. All the ones you have seen are bound to never come back because something is wrong I think, and the fact that they are technically breaking the law by telling you about you know who. He has been in a great lot of charges but I don't know yet. He will get his position back apparently because nobody could prove anything. They keep us in the dark as you can hear. Shh! I don't want to hear." With that he nearly ran out the door, slamming it behind him.
... Finished...
"I don't know what happens after that and I never really understood either, why it had to be like that. Stupid Soul Society," she finished. Her son was still looking toward the horizon with such innocent eyes. Remembering something she wanted to ask him, she continued. "Yoruichi told me you thought you lived in a world of illusion? I was shocked you use those words to describe it."
"Is that why you never told me about dad," he cut her off. "Because you were afraid they would come and take me too?" She could only smile sadly back at those beautiful eyes.
"I suppose. I lost my mother to death when I was but a toddler. I lost my brother to death because death was the only way he could truly live. And then I lost your dad, but i suppose I can't blame death for that since he was already dead. I would never forgive myself if death took you too."
"But mom," he pointed out, " that is already too late." She chuckled.
"Well, you were never human, so you have never died. No," she said suddenly serious, "I mean dead as in I can never see you again since you will not exist on any of the pleins. But I'm more worried about Yin Yang bastard too come after you. The fact that you grew up here could have spared you from being killed as an infant."
"That was depressing." He placed his head over his knees again and looked toward the infinite many light bubbles that where shining around.
"So," she said, stretching out the last letter. "I've told you a lot, now it's your turn."
"You still haven't," but any protest died on his lips.
"Ryuu. What are you hiding?"
He looked down in his lap. Taking up the hem of his pyjamas, he showed her the ice spot. The icy texture of his body was slowly speeding and had now reached just below his heart and further down on his hip. Even if the mark had slowed down, it still grew. And with each passing moment Ryuu felt more panic submerge him. She slowly put her hand on the destroyed skin, afraid of what she might feel when touching. She didn't bother hiding her pain and somehow disappointment.
"Why haven't you told anyone about this?" He looked away. "Look at me. Why haven't you told anyone?"
"What do you know about me not telling anyone?"
"Have you?" Both her eyes were raised in questioning and he turned his head away. That was confirmation enough. "Who is even in charge of you now? You should have at least told them." She could see the anger building as his fist tighten harder around the hem of his pyjama shirt. But she couldn't really be angry at him. Somehow this, these scars that would forever be imprinted on the young body, was her fault. What if she had told him before?
"I'm supposed to ask for counselling from you old people. But you old people never answer. Every time I want to know something it's either you're too small, too young, too dumb. Seriously mom, do you think I am going to ask a bunch of people, that doesn't know me, as to the reason my own zanpakuto is trying to kill me?" He was panting. He had taken down the shirt and was looking her straight in the eyes daring her to tell him wrong. "The old man in my head even said I'm about to die if I don't warm up. Whatever that's supposed to mean."
They both waited for the storm to calm. They had their own problems. Both their breathing was even and calm before she continued.
"I'm sorry, brat. I truly am. May I ask then, who exactly this old man is?"
"I have no idea." He was still mad, but she couldn't really blame him. "If you really must know, there used to be two island in that inner world of mine. One was a volcano island with a black dragon. I haven't seen it since the first time I was there and everything was falling to pieces. 'Suppose the reptile and I are the ones left."
"Reptile?"
"The one I've been communicating with. In my head," he specified. " the one that told me I would die if the ice reaches my heart. So, all mighty grown up, what do I do?" she was too worried to think about reprimanding him.
"I don't know kid. Maybe it's a good thing you didn't tell anyone. If they figured out you were a danger they could kill you. What?" He was looking at her with the strangest expression.
"How in the world could anyone understand you? You're contradicting yourself all the time." She rolled her eyes at his antics.
"You need to be able to come in contact with your other half. The one half that is missing and that is making you this weak. And more than anything, you need to find that other zanpakuto of yours."
"And how exactly do one search for a blade in between all the others? Or even connect with my other half." He was exaggerating, she did not sound like that.
"You nearly burned down our first house." That made him keep his mouth shut. "I'll lend you the doll to help you find that part of you as Hyorinmaru helped you while you were still human. But I do believe it will only work if you are far away from me. So when you go back to Souls society. And if you were wondering, the doll is my zanpakuto."
"Fitting name." She wanted to know when exactly had he seen her zanpakuto? "A long time ago," he answered her unasked question. "This is all kind off your fault though."
"My fault? I blame Yin Yang. Now that that is clarified, mind enlighten me on this world of illusion of yours?"
"Huh? I," he had lost his voice, then muttered "psychopath."
"That is not kind Ryuu. And I'm not a psychopath but merely a psy. Even if you have to be a little crazy to be that too."
"I was just throwing it around. Things like the illusion that death is the end. The fact that no one really knows what is happening, we're just guessing, walking blind. Why so interested?"
"They always say you are so much like you father, it is nice that you are a little bit like me too. I think this world is just a huge tapestry. No one really sees where the treads go. Along one single thread you don't see it. Here," she said taking out a piece of paper from the back pocket of her jeans, "I wrote this a long time ago when my mind suddenly decided I should write poems. Well it might have been Yuzu that actually made the poem, but they are all my ideas."
He took the peace and started reading:
There is but one truth in this place
that we think of as the right
it makes the cripple dance
and gives us the will to fight
It brings life to our deepest dreams
animates the strangest of quests
it makes us follow different streams
I wonder if it's just a test
I have never seen it
that common goal we share
just different streets we follow
to a truth that isn't there
When at last we reach the end
we run and hide in confusion
since we finally understand,
That we live in a world of illusion
"Thanks I suppose?" he smiled unsure, his mind thinking about something entirely different she could tell. The smile turned into insecurity and she knew what was coming.
"Mom? Who is dad?"
"You know him already," she smiled down at her own lap. "I'm surprised you didn't figure it out yourself. I'm surprised he didn't figure it out either for that matter. I mean there is only one male captain in the entire Seireitei with an ice zanpakuto." The pieces were put together, she only needed to wait for him to realise it on his own. She could see when realisation drew upon him as his expression turned to anger.
"You're lying," he screamed pushing himself on his feets. Why exactly was he mad? She though he like him.
"Ryuu, calm down. Try to understand..."
"You're just saying that because I said I admire him. I want to know who my father really is, don't just tell me some name that you think I wish to hear."
"I am not," she said in deepest concern and sincerity. "Toshiro Hitsugaya is your father." And it hurt so much to say his name.
"You're lying," he yelled as he stormed of the roof, luckily, without falling.
As Karin followed him inside she met on a red haired laughing on the floor. She looked at him confused and hurt.
"Is he serious?"
Thanks for reading :D
even if it a long time ago I started this story...
And Sorry about the mistakes that are probably there. I'm trying to be finished as fast as possible with this story.