Chapter Nineteen
"I knew I'd find something weird at night." Mashiro said as she spotted the guards who were in the ground near the senkaimon. While she didn't want to alarm anyone... she definitely wanted to alarm a few people. She had a few ideas of who did it. The reiryoku still lingered heavily so they weren't far. That was the beauty of sōnshō... it made her very sensitive to spiritual pressure and where it lingered
"Who did this?" She called out into the bushes. "I know you're out there."
A dark cloud formed around her but Mashiro found it kind of funny. They wanted to distract her spiritual pressure but she didn't harness it the same way other shinigami did so it was useless to her. A little body moved speedily towards her and she simply stepped to the side and the girl sailed passed her.
She tried to move again but Mashiro caught her and lifted her by the collar. "Aren't you a cutie~~!"
"Leave her alone." The cloud disappeared and two girls appeared.
Mashiro smiled softly. "I'm on your side. So... what exactly was your plan, Yuzu-chan?"
Yuzu looked confused at the cutesy woman with brown hair. "Do... I know you?"
"No, but I know your brother. You know how he is part hollow?" Yuzu nodded hesitantly. "I am too. I'm a Vizard... and a friend of Shihōin." She put Mayaka down and she ran over to her sister.
"Wait... what's a vizard?" Yuzu asked.
"I'll explain later. Come... you're not safe here." She turned around. "I'm taking you to your aunt."
"My... aunt?" Yuzu echoed.
"I mean, she's your father's cousin but... you're all family, I presume? Your reiryoku is all very similar... but the two of you are more Quincy than Yuzu."
Karin felt anxious... but she was trapped. She could see everything her body was doing but she had no control. Right now, it read peacefully watching. She knows that Angetsu had met some people and spoke with some people but on what? She didn't know. Her soul was in limbo add she watched her zanpakutō do whatever it liked.
"Please stop..." She called out for what felt like the hundredth time and she was just met with silence. It was maddening... she felt her humanity slowly seeping away from her. She thought Angetsu's spite was worse than it's silence but that was a lie. The silence was terrible. "Please?"
Nothing.
Yuzu didn't know whether to trust the brown haired figure who talked in a cutesy voice but after they met Yoruichi on their stroll, she felt a little more easy. "Where have you been?" Mashiro asked the cat.
"Hitsugaya-taichō's house." She said. "Where did these three pop out from?"
"They snuck through a senkaimon. Very interesting thing they did though..." Mashiro pointed out.
"Yuzu, who are these?" Yoruichi asked
"My... cousins..."
"You really thought it was a good idea to bring quincies with you?" She asked
"Well you bloody shinigami aren't do your jobs now, are you?" Haruki tsked at them.
Yoruichi looked at the young teen and laughed. "You have a sharp tongue." She commented. "So, Yuzu, what brings you here?"
"... Tatsuki made a connection between a few missing people and the blood we found. She found hundreds of DNA markers in it and a match was made with two girls who went missing and another woman who disappeared in February."
"February?" Yoruichi wondered out loud. "It's November."
"Tatsuki realised that this case was more dangerous than she thought. Initially, she didn't think much of it because it could have easily been the blood of hollows but when the connection was made, she realised that they may have taken advantage of isolation in Tokyo." Yuzu said. "The girl who was taken was a hikimori so of course it would have taken months for someone to notice she was gone."
Yoruichi nodded. "So you suspect the victims are shut ins?"
"Not just them... people in general who are lonely in Tokyo and have little ties to anyone. The first match made was two sisters who lived with an abusive mother. The most recorded missing person's cases are in Shinjuku and Akihabara which are notoriously known for people having little ties to everyone else. Even the reports showed a trend: drug pushers, sex workers, people with mental health crisis, otakus.. anyone who would be hard to spot if they were no longer around." Yuzu stated
"That's so sad..." Mashiro pouted
"Well, at least now we have a bit of evidence. I'm afraid however no one will consider what you are bringing forward simply because we are dealing with another crisis and the higher ups cannot multitask to save their lives." Yoruichi tsked
"Why? What happened?" Yuzu asked but they stopped in front of a house in the middle of nowhere. She would say it's quaint but it drew do much attention to itself by the fists protruding from the ground "Where is this?"
"Oi! Kūkaku!" Yoruichi called out and a woman with dark hair smoking a pipe came out.
"Hey! I'm coming you cat shifting freak!" She paused upon looking at the three girls. "Who are these?"
"Your nieces." Yoruichi deadpanned.
"... Isshin?" Kūkaku asked. "Him and that wife of his were busy if that many keep popping up. But those two little ones smell like quincies."
"So what if we are?" Haruki spoke up and Kūkaku looked at them and laughed.
"I like you. You're like a Pomeranian." Kūkaku admitted.
"Actually..." Yuzu spoke up, inviting her gaze. "They're... from my mother's side."
"Ah... so, just you and Ichigo and that girl who has made headlines?" She asked.
"She's my...twin." Yuzu said quietly
Kūkaku raised an eyebrow at her. "You don't sound too sure of that." She huffed. "Well, come on in. I'll make tea. I can't guarantee it won't taste like shit though."
"They're your nieces." Yoruichi repeated in the same monotone voice.
"I'm trying. I don't get guests all the often... and when are you two going to leave?!"
Inside, Kūkaku made them tea and brought them something to eat in case they were hungry. "You never feed us..." Mashiro pouted
"Silence, freeloader!" Kūkaku said. "So... what brings you girls to Soul Society?"
"We got information about the blood from the bucket where we found Karin." Yuzu explained as her two younger cousins scarfed down on some tea and ōnigiri.
"Really?" Kūkaku asked and she nodded
"If possible, I'd like to meet the captains as soon as possible to tell them."
Kūkaku looked at the two women next to her who looked hesitant to speak. "Yuzu-chan... I'm afraid they have other... issues to handle."
"Why? What happened?" Yuzu asked
Kūkaku sighed. "Your sister is a wanted fugitive. She escaped from the jūnibantai, killed six shinigami and injured the rest of the shinigami in that facility." Yuzu looked shocked and the two cousins stopped eating to stare at their aunt in shock. "It's not looking good for her right now."
"Hitsugaya-taichō is hoping to get to her first." Mashiro reassured her. "And with your evidence, we can shift the focus away from her and onto what really matters."
"Besides, if anything, it's that stupid court that forced this to happen." Kūkaku added. "While I don't trust this green haired idiot, I know she's very capable of actually helping the situation."
"I'm confused?" Yuzu asked.
"I have the same case of corruption that Ka-chan has." Mashiro explained and Yuzu's eyes grew wide. "That's the reason why she keeps calling me green haired even though clearly, my hair is brown. My zanpakutō is corrupted and it's a poison based zanpakutō. The only difference between me and Karin is that I was born with my zanpakutō like this. It is generational most times, which is why Karin's case is so...bizarre."
"So... what happened? How did you tame it?" Haruki asked.
Mashiro turned around and removed the back part of her cloak to reveal a seal burned to the back of her shoulder. "It's called Sōnshō. It's an art form of zanjutsu and kidō. It was created by my great grandfather who was the first holder of this zanpakutō. I messed up and didn't complete it in time. So while I do have complete control over my zanpakutō... I have a limit. I store the poison in my hair but as you can see... the poison is currently not in my hair."
"Could... something like that happen to Karin?" Yuzu asked.
"Not if she gets help in time." Mashiro reassured her. "But Hitsugaya will capture her safely. Just have—"
"Well, what can I do to help?" Yuzu chimed up immediately.
"Stay here where it is safe until we can take you to the goteijūsantai." Yoruichi insisted
"But I discovered my shikai." Yuzu revealed the two blades she was gifted. "I can help!"
"You... discovered your shikai?" Yoruichi repeated in shock and Yuzu nodded. "It's... still dangerous, Yuzu."
"No, no... I think Yuzu is the perfect person for this one." They turned to Kūkaku who looked at the blades. "It should have been obvious from the start that you will get the twin zanpakutō."
"Twin?" Kūkaku nodded
"Kyōgetsu." She clarified. "That's Angetsu's twin."
You loved her, didn't you?... Yoruichi's voice rang in his head. The reason why it was that statement in particular, Hitsugaya had no clue. But as he slept, his dreams seemed to linger on that very statement.
He dreamt he was on a beach, the crinkling sounds of a burning camp fire nearby with the waves of the ocean moving to and fro not too far away. He turned around and he caught sight of Karin's mischievous smile. This wasn't a dream... this was a memory from two years ago when he was investigating the presence of dammed souls from hell in Karakura Town after what almost became of Yuzu.
It was only now it dawned upon him how much anguish that entire family has been put through: from his old Captain to his daughters even to the brute of a man who was Soul Society's hero. Hitsugaya respected every single one of them but he never realised that their sacrifices came at a cost. He could never imagine the amount of mental turmoil Ichigo had faced which is why when they had offered him to stay in Soul Society, he said no and focused on pursuing university in the human world. He could only imagine how tired he was. How his good Samaritan deeds at fifteen led him through multiple battles and wars before he was eighteen.
"Hitsugaya!" Tōshirō turned to look at Karin who was standing up, waiting impatiently for him. "Whenever you're ready... preferably soon.
"He had laughed. "That doesn't sound like you're waiting for me to be ready."
"I'm not... I'm expecting it." She said. She had always been witty and sharp tongued. It was refreshing. Hitsugaya imagined that as she would grow older, she would only become more abrasive and hot tempered like her brother. But he could have never been more wrong about anything. She was quiet and refrained from not speaking unless she was around people she could keep a conversation with. When she did, she spoke very little half the time. She was lazier than anyone he knew. It was funny considering she was extremely athletic but if she was not invested in anything, odds are she wouldn't put any effort doing it.
She was playful and enjoyed teasing him as well. Her quick thoughts led to rapid responses that could have used a filter or two. She said anything off the top of her head no matter how offensive it was. And it was short and sweet. She truly was a breath of fresh air for him to be around, especially from a world where everyone was good at hiding what they truly felt.
"So... what are we doing here?" Hitsugaya asked
"I wanted to make it up to you. I couldn't hang out with you today." She claimed and the young captain was confused.
"Couldn't? You were at sch-"
"I was at the graveyard actually... with my family." She said. "My mother died today... many years ago of course but... today never the less."
"... I am so sorry." Hitsugaya said and Karin shrugged
"It's fine. We went to the graveyard, poured incense, left some flowers, said a prayer... my dad smoked a little then we went back home." Karin sighed. "We do that every year... and each year it feels like it loses more and more meaning." Hitsugaya remained silent because it a situation like this, he didn't know how to respond. "So... we're having a bonfire."
"I'm not... sure what that is." He said.
"It comes from the English practice called "Bone burning"... you know, bone-fire. It's a way to remember loved ones by tossing their dry bones into the fire. They burn into ash and then join the ground again. Of course, I don't have any bones... just branches, alcohol and vibes."
"I thought you don't drink." Hitsugaya said
"I don't." Karin shrugged. "The taste is putrid but if it's going to make this easier then I may as well."
"Okay but... why am I here?" He asked. "You could have... asked Yuzu to come—"
"I asked you to come because I could... maybe you have some names to get off your chest too." Karin took a swig from the bottle before holding up a branch. "Kurosaki Masaki, the reason why we're here today. I always felt like... I couldn't mourn for you because I didn't know you. But now, I mourn the fact that I wasn't allowed the time to know you. The more I hear about you, the more I wished you were here... with this crazy family. Sometimes, I feel like things would be less crazy with you around." She threw the branch in the fire.
"Your turn." She handed him a branch.
"I... I don't know—"
"It can be anyone... anything..." She said before offering him the bottle as well. "Liquid courage?"
Hitsugaya chuckled before taking the bottle and taking a swig. He remembered the way it burned the back of his throat but he ignored it as it dulled his senses. "My grandmother, Hitsugaya Narumi. She died last year."
"You never told me that." Karin said.
"I never thought it was necessary... it should have been though. I was a baby when I arrived in Soul Society... no name, no parents, nothing... just a crying child.. She found me and took me in, named me, clothed me, fed me, loved me... and sometimes I feel like I didn't love her enough. I feel like I didn't do enough by her as I got more occupied with work. She meant the world to me... she still does and I should have cherished her more." He threw the branch in the fire.
Karin took the bottle and took another swig before picking up the next branch. "Haru-bāchan. We should've visited you more. You are so dear to us. Hitsugaya introduced me to you and you never left my heart since. You were a bad ass for an old lady..." At this point, Hitsugaya was laughing. "And I wished I could've spent more time with you. Hitsugaya got to but... I think he would have wanted more too." She threw the branch in the fire. She turned to Hitsugaya. "Anyone else?"
Hitsugaya looked long and hard between the bottle and the fire and her face before thinking, 'fuck it' and taking the bottle. He took a very deep swig before handing her back the bottle. He picked up a branch and the dreaded name left his mouth. "Kusaka Sōjirō... my best friend... the one I killed."
Karin looked shocked and almost stopped him but he held her back. "... when I joined the Shinō Academy, I was small and puny with no idea how I was going to succeed. And when you're that young, everyone looks down on you and tries to intimidate you and destroy you. But you never did. In fact, you helped me become stronger and courageous. We shared a bond that no one else could understand and I sacrificed you for my own gain. The day you died was the day I saw Soul Society's moral bankruptcy for what it truly was... but I ignored it. There are very few people I trust now and that's what I deserve because I betrayed the only person who trusted me from the start. I promise that one day, I will do right by you... I don't know how but I will."
He threw the branch into the fire before sitting down on a log. Karin came and sat down next to him. "I don't want to talk about it, Kurosa—"
"I didn't ask you to." Karin said. "I just want to let you know this... I'm always in your corner."
"Kurosaki, I'm already breaking so many rules by being friends with you." He admitted, feeling incredibly raw.
"Then those are not rules to live by." Karin said. "Rules aren't meant to tear apart friendships... they aren't meant to strip away the little autonomy and humanity you have left." Karin held his cheek and egged him to look at her. "... you have me and I'm not going anywhere."
At that moment, they were close enough to feel each other's breath on their face. Hitsugaya's gaze switched between her eyes and her lips, contemplating whether he should or shouldn't. "We're too... we shouldn't..." He trailed off when she held his face in her hands.
"Just this once... What do you want?" She asked.
It was obvious what he wanted... It didn't mean he could indulge. His mind shuddered at the thought of that word: indulge... was she something to indulge in? He looked at her and was immediately met with her dark onyx eyes that dared him to move and she made the first move. Their lips met simultaneously. It was barely a kiss at first, more like a ghostly drag of his lips over hers for a split second before she pulled away and looked at him again.
His thoughts mirrored hers because she mumbled "Not enough..." under her breath before moving to kiss him again and this time, to actually kiss him. He couldn't have imagined how this moment would have felt in his head and possibly gotten it correct. There was a point in time when he could have laughed at himself for such silly thoughts as imagining a first kiss. But that was the side she brought out of him. He wanted to experience living more. He wanted to feel allowed and free to desire the things boys his age felt. He wanted to be reckless and childish even if it was just for once.
Karin was right, this was not enough either. Even though now, any passerby could have heard the sound of their lips pulling and releasing on each other and the sound of their short yet sharp gasps for air when they would separate for a split second.
They pulled away from each other once more and looked at each other in the eye, with shallow breaths as they tried to make up for the oxygen they lost and the exhilaration they felt. "Not enough?" She posed it as a question this time, probably not wanting to overstep any boundaries. But what boundaries were left after tonight?
He picked her up surprisingly and she yelped before he set her down on his lap. "Not nearly." They kissed again and this time, Hitsugaya let a bit of his reiatsu leak out so that he could extinguish the fire they were no longer tending to. Their lips moved more passionately against the other and even their hands started to search each other freely, as if neither were now hesitant to show the other how they felt.
Karin pulled away, much to Hitsugaya annoyance and Karin giggled. "Wait, wait, wait. Easy there..." She teased, pressing her forehead against his. "I still have school in the morning and should probably go to sleep now." Hitsugaya felt like an idiot, looking away in embarrassment but Karin simply laughed before coaxing him to look at her again and giving him a quick peck on the lips. "Aren't you going to walk me home? It would be the most appropriate thing to do given the situation."
Hitsugaya laughed. "So dramatic and for what?"
"For shits and giggles." She stood up and he followed.
'This idiot', he had thought but he was smiling too... in fact, he was grinning. He looked goofy, he even felt goofy. But he didn't care. He never realised just how little he smiled and how much peace smiling had brought him.
And when he opened his eyes, it was already morning. He had been having more and more dreams about her, memories that he thought he had forced himself to forget in order not to dwell in the past. But he was tired of acting like all that happened did not matter.