Chapter Six

"So, Karin, what's up? You must've waited here for something. I can't believe that it was just to see me again." Ichigo asked, confused as to why a girl as independent as Karin was waiting around for him like some dewy eyed schoolgirl.

"Would you believe me if I said I got lost again?" Karin asked hopefully. Ichigo sighed. Normally, he would believe that. After all, it wasn't hard to get lost in the Seireitei. Most people found where they were going by tracing the spiritual pressure of the one for whom they were looking. That was why Kenpachi and Yachiru got lost so often, because they were terrible at directions, and even worse at tracing spiritual pressure.

"Come on, Karin… Tell me the real reason." Ichigo said. Karin blushed, and looked away from Ichigo, her face thrown into strange shadow in the waning light.

"I-I just wanted to spend time with you. I love you, Ichi-nii… I know you're involved with Kuchiki, but that doesn't change how I feel about you… Tell any of those pervs in there that I said that, and I'll personally use the Garrote on you." Karin said, changing from being deeply sentimental to threatening at a moment's notice. Ichigo smiled weakly.

He was surprised. A bunch of girls around him, with whom he had been close for a long time, seemed into him. First was Orihime, who confessed to him, but seemed unsurprised when he turned her down… That lost him a lot of points with the other guys in the school, who couldn't fathom why he wouldn't want a girlfriend like Orihime. They didn't understand, though. They couldn't see just how incredible Rukia was.

Then, he found out that Riruka also liked him… Actually, that should've been a dead giveaway. She always acted so strangely around him, and occasionally, he caught her muttering about him under her breath, and occasionally out loud. He always just assumed that she was just eccentric like that, though.

So he didn't pay it any mind until Riruka confessed out loud to him. And now, even his own sister was confessing to him… It wasn't that he was weirded out or anything by Karin confessing to him. He was just a bit surprised. He was so much older than she was, and as pretty as she was, he was sure that she would have found a boyfriend her own age already.

"Thanks, Karin-chan… But, if you came here to chase me, then you should go home." Ichigo said, not trying to sound mean. He knew what it meant to be a Shinigami. It meant protecting everyone, regardless of how loathsome they seemed.

It meant putting your life on the line for everyone, whether you knew them or not. It meant dedicating your life to a cause from the minute you picked up your Zanpakuto.

"You can't join the Gotei Thirteen just because you want to be near me. You have to do it because…"

"Because I want to protect humanity. Dad told me all this already. I explained my decision to him and Yuzu-chan. Dad said he didn't like my decision, but that he couldn't stop me. He also said to tell you that if you ever give into your lust and take your beautiful sister's innocence, that he'll come up here personally and beat you down himself."

"Ahaha! That sounds like something he'd say. Did you tell him that I'm already dating Rukia, who I'm now supposed to address as Lieutenant Kuchiki?"

"Call me that again, and I'll have to give serious thought to being offended…" Came a voice from the roof. Rukia jumped down and walked over to Ichigo and kissed him.

"Hey, Karin-chan… I think it's sweet that you love your brother so much. But the Captain-Commander told me to tell you to get yourself to bed. Now, hurry. Ichigo, I can't tell you what to do… Or rather, I never could. You would never listen, anyhow…"

"Bite me, Lieutenant Kuchiki…" Ichigo said confrontationally. Rukia laughed, and spoke again.

"You should speak more politely to your superior, though, given what I've heard, I may not be for long. Good night…" Then, Rukia took Karin's hand and led her off. Strangely, Karin didn't even think to complain.

When Karin and Rukia were a fair distance away from Ichigo, Karin turned to the lieutenant, and started talking.

"I… Haven't eaten dinner, yet, and I'm starving… Is there anywhere to eat around here? You don't need to stay with me. Just drop me off. I'll find my way back on my own." Karin said, not wanting to cause undue trouble. Rukia smiled, though, and shook her head.

"Don't worry. Your money's no good here, anyhow. There's a place right down the street. Do you drink sake?"

"Of course not! I'm thirteen! I'm underage!" Karin snapped.

"But I do like spicy food. The hotter the better…"

"Ah… Oh dear… I'm afraid I've never had the stomach for spicy things. But, there are some spicy dishes where I'm thinking of. Here it is." Rukia said, laughing sheepishly, leading Karin inside, and immediately being led to a table, where they sat, and were handed menus.

"Hm… This place is pretty nice. Somehow, I can't imagine Ichi-nii coming here in a million years. By the way… Did Ichi-nii attend the Shin'o Academy? I've heard that it's a six year curriculum, but Ichi-nii couldn't have been going for six years. He hasn't even been a Shinigami that long." Karin observed. Rukia sighed, and shook her head.

"No. Ichigo was never a student at the Shin'o Academy, though he would have benefitted from spending a little time there. He would have learned the customs that most students learn their first year, and the other forms of combat. Ichigo has a long way to go before he can really be a balanced combatant. There are forms other than physical fighting in Soul Society.

Kido, Hoho, Hakuda and Zanjutsu. Of those four styles of combat, Zanjutsu is what Ichigo is strongest at. His Hoho is pretty strong, actually, but his Kido is nearly nonexistent, and most of the other forms have taken a backseat to his talent with his sword, given that was the fastest way for him to gain the power he needed to fight the battles he needed to fight… Ah, hello… Karin… Do you know what you want?"

"Yes. I'd like the Kimchi Jjigae, please."

"Anything to drink?" The waiter asked politely. Karin just asked for water. Then, the waiter turned to Rukia, who asked for the beef stew and milk. The waiter bowed politely, and walked off.

"So, you're not a fan of spicy things, Rukia?"

"No… Just to tell you, you will have to start referring to me as Lieutenant Kuchiki once you join the Shin'o Academy. But for now, Rukia is fine."

"Ichi-nii will also have to call you Lieutenant? But he's supposed to be your boyfriend…" Karin protested, feeling that Ichigo was really getting the short end of the stick here.

"In public, that doesn't matter. He'll only need to call me Lieutenant in front of other people. It wouldn't be prudent to let on that Ichigo and I are dating. It does happen on occasion that an unseated Shinigami and a lieutenant or even a captain fall in love.

"But it can't be allowed to affect their judgment."

"Well… Just know that if you ever hurt Ichi-nii… I guess I'd have to set my old man on you. He may look like an old geezer, but he was actually a captain in his day as a Shinigami."

"I'll keep that in mind. It's sweet how much you care for your brother. I'm sure you'll become a great Shinigami. Ah… That was fast."

"Here are your dinners, ladies. Enjoy…" The waiter said, bowing politely and walking off.

Rukia began eating her stew slowly, whereas Karin dug in immediately, and plowed right through it, finishing before Rukia was even halfway done. So Karin simply waited while Rukia finished. Rukia looked up and spoke.

"So, did you have a boyfriend or anything down in the Human world?" She asked with a polite smile. Karin frowned, and shook her head.

"No. One boy asked me out once, and I said yes. But when I told him there was a ghost behind him, he just laughed at me. That was the end of it. I didn't think he would likely believe me. But he could have at least not laughed at me."

"Well… Most Humans can't see ghosts. They simply don't have the spiritual energy to see through the mundane. Karakura is, admittedly, a city rife with spiritual energy… A spiritual hotspot if you will. There are a few of them in the world. Amityville, New York is one.

"Paris, France is another one, known mainly for the Rue D'Ausseil. The whole of Paris, though, is in fact a hotspot. Hotspots change over time, though, just as the magnetic poles move by micrometers every year. Who knows where these hotspots will be in 1000 years?"

"Will we still be around in 1000 years?" Karin asked. At this, Rukia laughed, though she wasn't laughing at Karin's question directly.

"We should. Assuming we don't die in combat, there's no reason that we shouldn't still be alive. The former Commander General was over 10,000 years old when he died."

"D-did he die of old age?"

"Of course not. He was killed by Yhwach, the king of the Quincies." Rukia snapped.

"Sorry. What's a Quincy?" Karin asked with an eyebrow raised. Rukia sighed.

"You mean your father really never informed you of who your mother was?"

"He told me enough!" Karin responded, sounding rather defensive.

"Obviously, he didn't. Your mother was a pureblooded Quincy. That means that, like Shinigami, she had spiritual energy, and could fight Hollows. She drew her powers from a slightly different source, and used them differently. I don't know much about Quincies. If you want a crash course in them, you can always ask Captain Kurotsuchi…

"Just don't agree to be a subject in ANY of his experiments, no matter what he offers you. He is… Slightly insane… Actually, maybe you should forego that. I can tell you a little bit about Quincies. Actually, one of Ichigo's friends is a Quincy, though.

"I suppose they would be enemies, now, considering Uryu joined Yhwach and the rest of the Vandenreich. Uryu is dead, now. Ichigo had to kill him in the final war with the Quincies. I think it hurt him a lot to have to do so, so please don't mention Uryu around him."

"Wait… Is he that slightly effeminate guy with the glasses who sewed a blue cross on the back of Kon's head?" Karin asked, raising an eyebrow. Rukia snickered at this description of Uryu. She would definitely agree that he was 'slightly effeminate'.

"Yes. That's him… But… Look at the time. I'll take you to the Shin'o Academy, and you'll get your uniform, and go to sleep immediately. Your roommate will wake you up in the morning to get ready."

"Great. What do I owe you for the meal, Rukia?" Karin asked frankly. Rukia sighed.

"You don't owe me anything. And you have to get used to calling me Lieutenant Kuchiki, now. If my Nii-sama heard you addressing me so informally, he'd…"

"Be incensed?" Came a deep and smooth, but icy cool voice from behind Karin, who jumped. She hadn't sensed anyone approaching. She was pretty good at reading spiritual pressure. But with the overflowing level of spirit energy in Soul Society, it was hard to get a reading on anything.

"I will definitely say, Miss Kurosaki, that you are as rude as your elder brother… However, you seem slightly more sophisticated and cultured than he is. I will return you to the Shin'o Academy. Rukia, you may go back home."

"Nii-sama… I still have to pay…" Rukia said meekly.

"Very well. Do so, and hurry home. It would not do to be out too late. Let us go, Miss Kurosaki…"

"Um… S-sure… Um… W-what should I call you, sir?" Karin asked sheepishly. Byakuya looked down at the girl, and offered a thin smile.

Karin felt sure that this was about as much as she could hope for from him.

"Captain Kuchiki will be fine."

"Th-then… Y-you really are R… Rather, Lieutenant Kuchiki's brother?" Karin asked. She felt it was likely, given how similar they looked. Their hair, their eyes, even the way they spoke.

"That is a long story. If you wish to hear it, I will indulge you as we walk to the Academy." Byakuya said quietly, looking toward the door, and leading Karin toward it.

"It was a long time ago, actually, that Rukia and I met. I am certainly older than I look, as is Rukia. I guess it would be about 110 years ago that I first met Rukia. She was an orphan in Rukongai, and her elder sister, my wife, had just died. That is an even longer story, and I will not tell it without Rukia's permission. But I adopted Rukia in accordance with Hisana's wishes.

"I would have gladly done anything for Hisana. She was an amazing woman. She was not a Shinigami, and was frail and sickly. But I loved her like no other. When she died, I was crushed. But I honored her wish for me to find Rukia in Rukongai, and adopt her. Unlike Hisana, who was not particularly strong, or spiritually potent, Rukia had the skills of a Shinigami in surfeit.

"So I enrolled her in the Shin'o Academy, and she graduated and became a Shinigami like most of the Kuchiki Family. The Kuchikis are one of the four great noble families. One other of note is the Shihoins. The Shibas used to be a noble family. I could not tell you how they fell from grace. However, your father was once named Isshin Shiba. He changed his name. That is all you really need to know."

"Oh… Good evening, Captain Kuchiki…" Came Toshiro's voice from maybe fifteen feet away. Karin waved.

"Hey, Toshiro…"

"It's Captain Hitsugaya! What are you even doing here, Kurosaki? You aren't a spirit. You aren't a Shinigami… You have no business in the Seireitei."

"Oh… Funny story, actually. I'm going to become a Shinigami. Ichi-nii said I could stay and become a Shinigami. I'm just headed to the Shin'o Academy to head to my dorm room."

"I know. That doesn't mean that you should That doesn't mean that you're any smarter than your brother, trying to tread where you scarcely belong." Toshiro said, not sounding a bit impressed. "Well… I don't doubt that you'll do better than your brother would. The only thing he's ever been good at was swinging his oversized stick around…" Toshiro said with a snort of disdain.

"He still wasn't happy that Ichigo became a Shinigami without having to go through the years of the Shin'o Academy. It was true that he was far too advanced for most of the classes. Zanjutsu and Hoho, he was exceedingly talented in, and was even able to match Aizen with his skill."

"That's so not true!" Karin snapped, quite forgetting, and frankly, not caring that Toshiro was a captain.

"Ichi-nii is the best martial artist I know! He could probably fight in national tournaments if he wanted, even without his Shinigami powers! But he's just never been interested."

"Fine. He's got basic Hakuda down, then. But his major problem is his lack of anything even resembling Reiatsu control. That means he can't use Kido properly."

"Kido? I don't understand… What the hell is Kido?"

"Demon Arts. It's magic. Don't look at me that way, Kurosaki. If you can believe in ghosts, why can't you believe in magic? Kurosaki's Reiatsu control is so poor that he'd more likely blow himself up than hurt the opponent."

"Ichi-nii could learn Kido if he wanted to! He probably just doesn't need it!"

"Right…" Toshiro said impatiently. "That man could never learn Kido. He's impatient, undisciplined, and uncultured."

"I bet you anything Ichi-nii could learn Kido in two months if he wanted to!" At this, Byakuya looked over at Karin skeptically. Ichigo was good at many things. Calm concentration and focus wasn't one of them.

"Really?" Toshiro asked, still wearing the same deadpan look on his face.

"And if he were to somehow succeed in learning Kido in two months, especially considering that it takes most Shinigami at least a year to even get the basics, what would you want out of me?"

"Huh? What the hell are you talking about? I just wanna see the look on your face when Ichi-nii shows you up!"

"Fine." Toshiro said in resignation.

"What do I have to do if you win?"

"If I win, you have to promise that you won't be as incompetent in Kido as Kurosaki is." Toshiro said coldly. Karin glowered at him.

"You know… You're a lot different than how I remember you." Karin said distastefully, ignoring Byakuya's sound of impatience. Toshiro sighed, though, and shook his head.

"Sorry, Kurosaki. My grandmother just died, and I guess I'm in a bad mood." Toshiro said. Indeed, the woman who had taken him in when he was a child had just recently died, not because of old age, but because of a Hollow attack on his home district.

Shinigami had destroyed the Hollow quickly, but it had killed several people in the meantime.

"What? Tosh… Captain Hitsugaya! That's horrible. I didn't know people in this place got old and died…" Karin said nervously.

"People don't age as quickly, and people never die of natural causes. For instance, Commander General Shigekuni Yamamoto Genryusai was over 10,000 years old, and had not died yet. He looked like an extraordinarily muscular old man, but he was nearly unbeatable. Unfortunately, he was murdered by a Quincy of the radical group called the Vandenreich named Yhwach.

"Yhwach was the former Captain-Commander's arch-nemesis, for lack of a better word, and had developed ingenious methods of defeating even a man as brilliant and powerful as him. I'd gladly tell you the story at another time. Perhaps if you lose, the bet, you'll give me a few hours of your time, and I can tell you the story of what happened."

The truth was that now that Toshiro was speaking to Karin, he remembered her acutely from the time that he met her in Karakura Town. She was becoming a beautiful young woman, and he was finding that he wanted to spend time with her in the future.

"You askin' me on a date?" Karin asked in a semi-threatening manner. At this, Toshiro actually laughed.

"Sort of. If you don't want to, I don't mind. But I found the story to be an interesting one, and Seireitei is an interesting place if you know where to look…"

"Okay. You're on. But I don't want the reason for the date to be something as cheap as losing a bet. I'll go on a date with you two weekends from now."

"Karin Kurosaki… We must hurry. It is nearing midnight. Classes start early in the Shin'o Academy."

"Fine. I will pick you up, Kurosaki… Is there a time and day you prefer?" Toshiro asked politely, never having had much experience with dating, if any at all.

"Sunday at 0900h. And Toshiro…"

"Yes, Kurosaki?"

"Call me Karin…"