Hinamori's Apprentice
Chapter Two
Karin stared down in horror. Her body lay lifeless on the ground, a massive gash across the stomach. She began to feel sick and collapsed to her knees, staring into the blank lifeless eyes of her body.
"Oh no…no, no, no…this can't be happening…" she whispered to herself, tears coming to her eyes. She didn't want to believe it, but she knew the truth. She was dead. Her corpse was right in front of her, and she was standing above it as a spirit. She knew from past experiences what this was, but her mind simply could not comprehend it. It was over, she was dead. She pulled a little on the chain coming from her chest, wincing in pain from the action.
She heard a loud shriek above her, and realized that the hollow was still there. She wanted to run, but she was simply too stunned and scared to move. She could only stare as the hollow came for her.
Just as it was reaching one of its massive arms down towards her however, there a white flash flew past it. The hollow shrieked as its severed arm hit the ground with a thud, Toushiro Hitsugaya standing behind it, zanpakuto drawn. The hollow roared and turned its attention to him. It prepared to attack but before it even had the chance he had leapt into the air and brought his sword down on its head, shattering its mask and causing the hollow to disintegrate. Upon landing on the ground, he sheathed his sword and turned to face Karin.
"Watch yourself, next time I might not be here to-" he abruptly stopped upon seeing Karin's mangled body on the ground and her spirit kneeling down next to it.
"Toushiro…I'm dead, aren't I?"
---
"So why do we need to keep track of these sorts of things?" Ichigo asked.
"I already told you, by keeping track of human death rates over a geographical area, we are able to determine where to position Shinigami, how many, and how to prepare them," Momo said impatiently. They sat at a desk, reading several reports on the status and mortality rates of land under Fifth Division's jurisdiction. Momo kept a notepad on hand, occasionally writing down notes.
"Yeah, but it's just so…morbid," Ichigo said.
"You're thinking as a human. If you want to successfully lead this Division, you're going to have to think like a Shinigami," Momo said.
"But I'm both a human and a Shinigami," Ichigo said.
"Well you'll have to learn to only be a Shinigami while on duty, and Shinigami must accept the reality of death and not form attachments to the human world," Momo said, "It's not that we don't have emotions or feelings, but when we do our job we must leave them behind."
"Well I think that you guys could stand to not be so strict about that stuff," Ichigo said lazily. This comment was too much for Momo. She slammed her hand down on the desk angrily.
"Don't you realize how important this is? As a Captain you'll be facing tremendous responsibility! You'll be in charge of all affairs of the Fifth Division as well as having to take care of the dangerous missions that are assigned to Captains! The Fifth Division contains roughly 450 Shinigami. Those Shinigami are responsible for an area of 2,544,000 square miles containing over 440 million humans! In addition, Fifth Division is the messenger division, which means we are also responsible for managing communications within Seireitei! As Captain you will have to manage that as effectively and efficiently as possible! You're treating this whole thing like a joke!" Momo breathed heavily after her yelling. As she calmed down, she realized that she had just shouted at the man who would soon be her Captain.
Before Ichigo could respond to her, the door was thrown open and a messenger had come in.
"Sir, there is an urgent message for you from Captain Hitsugaya in the World of the Living! Captain Ukitake has asked to give you the message personally. You are to meet with him immediately!" the messenger recited. Ichigo sighed and turned to Momo.
"We'll discuss this later," he said before walking out.
---
"I can't believe this," Karin said tearily, "This can't be happening!"
"I just sent a message to Soul Society. Ichigo will be coming as soon as he can," Toushiro said. They stood at the side of the road. Emergency vehicles were already there, the area blocked off to traffic. Baffled police surveyed the badly damaged road as Karin's body was taken away. Toushiro had agreed to have Ichigo come and be the one to perform Konso on Karin to send her to Soul Society.
"Why did this have to happen?" Karin asked, "There's still so in life! College, a job, marriage, children, retirement…I'll never have the chance to experience any of those things!"
"I'm sorry," Toushiro said, a rare soft tone in his voice, "It's probably not much consolation, but I died at a young age too. I was six at the time. I got lost outside during the winter and froze to death. I know it's not going to make you feel better, but I just want you to know that I do know how it feels to be in your situation right now."
"I…I just can't believe it," Karin said, "Just this afternoon I was worrying about homework and what I'd be having for dinner, and now suddenly this."
They were silent, watching as the vehicle holding Karin's body drove away, leaving only the investigation team.
"Toushiro, take me to where they're taking my body. My family will probably be in the same place. I…just want to see them one last time before passing on," Karin said.
"Are you sure? Do you really want your last memory of them to be seeing them grieving over your body?" Toushiro asked.
"I…I just want to see them again…" Karin said. Toushiro sighed.
"Okay, but we'll have to get back here right afterwards. This is where Ichigo was told to meet up with us." Toushiro picked up Karin and shunpoed off after the car carrying her body.
---
Ichigo was a nervous wreck. Upon hearing of Karin's fate, he had nearly collapsed. He now stood next to Rukia, preparing to leave Soul Society for Karakura town.
"Are you ready Ichigo?" Rukia asked.
"No, not really," Ichigo admitted through gritted teeth. His entire body felt numb from grief. Karin was dead…he didn't want to believe it! It was just too much.
"The Senkaimon will open at the location where you'll be meeting up with Captain Hitsugaya," Ukitake explained, "I know that you're filled with a lot of grief right now, but remember what you have to do. You may talk with her, but you'll have to perform Konso on her in the end. I know you'll be tempted to try something else, but Konso is the only way for her soul to properly pass on."
"Yes sir," Ichigo said quietly. Just then, the Senkaimon opened.
"Come on Ichigo," Rukia said. Ichigo nodded solemnly and they both walked through.
---
Momo Hinamori lied on the side of a hill, munching on a peach. It was sunset, and she found the atmosphere relaxing, even as she worried about Ichigo and the future of the division.
"Hey Momo." Momo turned around to see Renji walking over to her. "Mind if I sit down with you?"
"Sure, be my guest," Momo said in a friendly tone. Renji sat down next to her.
"So, what are you thinking about?"
"Nothing really. Do you know what Kurosaki left for?" Momo asked.
"No, they wouldn't tell me. He left for the world of the living a short while ago," Renji said.
"I see…"
"So, I heard you got into a fight with him," Renji said.
"Who told you that?" Momo said defensively.
"A couple of members of your division. They say your shouting could be heard throughout the entire building!" Renji laughed. Momo slapped herself in the face and groaned.
"Oh man, I can't believe it," she muttered.
"Yeah, I'm a bit surprised too. You were always so bright and cheerful in the past, but you've been changing lately. You've been moody and serious and obsessed with your work," Renji said, "I personally blame it on your work schedule."
"What do you mean?" Momo asked.
"Well think about it. Now that Aizen's gone- oh, sorry," Renji quickly said as he saw Momo flinch at the name of her traitorous former Captain, "Well, now that your division doesn't have a Captain, you've been doing all of the duties of both a Captain and Vice-Captain for over a year. That's gotta be stressful for you, and probably why you've been acting differently."
"I suppose it might be, but I don't think I've changed that much," Momo said, "I still try to be nice to people and my life is reasonably happy."
"Well, I guess it's more noticeable to outside observers. I'm thinking that it might have something to do with the Captain position in general. Izuru and Hisagi are both acting Captains too, and they've gotten a lot more serious to."
"Toushiro too…I mean Captain Hitsugaya," Momo said, "Before becoming Captain, he acted way different. He was a little grumpypants, but he still acted like a kid. Now he acts like a miniature adult and is always so businesslike."
"Yeah, well, people change over time," Renji said.
"No, that's not it. It's not time that changed us, it's being a Shinigami that changed us," Momo said.
"What do you mean?" Renji asked.
"You should understand, you were once just a normal soul in Rukongai like I was. Now we're Shinigami, gods of death. You and I are basically the equivalent of human teenagers, but look what we've seen and done. We're both trained in combat and are senior leaders in a military system. I know that both of us have killed people at certain points. We've both seen so much death that we're practically desensitized to it. We've both changed from what we used to be like, and stepping up to Captainship just changes a person even more."
"That's what this is all about, isn't it?" Renji said, "I was right before, wasn't I? You want the Captain position yourself, which is why you were being so rough on Ichigo."
"I…okay, fine, you're right," Momo said.
"Why do you want it though? All of the extra work is clearly getting to you. Why not let Ichigo be Captain so that you can focus on your Vice-Captain duties?" Renji asked.
"It's…complicated," Momo said, "I want to get stronger and be acknowledge and recognized for it. During the war, I felt like I was never any use. Even when I did things right, the Captains far outshined me! I mean look what To…Captain Hitsugaya accomplished compared to me."
"You're jealous of him, aren't you?" Renji asked. This question inexplicably caused Momo to begin crying. "Hey, hey! Don't cry, it was just a question! I'm not trying to accuse you, I just…pointing out what I thought I saw!"
"No, you're right," Momo said, "I am jealous, and I feel horrible for it. I should be happy for him, but instead I feel jealousy. It's like…I'm sad that he's so strong. Not just stronger than me, I could deal with that, but the fact that he's so much stronger than me. We grew up together, as close as can be, yet he went so far beyond me so quickly. If he were just a genius or just powerful or just extremely skilled in combat, I probably could handle it, but when he's so much better at just about everything, I…I just don't know! It's horrible that I feel that way, I'm well aware of that, but I just can't feel differently! I know I'll never be on the same level as him at anything, and that really hurts. You probably think that I'm disgusting for feeling that way about someone who's supposed to be my friend, don't you?"
"No, it's a natural emotion," Renji said, "You shouldn't let that come between you two though. Weren't you two best friends? Should a little bit of jealousy be enough to mess that up?"
"Well, it's not just the jealousy…" Momo said, "Let's just say…neither of us was able to properly acknowledge the other. I really don't want to talk about how it happened, it's not a pleasant memory."
"Fine, if that's really how you feel, so be it," Renji said, "Just know that if you do want to talk about it, I'm always here." Momo smiled.
"Thanks Renji, you're a real friend."
---
Karin watched as her body was wheeled into the room, covered with a sheet. Isshin and Yuzu were already there, both pale with shock, tears in their eyes. A worker came up to Isshin.
"I know this is difficult, but we need you to confirm her identity," he said quietly. Isshin nodded and went over to the body. The worker lifted up the sheet a little. Isshin lowered his head.
"It's her."
Yuzu wailed in grief. Isshin went over to her and embraced her, letting her sob into his shoulder. Karin began to walk over, only for Toushiro to hold her back.
"They can't see us," he said quietly.
Yuzu cried as she hugged her father. Tears were coming from Isshin's eyes as well. Karin watched as they cried, beginning to cry herself. She had only cried a few times in her life, but she couldn't help it this time as she watched her father and sister crying over her death. For a moment she thought she saw Isshin's gaze settle upon her, but knew it was impossible, and surely enough he was staring off into space the next moment. Yuzu's cries filled Karin with the most horrible sadness imaginable.
"Karin! It's not fair! Karin…no…" she sobbed. Karin couldn't take it anymore, running up to Yuzu.
"Yuzu, it's me! Karin! I'm here! I'm here Yuzu!" she said, crying herself. Yuzu didn't notice her, and kept crying. Toushiro walked over and pulled Karin away as she continued to cry.
"We have to go now," he said.
"No, I want to…I want to see them some more!" Karin said, trying to get away but too exhausted to be able to.
Toushiro took Karin outside the hospital and began leading her back to where they would be meeting with Ichigo.
"Ichigo will be here soon," he said, "You'll be able to talk with him before moving on to Soul Society."
They walked quietly for several minutes, neither speaking a word. Suddenly there was a loud crash. They turned around to see a hollow walking out from behind a collapsed building. It was thin and had long, ape-like limbs. There was a shriek above, and a hollow with a body like a giant moth appeared in the sky. They heard a thud and saw that coming from the other end of the street was a thick, heavy hollow on four legs.
"No way…" Karin said in shock.
"Don't worry, these are small fry," Toushiro said, drawing Hyourinmaru, "Just stay behind me and you'll be fine."
The long armed hollow was the first to charge. Toushiro leapt into the air, cutting it in half before it could even reach them. The two halves fell to the ground with a crash. The heavy hollow on the ground charged them, its massive limbs propelling it much more quickly than one would expect it to move. Toushiro ran forward and brought his zanpakuto down on its mask, cracking it and causing the hollow to dissolve into dust. Now all that was left was the flying moth hollow above them. Toushiro got a running head-start and leapt up into the air. He aimed a slash at it, but it was too shallow and only severed a few of its legs. Collecting reiatsu under his feet so that he stood in mid-air, he faced off against the hollow.
Before he could fight however, he heard a scream from below. Looking down, he saw that the disembodied top half of the long armed hollow was still alive, and that it had grabbed hold of Karin's chain of fate, lifting her up by it. He turned to go free her, but the moth hollow took the opportunity to attack, and flew down after him. Growling, he whipped around and slashed the hollow diagonally in half. The hollow dissolved to dust, and Toushiro proceeded to hurry to Karin.
Karin screamed again as the monstrous hollow held her by the chain coming from her chest. It hurt horribly. It was beyond physical pain, it felt as if her very soul were being damaged. The hollow lifted her up above its mask, opening its mouth. Despite being cut in half, it was clearly quite intent on consuming her soul. Just as it began to lower her into its mouth, Toushiro appeared from above, slashing it right across the mask, destroying the hollow.
Sheathing his sword, he rushed to Karin's side. She was lying on the ground groaning in pain, clutching the place where the chain of fate connected to her chest. A bright light was coming out from the edges. Upon examining it, Toushiro growled.
"It's no good. I'm sorry, but we can't wait for Ichigo any longer. I'm going to perform Konso on you right now," he said, drawing his sword. Karin hurriedly sat up, wincing in pain.
"N-no! I want Ichi-nii to do it! I want to talk to him before I have to go!" she pleaded.
"I'm sorry, but we have no choice now," Toushiro explained, "Your chain of fate has been damaged. If I don't perform Konso right away, you run the risk of turning into a hollow."
"I…but I wanted to see Ichi-nii…I…please, not yet!" Karin begged.
"I'm really sorry Karin, this is the only way," Toushiro said. Suddenly a crack formed at the base of Karin's chain of fate. "We have to hurry," Toushiro said. He brought the hilt of his sword up above her forehead. "Are you ready?" Karin gulped but slowly nodded her head, closing her eyes tightly.
Toushiro gently pressed the hilt of his zanpakuto against her forehead. Karin's body glowed for a moment before disappearing, sent to Soul Society.
Thanks for reading! Thank you to Photophobic, Aly Dee, lamekirby, DW64, and Thunder Claw03 for reviewing! It was nice to see that several people who haven't reviewed my stories before reviewed this one! I updated a little earlier than I normally would as thanks! Please review!