Hinamori's Apprentice
Chapter 11
Toushiro brought down his blade, slicing a hollow's mask in two. The hollow dissolved into dust. That was the last of them. He walked out of the small cave that he had gone into to clear hollows out of. There had recently been a string of cases where hollows had made dens in Soul Society, and Toushiro had been sent to take them out. He reached for his collar, where there was a small transmitting device.
"Captain Hitsugaya to Seireitei. I just finished off the last of them in this area. They're all weaklings that barely put up a fight. If there are no objections, I intend to return to Seireitei now…yes…yes, very well. I'll get back as soon as I can." Toushiro turned the device off and looked out at the landscape. There didn't seem to be anything unusual here at first glance, but something very odd was going on.
It was rare for hollows to appear in Soul Society, and when they did they were usually fairly powerful, hence why a Captain was dispatched when there was an outbreak of them. But the hollows he defeated were so weak that they could have been handled by an unseated Shinigami. Why were weak hollows suddenly appearing like this when they had never done so before? How were they getting to Soul Society in such large numbers? He would have to find an answer to these questions at a later time. Returning his zanpakuto to its sheath, he turned in the direction of Seireitei and shunpoed off.
---
Renji and Rukia walked through the streets of Seireitei. Renji carried a basket, while Rukia carried a small box.
"Why do we have to do this again?" Renji asked grumpily.
"Because it's a nice thing to do, stupid," Rukia said, "Ichigo hasn't had many chances to visit Karin, so we're going to visit to cheer her up."
"She's been here for two weeks already, she's probably gotten used to things," Renji said.
"Renji, try to think of things from her perspective. She lost her life and was dropped into an unfamiliar world. As if that weren't traumatic enough, she also has to deal with all the issues going on in Seireitei. Dropping by to visit and giving her gifts like this will make her feel more at home," Rukia explained.
"That's not the only reason," Renji said seriously, "Come on, I heard you and Captain Kuchiki talking. I know what this is really about."
"Then why did you ask?" Rukia said.
"Because I was hoping you would give me the full story on your own," Renji said irritably.
"Look, just let me deal with it. Byakuya is going to talk to Ichigo soon anyways, I just thought that it might soften the blow if I were the one who told her," Rukia said.
"I wish you'd be more straightforward with this sort of thing," Renji muttered.
When they arrived at Rangiku Matsumoto's residence where Karin was staying, Rukia tapped Renji on the shoulder.
"Remember to be gentle with her," Rukia said, "The poor girl is probably really depressed from everything that's happened, and our news isn't going to help. Try to be supportive." Rukia knocked on the door.
"Come in!" Rangiku called.
Renji and Rukia walked in to see Rangiku lying on top of Karin on the couch.
"Oh, hi guys! What brings you here?" she said innocently. Karin managed to turn her head towards them and yell out to them.
"Don't just stand there! Get her off of me!" she gasped.
"This is important combat training! You can't quit now!" Rangiku laughed. Renji and Rukia stared blankly at them as Karin squirmed her way out from underneath Matsumoto, managing to grab a nearby pillow and whack Rangiku over the head with it, freeing herself.
"Oh, you're going to pay for that!" Rangiku said playfully.
"Bring it on!" Karin laughed, brandishing the pillow. Grinning, Rangiku suddenly pulled off a sheet covering the couch and quickly covered Karin in it, wrapping her up.
"I got you!" she said, "Now I'm gonna give you the worst tickling in your life!"
"Oh no you don't!" Karin said as she pulled off the sheet and leapt at Matsumoto, hitting her with the pillow. The two of them laughed as they wrestled around on the couch, with Rukia and Renji watching.
"So much for her being depressed," Renji muttered. Rukia cleared her throat and knocked on the wall, getting their attention.
"Hey guys, are you going to be long? We brought some things over for you," she said. Rangiku and Karin stopped and sat up, blushing a little bit.
"Sorry," Karin said.
"Yeah, we just got a little caught up in the moment," Rangiku laughed.
"Well I'm glad to see that you two are getting along," Rukia said with a smile, "Now if you're interested, we brought over a few things for Karin."
"Really? Thanks!" Karin said, getting up and walking over to them.
"First, Renji brought you this fruit basket," Rukia said, nudging Renji, who then handed Karin the basket, "And I brought you a little present."
She handed the box to Karin, who opened it up to find a soccer ball.
"Do you like it? I know you like soccer, so I figured that this would be an appropriate gift," Rukia said.
"It's great! Where did you find it, haven't seen any real soccer balls the entire time I was here," Karin said.
"My brother acquired it," Rukia said.
"That was nice of him," Karin said. Rukia smiled, but behind that was deep confusion. In the times she had seen Karin at Ichigo's house, she had never been like this. She wasn't quite as much of a brooding person as Ichigo, but she had always been more cynical and tough than cheerful and friendly, and Rukia had never seen her behave in such a manner. Privately, Rukia suspected that her unusually happy attitude was a coping mechanism for the struggles she faced and the sadness she felt. Then again, it was equally possible that Karin simply really was happy, or possibly that Rangiku's personality was rubbing off on her. She had clearly established a close friendship with Rangiku, and the older woman seemed to have settled into a big sister type of role for Karin.
"So are you going to tell them now?" Renji asked.
"Tell us about what?" Karin asked. Rukia glared at Renji.
"You idiot, I was planning on bringing that up when the moment was right!" she growled at him.
"Oh…sorry," Renji said awkwardly.
"What are you two talking about? What happened?" Rangiku said, her voice turning serious. Rukia sighed.
"I wanted to wait for the proper moment to tell you, but I suppose we'd better just say it now," she said, "The Kuchiki elders have refused to allow your adoption into the Kuchiki family."
"What? Why the hell not?" Rangiku said, visibly upset.
"They already bent the rule against taking in outsiders twice with my sister and myself. Byakuya is the head of the family, but he can't overrule a unanimous decision by the elders. I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. We'll have to find a new justification for Karin to stay in Seireitei. If we don't figure something out, she'll end up being sent to live just outside the walls. It won't be bad there, but keeping her in Seireitei is much preferable," Rukia explained.
"But with Ichigo as a Captain…" Karin said, trailing off.
"He's not a Captain yet, and they can only bend the rules so far for him. After he's been officially promoted, you might get the chance to live in the area of Seireitei for nobles, but you can't stay in domain of the Gotei 13 for long without good reason. Don't worry, we'll figure something out. We just have to think about it."
"I think I have a solution," Rangiku said with a sudden smile, "I've been mulling it over for the past few weeks, but I wasn't sure it would be necessary with the Kuchiki family adopting her. Now that that idea has failed, I think this is the best option. Karin should become a Shinigami."
"What? But she only just arrived in Seireitei! We don't know how great her reiatsu is, she doesn't know enough about Seireitei and Soul Society, and she's too young for that kind of responsibility!" Rukia said.
"Captain Hitsugaya was physically younger than her when he enrolled in the Shinigami academy," Rangiku noted.
"Yeah, but Captain Hitsugaya is one of the most naturally gifted Shinigami in the history of Seireitei, and even he found the transition from the life of a young boy to the life of a Shinigami difficult and stressful! We can't push this sort of thing onto her when she doesn't understand what it means to be a Shinigami!"
"I understand," Karin said, "I understand that it's not just a game, and I still want to do this."
"Look, we don't even know if she's capable of using her powers yet," Rukia said, "Very few people are able to access their powers at such a young age."
"Well she can!" Rangiku said brightly.
"What?" Rukia said in confusion.
"I've been training her in Shinigami skills, and she's already showing progress! She can do it, I know she can!" Rangiku said.
"I thought you were only teaching her the most basic self-defense skills," Renji said.
"That's what we told Ichigo. I've been teaching her reiatsu control, hand-to-hand combat, and swordsmanship."
"You gave her a sword?!" Rukia said in alarm, "Are you trying to get her to lose an arm? You can't just give someone a sword to practice with!"
"Relax, I taught her all about safe handling of swords. She's fine," Rangiku insisted.
"Ichigo's going to have your head for this," Renji said.
"He won't when he sees how much Karin can already do," Rangiku replied, "Karin, show them what we've been working on.
Karin nodded and ran across the room to a small wooden chest. She opened it up and pulled out a glass orb, running back with it. She put her hands on both sides of it and closed her eyes tight in concentration. The ball began to fill with bright blue light that unevenly flashed, flickered and sparked but nevertheless remained in the orb consistently.
"That's good Karin, take a break," Rangiku said. Karin stopped and set the orb down, panting tiredly. Rangiku turned back to Rukia and Renji. "You see? She's making huge progress for such a short period of time."
"I can see that, but this is still a really reckless thing to do," Rukia said disapprovingly.
"It will be worth it," Rangiku said.
"Very well then," Rukia sighed, "I suppose you'll figure out the details. We'd might as well be going now."
"Wait," Rangiku said, "I have a request for you."
"What kind of request?" Rukia asked.
"Karin really wants to see her father and sister again," Rangiku explained.
"Of course she does! When we die, we leave our loved ones behind and establish new lives in Soul Society. It's perfectly natural to feel sad in these sorts of circumstances, but there's nothing that can be done about it," Rukia said.
"I know…but it really means a lot to Karin. I'm going to get right to the point: Can Karin use the Kuchiki Family Senkaimon to go visit her family?"
"What?!" Rukia said in shock. Karin stared at Rangiku in amazement. She had not asked her to request such a thing. In fact, she had only mentioned it once, yet Rangiku had known that Karin wanted to see her family more than anything else, and was now seeking to help her.
"So what do you say? Can you just let her use it just a little bit?" Rangiku said.
"Vice-captain Matsumoto, think about what you're saying! Of course she can't! Aside from being illegal, I don't have access to that on my own!"
"It's really important. If Karin ends up having to leave Seireitei, she'll lose any chance in the future to see her family again. The Kuchiki family's private Senkaimon is not tracked, and she can slip into the living world and back without the higher-ups even knowing! Please?" Rangiku said.
"I'm sorry, I just can't," Rukia said, "I can't access it without Byakuya's permission, and somebody would surely notice even if that weren't the case. It's simply not possible."
"It's okay," Karin said quietly, "I understand. I suppose…I suppose I'll just have to accept that I won't be able to see them again."
"No," Rangiku said, "Karin, I'm going to get you to see your family again."
"Rangiku, don't make promises you can't keep," Renji warned.
"I have every intention of keeping it," Rangiku said firmly.
"How? How are you going to get to the world of the living without being noticed?" Renji asked.
"I had a back-up plan. I knew it was possible that Rukia wouldn't be able to arrange it, so I thought up a back-up plan," Rangiku said, "We just need to find someone who is able to open a Senkaimon themselves without being noticed. Someone who's done it before, someone who's an expert at Kido and can effectively hide themselves and others…" She gave a small wink that made it clear who she was talking about. Renji immediately shook his head.
"No, no, no, that's not going to work," he said, "Momo is going through enough right now, we don't need to add to it."
"Momo?" Karin repeated, "You mean…"
"Yes, the girl who took you to Seireitei," Rangiku said, "She's a master of Kido, and can easily create a Senkaimon and hide its presence. She's done it before, she can do it again."
"That was under exceptional circumstances though," Rukia pointed out, "I don't think she will agree to it easily."
"Perhaps not, but I can be persuasive," Rangiku said with a smile, "Don't worry Karin, I'll get you to the world of the living and allow you to see your father and sister again, I promise."
---
"What?!" Ichigo said in shock.
"I'm sorry. The family elders have refused to bring Karin Kurosaki into the Kuchiki family," Byakuya said.
"But…but how could they?" Ichigo asked. He was standing up behind the desk in the Fifth Division office. Momo Hinamori watched nervously as Ichigo and Byakuya stared at eachother.
"The elders are not willing to adopt a commoner into the family. They already made huge concessions by adopting Hisana and Rukia into the family. They will not do it again. I owe you a great debt, but the same cannot be said of the elders," Byakuya explained.
"So what now?" Ichigo asked, "What will become of Karin?"
"Unfortunately, she will not be able to remain in Seireitei for long. This is a military area; a civilian cannot just live their life here. The arrangement with Vice-captain Matsumoto was only temporary until we could find a more permanent solution."
"But what permanent solution?" Ichigo pressed on.
"Right now, it is most likely that she will be sent to Rukongai's First District to live," Byakuya said.
"We can't just leave her on her own," Ichigo said, "Even if the First District is safer than others, I can't allow her to just be sent off to live on her own."
"I still owe you a debt. I am willing to send off several of my best servants to accompany her should she be sent to Rukongai. She will be kept safe," Byakuya offered.
"Thank you, but I still do not want her sent off like that," Ichigo said, "What other choices are there?"
"Well, one possible option is to wait until you are officially promoted to Captain and persuade one of the lower noble families to adopt her. To them, it would be an honor to adopt the sister of a Captain. Unfortunately, that would mean waiting for your promotion, when we don't know when exactly that will be. You still have much to prove in regards to your competence as a potential Captain, and it could take anywhere from a month to a year. Alternatively, Karin could enroll in the Shinigami Academy. She would stay at the student dormitories for six years, after which she would be eligible to become a Shinigami."
"I don't like either of those ideas much," Ichigo said, "I think I'd better go to the Captain-Commander to negotiate this. The sooner we figure out the details the better."
"Very well, I'll meet you at the First Division Headquarters after you have finished your work for today," Byakuya said, "Judging by what I see before me, that would be about four hours, correct?"
"That is correct, but I am afraid that I cannot wait to finish bureaucratic paperwork. I'm going to talk to the Captain-Commander now," Ichigo said.
"But Ichigo, we still have a lot of work to do!" Momo protested, speaking for the first time in the conversation.
"Sorry, but I can't waste any time. This is more important than simple paperwork. I'll leave the rest of today's work for you," Ichigo said, "Byakuya, if possible I'd like you to accompany me when I go to the Captain-Commander."
"Very well then," Byakuya said. Before they could leave however, Momo ran over and blocked the door.
"You can't do this! It's you duty to watch over the Fifth Division! A Captain can't just abandon their division when they feel like it!" she protested.
"I'm not Captain yet, and like I said, this is more important. I'm sorry, but my mind is made up," Ichigo said, pushing his way past Momo. Byakuya followed silently behind. Momo stared after them, a combination of grief, betrayal, and anger etched across her face. Clenching her fists, she briskly walked back to the desk, taking a seat in the Captain's chair that Ichigo had occupied minutes before.
---
Uryu Ishida fired an arrow of energy. It pierced the hollow and dissolved it into dust. The threat over, Uryu allowed his bow to disappear. He looked around and sighed. That was the only hollow he'd seen in days, yet still he had to constantly spend his time around this area. He had promised Ichigo that he would keep an eye on his family while he was gone. He didn't like doing such a favor for a Shinigami, but he couldn't turn Ichigo down when he requested it. Thus, he spent every day in the neighborhood that contained Ichigo's house, keeping an eye on it and eradicating any hollows that happened to appear. Occasionally Yasutora Sado would take over, but he was the primary one to guard the place from hollows. It was a boring job, but the worst part wasn't the waiting around for hollows, it was…
"Uryu! Why did you run off!"
Uryu groaned and turned around to see Ichigo's little sister, Yuzu, running up to him from behind.
"Come on, it's time for our daily tea party! Yuzu said cheerfully.
"Right…of course it is," Uryu grumbled. Recently, Yuzu had noticed his spending time around their house and had begun inviting him to tea parties. As silly as they were, Uryu could never turn her down. He sighed as Yuzu grabbed his hand and pulled him after her, leading him towards her house.
When they arrived, she promptly took him to her room, where she had already set up her tea party. Cups of tea sat on a short table next to plates of small cookies. Stuffed animals sat around the table, their fake eyes seeming to stare at Uryu. He sat down on the cushion that Yuzu set out for him. It was quite comfortable, which was ironic since this was one of the most uncomfortable situations he had ever been in.
"Ah, I see my daughter and her friend are sitting down for tea!" Isshin Kurosaki said from the doorway.
"Hi Daddy! Would you like to join us for tea?" Yuzu asked.
"I'd love to, but I'm afraid I can't today," he laughed, "You two will just have to have extra fun in place of me!"
"Okay Daddy!"
"Hey Mr. Kurosaki, aren't you at all concerned that your daughter is spending large amounts of time with an older boy?" Uryu asked dryly.
"Hmmmm…no, I can't say I am," he said. Uryu's eyebrow twitched a little.
"I'm turning seventeen in a month, and she's twelve. There's a nearly five year age difference between us. Are you sure you don't want to, I don't know, send me home or something?" Uryu said.
"Your birthday is in only a month?" Isshin said in surprise, ignoring the latter half of the question, "Yuzu, we're going to have to get him a birthday present!"
"You're right Daddy!" Yuzu said, "I'll make sure to get him a great present!"
"Are you positive you don't have any problems with this situation?" Uryu said again.
"Of course not, why would I have a problem with dear Yuzu spending time with her future husband?"
"What?!" Uryu practically yelled.
"I know that you'll take good care of her and give me lots of grandchildren," Isshin said, "Don't worry, I fully approve of your relationship!"
"Thanks Daddy!" Yuzu said.
"Re-relationship? But she- but I'm…She's twelve!!!" Uryu sputtered out.
"Yes, which means when you're twenty, she'll be sixteen, the marriageable age here in Japan. If you get really eager, you can just wait until she reaches the age of consent at thirteen. Just remember that I want lots of grandchildren! Ichigo's too much of a dork to ever be in a serious relationship, so I'm counting on you Yuzu!"
"No problem Daddy! Uryu is a sexy hunk of man!" Yuzu said cheerfully.
"Do you even know what that means?!"
"Well, you kids have fun with your little party!" Isshin chortled, "Oh, and Uryu, I'm counting on you to protect Yuzu for me, okay?" Isshin gave Uryu an oddly knowing wink before closing the door and walking away.
"So Uryu darling, how do you like your tea?" Yuzu asked.
"It's fine," Uryu said irritably.
"I'm glad I met you," Yuzu said, suddenly turning serious, "I…I've been feeling lonely ever since Karin died…" Uryu gulped, unsure what to say.
"I…I'm glad that I could help you," he said awkwardly, "And…I'm sorry for your loss."
"Oh, don't worry about that!" Yuzu said, smiling cheerfully even as she blinked back tears, "I know that Karin is on the other side right now."
"You do?" Uryu asked, uncertain what to make of her statement.
"I know it," Yuzu said strongly, "I'm still really sad of course, but I know that she's definitely still out there, living a new life on the other side."
"How do you know this?" Uryu asked. Yuzu smiled at him.
"I'm not completely blind," she said, "I know what you've been doing. You've been protecting Daddy and I from those monsters, haven't you? You know about the other world, don't you?"
"I…you can see those things?" Uryu asked.
"No, only outlines, and even then its variable, but I know that they're there, and I know that you've been fighting them. So has Ichi-nii. I know you want to keep it a secret and won't want to explain it to me, but I know from what I've seen that there really is another world, and that Karin is there somewhere," Yuzu said, "I'm absolutely positive."
---
"Stupid, stupid, stupid…" Momo muttered as she filled out paperwork. It would have been done already had Ichigo not abandoned his post. She growled as she grabbed a new piece of paperwork. She should have known better than to believe that she could ever look up to him as a Captain. He didn't care about the Fifth Division at all. She was reminded of the initial reason for her dislike of him: his split loyalties. He may have become more useful with paperwork, but it was clear to Momo that nothing significant had changed with him. He still did not understand the importance of his position and still had split loyalties. She could not trust such a man.
"Momo?"
Momo looked up, not even noticing that several people had walked in.
"What is it, what do you want?" she snapped. It was several moments before she recognized the lead figure as Rangiku Matsumoto. Behind her were Rukia Kuchiki, Renji Abarai, and Karin Kurosaki.
"Are you okay?" Rangiku asked in concern.
"Yes…yes I'm fine. Sorry for snapping, it's just…it's been a very stressful day. Very, very stressful," Momo said.
"Well I guess we picked the wrong time to come to make a request," Rangiku said, "Would you like to talk about whatever's bothering you."
"Sure, why not?" Momo shrugged, "It's Kurosaki. He abandoned his post, he abandoned the Fifth Division, and he abandoned me!"
"Surely you're overreacting," Rukia said, "Ichigo wouldn't do that."
"No, he just got up and left in the middle of his work to argue with the Captain-Commander over her," Momo pointed at Karin, "He was supposed to be acting as Captain, but he abandoned his post. Later in the day, there was a minor emergency that I had to deal with, but because he wasn't there, it was much more difficult. I just…I really thought I could trust him. I thought I would be able to look up to him and respect him again. But I was wrong. I guess maybe I just have bad luck with Captains." She gave a short laugh at herself before immediately returning to complete silence.
"Ichigo is hot-headed, you know that. You shouldn't judge him based on one little thing like this," Renji said.
"I shouldn't, but I do," Momo said, "Today, he confirmed all the fears and suspicions I had of him that I've been ignoring lately. I just don't feel I can trust him. Once again, I find myself alone without allies." Momo seemed to be talking half to herself at this point, but quickly looked back up at them. "So what did you want to ask me?"
"Well…" Rangiku said hesitantly, "We were hoping that you could open a Senkaimon to the world of the living for us. Could you do that?"
"Sure I could, just fill out the proper forms and get the permission of a Captain and I'll be able to make a Senkaimon in no time," Momo said.
"Um, well here's the thing…" Rangiku said, "We…sort of need to do this without official permission." Momo looked at her in alarm.
"Are you saying that you want me to open an illegal Senkaimon for you? Are you mad?" Momo said incredulously.
"It's really important," Rangiku said.
"Important? What could be important enough to commit a serious crime like that?" Momo asked. Rangiku immediately explained Karin's situation and how she wanted to see her family. By the time she was finished, Momo was looking at her as if she was even crazier than before.
"So you expect me to break the laws of Seireitei just so some kid can visit her family?" Momo asked, "Rangiku, what makes you think I would ever agree to something like that?"
"Because I know that deep down, you're still the caring, compassionate person you always were," Rangiku said with a smile, "In the past, you would have seen the love she feels for her family and immediately helped her. Come on, where's that Momo?"
"I'm honestly not sure if that Momo even exists anymore," Momo replied, looking down in silence for a minute before glancing back up, "Does this really mean that much to you? Enough to break the law? Even knowing that her family might not be able to see her? Even knowing how much trouble we would both be in if caught?"
"I think Karin would have to answer that," Rangiku said glancing at Karin. Karin gulped.
"I'm willing to take the risk," she said firmly, "I…I want to see my family again. Even if they can't see me, and even if it's for a short while, I'm willing to do it." Momo sighed.
"You really do know me Rangiku," Momo said, "I can't turn her down. Meet me at my quarters at 2300 hours - that's eleven o'clock for her."
"Thank you," Karin said with a formal bow, "I am truly grateful to you for this."
"Just make sure you arrive on time," Momo said, "Now if you don't mind, I still have a lot of work to finish.
---
Toushiro sat on the rooftop, staring lazily at the sunset. He had already given the report for his mission, and was now left with no real work to do. He supposed he could work ahead so that he'd have less work tomorrow, but he preferred to just stay where he was and watch the sunset for the time being. It reminded him of happier times, back when he and Momo would watch the setting sun as children.
He wished Momo was here right now. Even with all the mannerisms that used to irritate him, the days when he and Momo could just sit together and idly watch the sunset and eat watermelon were among the happiest in his life. He would give anything to hear her laugh or see her smile, and not the fake smiles that were more common of her recently, but her true smile, the one that could light up a room with cheerfulness and joy. It had been a long time since he had seen her smile in such a way, not since Aizen.
Toushiro clenched his fist. Aizen. Even dead, Toushiro felt the urge to kill the man. He had destroyed Momo, torn her life to pieces. For decades he had groomed her to serve him and adore him, only to completely break her emotionally, not to mention nearly killing her. It was a miracle that she had even managed to recover as much as she had, though he doubted that she would ever be the happy, cheerful girl she had been before his betrayal.
"Good evening Captain Hitsugaya," a voice said from behind him. He turned his head slightly and glanced back. Shuuhei Hisagi stood just behind him.
"Captain Hisagi," Toushiro said with a nod in regard to the recently promoted Captain of the Ninth Division.
"Do you mind if I sit down?" Hisagi asked.
"Be my guest," Toushiro said apathetically. Hisagi sat down and gazed at the sunset.
"It's a lovely evening, isn't it?" Hisagi said.
"Yes," Toushiro answered simply.
"Far too lovely to enjoy alone," Hisagi said.
"I suppose so," Toushiro replied.
"Yet you were here all alone, without anyone else to share this lovely sight with. Why is that?"
Toushiro shrugged. "I guess I just wanted a break after my recent mission," he said.
"Ah yes, I forgot about that. How did that turn out?"
"It was uneventful," Toushiro said, "Just a routine mission not worthy of a Captain. They always seem to send me on those types of missions. I am always the one to send out, it would seem."
"I can relate, they've sent me out quite a bit too," Hisagi said, "I suppose it's because we're the most junior captains in the Gotei 13. Think of it as a sort of 'senior hazing' type of thing."
"It can get irksome at times," Toushiro sighed, "I do wish that people would give more respect to me sometimes. I worked really hard to achieve the position of Captain. I probably was promoted sooner than I was ready, sure, but I still did a lot to be appointed. I wish that more people would take me seriously."
"You're the youngest Captain in the history of the Gotei 13, it's only natural that people will have reservations about you," Hisagi said, "I imagine being a prodigy isn't easy, but that won't stop others from making presumptions about it."
"You have no idea," Toushiro sighed, "Sometimes I wonder just what it means when people call me 'prodigy' or 'boy genius'. Does it just mean that I developed my powers at a young age? Do I have greater potential than the other captains? Does it mean that I'm just more adept at using my powers? Does it mean that I'm smarter than the average person, or that I just reached maturity at a younger age? Does it mean that my current level is as far as I'll go, and it's just controlling it that I need to work on now? What does it mean? I honestly have no clue myself."
"Well if you ask me, I think that you've still got some room to grow, but that you've already accessed most of your powers. Being a prodigy means achieving adult-level capabilities at a young age. A six year old who can do math at the level of a twenty year old won't necessarily be better than his classmates when he's twenty. Similarly, you're at the power level of a mid-tier Captain right now, but you probably won't go much beyond that. You're definitely highly gifted, but you're not as hugely powerful as some might believe, at least in comparison to the other Captains."
"Tell that to Hinamori, she seems to think that I'm so far beyond belief that there's no way she could spend time with me," Toushiro absent-mindedly said.
"Ah, so that's what's bothering you," Hisagi said. Toushiro internally winced, wishing he hadn't said anything.
"Just forget that," Toushiro said, "This issue is between myself and Hinamori."
"You've become so distant from her that you're not even calling her by her first name anymore?" Hisagi asked.
"Like I said, forget it," Toushiro said.
"Why haven't you two made up yet, I know that you both really want to be friends again," Hisagi said.
"It's complicated. Now if you don't mind, I'd appreciate it if you'd just drop it," Toushiro said.
"What's complicated about it?" Hisagi asked. Toushiro groaned.
"If I tell you about it, will you stop pestering me?" he asked.
"Sure," Hisagi said.
"Okay. I'm sure you're already aware of most of the circumstances, so I'll just get to the core point," Toushiro said, "When Momo and I were growing up in Rukongai, we swore to protect eachother. We did everything together back then, and always stood up and looked out for eachother. Then, Momo started developing spiritual power. Being around her made my powers awaken too, but I refused to acknowledge them. When Momo left for the academy, I was all alone for the first time. She came to visit as often as she could, but it wasn't the same as before. At the time, I thought that I was completely left behind. She was making new friends and developing amazing new powers. How could I compete with that? I was certain that I would never be needed by her again, and that she and I would exist on entirely different levels. Then, during her fifth year, I began to develop my powers to an even greater extent, so much that I couldn't control them. I ended up having to enroll in the Academy so that I'd get a chance to control them. Momo was really happy of course, but when everyone realized I was a prodigy, things became different. She began to feel like she was the one who wasn't needed. It was subtle at first, and even after we became Shinigami we remained close to eachother and more or less on the same general level, if not in power then in position. But when I achieved Bankai and became a Captain, it became clear that she couldn't compete in terms of power, and combined with Aizen's betrayal, it just completely messed things up for us. She eventually came to the conclusion that because she wasn't as powerful as me, she couldn't fulfill her duties of protecting me, and thus couldn't be my friend."
"Is that everything?" Hisagi asked.
"Like I said, it's really complicated," Toushiro said, "It wasn't just the difference in power. She became upset that I was always the one protecting her and she couldn't protect me the way she used to. Of course, I felt similarly. I felt it was my duty to protect her, yet when she needed me most, I wasn't there to protect her, and she ended up nearly dead and emotionally crushed. Add that to all the issues after Aizen and our already growing distant and…well, like I said it's just a big mess."
"Momo said that she was jealous of you and that is part of why your friendship broke down," Hisagi said.
"Yes, that might have been part of it, but not as much as she thinks," Toushiro said, "I believe that she still feels guilty about what she did under Aizen's influence, and is heaping more guilt upon herself by telling herself that this is all because she's too jealous of me. Like I said, things between us are insanely complicated, and are beyond simple explanation."
"So do you think you two will ever make up and be friends again?" Hisagi asked.
"I don't know, maybe," Toushiro sighed, "Not until we're both able to acknowledge both eachother's and our own strengths and weaknesses. We're both blaming ourselves for some things, overestimating this or underestimating that, and just generally not understanding eachother properly. I don't know what sort of catalyst could get us to be true friends again, but I can only hope that eventually there will be one."
"Well, I wish you the best of luck with that. Now if you don't mind, it's getting dark, and I think I'll be going inside now," Hisagi said, standing up and leaving Toushiro deep in thought.
---
"Are you ready?" Rangiku asked Karin.
"Yes," Karin nodded, "I'm ready."
It was almost time for them to go to Momo's quarters, where she had promised to set up a Senkaimon to take Karin to the world of the living to visit her family. It was risky, and they couldn't afford to get caught, but they were still very excited. Karin was both eager and nervous to see her family again. She knew that they wouldn't be able to see her, but the thought of seeing them still made her happy.
"By the way Karin, I have a little something for you before you go," Rangiku said.
"Something for me?" Karin repeated. Rangiku nodded.
"Yes, a present. Just wait here a moment," she said, running off to her bedroom. She came back holding something under a sheet. When she pulled the sheet off, Karin gasped.
In Rangiku's hands were a set of robes. They were similar to a Shinigami's robes, but instead of black were creamy beige on top with a darker tan on the bottom half. Sitting on top of the folded robes was a katana in its scabbard.
"Rangiku, you…" Karin whispered, touched by the gift.
"I know, I know. I just felt like I should give you something since we don't know what will be happening to you. Just be sure to be careful with the sword or Ichigo will kill me," Rangiku said. Karin seemed uncertain of what to do for a moment before suddenly hugging Rangiku.
"Thank you Rangiku, thank you so much," she said. Rangiku smiled and patted her on the head.
"It's no problem. Would you like to try them on?" she asked. Karin looked up and nodded. She took the robes and went off to the other room to change. She emerged minutes later wearing the wonderful robes, the katana fastened to her side. She was filled with happiness as she walked in the robes.
"You look great Karin!" Rangiku squealed, "I'm going to have to get a picture of you in those!"
"That's going to have to wait."
Rangiku and Karin just then realized that they were not alone. Momo stood in the room off to the side.
"Momo? When did you get here?" Rangiku asked.
"You were late, so I let myself in," Momo explained, "Are you ready to go?" Karin nodded and ran over to Momo, more ready than ever to see her family.
"Take good care of her," Rangiku said.
"Don't worry, I will," Momo assured her, taking Karin's hand and walking out the door.
Thanks for reading! Thank you to war90, Thunder Claw03, Hinata-cutie, Shirochan21, Photophopic, Chillis, Taeniae, blackwitchkarma, chiharuSAICHI, The Great Pinapple MEKI, nexuswarrior, Reven Firebane, and Psyco101 for reviewing! Please review!