Hinamori's Apprentice
Chapter 18
Murmurs filled the Captains' meeting room. Toushiro had just reported the skirmish in Rukongai, and this along with the mysterious attack in the human world was causing quite a bit of a stir. There had been some odd hollow incidents, yes, but nothing of this nature. Thoughts immediately turned to the 'Aizen incident' which was preceded by numerous strange occurrences like this. The memories of that terrible war were still fresh in the minds of the gathered Captains.
"So what course of action should we take?" Komamura asked.
"I'll increase patrols throughout Rukongai," Soi Fon said, "I've already sent a squad to inspect the area where Captain Hitsugaya fell under attack. They should be returning with evidence shortly."
"Hmm, I would be very interested in seeing said evidence," Mayuri said.
"It will be inspected by the Special Forces before you are allowed to see it," Soi Fon said coldly.
"Nonsense! Those fools will contaminate it!" Mayuri retorted.
"What was that?! You'd better watch your mouth!" Soi Fon said.
"Hey, calm down you two," Shunsui Kyouraku said, "Remember who the enemy is."
"That's just the problem: We don't know who the enemy is!" Toushiro said.
"Hmph, I wonder if these guys would be any challenge for me," Kenpachi said, "They seem to have shaken up the little guy quite a bit…"
"They took me by surprise. That is the only reason they were capable of lasting as long as they did," Toushiro said, bristling at the comment about him being 'little'.
"What of the rogue Shinigami that attacked the Quincy? That merits looking into," Ukitake said.
"Sentries have been positioned near Karakura. If anything else happens, we'll know right away," Soi Fon said.
"It seems imperative to identify the attackers," Hisagi said, "That should be our highest priority."
"That is highly unlikely as long as the Special Forces are the ones collecting the evidence," Mayuri said, "By the time it's brought to me, I will be unable to discover a thing from it. Those people have no training in keeping evidence in a state fit for scientific analysis."
"I thought I told you to shut up," Soi Fon said aggressively.
"Enough!" Yamamoto said, banging his cane against the floor, "This bickering is counter-productive. The thirteen divisions must work together if any progress is to be made. Need I remind you what happened last time there was infighting amongst the divisions? Chaos! If we are not united, we will fall. Is that clear?"
Murmurs of agreement, some more reluctant than others, filled the room. Yamamoto nodded with content.
"Good. Now, as for our response to these actions…"
---
Karin leaned against the arm of the couch, staring at the ceiling. Rangiku had told her to stay here until she had returned. She was feeling rather bored, and was disappointed that her training with Momo was cut short right when it seemed that she might soon begin to make some progress. Oh well, she supposed that she would just have to wait until tomorrow for that. Nothing to do now except relax on the couch…
No wait! What was she thinking? She couldn't just lie around for the rest of the day when she still had the energy to continue training! Even if Momo wasn't here to instruct her, there were still things she could do. She shifted her position on the couch so that she was lying back with her legs bent. She began doing sit-ups, simultaneously focusing her spirit power within her body. This was much easier than when she first tried it. As difficult as Momo's training was, it really did work.
Spiritual power flowed through Karin's body as she exercised. It was a strange feeling, but also a satisfying one. It made her feel…powerful, like she was more than just a little girl. The spiritual energy made her feel energized and strong. She could feel it flowing through her body now. She didn't just randomly produce reiatsu anymore; she was able to focus it throughout her body. Perhaps it was the intensity of the training, but Karin had never really stopped to think of just how much she had improved until the past few days.
As she focused inwardly on her spirit energy, there was a knock on the door. Karin stopped and went to open the door, expecting Rangiku. When she opened the door however, she was surprised to see who it really was.
"Ichigo!" Karin said, resisting the urge to embrace him, "What are you doing here?"
"They didn't invite me to the Captain meeting, so I figured I'd come visit you," Ichigo explained.
"Why didn't they invite you?"
"Because I'm not a Captain yet, obviously," Ichigo said. Karin nodded slowly.
"Um, would you like to come in? I'm sure Rangiku wouldn't mind," she said.
"Yeah, of course," Ichigo said, stepping inside. Karin walked over to the couch with him, where they sat down.
"How has your training been going?" Ichigo asked.
"Okay I guess. How has your acting-Captain job been going?" Karin said.
"Same as usual. Boring, awkward, and tiresome…"
They sat in silence, not sure what to say to eachother. The siblings had never really talked much in the past, when Karin was alive. They would exchange words during day to day life, but rarely engaged in regular conversation. Neither was particularly talkative to begin with, yet they both felt the responsibility to talk now, even if they didn't know what to say. Karin was dead and destined to live the rest of her life in Soul Society, while Ichigo was to become a Captain who would spend the majority of his time here. Being the only family they would have for a long time, they felt the need to talk to eachother.
"I'm, uh, sorry I haven't been able to visit more often," Ichigo said awkwardly, "My daily schedule is busy, and the distance between here and the Fifth Division office is pretty big."
"Oh, don't worry about that," Karin said, "I probably wouldn't be able to see you very often either. Most of my time is spent training, and the rest of it recovering from training." She laughed nervously.
"I hope that Momo is treating you well," Ichigo said.
"The training is harsh, and it was a bit upsetting at first, but I think that things are turning in the right direction now," Karin said.
"Be careful. I still don't like the idea of putting you through this," Ichigo said.
"You don't have to constantly worry about me," Karin said.
"I know. It's just… I failed to protect you before. I don't want you to be put into danger, not when you've already-"
"Ichigo, stop," Karin said, "You don't have feel guilty because I died. I don't blame you at all, and I hold no bitter feelings."
"I know you don't, you were always a tough kid. No matter what happened, you would persevere. That doesn't mean that those around you can't feel sympathy for you though," Ichigo said.
"What are you talking about?" Karin asked.
"It's not fair," Ichigo said, "It's not fair that your life was ended so soon. You deserved to live a rich, full life. It's just not-"
"Stop it Ichigo," Karin interrupted, "I'm well aware that life's not fair, and I'm not going to spend my time angsting over it. It's not that I'm not sad that I died, but there's no point in obsessing over it. This is my life now. I'm not going to obsess over what might have happened had I stayed alive. I'm going to forge a new life in this world." Ichigo stared at her in silence before smiling.
"You're a strong kid, you know that?" he said.
"You flatter me too much, Strawberry," Karin said with a small smirk, "I just want to be in control of my destiny now. Back when I was alive, I never felt like I could control what happened. When Mom died, I couldn't do anything to help. When you were off fighting as a Shinigami, I could do nothing but watch. I want to be in control of my own destiny and not have my path be directed by others. That's why I will continue to train with all of my strength."
"I see," Ichigo said, "You really, truly are a strong person…"
---
Karin swung her katana down in a swift chop, returning to a neutral stance moments later. Momo watched her and directed her on her movements. It was the next day, and Momo was now preparing her for the 'special' training she had promised. Karin had been hoping that she would go through the special training more promptly, but Momo insisted that preparatory training would be necessary first. Thus, she directed Karin in how to wield a katana.
"Make sure that when you swing it, the edge of the blade is straight. If you were to cut an enemy, it would be the difference between lacerations and lost limbs," she said to her.
"Right," Karin nodded. She swung her sword down, careful to keep the blade straight. Though it was a bit dull, Karin found this training more useful than many of the other training methods she had been shown. She felt like she was gaining actual control over the blade.
"Keep your left hand a bit loose and further down the hilt while in a neutral stance. Remember that you can achieve a slightly greater reach with greater speed when you take it off and swing one handed with your elbow straight, but by keeping both hands on the sword and your elbows bent, you'll have greater power and control. Keep your left hand loose on it so you can swing either way!" Momo said. Karin nodded and continued swinging her sword. As Momo explained to her, practicing in this manner both increased her strength and made her more comfortable with using a sword, making her movements smoother.
"Always remember to focus on where you want the blade to go and what you want it to do. In combat, you must make quick decisions on how to swing your sword. One wrong move and you're dead. When defending, you must decide whether to dodge or block, and which way to dodge or how to block. When attacking, you must choose the method to use. Do you want your attack to be a cut or a thrust? If it's a thrust, how far do you want to extend yourself? If you want to cut, will it be a smooth slice, a strong slash, or a heavy chop? By practicing these movements, you make yourself more capable of performing them when needed."
"Right…" Karin said. She went back to practicing.
"Slash and pull your sword back. Imagine that you're cutting and pulling your blade through an enemy's flesh. That is the key to a proper slash: pulling the blade with the strike to create a 'sawing' effect," Momo instructed. Karin performed the movement, slashing forward and pulling the blade back to return it to its original position. She did this repeatedly until Momo told her to stop.
"That's good. Now alternate between a shallow forward slash, a thrust, and a single handed horizontal swipe," Momo said. The repetitive movements weren't particularly exciting, and in fact were rather tiring, but Karin trusted Momo's judgment in training. She kept practicing, not stopping even after her arms became sore from the constant swinging.
Unbeknownst to her or Momo, they were being watched. Toushiro Hitsugaya sat atop the roof of a nearby building, watching them. He sat stoically, watching without expression or visible emotion. He did not know how long he watched them, he wasn't thinking about that. He wasn't thinking about anything in fact. He was just watching, his mind blank of thoughts.
"Why don't you go say hi?" someone said from behind him.
"Matsumoto, what are you doing here?" Toushiro asked without turning around.
"I'm here to pick up Karin of course! Haven't you noticed? It's already evening!" Rangiku said. Toushiro looked up and saw that it was indeed approaching sunset. He hadn't even paid attention to it until now.
"Yeah, I guess it is," he said expressionlessly.
"Well, since you're here anyways, why not go down and talk to Momo?" Rangiku asked.
"I don't think I will," Toushiro said.
"Oh come on Captain! You can't keep this silly feud up forever!"
"I'm not, I'm just not interested in talking right now," Toushiro said.
"You're so stubborn," Rangiku said.
"Be quiet…"
"Come on Captain, go talk to her! Go patch things up with her and be friends again!" Rangiku urged.
"It's not that simple," Toushiro said.
"Just give it a chance!"
"No," Toushiro said coldly.
"But Captain, she's your friend!"
"She was my friend," Toushiro said, a hint of anger in his voice, "But things are different now! Both of us have changed, as has our situation. We're just…too different to be friends. Too much has happened. We just have to accept it…"
Rangiku looked at her Captain, trying to decipher his face for his true feelings on the matter.
"So what did they decide at the Captain's meeting? What will be done about the incident in Rukongai?" she asked, carefully watching him as she changed the topic.
"Nothing significant, just the usual response to this sort of thing. I'm not interested in discussing it, but if you really want to know, a report on the decisions and actions planned has been sent to all Vice-captains and upper-seated officers," he said without changing his expression. Rangiku realized that she wasn't going to get anything from him this way, and decided that it would be better to go back to being straightforward with the matter.
"Don't give up on your friendship Captain, I know you really miss Momo," Rangiku said.
"That's irrelevant," Toushiro snapped, "We have virtually no chance of becoming friends again, so there's no point in thinking about it."
"Then why were you here watching them?" Rangiku asked. Toushiro growled before standing up and turning away.
"I'll be going now," he said, "You can think whatever you want, but the cold hard truth is that Momo and I aren't friends anymore and probably won't be ever again. There's nothing that can be done about it, so just drop it."
"But Captain-" before Rangiku could even finish speaking, Toushiro had disappeared. She sighed and looked back to Momo and Karin training. She wished there was a way to get Momo and Toushiro to be friends again; they were both so miserable without eachother. They were best friends, but by sheer bad luck and factors outside of their control, they had been torn apart. It was very sad to think about.
Sighing, Rangiku headed over to take Karin home, promising herself that she wouldn't give up hope that Momo and Toushiro might one day patch up their friendship.
---
Karin looked around. She was standing atop a rocky slope with no idea how she got there. What had she been doing before? Oh right, Rangiku had taken her home and she had fallen asleep. So that meant…she was dreaming? She looked down the side of the hill and saw that she was at the edge of the sea. The memories of her past encounter with this place came to mind, and she realized that she wasn't dreaming at all. This was the 'inner world' she had heard Momo and Rangiku speak of in the past. She had been told about how an inner world was an internal dimension within a Shinigami that was home to their zanpakuto spirit.
Karin thought back to her past visits to this place. She had thought they were dreams before, but now she knew the true nature of it.
She looked around for a moment. The sky was clear, not stormy as it had been before, and she was able to actually get a good look at the place. The rocks were a reddish brown and formed a number of cliffs, ledges, and slopes along the shore. She was at the top of one such slope, and she carefully climb down, careful not to lose her grip. When she was at the bottom, she tried to think of what to do next.
This was definitely her inner world, which meant that her zanpakuto spirit was around here somewhere. She wasn't sure how to find her zanpakuto now that she was here, but she began walking along the shore, figuring that this was the best way to go.
She walked along the shore, looking out for anything that might provide her with more clues. She saw various rock formations and sea caves, but nothing of particular note. There were rocks in some places that extended all the way to shore, which she had to climb over. Noticing the curve of the shore, Karin came to the conclusion that this was likely an island, though what existed within its interior she had no idea.
After wandering for some time, she spotted a familiar sight. The old caravel was straight ahead, its sails raised. Karin nearly jumped in excitement, and made a bee-line for the ship. It got bigger and bigger as she approached, the magnificent ship staying in shallow water. Karin's heart leapt as she saw a figure standing at the bow of the ship in a majestic pose. She ran forward, going ankle deep in the water.
"H-Hello!" she called out to the figure, who turned to regard her from the ship. Karin could not get a good look at the person, but could tell that they were wearing gleaming armor. "Can you hear me?" she yelled out. There was silence for a moment before a voice called back.
"I am-"
Just then, a huge wave appeared and crashed over Karin, nearly knocking her over. She spit out water, wiping off her face in annoyance.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" she yelled. The figure did not answer her, instead walking over to the side of the boat. After looking down for a second, the figure jumped off, landing in front of Karin with a splash. Karin looked on with wide eyes.
The man before her was dressed strangely. In addition to wearing armor reminiscent of a conquistador, he wore leather straps around his waist and a bright red feather was attached to his helmet. He had a finely trimmed moustache that ended in slight twirls. The man was lightly built, not much taller than Karin, but he more than made up for this short height with the regal, proud manner in which he composed himself. Karin cleared her throat.
"Are-are you my zanpakuto?" she asked.
"Perhaps," the man said in a refined voice.
"What's your name?" she asked nervously. He glanced at inquisitively, stroking his moustache.
"It would seem you are not ready to learn my name," he said.
"What can I do to become ready?" Karin asked eagerly, "I'll do anything, just name it!"
"There is a task I need completed," the man said slowly, "If you were to complete it for me, I might see fit to grant you my powers before normal circumstances would allow."
"What is it? I promise I will accomplish it!" Karin said excitedly.
"You must…stop being such a sleepy-head…"
"Wait, what?"
"I said stop being such a sleepy-head! Wake up Karin!" Rangiku said, pushing Karin's shoulder. Karin's eyes snapped open, and when she saw Rangiku standing above her, she nearly screamed.
"Ah! But-but he-! I almost-! Why did-?! You woke me up when-! I- You- and the…and he…the task…" she babbled, extremely agitated over being woken up at the worst possible time.
"What's wrong, you sound like you're angry at me or something!" Rangiku said. Karin forced down the urge to yell, taking a deep breath before speaking.
"Take me to Momo," she said.
"But Karin, it's early! Your daily training doesn't start for another-"
"Take me to Momo! I need to see her!" Karin said firmly.
---
Momo stared at Karin and Rangiku in surprise. She stood at her doorway, still wearing her pajamas, and had certainly not been expecting to see Karin so early.
"What…what are you guys doing here?" she asked.
"Karin wanted to ask you something," Rangiku explained. Karin nodded and bowed.
"Please give me that special training you mentioned before, Vice-captain Hinamori," she said.
"I'm sorry, I can't do that," Momo said, "You still need several days of practice before we move onto that technique."
"Please! It's really important that I go through with that training today!" Karin insisted.
"Think logically. What difference does it make if you do it today or in a week?" Momo asked.
"I…I don't really know, but I still really want to do it as soon as possible," Karin said hurriedly. Momo glanced at Rangiku before nodding.
"Very well. Understand however that without proper preparation, this training method could cause severe stress, and possibly injury. Are you sure you want to take that chance?" Momo said.
"I'm sure," Karin replied, her voice filled with determination.
Thanks for reading! Thank you to blackwitchkarma, Psyco101, The Catch, Photophopic, Jumper Prime, war90, Chillis, Thunder Claw03, The Great Pineapple MEKI, nexuswarrior, Revolation, and DigiPal for reviewing! Sorry if the chapter seems a bit slow on action (and also sorry for updating a bit later than usual). I know this probably isn't one of my best chapters, but I have big plans for the next one, which may be put up as soon as Friday. As you probably noticed, this segment of the story is mainly focused on Karin's character development, but don't worry as I haven't forgotten Momo, Ichigo, and Toushiro. They'll all have development too, but right now it's just mainly focused on Karin. Any guesses on what her zanpakuto will be like? If you guess right, you win a cookie, lol. Please review!