Hitsugaya left the training grounds to follow Karin. He decided that he should find her and apologize. Maybe he could make her understand why he had fought her, though he doubted it. But when he found her, all his half-thought-out explanations evaporated as he gazed upon the scene that awaited him.
Karin had her arms wrapped tightly around Renji's neck and she was swinging from it giddily and giggling like mad.
"Neh neh," she said playfully. "You're so cute! And you have such big, strong muscles! Wanna go do something fun together? I'll show you a good time!" Renji's face was as red as his hair, and he was horribly confused. Hitsugaya couldn't control his temper.
"ABARAI!" he screamed, shaking from head to toe and balling his hands into fists. Renji gulped and waved his arms frantically.
"Hitsugaya taicho!" he said in a flustered voice. "I promise, it's not what it looks like. She just came up to me and did this, I don't…" but he was interrupted by Karin, who was tracing lines on his face with her finger. Renji became, if possible, even more red, but it was nothing compared to the color Hitsugaya was turning. He grabbed Karin's shoulder and yanked her off Renji with a little more force than he meant to use. She turned to him and pouted.
"Moh, you really are a brute, aren't you? What's wrong with you?" Hitsugaya didn't exactly know how to respond.
"Well…it's…um…he's got a sword too!" Hitsugaya insisted, pointing at Renji's zanpakto and feeling extremely childish for using such a crude tactic.
"EEEEEEE!" Karin screamed, covering her mouth in surprise and disgust. "Is everyone around here a bloodthirsty maniac! Why does everyone have a sword? What's wrong with this place?" Hitsugaya ignored Renji's look of utter bewilderment and tried to calm himself down. Suddenly, an idea hit him.
"Karin," he began gently, "would you like me to take you somewhere where no one has a sword?" So looked at him bright eyed.
"Can you?!" she asked hopefully. "I would really like that!" Hitsugaya smiled.
"Come with me." He was very proud of himself for this realization. He would take her to the human world. Maybe seeing her family and friends again would trigger her memory. Ichigo and Urahara were the only people in the human world who knew that Karin was actually dead. She hadn't told anyone else, since a gigai was just as good as a body as far as they were concerned. She didn't want to give up the ability to visit home just because she was dead.
Hitsugaya stopped briefly in the office to pick up gigais for him and Karin. Matsumoto looked up expectantly when he came in.
"Taicho, Karin, how'd it go?" Luckily, Karin took off ooing and ahhing at everything in the office, leaving Hitsugaya with the opportunity to speak to Matsumoto.
"Well, we sparred and I won, just like you told me to, but then she underwent another major personality change so I think it totally backfired. She's now afraid of swords and blood, is easily excited, and falls all over ever guy she sees."
"Except you?" Matsumoto asked suspiciously. Hitsugaya sighed in response and looked at Karin who was examining a book curiously.
"She thinks I'm a vicious thug for fighting her and carrying a sword. So I'm taking her to Karakura where I can hide Hyourinmaru under my gigai." Matsumoto considered this new information.
"Why don't you show her that there is more to you than fighting," she advised him. Hitsugaya looked at her confused. Matsumoto sighed in frustration.
"Honestly taicho, you're hopeless. She's seen you fight and doesn't like it, so why don't you do something fun with her while you're in the human world. You know, something non-violent. So that she knows there's another side to you."
"Like what?" Hitsugaya asked. Matsumoto grinned.
"I don't know, use your imagination. She's your wife, you must know what she likes to do for fun." They both glanced at Karin, who was dancing excitedly upon the discovery of a picture of the 10th squad flower that was hanging on the wall. Hitsugaya sighed.
"I guess I'll think of something. Though, after last time, I don't know how much help your advice will be." Matsumoto looked at him knowingly.
"She's following you to the human world isn't she?" Hitsugaya thought about this and smiled softly. Maybe, just maybe, this wooing Karin thing was actually starting to work.
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"Woah, look at this place!" Karin exclaimed, clasping her hands together in excitement. "It's so different! And pretty!" They were standing on a hill, just outside of Karakura town and they had a rather impressive view of the entire area. Hitsugaya looked at Karin and smiled. At least she was happy with this personality instead of angry and cold.
"Come on," he said encouragingly. "There are some people I would like you to, ah, meet." She nodded and allowed him to lead her down the hill and towards the town. Karin was openly impressed with everything she saw. She pointed and commented loudly on tall buildings and window displays. And men. It seemed like she batted her eyelashes at every male person they passed, and twice Hitsugaya had to drag her away as she started to run up to strangers to flirt with them.
"Moh, what's wrong with you?" she asked when they were finally out of site of the okonomia cart where Karin had shoved her face across the counter to inform the rather stunned salesman that he was adorable and that she was available tonight.
"You can't just pick up every guy you pass," he grumbled. "You don't know who they are." Karin pouted.
"Why did you take me here in the first place? Wasn't it to meet people?"
"Yes, but specific people, not strangers." Hitsugaya was doing his best to remain calm. He was exceedingly grateful that he had spent so many years suppressing his emotions. It was good training for right now. But that didn't mean there weren't several people behind them who would be wondering how on earth they got frostbite in the middle of the summer.
At long last, they reached the Kurosaki Clinic. Hitsugaya paused for a moment, allowing Karin to take in the site, hoping that she might remember her childhood home. Nothing. All she seemed interested in was the mailbox, which Yuzu had painted a lurid shade of pink and covered with fuzzy bunny rabbits. Hitsugaya frowned and turned away, thinking sadly of what Karin's reaction should have been to the gaudy decorations. He sighed and went to knock on the door.
"Toushiro!" Ichigo exclaimed when he opened the door. "What are you doing here?"
"It's Hitsugaya taicho!" Hitsugaya insisted. He wasn't in a fantastic mood to begin with and Ichigo wasn't helping.
"It's alright, we're family now right?" Ichigo explained to the rather annoyed Hitsugaya.
"Don't remind me," he mumbled. "Anyway, we're here because…" but before he got a chance to explain, Karin spotted Ichigo.
"Oh my gosh!" she squealed, throwing herself on him. "You are by far the cutest boy I've seen today! What are you doing later?" Hitsugaya almost laughed at the look on Ichigo's face.
"Karin," he said amused. "I'm sorry, but you can't go out with him. He's your brother." Karin turned to stare at him, refusing to relinquish her hold on Ichigo's neck.
"What do you mean?" she asked confused. "I have a brother?"
"Karin, what are talking about?" Ichigo asked, starting to get angry. "What kind of game are you playing?" Hitsugaya sighed.
"Let's go inside Kurosaki. I'll explain everything." Ichigo pried Karin's arms off of him and led the two into the kitchen.
"Yuzu and oyaji are out right now," Ichigo told Hitsugaya. "So you can talk freely…hey, get off me you weirdo!" he shouted at Karin who had grabbed his arm. Karin looked up at him and pouted.
"Are you really my brother?" she asked with puppy-dog eyes. Ichigo almost gagged.
"Yes I am, now stop looking at me like that, it makes me sick," he said, throwing her off him. She pouted, then left to examine the house, leaving Hitsugaya to explain Karin's situation to Ichigo.
"WHAT!?" Ichigo shouted. "You know, I'm starting to regret ever letting her marry you. First she dies, now this, what more are you going to do her?"
"Neither of those things are my fault!" Hitsugaya shot back furiously. "Do you think I wanted them to happen to her? Do you think I want to watch her suffer? Do you think I'm enjoying this?"
"Alright, alright, don't go bankai on me," Ichigo replied. Hitsugaya glared at him.
"Still," Ichigo continued, "I don't think being in this house is helping her any. She clearly didn't recognize me." He shuttered at the memory. "What are we going to do now?"
"Matsumoto told me I should do something fun with her," Hitsugaya remembered. "But I don't know what she'd like to do right now that doesn't involve going on a date with everyone she sees."
"Why don't you play soccer with her, she always likes that," Ichigo suggested. Hitsugaya considered this. It was a great idea. It was non-violent and fun, and hopefully it would take Karin's mind off other men and focus it back on him. Maybe playing soccer on her old field would help her remember something.
"Alright," he agreed. "Then will you do me a favor? Call up Karin's friends and tell them to meet us at the field in a little while. You can explain to them her condition. Maybe seeing them will jog something." Ichigo nodded, and Hitsugaya went to find Karin. She was in Yuzu's room, admiring her stuffed animals.
"Whatcha doing?" Karin asked playfully as Hitsugaya opened the closet.
"I'm looking for something…ah, here it is," he said, standing and holding up Karin's old soccer ball, spinning it mindlessly on his fingertip. "Do you want to play with me?" Karin looked at the ball curiously.
"I'm not sure I can, but I'll try!" she said happily. Hitsugaya smiled at her.
"You'll be great, I promise."
They walked together to the soccer field and started to kick the ball back and forth. Karin was shaky at first, but her body seemed to remember the moves even if her mind didn't, and soon it was a regular scuffle, with both parties trying their best and enjoying themselves immensely. Hitsugaya almost managed to forget why they were there and what Karin's state of mind was as he kicked the ball past her. She looked like her normal self on the soccer field and Hitsugaya hoped that she felt the difference.
Hitsugaya was running towards Karin to steal the ball from her when he saw four figures come over the hill that surrounded the field. One was Ichigo. The other three Hitsugaya recognized as Karin's closest friends, Kentaro, Ryoga, and Shinta.
Karin noticed his distraction and turned to see what he was looking at. Her face lit up at the sight of four boys walking towards her. She made a beeline for Kentaro and threw herself into his arms. Kentaro hugged her awkwardly, although he looked rather uncomfortable.
"Ano, how are you Kar…" he began, but Karin interrupted.
"Oooo," she cooed, "you're even cuter than that brother person over there! Wow, did you come here just to see me? 'Cause I'd love to spent some time with you, get to know you a little better, you know." She looked at him seductively. Ichigo grabbed Hitsugaya's arm to preemptively stop him from pouncing on Kentaro.
"Anyone," Hitsugaya thought to himself, "anyone but him!" Hitsugaya hadn't forgotten the conversation he had overheard on the phone, even though it hardly mattered anymore. He was still seething.
"Ano, maybe some other time…" Kentaro said nervously, eyeing Hitsugaya and paling under his death glare. Kentaro gently pushed Karin off.
"Wow, Karin, do you really not remember us?" Shinta asked sadly. Karin looked at him curiously.
"No, am I supposed to?" she asked. Shinta sighed and looked at Ichigo.
"You were right Ichi-nii, she really does have amnesia."
"Yeah, and a weird personality change," Ryoga added, watching as Karin grabbed Kentaro's arm and hugged it tightly. Hitsugaya tore his gaze away from the pair.
"Kami-sama, give me strength," he thought. Then he turned to Shinta and Ryoga.
"I thought seeing you three would help fix her memory so I brought her here. Unfortunately, it hasn't done much good." He had to exercise all his will power to keep from looking back at Karin and Kentaro as he heard Karin's giggles and Kentaro's flustered protests. "Maybe if you take her around, you know, show her places where you spent time, she might remember something. Anything."
"Sure," Shinta nodded. "But I think you should come with. Just in case," he added, glancing at Kentaro who was blushing horribly as he tried futilely to pry Karin off his arm. Hitsugaya agreed. The last thing he wanted was to leave Karin alone with Kentaro.
The return of Kentaro I just had to bring him back.