And so, an unusual group set out to explore Karakura. Hitsugaya walked in the back, his hands in his pockets and a scowl on his face. Karin dangled off of Kentaro's arm. Shinta and Ryoga glanced nervously from one to the other, praying that Hitsugaya didn't explode. Ichigo left, not wanting to be there when the fireworks went off. They went to their high school and showed Karin the grounds and the Kendo dojo where she had mutilated Kentaro on multiple occasions. But she simply screamed at the sight of people holding swords and ran away, dragging Kentaro along with her. They brought her everywhere they could think of, the park where they practiced soccer after school, a video arcade they used to haunt, even their favorite ramen shop. But nothing happened until they came to the river.
It took a while for Karin to even notice the river. She was too busy gazing dreamily up at Kentaro. Shinta and Ryoga had started to relax and were trying to act more like themselves. They laughed, joked, and told old stories, hoping Karin would remember some of them.
"Karin," Ryoga said with a laugh, "remember the time that Kentaro ate ten bowls of ramen and then puked all over your living room! Your brother was so pissed!"
"Or," Shinta added, "remember when Ryoga let off a stink bomb in the cafeteria and we couldn't use it for a week while they aired it out!" Ryoga hit him.
"It wasn't a week it was a full month!" Shinta hit him back, and Ryoga retaliated by full out picking him up and tossing him into the river.
"Hey!" Shinta sputtered through a mouthful of water. "It's freezing in here!" Karin wasn't really listening to their conversation, she was too fixated on Kentaro, but she heard the splash and turned to see what all the commotion was. It was then that she saw the river. Ryoga was too busy laughing his head off at Shinta who was wringing out his shirt, and Kentaro was trying to zone out of the situation completely, but Hitsugaya noticed the look in Karin's eyes immediately. They had become solemn and forlorn, like looking at the river had depressed her in a way she didn't understand. And Hitsugaya knew what it was. In fact, he was the only person who really knew how Karin felt about this river. The place where her mother had died. He approached her carefully.
"Karin," he began cautiously, "do you remember something?"
"The river," she said absently, and Shinta released Ryoga's from his headlock to turn and listen to her.
"The river," she said again. "Why does it make me feel…so sad." She gazed at the river curiously for several moments. Hitsugaya held his breath. Then suddenly, Karin turned and buried her face in Kentaro's chest.
"Ah, it's making me so miserable and I don't know why!" she cried, pressing herself into him. "Hold me darling!" And Hitsugaya's resolve broke. He grabbed Karin's arm and pulled her away from Kentaro, forcing her to face him.
"Karin, don't do that! He's not…I mean…you just can't do that!" Hitsugaya didn't know exactly how to express his feelings, but he just couldn't let Karin cuddle up to Kentaro anymore. Karin's face contorted in rage.
"You meany!" she yelled. "I feel sad, I want comfort, what's wrong with that? You're such a jerk!" And with that, she ripped herself out of his grasp and ran away in the direction of the Kurosaki Clinic.
Hitsugaya stared at the place where she had disappeared and felt awful. He had tried so hard to keep from getting angry at her. Her friends seemed shocked by his display. He looked away from them.
"Sorry," he said grudgingly to Kentaro. "I just couldn't handle it anymore."
"Ah, don't worry about it Hitsugaya-san!" Kentaro brushed it off with a wave. "If I saw my wife ogling some other guy, I'd have done the same thing. I'm actually impressed at how long you kept your cool."
"What was the deal with the river though?" Shinta asked curioiusly. "Why did it make her sad?"
"It means she's remembering something," Hitsugaya said, more to himself than to the others. They all stared at him, hoping he would elaborate, but instead he turned away to follow Karin. He had to apologize and see if he could develop the memory she had had at the riverbank. It was something only he could do.
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A very confused Ichigo opened the door for Karin when she reached the Kurosaki Clinic. She was in tears. But before Ichigo could ask what had happened, she shouted,
"Leave me alone! I want to be alone!" And with that, she raced upstairs and shut herself in Yuzu's room (the room the two of them used to share before Karin got married). She didn't know why this house, and particularly this room felt safe and comfortable, but it did, and right now she needed the comfort. Everything suddenly felt so strange and she didn't really understand what was going on.
"Why do I feel like this?" she asked aloud, wiping away her tears. "What's happening to me? And why did the river make me so upset?" She hugged her knees and rocked back and forth. After a while, she started to calm down and her sobs turned to sniffles.
"Why does that Hitsugaya person care so much?" she wondered. "I don't understand him at all. But, he seemed so jealous today." She giggled. "He really can be quite sweet, once you get to know him. He just doesn't know how to express himself. Maybe I should give him a chance."
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Meanwhile, something was stirring in Ichigo's room. Hitsugaya had brought Mizufenikkusu along, thinking that it wasn't a good idea for Karin to be too far away from her. The sword rocked back and forth. It glowed a brilliant blue and the water phoenix materialized at the hilt. She flew gracefully out of the room and down the hall to Yuzu's room, where Karin was just starting to feel better. Mizufenikkusu nudged the door open and entered.
Karin screamed. It was a shrill, blood curdling screech that echoed throughout the house. She cowered in fear, pressing herself up against the wall and clutching a pillow to her chest for protection.
"What are you?" she asked in a shaking voice. "Are…are you a ghost?" Mizufenikkusu looked at Karin with sad, pleading eyes.
"You really have forgotten me, haven't you Karin?" she said in a defeated voice.
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Hitsugaya had just entered the house when he heard Karin scream. Forgetting what had happened along the river, he tore up the stairs and threw the door open.
"Karin, are you alri…" his voice trailed off and his face flushed as he saw Mizufenikkusu hovering in the air. A person's zanpakto was a sacred being, a manifestation of their very soul. To speak to one's zanpakto was a very personal experience. To even see another's zanpakto materialized was a horrific breech of privacy, and to barge in on a conversation between a zanpakto and its wielder…even as her husband Hitsugaya knew he did not belong.
"I'm very sorry, Mizufenikkusu-san," he said humbly as he began to close the door.
"Wait Toushiro," Mizufenikkusu called to him. "Karin needs you right now. I'm afraid she doesn't remember me. Please stay." Hitsugaya acquiesced and bowed himself into the room. He respectfully lowered his eyes away from Mizufenikkusu and went to sit beside the still petrified Karin. He placed a tentative arm around her shoulder, and she fell into him, needing the comfort. Hitsugaya rubbed her back.
"Shh," he said calmly. "She's not going to hurt you. She's your friend and ally. She knows you better than anyone. Think of her as your guardian angel." Karin whimpered and buried her face in his shoulder.
"Toushiro," Mizufenikkusu addressed him, and he turned to face the phoenix. "She is recovering. But slowly. She still needs that push I told Hyourinmaru about before. I'm going to modify her personality again, I think it will help. I'll make her less…"
"Giddy," Hitsugaya offered. Mizufenikkusu nodded.
"At least, I'll try to do something about her propensity to flirt with everyone she sees. But the rest is up to you." Hitsugaya understood. Mizufenikkusu looked at him meaningfully.
"I'm counting on you," she said, then slipped out the door as silently as she had come.
"I think you're about to have a headache," Hitsugaya warned Karin, remembering what had happened the last time Mizufenikkusu had altered her memory. "But don't worry, I'll be here for you." Karin nodded.
It didn't take long for Karin to start screaming in agony. Hitsugaya held her as tightly as he could. She bit into his shoulder, but he didn't even notice. He closed his eyes and prayed for it to be over as soon as possible. Then, as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Hitsugaya breathed a sigh of relief. He knew Karin wouldn't remember the pain; she hadn't the last time. He braced himself, then loosened his grip on Karin, nervous and anxious to see what her new personality would be.
It seemed to take a moment for Karin to realize where she was, but when she found that she was still in Hitsugaya's arms, she pulled back quickly, and huddled in the corner, covering her face in her hands.
"Karin," Hitsugaya asked tentatively. Hitsugaya could see a small blush appear on her cheeks.
"Are you alright?" he asked hopefully. She nodded slightly. Hitsugaya laughed softly.
"There's nothing to be scared of," he said with a small smile. "You can move your hands." Karin shook her head. Hitsugaya sighed. Well, Mizufenikkusu had definitely made her less amiable. Now she was downright shy. But shy, Hitsugaya could deal with. At least she wouldn't be falling all over anyone anymore.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" he offered. He knew that Karin loved to go for walks, and with this personality, he thought it was something she was likely to enjoy. Karin moved her hands away from her eyes. She gazed at him for a moment, then nodded. Hitsugaya smiled warmly.
"Let's go," he said, resisting the urge to hold out his arm for her like he usually did.
Yes, another personality change. Don't you think it makes the story more interesting?
Note: if you don't get the river thing, then you clearly haven't read the first story "Hyourinmaru" and I suggest you go do that :)