She felt seasick. And she was tumbling in an ocean in what she believed was her mind.
Not a good confluence of events.
And what the hell did that merman mean by 'Find the odd one out'? The only odd one was him!
Giant bubbles rose past her, and she could barely keep track of where she was facing. Up and down, left and right... all seemed to blend together into one tight motion sickness package.
I'm so going to kick that bloody, arrogant, know-it-all, snowy-haired kid's ass! He never mentioned this!
She tried to follow the bubbles with her eyes. There didn't seem to be a surface. The bubbles just kept rising... and there was one that wobbled just a teensy bit slower than the rest.
"Odd one out, huh?" Karin steadied herself and kicked towards the wobbling bubble. There was a slight tint to it, almost... pearl-like. She grabbed it, almost losing hold of the slippery surface.
She waited, balancing herself in the turbulent flow. And waited. And waited.
Finally she lost her temper. "What the effing heck am I supposed to do with this thing?!" she hollered.
"Relax, will ya?" The merman swam up to Karin. "Geez... I didn't think you'd find it so fast."
"Just what am I supposed to do with this?" Karin demanded. Her fingers clamped tightly onto the surface.
"Break it."
Karin's eyes narrowed. "That's it?"
"You want to mate with it instead?" the merman drawled the question, and completely missed seeing Karin's glare turn into daggers.
She gripped it with her right hand and smashed it into the merman's smirking face.
"Effin' hell!" the merman shrieked, holding his nose. Dark green blood diffused into the water. "You can't smash it against your own head, girlie?"
"Since you're here, I might as well make use of you." Karin said nonchalantly. The pearl-bubble cracked and two long cobalt tassels wrapped themselves about her wrist. "What do I do now?"
"Yank, stupid." At Karin's raised eyebrow the merman raised both hands in defense. "Just pull the two cords."
Karin began to tug, then stopped. "What's your name again?"
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
There was no smoke or dust billowing. All there was was a shout and then silence.
Kurosaki Karin sprawled in the pit, either asleep or unconscious. Hitsugaya and Yoruichi peered over the edge. Ururu had her special Gatling gun ready.
The Kurosaki girl was already in a black shingami outfit, but there was something odd about her clothes. Hitsugaya noted the sword that Karin gripped in her hand: a shirasaya, a sword with no guard.
"It's remarkable," Yoruichi commented. "Two days, and barely a struggle."
"And hardly any disturbance in the force too." Urahara joined the three. "Ururu, we're not going to need that."
"B-but the last time Ichigo-san..."
"She's not Ichigo," Hitsugaya cut in abruptly. He hadn't lifted his gaze from the pit. As Urahara and Yourichi exchanged looks, the slight-statured captain got to his feet. "Yoruichi-san, shall we head down?"
"We shall after I lift the binding spell." The black feline padded to the edge and jumped. Hitsugaya followed a split-second after.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Urahara asked Tessai to set lunch for two. Yoruichi deigned to return to her human form to join him for the meal.
"Hitsugaya seems to know how to train shinigami better than you do, Kisuke."
Urahara chewed on his squid thoughtfully. His hat was not on his head. "I wonder why that is."
Yoruichi passed her empty bowl to Jinta to fill. "Well, my guess? Because he explains before he starts the test. Karin didn't have to waste time and energy on panic."
"But panic is a great motivator, Yourichi."
"Yeah, it motivates them to panic even more," zinged Yoruichi. She asked for another refill. "And from what I heard, Ichigo took a very long time to get your explanations into his thick head. Especially since he was panicking half the time."
Urahara quirked a smile. "He's kind of dumb, in case you didn't notice."
"I know he is. But sometimes, Kisuke, you can be as dense as the boy."
"Why do you say that?"
Yoruichi grinned as she held out her bowl for a third refill. "You mean you haven't noticed?"
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"Yuutsubame," repeated Hitsugaya. "Wandering cloud?"
Karin shrugged. "That's what I heard. From the fishman's mouth."
He handed the sword back to Karin. "It's good that you know his name."
Karin's eyes goggled. She held the blade at arm's length. "So the fishman was – is – the sword itself? Wow. It's almost like a fantasy story."
The shirasaya looked like a length of wood, lacquered black. On the sheath Karin could see the name etched into the lacquer in cobalt blue, shimmering like the surface of the Mediterranean Sea. If only the spirit of the sword was a little more refined than the snarky fishman...
"Focus, Karin." Hitsugaya tapped her on the head. "Third stage: your sword's no use to you unless you know how to use it. I am going to attack you. I will try to kill you."
"And you're not smiling."
"I'm not joking."
"Kill me with?"
"With my sword. A note to the wise: I will not hold back." He pinned her with his clear blue eyes. "I might end up really killing you – and there won't be a coming back."
Karin swallowed, her fear welling up. He waited. Then a slow, confident grin spread on her face. "I won't let you."
Hitsugaya felt a rare smile creep onto his face. "Good. Say that again if you don't die. Soten ni zase, Hourinmaru."
Oh crap, Karin groaned inwardly. She drew her sword and aimed... then turned and ran. For her life.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
"Boss. Yoruichi-san."
"Tessai. What do you want?"
"Hitsugaya-taichou has started stage three. He has released his blade."
Urahara sprayed Coca-cola across the room. "Already?"
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Yoruichi reached the bottom of the ladder first. "Ururu! How long has it been?"
"Two minutes, Yoruichi-san," the doe-eyed girl informed her. "He hasn't landed a blow yet."
Urahara held his hat on. Icicles grew from the ceiling far overhead, and frost glistened over his imported rocks and modified terrain. "He's still holding back."
"You were right," Yoruichi commented as her dark eyes tracked the twos chase across the spacious basement. Renji and Sado were hiding not far from where the shopkeeper was, also observing the tenth division captain's pursuit.
"Right about what? Panic being a great motivator?"
"No." She started to grin. "The reason why I should be here.."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Why the hell am I running?
How am I supposed to know, girlie? You really think I'm so weak I can't handle that dragon there?
Dragon?
The sword, stupid. I can't believe I actually have you for an owner.
I'm talking to my sword
Look, girlie, this is humiliating. Try fighting him.
I can't! I can feel his blade at my neck every time I slow down!
Then put your blade on his neck. Let him feel the fear.
Easy to say.
Or you can choose to die. It's the easiest way out of this conundrum.
Karin sneaked a glance backward. He was about to leap, the ice-wings poised for flight. She put on another burst of speed.
I'm NOT going to die!
Then fight, dammit!
How can I fight a captain?
Is that the reason? Maybe that's why he's taking it easy on ya. He's holding back, can't you see?
She bit the tip of her tongue and skidded to a stop. Hitsugaya landed just in front of her. He wasn't even panting, Karin noticed. He was holding back.
He is so gonna regret holding back. Help me out here, fishface.
Hey. I don't intend to die either, okay? Get ready. This is what you say.
"Gekido, Yuutsubame!" She swung her shirasaya in an upward arc. A rush of water – a lot of water, Karin noted abstractly - rushed towards her opponent.
One more, girlie. That one isn't enough -
Karin's eyes widened as the torrent turned into blocks of ice in seconds. The captain was soaring over the wall of solid water, a slight smirk playing on his face. She gritted her teeth.
Next one, fishman.
"Sashimasu." A thin jet shot out and hit the emerging Hitsugaya right in the chest. The wings took the brunt of the attack, but to Karin's shocked amazement the wings shattered and the jet shoved the captain right into the icicle-covered ceiling.
He's gonna get impaled!
In a panic Karin pulled her sword to the side, mentally berating herself for injuring her frei – her trainer. "Are you alright?"
"Watch where you're pointing your sword, moron!"
She turned to see that a deep crimson shield was blocking the thin jet, and hastily tried to rein in her zanpakuto. Stop it fishface! We're done!
I thought you meant to kill him! Fine, fine. Have it your way.
The shield dissolved. The shopkeeper shook his head. "That was pretty powerful, Karin-san. You don't me calling you that, do you? Because there are just too many Kurosaki-sans that I know."
"Not a ... problem," she yawned and toppled over into a deep sleep.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Hitsugaya tended to Hourinmaru. Mostly he tended to its pride.
Being defeated – even if Hitsugaya had been holding back – made the zanpakuto very cranky. And Hitsugaya loved his sword deeply.
On a little mattress in the Urahara shop Karin snoozed. Hitsugaya observed her sleeping face, and was oddly captivated by the play of light on her shiny hair, the way her arms crossed over her chest, the rise and fall of her even breathing.
"The Kurosaki girl's sister is outside," Jinta popped his head into the room, where Hitsugaya, Urahara, Yoruichi and Matsumoto were conversing. "She's asking if we've seen her sister."
"Tell her nothing." Hitsugaya's tone was firm. He looked into Urahara's eyes and the older man nodded at Jinta.
Yoruichi spoke up. "Urahara, you'll need to talk to Kurosaki about Karin. He has the right to know."
"Ichigo? No one knows where he is." Matsumoto spoke up.
Urahara appeared not to have heard the lieutenant's question. "Yoruichi-san, inform Rukia as well, since she's staying with them. I'll look for him tonight."
Matsumoto exchanged doubtful looks with Hitsugaya. The captain sighed. "Let them do what they think is best."
"But taichou..."
"It'll get back to him anyway. Sado and Abarai were downstairs as well." He returned to the topic that they were discussing before the interruption. "Was my surmise correct?"
"You were," conceded Yoruichi. "I've never met a shinigami who is as adept as she is at this level. She's essentially a beginner, and already she has a sword and can converse easily with it. That is highly unusual."
"Her reiatsu level possibly surpasses her brother's too," Urahara put in. "But, judging from observation, she has been suppressing it through denial. Also, when your brother's is such an overwhelming fountain, you tend to overcontrol lest the rest of the family becomes cracked from the pressure."
Hitsugaya chewed on his lower lip. "So? Do we have time?"
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Karin felt like she had played in every match through the 2008 World Cup soccer tournament. Her muscles ached and burned and her head swam.
Had it all been a fevered dream? Was she still in the hospital, having been through a food poisoning episode?
She opened her eyes. The ceiling was in an unfamiliar pattern. So it was not a dream. She sat up, her dark hair falling before her eyes. Pushing her bangs out of her face, she realized she was back in her body. Her human body.
"You're awake," cooed a busty, strawberry-blonde woman. Karin's eyes narrowed with recognition. The woman held out a right hand, saying, "I'm Matsumoto Rangiku. I've heard so little about you that I had to come see you! Call me Rangiku, or Ran."
"We've seen each other before. At the clinic. Where you were trying to seduce my dad into giving you information about me." Karin felt too exhausted to snap.
Rangiku pouted. "Taichou never mentioned you having a bad temper."
"I never mentioned her to you, Matsumoto, except for that one time which you're supposed to keep mum about," said Hitsugaya warningly as he entered the room. To Karin, he asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Tired to the bone."
"That's natural, considering that you managed to become a shinigami, conversed with your sword, and drove me back with your attack."
Karin said drowsily, "You were holding back. You said you wouldn't." Not an accusation, merely a statement. Matsumoto watched her captain's face redden.
Hitsugaya's reply was slightly abashed. "I didn't want to hurt you. So I just pulsed killing intent and reiatsu."
His answer was a small snore. Karin was drooping forward, asleep again.
Matsumoto's eyebrows raised mischievously. "Taichou, you were holding back?"
"She's a new shingami. I couldn't be attacking her with full force, could I? I might have killed her."
"Nope. No you couldn't," she answered innocently.
"I couldn't," Hitsugaya insisted.
"No. You really couldn't."
"Shut up, Matsumoto."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
When Karin trudged wearily back home she was roundly scolded and roughly embraced.
Yuzu's shrill berating followed Karin all the way to the bedroom, where Rukia was perched on the bed.
"You're back," Rukia said, her smile warm and approving.
"Yeah."
"Karin-chan!! Here's your favorite snack: bananas with chocolate! I also made an ice-cream sundae we can share and bond over!" Isshin Kurosaki bounded into the room, expertly sidestepping the third bed in the already overcrowded room.
Karin couldn't find it in herself to reject her father. "Thanks, daddy. I'm kinda beat, so I'll just have the sundae, okay?"
The megawatt smile on her father's face was kind of reassuring, Karin mused to herself as she made her way down the stairs.
"By the way, since Ichigo's out, do you want to sleep in his room for now? Three girls in the same room is really too crowded."
"Why not Rukia?"
"Because she's not Ichigo's girlfriend or sister. And Yuzu always preferred having two persons in the same room. So, Karin-chan?" Isshin's eyes twinkled. "Let your brother know he's disowned?"
She debated it in her heart for a while. "Okay. I'll move in later tonight."
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx
Hitsugaya folded the laundry.
Not every item, of course. He had no desire to touch Matsumoto's or Inoue's underthings, even though Kyoraku had asked him to sneak a few pairs of thongs for the eighth division captain. Matsumoto had been incredulous when her captain chipped in the housework duties, but Hitsugaya felt that he had to work off some of the obligations.
"Hitsugaya-taichou, what's the name of the tune?" Inoue inquired brightly as she folded the more 'sensitive' items.
Rats. He was humming again. He really had to nip the habit in the bud. With barely-contained irritation directed at himself, he answered, "It's from a long time ago. The name is... I think it's something about wildflowers and summertime."
"That's so sweet," gushed the brown-haired girl. "Are there lyrics?"
"Not that I remember," Hitsugaya said hastily. He knew the words, but he was mortally afraid the exuberant Inoue would ask him to sing it for her.
He would never, never, never live it down.
XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx