"I saw her red-rimmed eyes," said Matsumoto quietly when she and Abarai met up with the tenth division captain to take over patrol. "What did you do, taichou?"
"Not now, Matsumoto." Hitsugaya had felt rather guilty, forcing Karin to deal with her loss. But it had to be done. Karin had bottled up everything for too long. He didn't want another...
Another whom, exactly?
Hitsugaya sighed heavily and left Abarai and Matsumoto staring in befuddlement at his departing figure.
Abarai was the first to recover his voice. "Matsumoto."
"Hmmm?"
"Is something bothering him? He looks less annoyed than usual."
"I would say someone is bothering him, but I'll need to dig to find out." Matsumoto's eyes were overcast with concern. And with just a hint of curiosity.
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I cried in front of Hitsugaya. I actually criedin front of Hitsugaya!
Karin's thoughts were running in circles. Her eyes were sore from her tears, but even now it was her heart that was distracting her.
Can this be any more embarrassing? Oh yeah, I cried into his shoulder and he had to pat me on the back like I was some stupid, pathetic... Urgh! Dumb, dumb, dumb, Karin! I'm a shmucky moron to the tenth degree! Idiot!
She buried her face into the pillow. Surprisingly Yuutsubame had not said a word.
Yuu? Why aren't you snarking at me like usual?
You've already said everything I meant to say, said the zanpakuto's spirit. What else can I add to your litany?
Karin groaned again. Yuzu was snoozing softly, and Karin wished she could be at home in Ichigo's room, just sitting with her brother and watching him read Shakespeare. Ichigo had a strange habit of mouthing the words that made for an unexpectedly comical recital of the bard's best works.
To be or not to be...
There would be that slight scowl, the ferocious intensity, eyes focused on their purpose, the steady breathing, the complete blocking out of the rest of the world...
Yuutsubame interrupted. Who exactly are you describing now?
Ichi-nii, of course.
Oh. Of course. How stupid of me to think it was a captain you were thinking of in those terms-
Karin told her zanpakuto to stop sniggering. Then she sat up, completely unable to rest. With a resigned sigh the Kurosaki girl slipped out of her body, went down to the basement, and got started on a training circuit.
"Fifteen laps, twenty sprints, fifteen laps again. Repeat as necessary. I refuse to believe I won't be worn out by then." Karin took a deep breath, then stopped. She peered at her own shinigami outfit, then bit her thumb. The long flowing hakama was impeding her speed...
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Urahara popped down the basement for a dip in the pool, but stopped disrobing when he noticed the lithe figure curled against a rock. He went over and peered into her face. Then he smiled nostalgically.
Karin was sleeping deeply, her breathing even and slow. Urahara saw that she had done some self-tailoring of her shinigami outfit and chuckled.
It was a good sign: the moment a shinigami alters the basic look, it usually meant they were ascending in strength. No one knew why this was so, but outfit customization was one of the signs of a certain level of reiatsu power. Karin turned over in her sleep, muttering something about her mother and – intriguingly – a white-haired captain.
"You still sleep the way you did when you were a baby, Karin-chan," Urahara murmured and draped his coat over Karin. Then he went upstairs for a quick shower instead.
While rinsing his hair, Urahara grew a little pensive. He missed Masaki too. The woman had limitless patience and unbelievable inner joy that shone through in her every action.
If it weren't for her, Kurosaki would still be an asshole, a misogynistic captain with a different name back in Seireitei. And Urahara would still be in Karakura, close to the world he loved, never able to reach it.
And Aizen would still try to take over the world. Urahara rubbed the bridge of his nose.
At times like this, the sting of exile was particularly hard.
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When Hitsugaya woke up he wished he didn't. "Matsumoto, never, never sit so damn near to my head again, alright?"
"Wrong side of the bed much, taichou?" Matsumoto raised an eyebrow. "Brought ya breakfast in bed."
"Mmmph." Hitsugaya struggled out of his bedding. "I was hoping to sleep in."
"It's Saturday."
"Kind of my point, Matsumoto."
His lieutenant folded her arms. "Like I'm letting you sleep for long without explaining why Karin ended up with a blotchy face and reddened eyes last night?"
"Matsumoto-"
"Don't 'Matsumoto, shut up' me, alright? Something serious happened and I intend to find out what it is!"
The captain massaged his aching head. "Look, we were talking. She got upset when..." He halted, then restarted. "We went to the place where her mother died."
"O...kay. And that led to her..."
"She finally understood what it meant... what it meant for a hollow to attack a defenseless soul."
Matsumoto fell silent. For a long beat neither said a word.
The lieutenant broke the tableau. "That sucks."
"Tell me about it," replied Hitsugaya. He fell back onto his bed. "And I'm serious, Matsumoto. Let me rest, just for today? I've had the most unbelievable night and I really, really need to sleep."
"Not today, taichou. Today's special."
Hitsugaya groaned. It was impossible to stop his lieutenant when she was in full flow.
Matsumoto chirped, "It's the Harvest Festival tonight! You gotta come along." She frowned at the dozing white-haired captain. "Taichou! What's wrong with you? You were never this tired back in Seireitei even after pulling three all-nighters!"
"I was battling hollows non-stop the few nights before, I've had to deal with a manipulative little vixen wannabe, and last night I had to handle a crying Kurosaki Karin. It's not the physical but the emotional exhaustion." As his brain cleared from fatigue, he caught up with his babbling mouth. "Damn. Matsumoto, I want some really strong tea right now."
"You got it," she smiled and hopped off. "Nice lack of pajamas, by the way."
"Tea, lieutenant." Hitsugaya sat up again and groped for his pants. He did wish she didn't know about his tendencies to be more forthcoming in the morning before his first cup of tea. He also wished he would learn to lock the door, given his tendency to sleep with nothing on – the nights always felt too hot.
But then they had worked together for some years, and they had gone out on missions together prior to this. It was inevitable she knew some of his secrets. But he knew of her secrets too, so it came out all right in the end, he supposed. It wasn't as if she had the audacity to take pictures of him while...
Wait a minute...
"MATSUMOTO! THE POSTER!!"
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Yuzu was nearly apoplectic with panic while Urahara and Tessai worked on reviving Karin.
"Why doesn't she wake? What happened? Is she okay?"
Jinta and Ururu tried to calm her down but Yuzu just wanted to barge into the room to see what was happening. Then a large figure interposed himself between the girl and the door. Yuzu looked up into Abarai's serious face.
"Come on, Yuzu, let them work." His large hand was firmly fixed on her shoulder as he steered her away from the little bedroom the two Kurosaki girls shared. Yuzu twisted in vain to get back to her twin but the redhead was adamant in directing Yuzu to the dining area.
Ururu tried hard not to smile when she saw Jinta's face reddening with jealousy. Karin didn't bother to hide her amusement.
She folded her hands behind her head, remaining quiet and out-of sight until Abarai had taken Yuzu away from the scene and smirked, "I guess she really prefers mature men."
"If you had gone back to your body like you were supposed to-" Jinta hissed but ended with a huff. He stalked off, muttering something about freeloaders and shinigami.
Karin tossed off an irreverent salute and went in the door.
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Yumichika opened the door to admit a glowering Hitsugaya and a sheepish Matsumoto. "Alright, what is so gosh-darned important that you have to wake me up from my beauty sleep?"
"Well, Yumi-chan-" Matsumoto was interrupted by a sudden outburst at the door.
"Goddess of love, grant me a boon, let this be no dream but if it be a dream let me never wake!" Keigo was dramatically flinging his arms out in prayer to the heavens, then threw a hand before his eyes. "Lo! What light through yonder window shines! What can I do for you, my lovely-"
"Shut up, Keigo," growled Ikkaku, exiting the bedroom, rubbing his neck. When he came up to the other shinigami he stopped. "Early morning visit, huh. What's the trouble?"
"All of you." Hitsugaya paused, then turned to look at Keigo's slumping form against the wall. "Matsumoto, tell me you didn't just knock the boy out."
"I didn't just knock him out." Matsumoto hid her smarting knuckles behind her back.
Hitsugaya raised his eyebrows. Then he shrugged.
"Alright." He returned his attention to the trio of shinigami and drew his sword. Placing Hourinmaru on the table, its glittering point an accusing finger, Hitsugaya sat down and leaned his face on his fist. "And now I want the photos. All of them."
"What photos?" Yumichika wanted to ask, but saw the apologetic half-smile on Matsumoto's face. The pretty fifth seat rolled his eyes and smoothed down his hair uncomfortably. "I- um, I can't give you the photos, taichou."
"Why not?" Hitsugaya inquired politely, but there was a steely glint in his ice-blue eyes. The temperature in the room fell about thirty degrees. Ikkaku swallowed against the surge in chilling reiatsu. Yumichika took a deep breath and squeaked out, "Because they're in Hisagi's office right now."
Matsumoto's eyes goggled. "When did you send them?"
"Why did you send them?" Hitsugaya's voice cut across his lieutenant's question.
"Just... just for safekeeping purposes," Yumichika managed to speak as fast as he could without garbling his message. Then he hid behind Ikkaku when Hitsugaya slammed the table and stood up.
For a long beat it looked as if the captain was about to roar, but he exhaled heavily, sheathed his sword and swept out of the house.
The table fell apart, the dish of fruit on its surface crashing to the ground. All three shinigami watched as an apple, in accordance to dramatic principle, rolled out and stopped at the unconscious Keigo's feet.
Ikkaku was the first to recover. "Whoa."
"Is he angry?" Yumichika asked.
"Is he never?" Matsumoto replied. "But I think he's a little more preoccupied with other matters right now than to bother about the photos."
"Yumi," Ikkaku knocked a knuckle on the fifth seat's forehead. "First thing: contact Hisagi, tell him to return that damn manila envelope right the damn hell now."
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When Yuzu saw Karin awake she hugged Karin so tightly the brunette turned a delicate shade of blue.
"Uh, Yuzu-chan, you're suffocating your sister," admonished Urahara gently, tapping Yuzu's head with his ever-present fan. "And so soon after we've revived her."
"Oh! Sorry, Karin-chan," Yuzu let go quickly. Then she took one look at her sister and hugged her again.
Karin scrubbed her hair, feeling awkward. Tessai caught the signal from the blond shopkeeper and said, "Yuzu-san, I need to get the midday meal ready. Could you assist me please?"
"Oh, sure!" Before she left, Yuzu half-smiled at Karin. "You rest well, okay, Karin-chan?"
"Yeah, sure. Go help Tessai," Karin shooed her twin out. Then she thumped down onto the futon again.
Urahara snapped his fan shut. There was an air of anticipation about him, but there was nothing to expect – was there?
"Ururu, could you get Sado-kun and Abarai-san up here please?"
Karin held an open palm out. The shopkeeper looked at the hand like it was an aliean, then shrugged and placed Soul Candy in it. Karin popped one and pulled out of her body.
"What is it, Urahara-san – hey, Karin. New look," said Abarai as he entered. He was all sweaty and hot; Sado was similar covered in a fine sheen of perspiration.
Urahara took off his hat. "Now that we're all here -"
"Shouldn't you wait for me to arrive before you say that?" said Hitsugaya from the window. He entered the room nimbly and sat down in the only empty spot, right opposite Karin. "What's happening?"
"Harvest Festival."
The rest of them waited. Then Karin raised her eyebrows. "That's it?"
"Well, yeah," Urahara said. "Tina's no longer raising hollows and she's got a date with the charming and debonair Mizuiro; there's nothing scheduled for tonight, and I believe everyone needs a break. So we're all going to the festival tonight."
"I cannot believe you called me down to tell me this." Hitsugaya stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I have a lieutenant and two seated officers to skewer and roast in hell."
Sado raised a finger. "I'll go."
"Why?" Abarai asked. "Shouldn't we be in training?"
"Some of Tokyo's best bassists are performing. I'd like to take a look."
Karin chewed on her lower lip. The white-haired captain was already climbing out the ledge without a second glance backwards. Before any of the other men could say nything, she had gotten up and followed.
"Wow," Abarai said approvingly. "She's gotten really good at shunpo."
"Speaking of wow potential..." Urahara smirked, "You better not get too chummy with Ichigo's little sister."
"What? Ichigo knows where my heart lies. Besides, Rukia likes Yuzu."
Urahara chuckled as he put on his hat again. "Yeah, and so does Jinta."
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"Wait."
Hitsugaya turned around. Karin was there, fiddling with her hands. "What?"
"Um..." Karin wished the uniform possessed pockets. Maybe she should sew them in... but she sucked at sewing. Thank gods for Ururu this morning...
"Waiting." Hitsugaya didn't fold his arms and he wasn't scowling.
Karin took a deep breath. "Tonight?"
Hitsugaya shook his head. "Busy."
Karin frowned. "With?"
"Work." He folded his arms now.
"Like?"
"Stuff."
"Right." Karin didn't mask her disbelief.
"Yes." He was annoyed; there was always work for him.
"Really?" Karin was disappointed. Then she furrowed her brows again and raised a finger. "Why are we talking in one-word sentences?"
The captain looked taken aback. "Dunno."
The girl began to laughed. "Stop it already!" She looked at him, trying to control her giggles, then started laughing anew when she saw the irritated hint of a smile lift one corner of his lips.
"Alright, alright." He tried to veil his own amusement but ceded to one, single, brief smile. "What about tonight?"
"Shallwegotothefestival?"
"What?"
Karin breathed slowly before she spoke again. "Shall we go to the festival?"
Hitsugaya rubbed the back of his head. "I really am busy. Got a report to make-"
"You're always busy," said Karin. "That won't change even if you take one night off."
Hitsugaya considered. Then he lifted his shoulders once, a non-committal shrug. "True. But I'd feel guilty."
"Come on," Karin cajoled. "Everyone will be going. It won't be... it won't be as...as fun if you're not there."
"I'll think about it." Hitsugaya turned to leave. Then he paused. "By the way, I like the new look."
"What new- oh." Karin looked down. She had turned the long flowing hakama to shorts so she could run easier, having asked Ururu to help her hem the edges, and then she had asked for the sleeves to be removed too. It was now more form-fitting and a lot easier to move about it. "Uh, thanks."
Hitsugaya didn't bother waving a goodbye.
The brunette girl headed back to the shop, hissing to herself under her breath. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Kurosaki Karin?"
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