Hitsugaya's Date Chapter 18: The End For Now, a bleach fanfic

A/N: This is the final chapter.

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"Oh no, not now," Karin sighed. A hollow was lurking near the corner of her block. She drew her sword.

Come on Yuu, got some undead booty to kick.

Wait. Her sword glittered in her hand. The dragon's aura is fading.

What? Before Karin could refocus the hollow sprinted at her with its mouth wide open. Its teeth snapped at her and she dodged, only to have the hollow chomp on her left leg.

Karin shouted in pain, then stabbed Yuutsubame into the hollow's mask. It dissipated, but the pain in her calf remained. It throbbed and Karin cursed under her breath.

Yuu, what the hell are you talking about?

The dragon has fallen. I can't sense it.

Oh no, no no no... Karin looked at the house. Her body, with the artificial soul manipulating it, was watching from the house. "Hey! Take care of my family for me!" she yelled. "I gotta be elsewhere for a bit!"

She watched her body wave an okay sign, then she limped upright. Somehow she would make it there.

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"I'm fine, I'm fine," Hitsugaya waved off Urahara's ministrations. "It was just a fall. Take care of the others."

Karin skidded to a stop. She was panting. Her calf was still bleeding, although most of it had caked. "You're alright," she wheezed.

Hitsugaya raised. "You say it like I'm not supposed to be."

"No, Yuu said..." she floundered for words, then placed her hands on her hips. "Okay, I just got tricked by my zanpakuto."

"Your leg." Hitsugaya pointed with Hourinmaru.

"Hollow. Yuu distracted me just as it attacked." Karin fought her blush when he scooted closer to examine the wound. "It's nothing, really."

"It looks deep," he corrected her absently. "Sit down."

"What?"

"Sit down so I can perform the healing spell." He glanced up and she was struck by the intensity in his eyes. "It'll tickle and I don't want you falling on me."

She sat, oddly uncomfortable. She could hear Ikkaku yelling in the distance and Yumichika whining, and the reiatsu signatures of her sensei Yoruichi threaded around the forest as she examined the battleground. Hitsugaya had his hand on her calf, and an orange glow flooded his hand.

It really tickled.

Karin focused on the sight of the lacerations knitting together instead of the prickles running up and down her leg. She also ignored industriously the sniggering of her sword in the back of her mind.

"Why Karin, I didn't know you were here," said Matsumoto, her arm slung over Urahara's shoulder. He was supporting her. "And you're rating captain treatment! Even I don't get that... tch."

Karin flushed.

Hitsugaya only muttered, "Shut up, Matsumoto."

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Ichigo came back bruised and battered. Isshin spent the better part of two hours patching up his son. He then went out with Urahara, neither saying a word to the other. Rukia was put in charge of watching the girls, but the moment Isshin left she secreted herself upstairs.

Yuzu made dinner, but all the while her mouth was drawn tight and tears threatened to fall. "Let's eat upstairs, Karin-chan."

"No, Yuzu, we'll be disturbing Ichi-nii."

"Please." Yuzu grabbed their plates and dashed upstairs.

Karin followed her anxiously. "Yuzu! Come on, he needs peace and quiet-"

"But, Karin..."

Rukia opened the door. Yuzu looked up with her big Bambi eyes, and the two girls entered.

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Urahara didn't flinch when Isshin's blow landed on the wall beside his head. He watched his friend get his temper under control, before gesturing for him to sit down. Isshin refused.

"What happened?" Isshin didn't bother with pleasantries. "What the fucking hell happened to my son?"

"Espada happened to him." Urahara sighed. He chewed on his lower lip. "He must have decided to face them... the boy wasn't ready."

"Damn right he wasn't ready!"

"Look, Isshin," said Urahara placatingly, "Ichigo knows what he's signing up for. And although I don't like the vizards any more than you do, I know Shinji Hirako and he will help Ichigo build up his power."

Isshin paced the room. His bright orange-and-purple shirt clashed violently with his dark mood. "I don't trust them. They're on nobody's side."

"And no one should be," someone interrupted at the door.

Isshin rolled his eyes. "My day is complete."

"And good day to you too." Ryuken exhaled his cigarette smoke. "My stupid son's Quincy abilities have just been restored. When do you want him?"

"Given Ichigo's temperament, as soon as possible." Urahara inclined his head to the powerful Quincy. Ryuken nodded and exited, as sudden as he came.

Isshin sighed. "Sometimes I really hate that guy."

Urahara grinned suddenly. "Because he's effortlessly cool and you're stuck wearing the baby-spit-up shirt?"

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When Yuzu finally fell asleep Karin pulled out of her body. Rukia nodded, already in her shinigami form.

"Can I leave you here on watch, Karin?" she asked, poised to leave. "Renji called and I have to get to him. Something about a meeting."

"No problem," said Karin. "Nothing's going to hurt any of my family again."

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"Rukia I'm fine," Renji repeated. "I didn't fight. I'm more worried about you. You almost... you'll need to point out which Espada it was, because I'm going to kill him five times over."

Rukia hugged Renji tightly. "I'm okay. It was... I almost peed my pants. If that vizard hadn't appeared..."

The redhead patted his dark-haired girl. "How's Ichigo?"

"He's still out of it." Rukia sighed.

They looked at the locked room where Yoruichi had sequestered herself. Tessai and the ex-captain were deep in discussion, but right now Rukia just wanted to feel safe again. Renji held her against his broad chest, as if he heard her wish.

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When Hitsugaya appeared at the window Karin nearly decked him.

"Whoa, hold it." He blocked her swing. "I came to talk to you."

"What about?"

"Can we talk downstairs?" he asked. Then he looked at Ichigo. "How is he?"

Karin glanced at her brother. "He hasn't... hasn't woken up."

Hitsugaya patted her shoulder. Karin squared her shoulders and led the way down to the living room. As they exited, Hitsugaya noticed how Karin's body was curled on the floor, and he returned to cover it with a sheet.

"Thanks," Karin said from the door. Hitsugaya shrugged.

They settled on the living room couch, side by side. Hitsugaya rubbed his nose. "If I'm not wrong, I'll need to leave very soon."

"Why?"

"Seireitei will want to find out in detail what happened here. We can't link up with Soul Society currently; we are seriously lacking in information."

Karin realized her hands were wringing together. "Why are you telling me this?"

Hitsugaya's lips twitched. "Urahara and Yoruichi will be very occupied with the coming war. You will be needed as a shinigami."

"To fight?"

"No," he shook his white head. "Perform soul burial, purify hollows... the usual duties of a shinigami. I know you're not an actual one but... we're drawn pretty tight as it is."

"How many shinigami do you have?"

"Not enough." He sighed and covered his eyes with his hands. "They're spread all over Japan, and with the Iraq war the shinigami of that region has requested our assistance. We also have shinigami posted in the Middle East and Africa to ease their perennial shortage. Our war with Aizen isn't a really huge issue in the bigger picture of the world."

"Tell me that you don't really believe that." Karin was on her feet. "You can't possibly believe that." her calf ached; the healing had worked but somehow there was still a twinge.

He almost smiled. "I don't. That's just the truth. But it's important to all the people here, and so it's important to me." Hitsugaya stood up as well. "So, when I come back, I will hand you a shinigami substitute badge – not the one Urahara lent you, but a real one, sanctioned by Seireitei."

"I thought you didn't want them to know of my existence."

"Things have changed. Now I can't be here to watch over the place, your brother probably will be on the front line, and there isn't anyone else I trust to be concerned enough about this town to take care of it." He cocked his head. "So it's down to you."

Karin folded her arms. "So I'm the last resort?"

He raised an eyebrow. "You got a problem with that?"

Girl and captain tried to stare each other down. Then Hitsugaya softened. "Look, you're the one I trust here. Be careful."

"I'm Kurosaki Karin, have you met me? I'm nothing but-"

"If you steal my line I'll kick your ass." Hitsugaya snorted and waved goodbye, climbing out the window.

Karin watched him go. "The door is just here and he has to go out through a window."

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"You were at the Kurosakis?" Matsumoto asked immediately.

Hitsugaya nodded. "I've put her in charge of the routine shinigami jobs."

"She's just a kid," the busty lieutenant reminded her captain. "You're asking a lot from her."

"What else can I do, Matsumoto? There are only so many shinigami, and we need the trained ones on the front line!"

Matsumoto exhaled heavily. She followed him as he shucked off his shoes. "Taichou, did you at least tell her?"

Hitsugaya frowned. "Tell her what?"

"That you like her?"

"I don't – this is not the time, alright? There are more important things than my liking her."

She sighed and, deciding her career could go to hell, smacked him on the back of his head. "Tell her that you'll ask her out. She'll get it. And you won't lose face, taichou."

"You just hit me!" growled Hitsugaya.

Matsumoto merely waved a goodbye and headed to the basement where everyone was gathering. "Get over it."

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Karin changed into her school uniform. She stretched and was startled when a shadow appeared at the window.

"Hitsugaya – you just gave me the fright of my life!" she hissed at him. Yuzu was already in the kitchen. "What is it?"

He came in. "Meeting. Important."

Karin bustled out of bed to change into her shinigami form, but Hitsugaya shook his head. "Not for you. It's about yesterday. Inoue has disappeared."

"She's dead?" Karin was horrified. She couldn't imagine it: she had known Inoue almost as long as her brother had, and she had always been bemused by the older girl's non-sequitur tangents and weird tastes. She had also wanted to hit her brother over the head for not seeing how much Inoue liked him.

Hitsugaya sighed. "We hope not," he answered truthfully. "But there's a likelihood I will be called back immediately after the meeting."

Karin frowned. "So why are you here?"

For a moment he didn't reply. Then he said, "You remember last night, what I said?"

"The part about stealing your line and kicking my ass?"

"No," Hitsugaya said slowly, "the part about you being the only person I trust to protect this town."

She smiled crookedly. "Yeah. I remember." She stuffed her books into her bag, not willing to look at him.

He coughed. "There's something else."

If anything he sounded unsure. Karin was surprised – Hitsugaya always sounded certain of everything. She looked at the snowy-haired captain, who was looking at her.

"I, um... after much prodding from my lieutenant... Karin, when this is over, maybe we could go out?"

She was charmed. "Like a date?"

"Yeah."

"You do realize I might have died by then," Karin pointed out. "There is a war, you know."

"Well, then we'll just go out in Seireitei then." Hitsugaya inhaled. "I have to go talk to your brother now. I'll be seeing you."

She touched his hand as he prepared to swing to the next window. "Hey, Toshiro."

"Since when did I allow you to call me Toshiro?" he glared at her.

Unrepentant, Karin grinned. Then she pressed her lips to his mouth. He grabbed hold of the window frame, almost losing his balance.

Her lips were soft, like he remembered from the first time they kissed. And this time, he was the one feeling lightheaded. When she pulled away she was embarrassed, but still somewhat cocky.

With a small smirk Karin said, "I'll wait for that date. Be safe, Toshiro."

Hitsugaya nodded. "I will, Karin. You take care of everyone else... and I'll see you soon."

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A/N: Hitsugaya's Date ends here, because I don't want to contradict the original Bleachverse too much. If it continues everyone will be updated!

Thank you so much for your support! For a small fic it certainly blossomed beyond my wildest hopes, with so many, many people reading and reviewing :)