OMG, an update?! You must be seeing things, right? Nah, it's a real and true update! I give you all the right to cuss me out if you feel like it. I deserve it after making you wait...3 months?! Gosh, where does the time go?
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.
Her family grows worried quickly. It has been too short a time period since her ex-fiancé attacked her for her to be wandering so freely, and without protection at that, yet the next afternoon she simply disappears, returning only late in the evening.
Growing worried, they take measures, such as asking around town, yet none know where she has disappeared to, only that she was seen leaving the house sometime earlier in the morning, and has not been spotted since.
She is blissfully ignorant of the suspicions, choosing instead to enjoy the time she spends with her new friend, who is just so fascinating to her – much more so than the boring men who hang around her own town, who always get drunk at midday and whistle provocatively at passing women. But when she finally returns home, she finds a hysterical older brother.
"Karin!" he cries once she walks through the door. He lunges at her and places both hands on her shoulder, his eyes almost bugging out of their sockets as he pulls her closer. "Where the hell were you?"
She tries to pull back, shocked at his sudden haggard state.
"Ichi-nii, what's wrong?"
"W-we were so w-worried," a tearful Yuzu stutters from her place on a chair. She places her head into her hands, hunching slightly as her shoulders shake from the new tears. "W-we thought something h-horrible happened to you!"
"What did you think you were doing when you left so suddenly this morning?" her father reprimands, an uncharacteristically serious glare in his eyes. "No note, no mention of ever going out. What were we supposed to think?"
She pushes away her brother, eyeing her family in shock.
"What's got you all so pissed? I leave all the time."
"Oh, and do you get attacked by drunken bastards all the time, too?" Ichigo demands, scowling now. Her stomach twists at the realization. "That kind of news would be good to know, so that next time, when you disappear the day after suddenly getting attacked, we don't have to bloody search the entire damn town for you, and hope we don't find your mangled body somewhere in the woods!"
She stares at them all in horror, her mouth gaping as she attempts to think of something to say. Yuzu's sobs get louder as the shrill silence cuts through all of them.
"I'm disappointed in you, Karin," her father scolds her sadly. "Can't you think of others for a change?"
And this angers her. She feels her guilt ebb away into rage, and her hands go on her hips.
"Think of someone else?" she screeches. "You have no right to say that when you gallivant through town like a drunken idiot every morning! What's wrong with all of you? You know I can take care of myself. Who beat up six guys last week for trying to touch Yuzu? All by herself?"
"This is different," her sister surprisingly speaks up, lifting up her tear stained face to shoot her a frightened look through watery eyes. "We saw the state you were in yesterday, Karin. You were so beat up, and looked like you were ready to collapse."
"Grimmjow was worse," she rebukes coolly, her arms crossing across her chest.
"Only because he was intoxicated," her father argues. "What would have happened if he had tried to attack you sober? You couldn't have fought him off."
"Oh?" she demands, her eyes – and pride – flaring up. "Maybe we should bring him out and have him attack me again, test that theory."
"Stop that, Karin," Ichigo commands.
"No! It seems like it'll be the only way any of you will trust me by myself ever again!"
"Enough!" her father bellows, and she does in her shock, staring at him with a baffled expression. "Go to your room for tonight. And I don't want this happening again."
"No. I'm going out tomorrow, and none of you can stop me!"
And before any of them can argue, she half stomps and half runs away to her sleeping quarters without a backwards glance.
"Oh, Masaki," Isshin mutters, running a hand through his hair in despair. "Please watch over our precious daughter. She'll get herself in serious trouble one day, and I might not be around to stop it."
Karin stands, pacing in her room, her anger still blazing from the argument.
How could they all gang up on her like that? Ichigo, especially, who himself despises how suffocating it feels to be trapped without any freedom or free will. Or even Yuzu, who knows and understands her best, and is well aware of her need to be let alone to her own choices.
But perhaps it is her father's reaction that fans the fumes the most. His seriousness and anger is something she has never witnessed. Already being a rebellious spirit, seeing the fire in him only makes her that much more determined to fight back. He has always taught her to think for herself, to remain outside the herds of sheep, so why would he attempt to restrict her?
Somewhere deep inside, she knows they are only concerned for her safety, only worry for her well-being as a family should. But there is no longer a threat to worry them so senselessly – Grimmjow has been locked away already.
She feels a strange twist in her chest as she remembers him, his deep blue hair and eyes, his handsome face, his rugged build, his roughish grin, which had looked so dangerous and full of ill intent that night...
After she had dragged him through the rough terrain of the forest, he had looked a little worse for wear, his hair covered in twigs and his clothing sopping wet. Alarm had aroused a large crowd of people, who had instantly surrounded the pair, inquiring about the reasons behind their careworn states.
She had, with the best of her ability to lie, omitted any mention of a certain scaly beast, but had told them the truth of his intentions toward her, simply stating that in his drunken state, he had tripped over a large root and banged his head on a tree, causing him to pass out. A large bump caused from his fainting after Toushiro's attacks had proven her theory to be true, though mostly because no one had reason to believe otherwise.
Men had surrounded the bastard, checking his vitals like she had. Someone had been sent to notify his family, while the rest had mumbled under their breaths about his disgrace and his sentence. The women had rushed straight to her, coddling her like some child, which she had always hated. They had covered her in a thick blanket and attempted to soothe her with a mug of something hot.
Her friends had been hectic, apologizing profusely at any chance they had gotten about letting him slip away so easily, for not knowing of his hidden character, for not keeping an eye on him. She had forcefully smiled at them, assuring them that she had not been harmed, it had not been their fault, and that "you should head home to rest because you all stink of alcohol and it's making me nauseous."
They had been wise enough to stumble away, albeit still apologizing at random moments to thin air, thinking her beside them in their drunken frenzy. Her small, amused chuckle had been cut short by Yuzu clamping her arms around her neck and nearly choking her in a tight and tearful embrace. Her father and brother had been livid, cracking their knuckles menacingly at the still form of her attacker, and had only turned away in their attempt to castrate him when she had expressed a desire to head home.
On her way home, she had gazed back sadly at her ex-fiancé, her ex-lover, her ex-friend, her ex-first crush, who was being carried away by a group of men to his own home. In that moment, when she had briefly been foolish enough to look back, he had stirred, and his eyes, bloodshot from the alcohol and events, had snapped open so suddenly. He had glared at her then, and with the ferocity of a wild beast unsatisfied after letting its desirable prey escape through its clutches.
It had shaken her, she is ashamed to admit. It had cut through her, straight to the core, chilling her bones and freezing her frame in complete and total fear so much worse than when he had been actually chasing her. And yet she had been unable to look away, unable to break eye contact with that crazed and wild gaze. Those blood red eyes with the large purple bags underneath had held her in place, controlled her so easily, and she had almost begun to tremble right on the spot, not caring that witnesses had been everywhere.
It had only been him and her in that second, and nothing else had mattered except that he knew the effect he had been having on her. Perhaps that had been why a corner of his mouth had lifted just slightly – no one else had noticed but she had not teared her gaze away from his face, so she had known – and he had smirked straight at her, the same cocky smirk that had always made her melt over the years, but with more malice.
You haven't seen the last of me, it had seemed to say, and though there had been no draft that night, she had felt herself shiver, a shudder that had not gone away even when she had wrapped the blanket around herself as tightly as possible. He had passed out again soon afterwards and had been carried away, but she had stood staring at that same spot in masked horror for a long time until her brother had placed a gentle arm over her shoulders and led her away.
It still alarms her at this very moment, whenever she thinks of it. Her anger at her family dissipates slightly as she feels the familiar chill pass through her, and she wraps her arms around her for warmth, sitting down at the edge of her bed and rocking slightly.
She had really felt something for him - something maybe even akin to love, though her tough tomboy reputation had never allowed her to admit it to anyone, or even herself. He had been with her through her childhood; she had seen him mature, seen the looks he gained effortlessly from women, seen the way he gazed at her...what had happened? She had thought he liked her too, thought he had been delighted by the engagement as much as she had. His hot gazes had always made her feel special somehow, maybe because she had never had any adamant suitors; the men had usually only looked at Yuzu, reserving only brief, lusftful flicks of the eyes for her. So Grimmjow's gaze had been precious, causing happiness. And now, all his gaze makes her feel is disgust and dread.
Perhaps this is why she had gone out this afternoon. It had been an attempt to clear her mind, to get away from that fear that Grimmjow instilled in her, even after learning that he had been locked away for his attempted crimes – flimsy bars do not make her feel safe. She hates feeling helpless, and so seeking companionship and security with a large, powerful creature that had beaten Grimmjow senseless in less than a minute had seemed so appealing.
And it had been, she affirms. The afternoon had been wonderful, filled with new knowledge and laughter. Thoughts of a dangerous Grimmjow had been replaced with those of a seemingly perverted but actually quite entertaining Toushiro. Learning of the lives of his kind had left her in wonder, and playing a breezy game of soccer with him had left her at ease.
She had seen determination in his eyes as she had left behind her ball for him to practice with, and when she had returned home, instead of feeling anxiety from thoughts of a predator, she had felt anticipation at the thought of playing another game with him soon, to mark his improvements and tease his stumbles.
'I'm going out again tomorrow,' she asserts to herself with determination. 'Toush will be waiting for me, and they have no right to keep me from seeing my friends.'
The same thought goes through her mind next morning, when she enters the kitchen area to be greeted with silence. Her father and Yuzu are nowhere to be seen, and she assumes they have already gone ahead to treat patients at her family's small healing business.
Only Ichigo remains seated at their table, and he does not bother looking up from his food when she enters, staring fixedly at his plate. She feels a scowl plant itself on her lips at his childishness.
'Silent treatment, huh?' she thinks angrily. 'Che, whatever.'
She seats herself down too, and digs into the plate Yuzu has left prepared for her. The two chew in silence, and when she finishes, she grabs both their plates and scrubs them with soap and water. He does not comment on her strangely domestic action, and she feels unjustifiably furious at his lack of interest in her.
'You sure had plenty to say to me yesterday,' she thinks bitterly, but still does not comment aloud. After she finishes her task, she dries the two dishes with a rag and sets them away in their rightful place. Then, she stretches nonchalantly.
"Well, I'm heading out," she announces casually. He still does not say anything, but he does gaze up to glare at her.
She ignores his heated and silent gaze on her back as she heads out, though she feels an absurd sense of guilt, which she tries to squash unsuccessfully.
'Damn him.' Who is he to make her feel this way, like she is betraying her family? He just doesn't know, hadn't taken the time to listen to her and realize that she would be the safest she could be with Toushiro. 'Having to worry about me serves him right, then.' And with that thought, she trudges through the trees, her shoulders scrunched as she breathes deeply.
They flatten instantly when she enters her favorite clearing to find a sleeping Toushiro, hunched up with his knees drawn to his chest, hugging the socer ball tightly in his arms and cradling it protectively to his body, his head lying atop it. All that is missing to complete the infantile scene is a thumb in his mouth.
At this last thought, she snorts loudly in amusement, and instantly claps a hand over her mouth. He stirs slightly at the sound, and she waits with baited breath until he stills once again.
'So even the almighty Mr. Dragon can look like this, huh?' she snickers in her head. She slowly leans over to look at him more closely, placing her hands on her knees. Despite their matching height, he looks so much smaller in this fetal position. His hair is messed up and has tints of red from lying in the dirt. As do his clothes, which, she notes, are the sames ones he had worn yesterday. His hands are scratched up, for some odd reason.
She observes his face closely and, to her surprise, he looks completely worn out. There are bags under his eyes and dirt smeared over the entirety of his face - it looks as if he has just barely dozed off a moment ago. She peers at the soccer ball clutched within his grasp, and it looks very beaten up too - well, more than it usualy does after she has used it for so many years.
'You wanted to beat me that badly, Toush?' she thinks with fascination. A smirk breaks out across her face. 'Well, I guess even dragons can have "manly" pride, if that's possible. My kicking his ass yesterday must've bruised his ego.'
It delights her to think that she might just have a serious opponent now. Perhaps he would become so good that he could join her village team with her, and together, they could beat out the arrogant Jinta and his Oh So Superior team. Oh, she would just love to see the look on his face when the two tag-teamed his group of amateurs into oblivion. She wonders if losing a game would be enough to make him cry; she would love to see that. Though she's getting ahead of herself - she needs to check Toushiro's skill, first of all. And there was only one way to do that.
"Oi, Toushiro, get up!" Unable to help herself with this perfect and vulnerable opportunity, she swings back her leg and...
Bam!
The confused dragon goes rolling across the dirt from her powerful kick, getting the breath knocked out of him in the process as he rolls over the soccer ball. But he never lets go of it. Karin cracks up as he yanks himself into a sitting position, looking around drowsily in alarm.
"Ms. Karin?" he questions as he rubs his eyes.
"Sorry to interrupt your little hug fest" - he flushes as he sees the ball in his lap - "but I didn't think it was appropriate after you two've only known each other for one night."
He scrambles up, letting the ball roll off and away. She goes after it, placing a foot underneath and flicking it up into her hands, and then placing it against her hip.
"You look like crap," she tells him bluntly. He glowers as he attempts to smooth out the wrinkles on his clothes and flatten his hair. It is all in vain, though, so he settles for simply patting off the dirt.
"What's up with your face, anyway?" she wants to know, striding over to rub a palm against his dirty cheek carefully. He stares at her in puzzlement before a look of understanding dawns on him.
"Well, you saw the way I played yesterday," he tells her, scowling a bit at the reminder of his failure. She stares at him for a second before grinning widely.
"So, what? You made out with the ground all night in disgrace?" He glares at her furiously. 'Ooh, touched a nerve.'
"You're the one who said to practice," he grumbles, jerking his head away from her hand in irritation at her teasing. But then, looking at her from the corner of his eyes, he mumbles softly, "I'm a man, damn it."
Hopefully, this placates anyone who was worried I was planning to abandon this story. I'm not. In fact, though I haven't updated, I have been planning future chapters in more detail.
Which brings me to my next point: I want to sincerely thank NanaGoesBlehh for helping me plan this story, and for giving me ideas for interactions between the two, like finding him asleep and his dirty face. If she hadn't given me that idea, I probably would have ended this chapter right after Karin left the house. In the future chapters, I'll sometimes infuse some of her ideas into my story, and I'd like to give her my appreciation :) You're the best, Nana-chan!
I thought I would give Karin's POV in the story, as well as explain what happened to Grimmjow, and introduce the Kurosaki family, who will play a bigger part in later chapters, especially Ichigo.