Her Guardian Angel.
Chapter Four.
Karin gaped at him, hands falling loosely to her sides. His eyes followed her warily as she moved to sit on her bed. It creaked in protest at the weight. He stood carefully with on arm still tight around his ribs. Moving didn't seem hurt him at all, or maybe he was just good at hiding pain. From what she could recall of him, from those happy years when she was still a child, it was most likely the second options. Her chopsticks clattered to the thin carpet.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that?" She asked breathlessly, running a hand through her raven hair. He looked a little confused, but obliged.
"My name is Hitsugaya Toushiro."
In a flash, she bounded off the bed and grabbed his white haori in her fists. She dragged him close to her and pulled him down so she could see him eye to eye. He flinched at the sudden contact when her knuckles collided roughly with his collarbone. He froze in her grasp when she gave him a frenzied glare.
"If you're here then you must know where my brother is!" He winced. He had been hoping this conversation would come later, like after he had come up with a convincing lie. Her hands trembled as she shook him with as much force as she could muster. "Where is Ichi-nii?" she demanded.
"I don't know," he muttered lamely as he tried to pry her hands from his clothing. She shook her head so hard he wondered if it would fly from her shoulders. Gruesome thought. Her hair tossed wildly about her skull, tiny strands striking his face.
"That's not a good enough answer," she growled. "You know where he is! You just won't tell me. Don't lie to me, Toushiro!" Her voice rose to almost a scream at the end. His eyes widened fractionally as she drew her fist back again, ready to punch him a second time. When he did not answer, she lashed out.
He caught her hand and twisted quickly. As the pain lanced through her arm she let go of his haori and he took advantage of her moment of surprise to place his other hand flat on her shoulder blade to keep her from turning into him. He wrenched her arm up just high enough on her back to let her know he didn't appreciate being attacked, but not enough to pull her arm out of socket.
"When I tell you that I don't know where he is, I mean exactly what I say, Kurosaki. Do not attack me again." She gave such a pitiful whimper of pain he almost let go of her, but he held her tightly until she managed a muted 'yes'. She stumbled away from him when he let her go and tried to level him with a first-class glare. He rolled his eyes at her and crossed to the windowsill. She would never sleep if he remained in her house.
"I only came here to see how you were doing," he deadpanned. "Expect another visit soon. You are getting very out of control." She matched his cold stare and shrugged.
"What control?" she asked rhetorically. "Nobody is in control of me. I do as I please, when I please, and where I please. Nobody tells me what to do." He raised an eyebrow at her confident tone. It didn't match her blank expression.
"There are people who would like to," he muttered cryptically. His brow furrowed but he vanished into the night air before she could ask what he meant. She resisted the urge to race to the open window and try to catch a last glimpse of him. No, that would be too cliché, and it wasn't like she wouldn't see him soon enough. Too soon. . .
:.:
"Taiiiiicho!" Matsumoto called when she heard the door open. She frowned when he didn't answer. She set her pan of neon pink cupcake-creations on the flour and batter covered counter. Maybe she should clean up the mess before ventured into the kitchen and saw it. She dismissed the thought when he heard the shower running. So . . . he wanted to be along after visiting Karin? Like she ever gave him his space when he wanted it.
After creeping up the stairs and into the bedroom that Hitsugaya used, the one that the shower was attached to, she pushed open the bathroom door and tried to sneak in as silently as possible. Needless to say, she was unsuccessful.
"Get out, Matsumoto," he growled. She could barely see his silhouette through the semi-transparent shower curtain. Completely ignoring the order, she plopped down on the toilet seat and grabbed one of her beauty magazines she picked up on her first day in the Material World.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked absently as she scanned an article on the latest shoe trends. Hmm . . . those were pretty cute.
"Not past what is necessary," he said sharply. She raised an eyebrow but said nothing. She listened to the beat of water on the shower floor and her captain quietly pick up one of her many shampoos from the cluttered shelves. She flipped another page.
"You know you want to tell me about it. If you don't, I'll just pay her a visit. I'm sure she'd be happy to tell me all about it," she said smugly. He gave a condescending snort.
"I doubt it."
"Of course she will," Matsumoto said, working to subtly break down his defense. "Girls are always ready to talk to other girls about stuff that happens, especially boy problems." She tapped her lips thoughtfully.
"Boy problems?" he half-sneered. She sighed; he would never get a girl with the way he acted.
"Yes taicho, you count as a boy. I'm sure she hasn't had a crush on anyone in a while. Seeing you must have startled her," she reasoned. He laughed dryly.
"Yes, that's why she broke two of my ribs with a metal bat."
She was speechless for a moment, processing what he said. Then a sly smile sneaked on her face. She could use this to her advantage.
"I'm sure she's just one of those girls who shows affection through violence." He snorted again. Matsumoto grinned. "She likes you!" she crowed.
The water shut off abruptly. He shoved the curtain back halfway and glared at her. His ivory hair was plastered down his shoulders, well past his collarbone.
"She does not like me, Matsumoto Rangiku. In fact, I believe she probably hates my guts." He held out a hand and she gave him a towel, which he wrapped around his hips. She grinned viciously at him as he crossed his arms over his chest. "What are you smiling at?" he grumbled.
"Oh, nothing," she giggled. "Broken noses don't do much for your face, taicho," she teased. He growled slightly and she wondered if it was his dragon that made him do that. She had noticed that none of the other taichos did. But of course, she didn't piss off the others like she did Hitsugaya.
"Don't lie to me," he said. He stepped out of the shower and gathered his clothes from their place on the edge of the sink. Matsumoto grabbed another towel and carefully wiped the water from his back and shoulders, just lightly brushing over the wide sword scars as if they were as tender as the days he received them.
"I'm not lying to you," she said cheerfully. He hummed a noncommittal response as he examined his nose in the foggy mirror. "I'm telling the truth!" she insisted. He didn't answer, letting her keep her secret plotting. She grabbed his shoulder and turned him, rubbing the dampness off his arms and chest before handing him his shirt. She threw the towel over his head and rubbed vigorously at his hair to cover her wince at seeing the long, wicked scar that stretched from his left shoulder to right hip. He dressed when she released him.
"Taicho, maybe you should get a girlfriend," she said as she snatched his hand and dragged him out to the living room. She sat cross-legged on the couch and pushed him to the floor with his back to her. "I mean, you're always so far removed from everyone. You'd seem more human if you –"
"Do I really need to remind you that I'm not human?" he asked blandly. She frowned and pulled her brush through his hair. She loved brushing his hair.
"No. It's just that –"
"We've had this conversation before. I do not need to be more human, I do not need to become more approachable or friendly, and most of all, I do not need a girlfriend."
:.:
Yuzu paced around the office she shared with Hisagi-taicho. He was out training with some new members of the division. It was well known that the only captain that enjoyed beating down newbies more than Hisagi-taicho was Hitsugaya-taicho (and no one really actually knew if he enjoyed beating them or if he just enjoyed inflicting pain).
She bit her lip as she thought about Hitsugaya-taicho. He seemed to be slowly deteriorating over time. He retreated farther inside of himself as his power grew. Although he hid his emotions well, Orihime told her that he spent most of his nights restlessly wandering the division halls, never speaking a word, Hyourinmaru unsheathed and resting on his shoulder. Yuzu wasn't sure whether to be afraid or to pity him.
Her shoeless feet made no sound as she padded out of the office and down the streets towards her brother's division. They hadn't spoken since Hitsugaya-taicho's report. His evaluation of Karin's depression was short and harsh and the Kurosakis couldn't help but feel responsible. After the meeting they were informed that they were not, under any circumstances other than the soutaicho's direct orders, to go to the Material World. They went their separate ways to deal with the news.
She found her brother in the tenth division, Hitsugaya-taicho's, office actually. When he wasn't in his own division she followed his reiatsu across Soul Society. He was rifling through the papers in the Tenth division captain's desk, the books on his shelves, and the cabinets under Matsumoto's desk.
"What are you doing, Ichi-nii?" she asked innocently. He came up sharply from under Matsumoto's desk and hit his head on the edge of it with a dull thud. She walked over to him, looking curiously around the clean room. She frowned at the faint traces of water damage on the walls. Everyone knew the horror stories of Hitsugaya-taicho's rage. The door had been replaced many times after being blown apart or speared by explosions of ice.
"I'm trying to find Yamamoto's orders for the mission Toushiro is on. Why would he send his prized soutaicho-in-training to train our sister?" he muttered the question more to himself than to her. She frowned again and place a hand on his shoulder.
"He has his reasons for everything," she said quietly. He rose to his feet, towering over her. He sighed and ran a hand through his flaming orange hair.
"You're too trusting, Yuzu," he murmured, ruffling her hair. "I guess Toushiro has the orders with him." He took one last glance around the room and glared angrily. "He's so damn neat and I still can't find anything!"
"He's a careful person," Yuzu pointed out. "If Yamamoto-soutaicho gave him any confidential information, I'm sure he would have hidden it or destroyed it. I would think that this mission qualifies as confidential."
"Yeah, that's probably why Yamamoto chose him to be the next soutaicho: the old geezers have to be good at keeping a ridiculous amount of secrets."
Yuzu shook her head. "I'm sure there's more to it than just that." Ichigo looked hardly convinced but let it go.
"I really want to go see Karin," he complained as he made his way towards the door. Yuzu noticed many tiny holes in the rice paper wall, like bullets had passed through.
"Yamamoto-soutaicho said –"
"I know!"
:.:
Karin cursed like a sailor all the way to work the next morning. Granted, she wasn't as moody and depressed as usual but she sure wasn't happy-sunshine-and-butterflies. She slammed open the front door, the welcome bell jingling wildly. She was early but the entire staff was there . . . and Karin's boss. Oh shnap. She froze.
"Good morning, Karin-chan," Harumi said sweetly. "Care to explain to me how this happened?" she pointed a manicured finger to the far right of the café. Karin turned slowly.
Violently bright graffiti covered the wall, splashing profanities in yellows, blues, and greens over the formerly dark red wall. Karin flinched at the sight, silently pleading, with whatever deities that were out there that she wouldn't have to pay for the damages. Even worse would be having to repaint the walls or scrape the graffiti off.
"Well . . . um . . . I can tell you why I didn't lock up last night," she said in a tiny voice. Harumi raised her eyebrows curiously so Karin launched into a half-true story about stalkers, being chased down streets, followed into her own house, and being unable to return to lock up because it was too dangerous to be out that early in the morning. When she was done someone let out a low whistle. Most of the employees looked thunderstruck, Harumi looked like she was going to blow someone's head to pieces, most likely Karin's.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't fire you right now, Kurosaki-san," she demanded in a strained voice. Karin seemed to visibly shrink.
"I make the best tea you've ever tasted?" she suggested half-heartedly. Harumi glared at her with her hands on her hips.
"Harumi-san, I'm sure Karin will fix it," Maura broke in swiftly, pushing her way to the front of the mass of employees. "Wont you, Karin?" she gave the dark-haired woman a pleading look. Harumi frowned when Karin nodded weakly.
"Really, Kurosaki? Or are you going to just expect me to forget about it like the time you broke the window, or when she threw a knife in the counter and got it stuck there, or the time you threatened a patron family with food poisoning if they didn't start feeding their overweight children healthy food, or the time you kept the closed sign up all day to see who'd still come in, or the time you told a newly-wedded couple that you hoped they would die soon, or the time you tried to take the blender apart to get the blades inside, or the time you mixed blood in a woman's tea –"
"Hey! She was a bitch," Karin defended.
"Or the time you blew up the oven, or the time you stuck a fork on a string in the ceiling and tied a dead rat to it to see who'd notice it first, or the time you broke a table in two pieces, or the time you refused a customer service because she 'was a slut'-"
"I'm sure she was," a deep, brooding voice stated. Karin jumped and spun around. There, by the door stood Hitsugaya Toushiro, in grey slacks, white shirt, and navy blue sweater-vest, and a busty woman with bright orange hair, a tight white and blue striped polo, black mini-skirt, and navy blue tights. Karin cast about her name in her mind. Was it Matusmoto?
And who might you be?" Harumi asked much more coldly than she normally would have with a potential customer.
"Hitsugaya Toushiro," he deadpanned, "and this is Matusoto Rangiku." They matched so well, him just a couple inches taller than her, their clothes fitting together perfectly, her standing just close enough to him for their shoulders to be barely touching," there were beautiful together.
"We're here to pick up Karin-chan," Matsumoto said happily. "I guess she didn't remember she was going out with us today." Every other person in the room stared. Karin actually had friends? "We figured she was here when she didn't show up on time." Karin? On time?
Hitsugaya glanced at the wall and pulled out his wallet from his pocket. He scribbled something on a check and held it out the Haromi. She took it curiously and her eyes widened at the sum written.
"For the damages," he explained quietly. "Karin won't be working for you anymore. She's now on staff at my business. Thank you for your time." He reached out and grabbed Karin's wrist with freezing cold fingers. As they walked out of the café and down the street, Karin rounded on Shinigami.
"What's going on here!"