Yeah, so, sorry about the lack of smut in the last chapter. Frankly, I can't write smut to save my life. I don't even want to try. I think it will just sound stupid. And besides, this story is rated T, so I had to keep it that way. And sorry if it seemed a bit rushed. When I try to write intense, high-energy scenes like that one I often end up writing too fast to try to get a pace going and sometimes it comes out rushed. Anyway, on to more juicy goodness :)
A week later, Karin led a rather disgruntled Hitsugaya out of the house. The reason he was disgruntled was the same reason he had to be led; he was blindfolded.
"Where are we going?" Hitsugaya asked impatiently.
"You'll see," Karin replied vaguely, swinging his hand back and forth.
"Don't do that!" he said in annoyance. "It's making me dizzy."
"You're dizzy because your hand is moving?"
"Well, when it's acting as my eyes, yeah." Karin snickered.
"No, I'm your eyes silly!" she teased, ruffling his hair. Hitsugaya scowled.
"Please explain to me again why I'm blindfolded?" he asked for what felt like the hundredth time.
"I can't tell you that," Karin chimed. "It's a surprise."
"I hate surprises," Hitsugaya grumbled. Karin chuckled and planted a kiss on his cheek. In spite of himself, Hitsugaya's lip twitched up into a teensy smile.
"This had better be good," he told her. "You'd better not be leading me straight into the pond or something for a laugh."
"Oh, don't worry," Karin assured him. "I'd at least be creative enough to tromp you through a mud patch first."
"Great," Hitsugaya groaned.
"Oh, lighten up Toushiro!" Karin urged.
"I'm plenty light!" he retorted, but he smiled nonetheless. They walked together in companionable silence for a bit. Unless Hitsugaya was mistaken, he was pretty sure he was being led into the garden. But he had no idea what sort of surprise could await him out there.
"Ok, we're here!" Karin announced.
"Where's here…?"
"SURPRISE!" Hitsugaya ripped off the blindfold and discovered that he was in the same clearing in the garden where they had had the wedding, surrounded by all his servants and some people he recognized as Karin's family.
"Surprise for what?" he asked confused. Karin rolled her eyes.
"It's your birthday stupid!" she laughed.
"Oh yeah," he mumbled foolishly. He normally hated celebrating his birthday, so he did his best to forget about it, but this date had been rather looming for the past year since he had assumed he would be joining the army. The fact that he wasn't was reason enough for a party.
"Happy birthday Hitsugaya-sama!" someone shouted, and before Hitsugaya could move he was being suffocated in a rather impressive amount of cleavage.
"You're choking me Matsumoto," he growled, pushing her off, but she ignored his harsh words and continued to beam at him.
"Happy birthday Shiro-chan," Momo said, coming over to him. She was leaning on Kira's arm for support since she was having difficulty walking, but she looked happier than she had all week.
"Should you be out of bed?" Hitsugaya asked with concern, not even bothering to correct her misuse of his name. "You haven't healed yet." Momo waved him off.
"I couldn't miss your party!" she sang. "Besides, Kira-kun has been more than helpful." She gave Kira a bright smile and he quaffed under her gaze.
"It's nothing Momo-sama…" he stuttered, clearly flustered by the look she was giving him. Karin smirked knowingly.
"Karin-chan!" Yuzu squealed, running over to her and attacking her with a fierce hug.
"Hi Yuzu," Karin said grudgingly, delicately pushing her twin off.
"So, tell me, tell me!" she asked eagerly. "What's married life like? Do you and Hitsugaya-kun get along yet? Is he really as rich as he looks? Does he…?"
"Breathe Yuzu," Rukia advised. "She can't possibly answer all those questions at once. Although, I will say Karin, you look much happier than you did at the wedding. So I assume things are working out between you two?" Karin flushed.
"I guess so," she replied sheepishly, not willing to admit to her family the extent of her affection for her husband. Not that she thought there was anything wrong with it, but she didn't think other people needed to hear it. Her feelings were between her and Hitsugaya. They weren't for public consumption.
"See, fathers are always right!" Isshin exclaimed exuberantly. "I knew Karin would be happy…" but he was shut up by an elbow to the jaw courtesy of his 'happy daughter.'
"No you didn't, you just wanted to keep me out of the army!" she retorted, but she couldn't help smiling. Her father had made a wonderful choice for her, although she would die before admitting it.
"So spill!" Yuzu insisted. "What's Hitsugaya-kun really like?"
"I don't think she wants to talk about that," Ichigo butted in. Yuzu pouted.
"Moh, onii-chan!" she whined, but Karin grinned at him.
"Thanks," she whispered.
"Don't mention it," he replied. "Besides, I don't really want to hear all the sappy details that go along with that deranged smile you had your face when you got here."
"You're all heart," Karin said sarcastically.
"Oi, Karin!" someone called, and Karin turned to see Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichka standing together, waving a pack of cards.
"We're going to play poker! You in?"
"You bet!" Karin replied excitedly. Ichigo, Isshin, Hitsugaya, and Matsumoto joined in too and the party was a huge success as everyone laughed, ate, and trash-talked their way to a pile of rocks, which had been substituted for money in the poker game.
"All in!" Karin declared, pushing her rocks into the pot.
"Oh, I'm so taking you down!" Hitsugaya challenged, adding his own rocks to hers.
"Yeah, you wish!" Karin chided, and Hitsugaya winced at the innuendo as everyone except Ichigo howled with laughter. They were enjoying themselves so much, they didn't notice the three men on horses until one of the servants screamed and a maid actually fainted.
"Hitsugaya Toushiro," boomed a voice, and a chilly silence fell over the group as all eyes turned towards the speaker.
"Sasakibe Choujirou-dono!" Matsumoto gasped, but her introduction was unnecessary. Everyone present knew who the man with silver hair, a thin mustache, and a European style rapier was; the army's commanding officer in charge of collection of new recruits from their region. His voice was like a death sentence and a simple glance at his face was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the bravest of men and have them whimpering like beaten puppies.
"Toushiro," Karin said anxiously, trying not to let her panic show on her face as she looked at her husband. Hitsugaya set his expression into one of fierce determination and stood to face the men.
"To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit, Sasakibe-dono," Hitsugaya asked as politely as he could while his eyes were narrowed with hatred and suspicion.
"Hitsugaya Toushiro," Sasakibe proclaimed. "Today is the day of your eighteenth birthday and as such, you are hereby summoned to join the ranks of the army of his majesty, King Yamamoto Genryuusai..."
"But I'm exempt!" Hitsugaya cried, realizing a moment too late that he probably shouldn't have interrupted this man. But he was too panicked to care. "I'm married! This is my wife." He indicated Karin who nodded fervently. "We have a marriage certificate, it's legal and binding…"
"I am well aware of your marital status Hitsugaya-san," Sasakibe cut him off. "But as you have a skill that King Yamamoto deems valuable to him, you are being summoned for a shortened period while the army makes use of that skill."
"And that would be?" Hitsugaya asked threateningly. Sasakibe was not intimidated.
"Your abilities as a sword smith," he stated. "You will join the ranks of the army for as long as it takes you to outfit the samurai battalion." Hitsugaya felt all the blood drain out of his face.
"The samurai battalion?!" he said desperately. "But that will take me…"
"Four years," Sasakibe finished his sentence. "That is the estimated time frame. But, if your skills are as renowned as they are rumored to be, I'm sure you won't have any trouble shaving a few months off." Hitsugaya couldn't speak. He could barely breathe. It felt like his world had just crumbled beneath him. Beside him, Karin and Matsumoto were in similar states.
"I'll give you ten minutes to say goodbye to your family," Sasakibe continued. "And then we will leave."
"Ten minutes!?" Hitsugaya thought. "That's it?" He turned to face Karin and Matsumoto, who were at an utter loss for words. Momo and Kira stumbled over to them.
"Hitsugaya-kun," Momo said distraught. "Do you really have to go?"
"Do I have a choice?" he said in a defeated voice. "You can't ignore a summons, they just kill you and your entire family. Damn it!" he swore, finally getting angry at his situation. "I thought the whole point of getting married was so that I didn't have to do this!"
"Oh, so is that all I mean to you then!?" Karin yelled affronted.
"Wait, Karin, I didn't mean it like that…" Hitsugaya began, but she had run off.
"Karin!" he called, but she had already disappeared from view. "Damn it, why am I such an idiot?!" he derided himself before chasing after her without a second thought.
"Should we follow him, Sasakibe-dono?" one of his henchmen asked.
"No," he replied. "He has ten minutes. He'll return. He knows what the consequences are if he doesn't."
oooooooooooooooo
"Karin!" Hitsugaya shouted, looking for her frantically. Luckily, he found her rapidly. She was exactly where he thought she would be; at the same lake she had thrown rocks into after the wedding, and where he had given her a ring with her name on it, which she was now fiddling with.
"Karin, I'm so sorry…" Hitsugaya started, but Karin didn't wait for him to finish before attacking him with her lips. She pressed herself against him, holding onto him for dear life, and, as soon as Hitsugaya got over the initial shock of being smothered by her mouth rather than her fists, he did the same.
"I thought you were mad at me," he said from his place in her neck.
"Of course not," Karin replied, still holding him close to her. "But this was the best way I could think of to get you alone. You didn't really think I was going to kiss you in front of everyone, did you?" Hitsugaya tried to smile, but he couldn't. He simply gripped Karin harder, wishing with all his might that he would just wake up from this nightmare.
"It's alright," Karin said in an attempt to reassure him. "Four years isn't that long. We'll be ok…"
"Three," Hitsugaya stated soundly. "I'm going to do it in three."
"Don't be ridiculous," Karin scolded. "Even you can't…"
"I'm going to do it in three!" he repeated firmly. "You watch." Karin smiled.
"Ok then," she agreed. "You'd better keep that promise, or you won't have a happy wife waiting for you when you get home." Hitsugaya finally smirked.
"Well I wouldn't want that, now would I?" he teased. Karin smiled briefly.
"You'll write?" she asked hopefully.
"Every day," Hitsugaya replied with a sad smile. But they both knew that was a lie. Letters home weren't allowed. Yamamoto liked to keep his soldiers in total isolation.
"Just promise me one thing," Karin said seriously, looking deeply into his eyes. "Come back whole."
"What do you mean?" Hitsugaya asked curiously. "I'm not going to be training. They recruited me because I'm a sword smith and I believe they intend to take full advantage of that. I won't get bloodied up in combat practice or anything. I just have to worry about not over-straining myself in the smithy, but I can handle that…"
"No," Karin shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I mean, don't let the army break you. If you come back as an unemotional vegetable, or a bloodthirsty tyrant, I…" she paused, desperately trying to fight back her tears. "I don't think…I'll be able to handle it." Hitsugaya looked at her reddening nose and the tears forming in her eyes, and his heart broke. He didn't think he could keep that promise if he made it. The army had the uncanny ability to break just about anyone. But he wasn't going to be a normal soldier. He wouldn't have to go through the same hell they went through. Sure, he would be worked like a slave, but it would be in a smithy. That was his turf. It couldn't be too damaging. And he was only going to be there for three years, just like Matsumoto. Maybe he would come out relatively unscathed.
"I'll do my best," he promised, stroking her hair comfortingly. They stood like that for another minute or so, clinging tightly to each other, unwilling to let go and face reality again. But finally, Hitsugaya knew he had to return.
"I love you Karin," he whispered in her ear, leaning in to capture her lips in a final kiss.
"I love you too Toushiro," she replied, her tears finally escaping.
They held hands all the way back. Hitsugaya permitted Matsumoto and Momo to give him hugs, then he climbed on the back of the horse that Sasakibe provided. He wouldn't be taking anything with him. Soldiers weren't permitted to have personal items. Hitsugaya looked down at his wife one last time.
"If you come back with another woman I'm going to beat you until you wish you had stayed in the army," Karin threatened, her face now tear free.
"I'll keep that in mind," Hitsugaya replied. He smiled as best as he could under the circumstances, and she returned it.
"Let's go!" Sasakibe directed. Hitsugaya went with the three men out of the garden and towards the entrance of the grounds while everyone from the party followed at a safe distance. Hitsugaya turned around one last time at the gate. His eyes found Karin's but at the distance they were at, it was impossible to read each other's expressions. Karin fought with herself for a moment, but decided that she didn't care what other people thought. Taking a deep breath, she screamed at the top of her lungs,
"I LOVE YOU TOUSHIRO!" She had never said it unprompted before. Karin couldn't see his face, but she hoped he was smiling. The horses exited the gate, turned the corner, and disappeared from sight. The cold, hard truth began to settle in.
Toushiro was gone.
Hah! Bet you didn't expect that! :)
Do you guys want a couple chapters about Toushiro's time in the army, or do you just want me to skip to homecoming? I have the army part all thought out (I wrote it in my head during an exam of all things, which tells you how exciting the class is), but there's no Karin in it, because she's back at home, (she'll poke her head in once or twice, but it's really Hitsugaya's story), so it's kind of a deviation from what this story is supposed to be about. I'm just asking because the army chapters are a bit darker and more serious, because, as I've clearly indicated, being in the army is no picnic, and I don't want to depress people anymore than I already have with the Momo thing. Otherwise, there's not too much left to this story, since right now they are happy and in love, etc… Let me know what you guys think, I can go either way.
