Sorry this chapter is a little short, but I hope the content makes up for it. I've been looking forward to this chapter the whole story, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)
An unusual phenomenon settled around the Kurosaki home that night. It was one of those nights where the darkness feels so thick, you have difficulty moving around in it. Where the air seems just a bit harder to breathe, and the blood in your veins must exert that much more effort to supply your body with desperately needed oxygen. The kind of night where you actually feel like you can reach out your hand and scoop up a pile of the rich blackness, allowing it to sift through your fingers like sand on a long forgotten beach. Where the silence is so deadly, you feel like your voice box has actually been ripped out of your throat and making a single sound is beyond your abilities. It was a moonless night and the dark storm clouds had blotted out even the stars. The gentle snowfall from earlier had magnified into a raging blizzard, and that, Hitsugaya assumed, was the cause of the heavy atmosphere. He couldn't sleep. The night was suffocating him. There was something ominous, something foreboding about it, and Hitsugaya didn't like it.
He turned his head to glance in the direction of Karin's bed. Not that he could see it. Heck, he couldn't see his own hand even if he placed it inches away from his face. But if he strained his ears beyond the silent ringing of the darkness, he could just make out the sound of rustling bed sheets. So she couldn't sleep either.
"Karin," he whispered, and the tiny noise echoed horribly in the solid shadow that filled the room. "Are you doing this?"
"You feel it too?" came a voice that sounded much farther away than it should have. "It's like the night is…"
"Dense?" Hitsugaya supplied.
"Yeah," Karin agreed. "But no, it's not me. Why, are you scared of the dark?"
"No," Hitsugaya shot back. The sound of familiar voices seemed to ease the tension of the blackness. Hitsugaya heard Karin's bed creak, then her soft footsteps on the floor, and finally, the window shades were pulled back. It wasn't much brighter outside than it was inside, but the dim reflection off the snow cast a very faint tinge around her, allowing him to just barely make out her silhouette. He didn't know what is was, but something about the darkness was calling him to her. He felt like the night itself was drawing them together. His need to be physically near her had never been greater. Not knowing how to fight the feeling, and not entirely sure he wanted to, he climbed out of bed and joined her at the window. The snow was coming down in an opaque sheet. It was impossible to see anything beyond it. The dearth of light was almost unnatural. The wind blew furiously, creating turbulence in the baseball sized flakes, and hammering against the window making it rattle and whistle.
"I can't believe all this snow," Karin commented. It was strange. Hitsugaya knew she was standing right next to him, but because he couldn't see her, she felt like a disembodied voice. The thought made him want to get even closer to her, to prove to himself that she was really there.
"I've never seen a blizzard like this before," Hitsugaya replied, doing his best to resist the urge to reach out to her. Why was this feeling so intense tonight? He decided that talking might help him resist his flaring hormones. "Even though I spend my life surrounded by ice, this is something else. It's almost abnormal."
"Are you sure you're not creating this?" Karin asked. "Don't you control the weather or something?"
"Yeah, I do. But this is no more mine than the darkness is yours. This one's belongs to nature."
"It's beautiful," Karin marveled.
"Ice isn't beautiful," Hitsugaya stated soundly.
"It's the same thing as before isn't it?" Karin replied, a tinge of annoyance in her voice. "With the snowball fight. You think that because something is your weapon, you aren't allowed to appreciate it."
"I do appreciate it," he retorted. "I appreciate its power." Karin sighed.
"Just because something is strong and powerful doesn't mean it can't be beautiful."
"Like you?" It took a minute for Hitsugaya to realize what he had said. He had never meant to say something like that. It just kind of…slipped out. Honestly, why was he even thinking that? What had come over him? Was it the night? He wasn't sure.
"Wait," he defended, trying to cover for his mistake. "I…didn't mean that like it sounds…um…what I meant was…" but he was shut up instantly as he felt a warm hand on his cheek. Everything about him seemed to freeze at that moment; his brain, his breath, his body, his sense of time. He couldn't move a muscle, captivated as he was by her simple gesture.
"Karin…" he began in a strangled voice, not sure what he wanted to say next. His heart broke out of the full-body bind he was under and began pounding in his throat. But the rest of him remained immobile, utterly lost in her magic spell.
"Shhh," she hushed him. And Hitsugaya obeyed. He cursed the darkness, wishing more than anything he could see her eyes at this moment; see the softness and tenderness he knew was reflected there. But at the same time, he was eternally grateful for it. Not only did it hide the blush he knew graced his face, but he also knew he would never have had the courage to stand there if he could see her. Touch was the only sense they needed.
Karin's hand slowly caressed his cheek, stroking his skin lovingly. She traced his jaw line, his mouth, his nose, his eyes, his ears, then moved up to his hair to run her fingers through his unruly locks. Her second hand joined the first on the other cheek, and Hitsugaya closed his eyes. Not that it mattered, since he couldn't see anyway, but somehow, it magnified the sensations running through him at that moment.
Her hot breath on his face was the only warning he had before he felt her lips press against his. That action yanked Hitsugaya out of his trance and into reality. He found that he was once again in control of his body. But he didn't move away like he thought he would. Instead, he brought one hand up to her face to mirror her previous actions, and the other snaked around her waist to draw her closer. And he kissed her back. The darkness became intoxicating. The longer they kissed, the more passionate they became, and the more desperate to let the other know just how much they had come to care over the past six weeks. They got lost in the enchantment of each other's embrace as they moved closer and closer together, the moment too full of fervor to properly comprehend.
Suddenly, a vicious, potent reiatsu filled the air, smothering them with its pressure. It felt like a thousand needles had just ripped through the fabric of space-time and were stabbing them repeatedly. Karin gasped, and Hitsugaya felt her fall out of his arms and onto the floor.
"Karin!" he cried desperately, leaning down and trying to find her shoulder. He was accustomed to such evil reiatsu, but Karin was still a rookie when it came to such things. "Are you alright?!"
"I'm fine," she replied bravely, although her breathing was heavy and ragged. "It just…startled me is all. What is that?"
"It's…" but before he could answer, the door was flung open, flooding the room with light from the hallway. It took a minute for Hitsugaya's eyes to adjust after the fierce darkness, but when they did, he saw that the person who had opened the door was Ichigo, clad as a shinigami, already holding his unsheathed zanpakto, and scowling angrily. Somewhere in his mind, Hitsugaya thanked his lucky stars that he and Karin weren't still lip locked. He thought that sight might just be enough to distract Ichigo from the foul reiatsu outside and attack him instead.
"Let's go Toushiro," Ichigo directed. "I don't know what's out there, but whatever it is, it's strong. And close."
"Two, maybe three," Hitsugaya announced, feeling around for the source of the reiatsu. "High ranking Arrancar at least, possibly Espada." He looked at Ichigo, who was raring to fight, then at Karin, who looked shocked but resolute, then at the small basket in the corner containing the now crying Hoshi. He most certainly was feeling the reiatsu's effects, and Hitsugaya didn't even want to think about how painful it was for his tiny body.
"I can't leave," he told Ichigo. "I have to stay and protect Hoshi."
"Ichi-nii can't handle whatever's out there by himself!" Karin shouted trying to make Hitsugaya see reason. "They're too strong. Even I can tell that."
"Oh, so I'm supposed to just leave him alone then?" Hitsugaya retorted. "The whole reason I came here was to protect him."
"I'll do it," Karin said, her face set with determination. "I'll guard him."
"But…"
"Trust me Toushiro." They stared into each other's eyes for a moment. Karin's had a wild, steely look about them that almost scared Hitsugaya in their ferocity. He had never seen her be more serious about anything. And, against his better judgment, he agreed.
"Take care of him Karin." She nodded.
"Wait, Toushiro," Ichigo interjected. "What's she going to do? Maybe you should stay here. I'll be fine by myself." Hitsugaya shook his head.
"Trust her Kurosaki," he said with conviction. "She's stronger than she looks." Ichigo tried to protest again, but Hitsugaya had already popped a gikongon into his mouth and pried open the frozen window. Ichigo looked back and forth between Hitsugaya and Karin before giving in and following Hitsugaya out the window and into the violent blizzard.
Hitsugaya couldn't see. The darkness that had been pressing on him before was still present, but this time, it was mixed with the blinding snow that pummeled him with so much force, he found it difficult to move. Even though he knew Ichigo had been standing next to him a second ago, he couldn't see him.
"This is ridiculous!" Ichigo complained, his voice sounding muffled through the driving snowstorm. "Getsuga tenshou!" A flash of electric blue surged in front of his eyes, cutting through the falling snow, at least temporarily. Hitsugaya peeled his eyes during the few precious seconds of vision he had, and his heart stopped dead. Standing there, ignoring the snow entirely, were two individuals that Hitsugaya recognized instantly and was not at all happy to see. Yammi was cracking his knuckles menacingly, but Uloquiorra just stood there, looking as bored as ever. Hitsugaya drew his sword, readying himself for the fight.
"What are you doing here?" he snarled with authority. "What do you want?" Uloquiorra looked him straight in the eye and said simply,
"Aizen-sama would like his son."
Bam! Bet you weren't expecting that! Ok, maybe you were, because the story would be horribly boring without it, but still, I can dream right?
I promise the heavy darkness and Hitsugaya and Karin's spike in hormones will be explained, since I know at first glance it seems kind of forced for a first kiss. But for now, please just enjoy the smut (or lack thereof, since I suck at writing the details).
