Chapter 9

A New Plan is Set

Toshiro slowly opened his eyes. Pushing himself into a sitting position, he gingerly rubbed at his turquoise orbs while trying to remember the last thing that happened. He was beginning to grow concerned from his lack of memory when Karin and Ichigo entered the room.

"What happened?" The young captain asked, snapping his head towards the two approaching him.

"Dammit, Toshiro," Ichigo rubbed at the back of his neck while looking down at the small being before him. "You just woke up."

"Ichigo," Toshiro growled, "How many times do I have to tell you?"

"Just say Captain Hitsugaya, Ichigo," Karin chimed in, voice tinged with annoyance. She carefully claimed a spot on the floor close to Toshiro, eyeing him up and down to see if his condition has improved. "How are you feeling?" She finally questioned.

"Fine. Now, what happened?" Toshiro shifted his gaze from Karin to Ichigo, crossing his arms and tilting his head as a sign for them to explain.

Ichigo knelt down beside the young captain and pressed the back of his hand against said captain's forehead while placing his free hand on his own forehead. He stayed that way for a few moments before drawing his hand away from the captain's head. "Better," he mumbled before flopping down on the floor in front of the captain. "You don't remember what happened?"

Toshiro let his gaze fall to the floor while he desperately tried to recall the previous events, only to draw a blank after he remembered following Ichigo out of Urahara's Shop. "No," he finally responded. "I don't remember what happened after we left Urahara's."

"Well," Ichigo began, "I guess we got into an argument about your 'plan' and then you collapsed from a high fever."

"Tessai was tending to you for hours while Hyōrinmaru did everything he could to bring down your temperature," Karin finished.

Toshiro brought his hand up to hover over the welt on his chest before meeting eyes with Ichigo then Karin. "That man did something to me," he stated flatly. "Falling ill and losing my memories…" His voice trailed off as he thought back to his plan. "I need to take action now before this gets any worse… Before I'm no longer able to protect Karin…"

"Toshiro?" Karin cautiously placed a hand on the captain's arm-bringing him back from his thoughts.

"Sorry," Toshiro mumbled under his breath before meeting eyes with Ichigo. "Karin and I should leave toni-"

"No." Ichigo stood and turned towards the door. "While you were passed out, we devised a different plan."

"What?" Toshiro jumped up, glaring at the back of Ichigo's head.

The taller boy spun around, meeting Toshiro's icy glare with his own piercing glare. "This plan is better, so you are just going to have to deal with it." That being said, Ichigo spun on his heel and made his way to exit the room.

Toshiro drew his knees to his chest and placed his arms atop them, resting his head on his arms.

"Are you feeling sick again?" Karin asked, brows furrowed.

"No," Toshiro answered, voice muffled. He replayed Ichigo's words over and over in his head. "New plan… Why? Does he not trust me..?" He lifted his head at the sound of the door opening once again, groaning when he saw Rangiku's eyes widen at the sight of him.

"Captain!" Rangiku charged at the smaller boy, embracing him while unaware that he was being suffocated by her breasts.

"Rangiku," Toshiro hissed.

"Sorry!" Rangiku pulled away. She wiped at a nonexistent tear before letting out a loud squeal. "I was just so worried about you!"

"I'm fine," Toshiro mumbled. He looked up to see Urahara and Renji walking in with Ichigo following closely behind. "Where are Ikkaku and Yumichika?"

"I sent them out to patrol the surrounding area," Urahara answered. "Good to see you awake and well," he added while taking the place on the floor across from the captain.

"What is this 'new plan'?" The small captain questioned.

"Ah well," Urarhara laughed nervously while scratching at his chin. "I respect your plan, but," he paused, tilting his head down to allow his bangs to cover his eyes. "It's too dangerous," he continued, voice shifting to a more serious tone. "So, we decided it would be best for Ichigo and Renji to go with you and Karin while Rangiku, Ikkaku and Yumichika stay here to keep watch for hollows."

Toshiro stood up and moved to the door. He stopped before exiting to peer over his shoulder. "Fine," he mumbled before turning his head back to the front. "Start preparing. We will leave first thing tomorrow morning." That being said, he exited the room, grabbing his zanpakutō on his way out of the shop.

"Toshiro!" Karin stopped running, bending over and placing her hands against her knees while she gasped for breath.

The young captain turned to the sound of the familiar voice. He moved towards the panting girl, stopping a few feet before her. "Are you alright?"

Karin nodded before straightening herself. She wiped the back of her hand against her forehead then asked, "Where are you going?"

"To train," he answered.

"You should rest instead," Karin noted, pointing at the welt on his chest.

"All I have been doing is resting," Toshiro replied. "I'm beginning to feel restless, so I need to train."

Karin sighed. She knew that there would be no reason to even try to argue with the captain further, so instead she asked, "Well, can I watch?"

Toshiro locked eyes with Karin before nodding, turning to lead her to a clearing he noticed before she arrived.

For the last three hours, Karin sat quietly under a tree a good distance away while she watched Toshiro train. He first began with simple swordsmanship, swinging his zanpakutō quickly from different angles. But soon, he moved on to harnessing Hyōrinmaru's power, slowly progressing into his bankai. Karin often noticed the way the sky darkened and the air around her got so cold that her entire body felt numb when Toshiro was focusing while in his bankai.

Karin never complained though. She enjoyed watching Toshiro train. She would notice small details- the way his head would drop slightly after taking a stance, the way his back arched with each swing, the way his hands would twist in opposite directions upon gripping the hilt of the blade, the way his bangs would slide effortlessly back into place after each turn of his head.

The young girl felt a blush creeping up her cheeks as she picked out each tiny detail. She shook her head to clear her thoughts-or rather to allow her hair to hide her blushing cheeks- upon seeing the young captain walk over to her, extending his hand to help her to her feet.

"Sorry that took so long," Toshiro spoke apologetically as he pulled Karin into a standing position.

"Oh, it's fine," Karin smiled, rubbing at the back of her neck. "It was fun. You are really impressive."

Toshiro couldn't stop the twitching at the corners of his mouth- giving in to reveal a soft smile. He looked up at the darkening sky and thought back to the distance away from Urahara's Shop. "We should go," he spoke after a few comfortable moments of silence. "It's getting dark."

Karin nodded and began walking, only to be stopped seconds later by a cold hand grasping her small hand. She looked back to meet eyes with Toshiro, shooting him a questioning look.

But, Toshiro simply looked down and pushed ahead of Karin, never releasing his grip on her hand as he led her back to Urahara's Shop.

Aaaaaaand here is chapter 9! The next chapters will start to get more into the plot. Woo!

Sorry in advanced for any grammar errors! (More like misspelled names. I check them a lot but I'm still afraid I'm going to accidentally misspell one and not realize until days later)

And as always, I hope everyone enjoys!