Chapter 12

Missing

Toshiro gently traced the welt on his chest, gritting his teeth against the searing pain that tore throughout his body. After a few moments of suffering through the pain, he let his hand drop back to his side as he breathed out a low, annoyed sigh.

He was pissed- no, he was furious. It seemed like a pattern was developed- the situation would become ten times worse once it seemed that it was getting better. And, this aggravated the small captain to no end.

On top of his boiling anger, the young soul reaper was worried. He was worried for his friends. He was worried that he wouldn't be able to do his part as a captain in protecting them.

It wasn't like he hadn't failed before. Twice he had failed at protecting his childhood friend- one time where he could only stare in horror at Momo's almost lifeless body and another time where he was deceived and ultimately ended up hurting the ravenette.

Easing himself into a sitting position on the cold dirt below him, Toshiro closed his eyes as he bit back the multiple curses he wanted to say. "Getting angry won't help anything," he tried to tell himself.

He knew it was too late; he was already fuming, but the group, he believed, would fall apart if he were to crack under the pressure. He's the Squad Ten Captain of the Soul Society. It's his role to see the situation through with a clear mind- even if he's in constant pain or if he's constantly wrapping his mind around all of the 'what ifs' that end with tragic results.

It's his responsibility to keep everyone safe while handling the situation, and he planned to do just that. He wasn't sure how; he had no idea how to defeat these seemingly immortal hollows, nor did he actually know if the bastard who hurt Karin would appear, but he knew that he had to handle it.

Yes, he had Ichigo and Renji there for support, but ultimately, this was his job, and he told himself to see it through it until the very end- death or not.

In the midst of all of the uncertainties floating throughout his mind, there was one thing the young captain knew for certain. He would die before he let anything or anyone harm Karin again in any way.

Maybe he had failed Momo, but he was determined not to fail Karin. He didn't think he could live through something like that again- the rush of emotions shooting all over his small body as he stared at the helpless, bloody body of his childhood friend.

"No," he thought to himself. No more appearing weak. Wound or not, he would fight, and he would win. He would keep his promise and protect the girl who spreads warmth to his cold heart…

A flutter in his chest caused the young captain to look down solemnly. Just the mere thought of Karin caused his mind to go hazy, but once he started thinking of the ravenette, he found he could not stop. He thought about how she would place her hands on her hips and curl her smooth lips into a scowl whenever someone mentioned her being weak. He thought about her soft hair and her bangs that seemed to frame her face perfectly. He thought about those dark eyes that showed no fear unless she allowed it- which usually was not often if the girl could help it.

He thought about how much she had grown into- well, into the perfect Kurosaki. He noticed how carefully the girl was following in her brother's footsteps and this excited him yet scared him at the same time.

He was glad that she was growing up into such a strong, determined young woman, but he wasn't too thrilled about the fact that she would throw herself into danger whether she was given the opportunity or not- just like Ichigo.

Toshiro sighed while tilting his head up to stare into the dark sky. There was something about going into the human world that caused him to have such human emotions, and he hated it. He hated how his mind would wander off and eventually get so wrapped up in things that weren't important.

He was very well aware that nothing could ever happen between him and Karin. He was a soul reaper while she was a human who had her whole life ahead of her. Being in any kind of romantic relationship with the girl would surely put her in danger, and that was the last thing Toshiro wanted.

But, it was hard to ignore these quickly growing feelings for the girl. It wasn't like with Momo; she was like the sister he always wanted to protect.

With Karin, it was as if he was suffocating when he was around her, and Toshiro feared that this would further hinder his performance in battle.

He shook his head- his bangs gently brushing against his forehead. "It's just from being in the human world for so long," he mentally reassured himself.

"Everything will go back to normal once I get back to the soul society… Right?"

The sound of a twig snapping echoing behind him had Toshiro snapping his head over his shoulder while his hand hovered over his zanpakutō. When he saw the bright orange hair appearing from behind a tree, he sighed nosily before turning his attention back to the night sky- not bothering to give any acknowledgment to the boy who claimed the spot on the ground directly beside him.

"Toshiro," Ichigo began, peering over at the smaller boy. "Ikkaku is going to be fine. He's strong."

"Of course," Toshiro thought to himself. Of course Ichigo would think that he was sitting out here worrying about the well-beings of his fellow soul reapers when really, he was thinking about Karin. He should be thinking about their next actions, but instead, all he can think about is the ravenette.

"I know," Toshiro finally responded after a few seconds that felt like years to the substitute soul reaper.

"Then, why the hell are you moping?" Ichigo questioned harshly. Sure, he was very worried for his sister just as Toshiro was, but he didn't understand why said boy took to wandering off by himself.

"I am not moping, Ichigo. I am thinking, or rather, I was thinking until you interrupted me." Toshiro spit out.

Ichigo let a small laugh pass through his lips. "You are sitting out in the cold, staring out at the sky like you want to cry. I'd say that's moping."

Toshiro's shoulders hunched up as he slowly turned his neck until he met the chocolate brown eyes watching him. He narrowed his bright, turquoise eyes until he was glaring at the boy. "You are very disrespectful, Ichigo," he started. "I have a lot on my mind, and I would like to be alone to process everything. That does not mean I am moping. Captains do not mope."

Ichigo's lips softened before he turned to stare at the sky. "Yea, well it's dangerous to be out here alone, captain or not."

For once, Toshiro didn't have a sharp reply for the boy because he knew that the boy was right. At the moment, it was a big risk for any person to be alone- he was no exception, especially not with this unpredictable wound. "Well, then let's go back."

Ichigo hopped to his feet, smiling down at the small captain, who was now on his feet as well. "Seems like you are thinking clearly again, Toshiro."

Toshiro was pretty sure that he was going to develop a permanent twitch because of Ichigo. He turned on his heel, stepping around Ichigo as he started back towards the cave. "It's-"

"Captain Hitsugaya. I know," Ichigo muttered under his breath, cutting the smaller of the two off.

The duo walked the rest of the way in silence- with Toshiro being very grateful for this. The silence helped in trying to calm his suddenly racing heart. It was weird; he promptly felt incredibly nervous as soon as it clicked that he and Ichigo were going back to her, but he didn't want that to show, so he desperately tried to will his body to calm down.

His efforts proved victorious as he was no longer trembling with anticipation as the two reached the cave. However, his body instantly tensed and his eyes widened as he stared off into the empty cave.

His breath caught in his throat as he drew out his zanpakutō. Panic began to set in as he cast his eyes around, searching for any sign or Renji or Karin. His hand tightened on the hilt of his blade as he was met with nothing but the dark, eerie silence surrounding him.

Ichigo, almost mirroring the captain's actions, took a cautious step forward, readying his zanpakutō as he glanced to his left and then to his right. "Karin?" He whispered out sharply- tone colored with concern.

"Where are they?" Toshiro hissed, only waiting for a second longer before bolting into the cave with Ichigo right on his heels.

A/N- I'm back! Really though, I am truly sorry that I've been away from this fic for so long. I know this chapter is short, but I'm working on getting back into this fic. Again, I'm really very sorry!

I'm sorry in advance for any grammar errors I may have missed, and

I hope everyone enjoys!

Oh! And, I hope everyone has a great Christmas!