Chapter 10: Journey
Summary: My name is Kurosaki Karin. 17 months and some after my brother lost his powers I… died. After training so hard in almost two years to become stronger and protect my family back in Karakura, I needed to leave them after a freaking car accident. But I'm not worried. My life here in Soul Society just began. [HitsuxKarin]. Maybe I'll write stories for another partners, too.
Disclaimer: I don't own Tite Kubo's Bleach, and its characters.
We're now on the Academy arc, and here are the list of teachers and the subject they're teaching:
Gengoro Onabara-Hakuda
Fujita Aoi-Hoho
Izuru Kira-Haiku
Ashikaga Yuuta-Kido
Higuchi Isamu-Zanjutsu
Kuchiki Byakuya-Calligraphy
Previously on Hitsugaya Karin…
Nanami finished changing from her kimono to a simple nightgown. She's just settling down her futon when she saw a shadow in the wall that is clearly not hers. The figure is on her side in a matter of second and is kissing her. She recognized the kiss and responded.
Byakuya ended the kiss. He hugged Nanami tightly before releasing her. "Good night, my sweet Seven Seas."
"Good night." She answered as she watched her husband's figure disappear from her sight.
Monday morning and Karin and Nanami woke up with the routine they've set for their selves. Nanami cooked breakfast while Karin in using the only bathroom of the house. After she ate, Karin's done using the bathroom and she'll go in next. Karin is now allowed to use the kitchen. Her only task is to wash the dishes. And after all of these, the two will walk to the Academy.
It's been a week since Isshin, Yuzu, and Ichigo went back to their lives in the Living World. News of Chiyo's attacked against Nanami made some bullies start to show their true faces, but the two ignore them, besides it's Shin who always received the attacks. It's really bothering how he's always there to watch the two, especially Nanami, because they often need to bring him into the clinic. Even Nurse-san calls them on their first names already (They still don't know Nurse-san's name though).
Karin threw her sparring opponent to the ground when the girl made the mistake of attacking her from the back.
"Ugh…I think I broke my spine, Sensei." Mayu said.
"No, you didn't Mayu-chan. If you did, you won't be able to move around trying to sit down." Gengoro-sensei answered. "Karin-chan, nice moves."
"Arigato-sensei." Karin bowed.
"Okay, everyone, go change to a fresh uniform. Be ready for your next class." Gengoro said while he helped Karin's sparring mate get up. The students piled up into the entrance of the training hall.
Mami and some of the girls threw daggers (metaphorically) at Karin. "She always had the spotlight! Why can't it be me?! I'm beautiful. I'm skilled. I also have an incredible amount of reiatsu. What's wrong with me? Why can't I beat her?"
"Nothing's wrong with you, Mami-chan. They only favored her because her brother's the one who save the three dimensions against Aizen-taicho's plots." One of her friends said.
"You're right! I'm still better than her. I just need to show the people here that I can beat her. That will shame her. And I need to talk to Chiyo again. Our plans were always ending up failed because of that Abe Shin. I need to tell her to do something about him first."
"Do something about who?" Karin flash stepped towards Mami and appeared in front of her before the girls could blink. She slammed Mami in the wall, her hand in the girl's throat. "Listen here, and listen well, if something happened to my friends, I will make sure that Soul Society won't see you ever again. Do you understand?" She glared at Mami and her eyes traveled to the rest of the other girls. All of them looked so scared, and they nodded. Mami wanted to say something but when she felt Karin's murderous aura, she nodded her head, too. Karin released her, and she clutched her neck, breathing hard. Before Karin walked away she left a message. "If you want to talk about your plans, make sure no one hears."
"She's right, Ono." Gengoro said. The girls flinched. "Don't walk in the hallways talking so loud. I'll be watching all of your moves from now on."
And so, the problems from Ono Mami stopped that day. With the announcement that who ever bullies will be expelled, Shin never visit the clinic again (they only go in to visit Nurse-san).
The next day…
" 'Do not seek beauty in battle. Do not seek virtue in death. Do not make the mistake of considering only your own life. If you wish to protect that which you must protect... slice the enemy you must defeat from behind.' This is the Academy's motto. If you don't know how to respect your fellow shinigami's life and you always bully them, what will you do ones you become a part of the Gotei 13. You will be a threat, someone who can easily betray a comrade. This new school rule is harsh, and I know that most of you will act like goody two shoes, but please. The Gotei 13 expects so much from you." Gengoro said in front of the School Assembly he called. The captains of Gotei 13 (except the soutaicho because he's the busiest man), and all the teachers are on the stage. The students, who feel ashamed because they acted so mean to their classmates, bowed their heads. The others who felt self-righteous snorted, looked deadpanned, or grimaced. "Who among you experienced bullying? Please talk to your teachers on your next class after this. Help us lessen the threats in Seireitei." He went down the podium.
Soi-fong-taicho got up. "I have nothing to say to you except that if you graduated and betrayed the Soul Society, I won't have any problems on annihilating you." She glared on the audience. Her words brought chills to all, especially the ones who felt that it's okay to bully. She went back to her seat.
"Is anyone wanted to say something?" Gengoro-sensei asked the captains.
"I do." Karin said. She sat in the first row with Nanami and Shin. She got up and walked into the stage.
"Karin-chan, I'm asking the taichos."
Karin looked at the captains with Ichigo's scowl on her face. "You don't mind, do you?" She asked.
"Go on ahead, Kurosaki." Kenpachi grinned using his shark smile. The other taichos nodded. Gengoro gave way for the girl.
"I want to tell all of you that if something ever happened to Shin and Nanami again, I won't hesitate to decapitate you." She said silently. The crowd quieted. "Now, I want to ask Shin to come on the stage."
"Hah? But Karin-chan!" He received a look from Karin. She never looked this serious before, looked scary. Must heed orders. He got up, blush creeping up his face. "I hate you, Karin. What am I doing here?" He whispered to the girl when he reached her side.
Toshiro's face twitched. He doesn't want the closeness between the two, but he watched his girlfriend draw her practice sword. He heard her say, "Attack."
Shin looked dumbfounded for a moment but he grinned and flash stepped towards the girl. His own practice sword is in his hands. The people watched as the two engaged in a duel. Shin attacked Karin with all his might like a tiger that got out of its cage and is on a prowl. Karin calmly met each attacks, she finished it by sending Shin's sword out of his hand. The tip of her sword met Shin's neck, and Shin throw his arms up, signaling that he surrendered. Karin put her sword down. She looked at the audience. "Abe Shin is, according to Higuchi-sensei, the best on zanjutsu in his class. He can easily defeat me if he think before he attacked like a maniac."
"Hey, what are you saying?" Shin asked the girl.
Karin ignored the boy. "Feel free to attacked him if you want. He won't be responsible if he accidentally killed you."
The Captains who were watching realized that the duel was to show how well versed the two in the way of sword. It's to show that as long as the two have a weapon in their hands, nothing can beat them. They were already considering on recruiting Karin and Shin. They watched as Karin instructed Shin to go back to his seat.
"Now, I want to call Nanami-san. From the first day of school, she's the one who were constantly attacked, if not for Shin protecting her." Byakuya winced at this, especially because he knew he was one of the causes.
Nanami went up the stage, too, a confused look in her face. "Karin-chan, you know that I'm not good at zanjutsu. What do you want me to do?"
"Use Kido. Bind me with all the Bakudo you know." Karin answered.
"But Karin-chan!" Nanami protested.
"Go on, Kobayashi-chan. Show me what you learned from my class." Ashikaga told the girl.
Nanami was startled. "H-hai, sensei." She took a deep breath. "I'll only use the weakest ones, Karin-chan."
"Okay. This is just to show the bullies that you could restrain them if you want to."
"Okay. Here I go. She began chanting the first spell. "Bakudo # 1:Sai!" She watched as Karin's arms locked behind her back. Karin didn't even flinch. Karin-chan. She sighed. "Bakudo # 4: Hainawa!" Karin felt her arms tighten a bit as the rope entangles on her arms. "Ba… no I won't do it anymore, Karin-chan."
"F-fine." Karin answered.
"Do you need any help unbinding your self, Kurosaki-chan?" Ashikaga-sensei walked up the stage.
"N-no, sensei." Karin sighed, and concentrated. She let go of her reiatsu, and the captains, vice-captains, and teachers needed to up theirs to so that they won't be affected. Byakuya grabbed Nanami out of the way as they watched Karin break the spells herself. Karin quickly controlled her reiatsu when she felt herself freed, but some of the students are already down unconscious.
Toshiro smiled at the girl. He's so proud of her, seeing her do this things for her friends and to establish what she can do. She must've felt like people compare her to her brother, if not that she's using her brother's name or something. Why can't these people see how beautiful and strong she is without the help on Kurosaki?
Byakuya, on the other hand, released the shaking Nanami. The other captains looked at Karin amazed, while Unohana-taicho is considering recruiting Nanami (She's the only one who saw the tender gestures Byakuya was doing for Nanami).
"That's what Ichigo did the first time I bound him… I mean when I bound him." Rukia blushed when the people on the stage looked at her. "He, even though I didn't gave him my reiatsu yet, broke the seals off to rescue Karin-chan from a hollow."
Karin grinned for the first time since she went up the stairs. "Ha! That's my Ichi-nii for you. He can kick ass with or with out anyone's help." She turned to look to the remaining students who are barely conscious. "Sorry, about that. I didn't mean to let you feel some of my reiatsu. I won't do it again."
"Karin-chan, can I go sit down now?" Nanami asked.
"Oh, 'Nami. Sorry, are you okay?" Karin questioned back.
"Hai!" Nanami stopped shaking a while ago.
"Can you move without any problem? You're not dizzy or something?" Karin worriedly asked again.
"I'm okay, Karin-chan. Just shaken, but I'm okay now. I got my reiatsu up and Kuchiki-sensei shielded me from the burst."
"That's good." Karin looked at the audience again. I guess we should go back to our seats. I was planning on showing the what other things you could do to, but we need all of them awake."
Gengoro walked to the girls. "Karin-chan, I don't know whether to be proud or not. Anyway, the assembly will end today. And because more than half of the first years are unconscious, the classes will resume tomorrow. Teachers, please talk to your bullied students on your first classes tomorrow."
"Hai!" All of them answered.
"Can I tell my first year classes something?" Higuchi asked. When Gengoro nodded, he continued. "We will be on the classroom tomorrow. I will teach you how to talk to your zanpakuto. Okay dismissed."
"All my third year classes, too. Including the advance students." Rin-sensei said. (Karin's new Zanjutsu class teacher introduced at Chapter 9.)
The teachers and the taichos and fukufaichos watched as the students tried to carry theur unconscious friends. When only Karin, Shin, and Nanami were left, they began to praise the three students.
"Hey, your name's Shin, right? I want to recruit you for my Division!" Kenpachi told the boy.
"Yay! Below-the-knee-san will join Kenny and Yachiru's Division!" Yachiru shouted.
"Ah, Kenpahi-taicho, Kusajishi-fukutaicho, I'm only a first year… starting his third week at school." Shin answered.
"Ahhh…. So Below-the-knee can't join yet?" Yachiru whined.
"Ah yes, fukutaicho…ahahahah…" Shin quickly left the two.
"Karin." Toshiro called. He put his arms around Karin's waist. Rangiku and Rukia grinned. Hinamori smiled at her friend's happy face. "You looked so cool back there."
"He's right, Karin-chan." Hirako-taicho said. "But you need to tell me if something ever happen to your inner world okay?"
"What do you mean, taicho?" Karin asked. She looked at Toshiro when she felt him stiffen.
Hirako lifted his arm and put his hand on the left side of his face. A mask appeared, and it looks like the ones on those ugly creatures. "I am a Vaizard, Karin, so is your brother." Karin was alarmed. "I'm asking you to tell me if you ever meet a hollow in your inner world, this is so that I could help you control it. Don't worry about Ichigo, as you've seen, he is normal."
Karin snorted before she nodded. "Ichi-nii is the most abnormal person in the world."
"That he is… I want to ask you not to release that kind of reiatsu around Kobayashi anymore, Kurosaki." Byakuya interrupted.
"By-Kuchiki-sensei…" Nanami objected.
"What's the matter with the two of you? Just now, you were about to call him in his first name. And you always talked about him when we're alone, and you were so sweet on the clinic the day you got attacked. Nanami, what's happening?" Karin asked the blushing girl.
"Kurosaki, you don't have to put Kobayashi on the spot." Byakuya said.
"But you were hugging her a while ago, too, Kuchiki-taicho." Everyone looked at the Rukia look-alike and Byakuya when Unohana said this.
"And why do you look so much like Rukia, Kobayashi-san?" Renji asked. He was still getting used about seeing two Rukias.
Byakuya looked at Nanami tenderly, his face asking a question only his wife could answer. Nanami nodded. He sighed and looked at the expecting face of the people. "This information is confidential and no one must know until Nanami graduated." He waited for the to nod. "Nanami is… my wife."
A/N: Okay, I'll end it there. It's already 11. After showing the peoples' reactions on the next chapter, and showing Karin her zanpakuto's form (yes, I already have a name and such, Nanami's too), I will be doing a lot of time skip okay?
Thank you to the following once again:
ArtemisKirara7
Artimis1821
BloodyME- Tomorrow's chapter is for you. When you mentioned it, an idea came to me. You'll read it on the next chapters. Thank you! And you're just like my sister. She keeps complaining (not that I'm saying that you are) about the fact that the kiss was interrupted or Nyakuya and Nanami should've did it already! Kyaaa! I'll promise I'll research more about the subject. I haven't experience it yet so what do I know? Don't worry, I'll give you some on the future. *le blush
ComeAlongPond1963
CrazyMeowRager
Didd23- NO, she's not. She only feel friendly and sisterly love for him, but she wants to reassure herself that even though everyone disappears, someone will stay by her side.
Dotted-Daffodil
Kagome Echizen Fan
KorPA
KumiTiny
Meganlei
Mituni14
MrSnowmizer
NaLuNaruHinaluvr23
Roza20
ShadowWolf62400
Xingnai
buttmunch2- Oh, I would love to read it if you do write. I feel like I'm a muse right now. Anyway, Karin's zanpakuto visits her very now and then, but the scene is always the same as the other ones. On the next chapter, she'll see her zanpakuto for the first time, but she won't be able to release her shikai yet. I already planned when, but it won't happen until the later chapters. Please be patient, I'm going to do some serious time skipping that you'll hate. ( I hate time skips)
chocolatlvr16
cris08.1991
darkstar2010
finchyyy
henshin7
purpleswans- You're right! I hate her, too! I want her to become an antagonist but that would complicate things up. Besides, she looks normal on the current chapters of the manga.
rebel.17
squirley2000
CalaverasandTattoos
Libiky
RedRubyS.C-
Xingnai
Ziya Hitsugaya
darkstar2010- Thank you very much. I like how it ended, too. My sister said that I didn't put a cliffhanger but she wants more hotness between Byakuya and Nanami. She's such a pervert. *laugh
BootsMaraj
Guest-san-thank you for liking my fiction. I'm very glad that you do.
Promotion: Amnesia by my other half, the true eurielle. Prince of Tennis. KeigoxOC named Hotaru. Please try it.
And thank you to our new follower, BootsMaraj. Enjoy reading.
I really hate bullying, and I guess I like it right now because it opened up the way for Karin to show what she got. Sayonara! Tomorrow again?!