Disclaimer: Kubo is god. Kubo is king. Tite Kubo owns everything. Except the quotes used at the start of each chapter. They were all found on the internet, and if they have an author I say who it is.

AN: See all author's notes in part one. Oh, and I didn't forget the omake, I'm just running out of ideas for them and wanted to get this part out. Plus it's not like every chapter of the manga has one anyway, most of them just have a cute little picture or two. I understand why now. It's hard to come up with this many of them.

No Warm Memories

By Lady Callista

Chapter 10: Hopes and Fears

OoOoOoOoOoO

Hope is the thing with feathers

That perches in the soul

And sings the tune without the words

And never stops at all.

-Emily Dickenson

OoOoOoOoOoO

"There has to be some way." Orihime said as the majority of the group gathered in the Kurosaki clinic a short time later.

Chad and Ishida had left to patrol the city, making sure no other Hollows were taking advantage of the fact that all of Karakura Town's defenders were supposed to be gone.

And Isshin was otherwise occupied with the authorities. A neighbor had let their dog out at just the wrong time, and Isshin was now back in his body and playing grieving father to the police and medical personal that the neighbor had called. Luckily almost everyone had already been inside when the neighbor came out, and the few that had been left outside were invisible to her.

What kind of story Isshin was making up was anyone's guess, but his wailing could be clearly heard by all.

"It's not possible." Urahara replied. "Konso is how a soul enters Soul Society, and once there it loses all memories of it's previous life."

"Why can't you just stay here?" Yuzu cried from her place on Ichigo's lap. At 14, she didn't fit quite as well as she used to, but she still took comfort in her big brother's arms around her. And Orihime sitting beside them and stroking her hair was nice too.

Karin lifted her head from where she was cuddled into Toshiro's chest enough to look at her sister. "I don't belong here anymore, sis." Karin said, briefly using one of her hands to lift the chain that connected the sisters. "Besides, do you really want me following you around forever?"

Yuzu cracked a smile as outside their father let out a particularly exaggerated wail. "You just don't wanna put up with dad anymore."

"There is that." Karin smiled back slightly, then turned to Urahara. "But there has to be some way for me to keep my memory."

"Well," Urahara glanced at her fate chain. "The way I first trained Ichigo to become a Shini…"

"Absolutely not!" Ichigo asserted.

"Ichi-nii, what…" Karin turned to face him.

"No, Urahara." Ichigo glared at the man. "It's too big a risk. Just let her go to Soul Society. And then we'll find her and find a way to restore her memories."

"But Rukongai is huge." Rangiku interjected, although she knew her taicho well enough to add, "Not that I have any doubt we'd look until we found her, but her memories…"

"No one has ever been able to restore a soul's memories." Rukia said quietly.

"What if I just take her through the Senkaimon with me?" Toshiro spoke for the first time since they'd entered the room, glancing at Urahara. He sat on the couch with Karin curled against his chest, his arms tightly around her. For once he didn't care what people thought. He just never wanted to let her go.

"I can't answer that." Urahara shrugged. "To my knowledge it's never been tried."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Rukia wanted to know.

"Well, that would depend." Urahara thought out loud. "If a Jigokucho comes for her, she'd be fine. But if not, you'd have to make sure she wasn't separated from you, or her soul could be lost forever."

"We won't get separated." Toshiro replied in a tone that broached no debate.

"In that case, she'll make it to the other side. But I have no idea what will happen once she's there. She may lose her memories, or not. There is no way to know."

The room fell silent for a moment, broken by Karin hesitantly asking, "What about Kyokon?"

Urahara shrugged again. "Another question I can't answer." He glanced over at Orihime. "We've been looking into it, but there's really no frame of reference. There are just no records of humans manifesting powers to the degree Sado-san and the two of you ladies have. We have no idea what will happen to any of you when you die and enter Soul Society."

"The best guess is that you'll keep your powers." Rangiku interjected. "But they may change somewhat, to become more like zanpakutos. All of you have strong enough reiatsu to become Shinigami, and we think that once you start training for that your powers will change to reflect what you are."

Everyone looked at her in amazement.

"What?" Rangiku blushed slightly. "I just figured we'd need to know someday, and Ukitake-taicho was very helpful."

"You've known all along, haven't you?" Toshiro questioned with a raise of his eyebrow.

Rangiku nodded. "Did you really think you were just that lucky that no one noticed all the times you left Seireitei?"

"All the times?" Ichigo glared at Toshiro and Karin. "But it's been almost a year since I saw you two together."

"And of course you're with me every minute of the day." Karin said drolly.

"But…but…" Ichigo gaped.

"Does it really matter anymore?" Orihime asked quietly, resting a hand on his knee.

"No, but it's kinda funny." Renji spoke for the first time since Karin had died. He'd been very confused seeing Toshiro crying over the dead girl, but he'd heard enough now to figure out what had been going on. "Hitsugaya-taicho. Mr. Follow-the Rules, Mr. Be Formal, Mr. Never Smile or Laugh. And he's been dating a human for the past year. Sneaking around behind the other Shinigami's backs…"

"Two years, actually." Rangiku added helpfully.

"Two?" Renji laughed.

"At least he told her he liked her right away." Rukia elbowed him in the side. "It took you how many years?"

"Well, you could have told me that you…"

Rukia and Renji continued to argue, with Orihime trying to break them up and Rangiku egging them on. Ichigo was talking quietly to Yuzu, probably trying to explain to her more of what was going on.

Toshiro tilted his head down a little to speak quietly to Karin. "You can stay here a day or two without danger. Say your goodbyes."

"And maybe not remember saying them anyway?" Karin asked just as quietly, turning her body to cuddle even more into his embrace. "Besides, everyone except my sister goes to Soul Society on occasion and can see me there. And if I become a Shinigami I may be able to come to earth and see them."

"But…" Toshiro trailed off. He wanted to believe that she would keep her memories, but if she didn't…

"Would it be better or worse for you if we have a few perfect days together and then I forget them?" Karin tipped her head up until she could see his face.

"Karin, you can't think like that…"

"You are." Karin said quietly. "You want to delay, because you'd rather wonder and hope for the best than have the worst happen." A single tear slid down her cheek, and he tenderly wiped it away. "But I couldn't concentrate on anything else. I couldn't be happy, not with that hanging over me. I just need to know."

Toshiro glanced up from her face, noticing that everyone in the room was now silent and watching them. "Abarai-taicho, the three of you should head back now. I don't want anyone else with us in the Senkaimon just in case something strange happens."

Rangiku smirked, as was expected of her, although her eyes blazed with shared pain. "It also means you won't be the first one to break the news to the others."

"Who gets to do that?" Renji wanted to know, then started sputtering as he noticed both Rangiku and Rukia looking at him. "Why me? He's your taicho…"

"Yes, but you are the ranking officer, and…"

"Children, children." Urahara tisked. "Let's go out to the backyard, and I'll open the gate for you. You can argue more then." He quickly shepherded them out.

"Please, Ichi-nii." Karin turned to her brother, seeing the protest on his face. "Stay here with Dad and Yuzu. Anything you say or do will feel like goodbye, and either you don't need to say it or I won't remember it anyway. I just need to get this over with. I need to know."

"Can I say goodbye at least?" Yuzu sniffed. "Since I can't go to Soul Society like Ichi-nii can."

Toshiro released Karin, and she went to sit next to her sister. "I may be able to come back someday and see you."

Orihime stood up, pulling Ichigo with her as Yuzu slid off his lap and into their sister's arms. "Let's give them some space." She headed to the backyard with Ichigo in tow, and Toshiro quietly followed behind them.

Ichigo turned to face Toshiro as soon as they entered the yard. Urahara stood by the Senkaimon, keeping it's doors open although the other three were already gone from sight. It was easier to keep it open for a few minutes than to open another one.

"Let me know the minute you arrive." Ichigo said, a hard look on his face.

Toshiro nodded. "We'll send word."

"I need you to answer one question, or I'll always wonder." Ichigo studied Toshiro's face, realizing he might get punched for even saying what he was about to. But he really did need to know. "Could you have saved her?"

Toshiro's face turned to stone. He understood the implied question. "I tried. I did everything I could to save her."

"You didn't hesitate? Even for a few seconds?" Ichigo pushed. "Knowing that if she died you could be with her…"

Toshiro's façade cracked enough to show his anger. "First off, I didn't know. In case you've been deaf for the past 10 minutes, or the past three years for that matter, souls loose their memory when they enter Soul Society. I thought her memories would be lost…and they still might be…"

Ichigo was about to comment, but Toshiro held up a hand, and the fierceness in his eyes stopped whatever Ichigo had been about to say. "But even if I knew they wouldn't be…Ichigo…do you think I wanted to watch her die in my arms? Do you think there's anything I wouldn't have done if it could have prevented her dying?" Only anger showed on his face, but his voice and eyes were raw with pain.

Ichigo held his eyes for a second or two, then nodded. "You understand why I had to ask."

Toshiro nodded, all anger gone. "I would have in your place."

"Take care of her." Ichigo replied.

Toshiro said seriously. "With my life."

Orihime sighed at the strangeness of male bonding, and was about to comment when Yuzu and Karin walked out, their father behind them.

"That was fun." Isshin was mumbling. "It's gonna be even more fun when they do the autopsy and find nothing wrong with the body."

"Sorry." Orihime replied meekly.

Isshin sighed. "It's okay. You were trying to save her and all."

"Let's do this." Karin interrupted, smiling bravely.

Isshin slid an arm around each of his daughters. "You're sure this will work?" He asked Urahara, Karin having filled in him briefly on what they were planning.

"No, but it's our best idea." Urahara replied. "Our only idea, actually." He faced Toshiro. "The others are back in Seireitei, probably still bickering about who gets to tell the soutaicho what's been going on."

Toshiro nodded, and turned to Karin. "You're ready?" He reached for Hyorinmaru.

Ichigo stopped him with a hand on his arm. "Let me."

Toshiro nodded in understanding, moving to stand beside Karin as they all watched Ichigo draw Zangetsu and move to stand between his sisters, in front of the chain that dangled on the ground between them.

"This may hurt a little." Toshiro said to Karin as he took her hand. "But once we're in the Senkaimon it should stop hurting. As soon as he cuts the chain, I'm going to pull you onto my back and run. Okay?"

Karin nodded, her brave face still firmly in place.

"Karin…" Toshiro whispered hesitantly, knowing the others could hear him. "Just in case…I wanted to tell you…I lo…"

Karin put her fingers over his lips. "Just in case…I want to remember the first time you say that to me. If I lose my memories…and we can't get them back…I'll just get to fall for you all over again."

Toshiro smiled even as a tear trailed down his face, and he leaned in to kiss her, not caring that everyone was watching. "I won't give up on you, no matter what happens."

"I know." Karin smiled, then turned to Ichigo. "I'm ready."

Ichigo nodded, his eyes closing for a moment before he snapped them open and swung Zangetsu down, severing the chain in a single blow.

Toshiro was moving the instant it severed, pulling Karin unto his back and wrapping his arms behind himself to hold her. Her legs and arms wrapped around him even as he ran through the gate.

"You okay?" Toshiro asked as the gate closed behind them and he ran as fast as he could, hating that he couldn't use shunpo within the gate. Two Jigokucho flew ahead of him, and he hoped the fact that one had come for her as well was a good sign.

"Yeah." Karin gasped. "You were right, it hurt, but it doesn't anymore. The chain vanished as soon as we hit the gate, but I feel fine."

"It'll only take a few minutes to go through the gate, and then we'll know."

Karin tightened her arms around him. "Remember the first time you carried me like this?"

Toshiro released one of his arms from her back, grasping one of her hands where it lay across his chest. "It was the first night we kissed."

"To…" Karin's voice broke. "Toshiro…if I forget…please tell me. Tell me about the first time we met, and the first time we kissed. Tell me how we could just sit for hours talking about nothing, and about everything. About how we could sit in silence just holding each other…"

"I'll tell you everything." Toshiro whispered. "If you forget, I'll tell you everything. But you won't forget. You can't…"

Karin looked up from where her face was buried in his shoulder as he stopped running, and she saw the door directly in front of them.

"Put me down." She whispered.

He did so and turned to face her, wrapping his arms around her in a crushing embrace before kissing her thoroughly.

Their eyes opened and held for a second afterwards, then as one they turned and stepped through the gate hand in hand.

It deposited them on the Juubantai's practice field, and Toshiro was glad that it was empty.

His heart filled with dread, he turned to look at Karin, who was staring down at their joined hands.

"Karin?" He whispered after thirty or so seconds had gone by and she hadn't moved. "Karin?"

TBC…