BREATH OF LIFE
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or Tokyo Ghoul. Or the songs mentioned from this point onwards. Kudos to people who recognize the songs, though.
Warnings: AU-verse, SLASH; flash-forward once again, this time in Karin's POV. My playlist took the prerogative. Sorry but not sorry.
008 - Savior
Karin watched the rain pounding down the windows with an empty gaze.
They were back to the world of living, and everything seemed like a bad dream. Only –
Her eyes slid to the small, pentagram-shaped, skull-stylized badge on the table.
- It wasn't.
It was real like kick in the gut that bastard Renji had delivered to her when she tried to keep him from taking Rukia to Seireitei to be judged and executed.
It was the worst.
When she finally thought she was doing something to help, something that helped to sew shut the yawning chasm in the depth of her soul that was made with death of her mother and absence of her brother, she was once again proven wrong.
Her jaw hurt from grinding her teeth close for so long, but it was either that or wake the house with her screams.
She wanted to howl. She wanted to kick someone, or better, bust certain someone's nuts because he was an idiot, and asshole and the biggest idiot - yes, she was aware she was repeating herself - in the world, be that in living or soul dimension!
What was Urahara thinking, getting her brother of all people in the mess!
No. There was no one else, anyway.
Definitely not Goat Face. And for heaven's sake, Yuzu was not even the last option. She would've sooner chose Mizuru than Yuzu, her gentle, cheerful little sister.
The aftermath after Aizen's betrayal was like some kind of a bad dream.
She couldn't do anything.
And her brother - her brother was forced to shield her with his own body while they attacked her, thinking that she was that Aizen bastard!
In the end, he was more of a mass of blood and shredded meat and broken bones than something resembling a human, and she still heard his bones breaking and re-breaking themselves under the constant barrage of blows, and her nose was clogged with the scent of blood, sickly sweet and bitter, with a hint of iron thrown in.
But he didn't let her go.
Her Nii-chan protected her till the very end.
Of course, he had insisted that everything was okay, but she knew her nii-chan, knew how to read the tense strain in the corner of his eyes and the pallid shade of his face.
She wasn't allowed to stay with him, courtesy of that Ishida-look-alike friend of his.
Arima-san was scary. Outside, he may have looked like a gentler, more fragile version of Ishida, but Karin had instinctively felt that there was something off with him. That prevented her from pressing too much into him… but maybe she should have.
Because then, she would've been closer to her Ichi-nii.
'I'msorrysorrysososorrydamnyouforsavingmewhydidyouhavetobesuchanidiotsorrysorrySORRY - !'
"Karin."
Jerking around, she looked straight in her brother's eyes.
His kind, brown eyes.
"Ichi-nii – " Her breath hitched.
Those deep hazel eyes softened, and usually scowling mouth's curve gentled itself in a small smile and Karin didn't know when she began crying, but the fat droplets of tears were sliding down her face.
"It's alright. Come here."
His soft, scratchy voice beckoned, and Karin dove for her brother, clutching to him like he was her only lifeline.
Strong, warm arms wound around her, cocooning her into a nest of warmth, reassurance, forgiveness and love she came to know as her big brother.
Outside, the rain continued to fall, cleansing the world of its sins.
/To Be Continued/