A/N: If you haven't figured it out from the first chapter, Chasing will have a slightly darker, more serious tone than Phases did. That's not to say it won't have its funny and lighthearted moments, but Phases was a story to show the twins' journey through the Academy. Chasing is the actual plot that I wanted for Phases, but needed the twins to be older and stronger first before it could make sense. ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. At all.
Chapter 2: Clouds on the horizon
Karin stared down at Matsumoto as a team of Fourth Division healers immediately went to work, her eyes wide as she studied the injury. She had seen a lot since becoming a member of the Eleventh Division, and even after sixteen years in Soul Society, her clinical training tended to kick in. Her thoughts moved sluggishly as she stared numbly at the vice-captain on the ground.
The first thing to do is stop the bleeding…
A pair of Fourth Division healers were already on it, their hands glowing green with reiatsu as they crouched on either side of Matsumoto, their hands hovering over the wound. The vice captain lay on her back on the floor, her gray eyes wide as she stared up at the ceiling. Her skin was pale and mottled, beads of cold sweat forming on her face.
…She's going into shock…
Hanataro yelled something to that effect, and the Fourth Division healers moved, three of them surrounding the injury as one of them ran off to get a stretcher and another yelled for Unohana-taicho. The Fourth Division healers ran past Karin and Toshiro as if they weren't there. Karin's heart thudded loudly in her chest as she observed Matsumoto's condition.
Unohana-taicho arrived, her calm voice briskly giving orders. Karin heard her call for bandages, and she was almost surprised to find the kit in her hands as she moved over to Unohana automatically, handing them to her.
"Arigatou, Kurosaki-san," said the Fourth Division captain. "Can you hold down this end?"
An hour later, Karin and Toshiro stood outside of the emergency room, listening to the voices coming from inside. Karin's hands were covered in blood. The Fourth had been short-handed, and she hadn't even realized she was helping until she and Hanataro were lifting Rangiku onto a stretcher, one on either side of the woman. But there was only so much first aid could do in this situation. Now, the only thing they could do was wait for the Fourth's healers to finish.
The air between them was tense, both of their eyes fixed on the door of the room. Karin let out the breath she was holding, staring down at her hands before turning towards her boyfriend.
"What the hell happened?" she asked.
Toshiro's eyes widened, as if he hadn't realized she was still there. He turned towards her, and then glanced back at the door. The Tenth Division captain shook his head to clear his thoughts.
"We were on a routine patrol of Karakura Town," he said quietly. "We had just finished a meeting with Kusanagi."
"Those guys again?" asked Karin with a frown. The Winter War had been about twenty years ago, and the battle between Ichigo and Aizen had released an unprecedented amount of reiatsu into Karakura Town. That year, there had been an inordinate number of children born with high reiatsu levels and the ability to see spirits. The Twelfth had concluded that their presence had in fact been the reason for the huge Hollow attack that had killed Yuzu and Karin, sixteen years ago.
Since then, the children had grown, and their presence had caused a positive feedback effect. Their reiatsu levels affected the reiatsu levels of the people close to them, much like Ichigo's had affected Inoue, Tatsuki, and her friends.
The result was a small group of powered humans with the ability to see and fight Hollows. The majority of them had banded together, naming themselves Kusanagi after the legendary sword that had slain the Yamato-no-Orochi and fighting off the minor Hollows that attacked Karakura Town. The shinigami tended to have mixed feelings about their group, some of them considering them valuable allies, and the others thinking of them more as nuisances than as help, since their presence attracted more Hollows to the already ravaged city.
Toshiro tended to belong to the first group. He usually made it a point to coordinate with them when he and Matsumoto patrolled Karakura Town.
"Aa," said Toshiro. He folded his arms, leaning against the wall. "They have a new girl—Yokota Kasumi. She has an extremely high ability to sense changes in reiatsu. She had just come back from a class field trip to Tokyo and tipped us off on some strange reiatsu fluctuations in Shibuya."
"So you two went all the way out there?" asked Karin.
"Yeah…" said Toshiro with a frown. "We didn't find anything odd when we got there. But Matsumoto and I split up…I spotted a man. He could see me and Matsumoto, so I thought he might be like those in Kusanagi. I wanted to question him, but he started running away. So I chased after him."
"And then?" asked Karin.
Toshiro sighed. "I felt Matsumoto's reiatsu and turned back," he said. "It was an Arrancar." He glanced over at Karin, frowning. "Catalina."
Karin's eyes widened. The memory of the red-haired Arrancar was still fresh. "She's in Tokyo?" she asked.
"She was," said Toshiro with a frown. "She's stronger now."
"Yeah, well so am I," said Karin, scowling as she straightened up. She placed her hand on Ongetsu's hilt. She could feel her zanpakuto spirit's interest pique. Ongetsu might have appeared to be a little brat with a stuffed animal, but he was surprisingly dark, and she knew he liked a good fight.
You and I aren't too different, Karin-chan…said Ongetsu in reply, a grin on his face. I'd like a chance to take on the person that hurt my precious partner…
"You're not going out there after her," said Toshiro simply, glancing at Karin. "I'm filing a report with the soutaicho. We'll see how things go from there."
"Aa, I know the drill," said Karin with a sigh, leaning against the wall.
The door opened, and Unohana-taicho stepped out. Both of them looked up, turning towards her. The Fourth Division captain looked tired and worried. That was never a good sign.
"Matsumoto-fukutaicho is stable," she said. "But she lost a lot of blood, and her body has been severely depleted of reiatsu. She'll be unconscious for some time yet. You should head back to your Division, Hitsugaya-taicho…I'll send word if anything changes."
"Mm…" said Toshiro numbly, straightening up. "Take care of her."
"Of course," said Unohana, nodding. She turned towards Karin. "Kurosaki-san…if you don't mind, could you walk Hitsugaya-taicho back?"
"I was already on my way," said Karin, nodding once. "Night."
"Good night," said Unohana as the two of them left the Division. Karin looked back, just in time to see the captain of the Yonbantai enter the room again, closing it behind her. She followed Toshiro through the gates, the two of them walking in silence for a moment as they made their way back out to the Tenth.
"…I shouldn't have left her," said Toshiro after a while, his green eyes clouded over slightly with regret.
Karin looked up at him. "No," she said, causing him to look up. Her eyes narrowed. "No, don't you dare start that, Toshiro. Matsumoto's a shinigami. So's Hinamori. So am I. You don't have to babysit us. We knew the risks when we signed up for this."
Toshiro stared at her for a moment, then shook his head. "I know…" he said. "I know that…"
"You moping around isn't going to fix anything," said Karin as they neared his Division. "What you have to do is get in there and tell your guys that it's going to be alright. That there was an accident on the mission, but their fukutaicho is in stable condition. And then we'll figure something out. Catalina's not getting away with it this time."
"Aa…" said Toshiro, looking away. He nodded once. "You're right," he said. "Sorry…"
Karin shrugged in response. "If people get sent out, I want in," she said. "I have a score to settle with her."
"I'll be sure to let you know what the soutaicho orders, if it comes to that," said Toshiro. "I don't think anyone would object to a member of the Eleventh Division joining us for a combat mission."
"Thanks," said Karin, sighing as they stopped in front of his Division. "Are you gonna be alright?"
"I'll be fine," said Toshiro, turning towards her. "Thanks."
"Yeah," said Karin. "Anytime. Don't angst about it too much, okay?"
He gave her a brief smile. "I'll try," he said. "No promises." He leaned in, kissing her briefly. "See you later," he said.
"Aa…" said Karin as he pulled away. "Later."
She watched as he walked back into his Division, then sighed, slowly making her way back to her own. It was already past noon. She had no idea that they had been standing in the Fourth for so long. The time had seemed to pass with that quick pace it always did in an emergency.
She shook her head, staring up at the sky. Clouds had begun to gather on the horizon, the sign of a spring shower approaching.
So much for a nice, peaceful day.
The Fifth's office was as crowded as usual. It seemed like Ichigo always had people over, whenever she came here. This time, it was Rukia who was seated in a chair in front of her brother's desk. Ichigo himself sat on the desk, and it looked like the two of them had been talking about something. They looked up as she entered the room, and Yuzu gave them a sheepish smile.
"Sorry to interrupt," she said.
"Ah, iie," said Rukia, waving her hand dismissively. "You weren't interrupting anything. I just thought I'd come over for lunch."
"Everything alright, Yuzu?" asked Ichigo with a frown.
"Hai," said Yuzu, smiling. She shut the office door behind her. "Everything's fine. I got done early today and was going to go see if Masa-kun wanted to visit Ojii-sama with me, but I can't find him. I thought he might be in here…"
"Masa's out," said Ichigo. "He's helping some guys in the Third deal with reports of a Hollow in Rukongai. He should be back by tonight."
"Sou ka…" said Yuzu, frowning. "I'll go by myself, then."
"How are things at the Sixth?" asked Ichigo.
"Good," said Yuzu, smiling. "I think I'm starting to get used to this position."
"That's good," said Ichigo. "Byakuya's not working you too hard?"
Yuzu shook her head. "Not at all," she said. "There's more work, of course, but it's all things I can handle."
"How is nii-sama?" asked Rukia. "I should drop by soon…"
"He's fine," said Yuzu. "He seems busy, but that's normal. I think he'd like it if you visited though, Rukia-nee. He's been a little…stressed these past couple of weeks…"
Ichigo snorted. "When is Byakuya not stressed?" he asked.
"Ichigo!" said Rukia, turning towards him.
"What?" asked Ichigo. "It's true."
A knock came at the door. Ichigo, Rukia, and Yuzu looked up as it opened, watching as one of the Fifth's officers came in. He bowed. "Ano…excuse me, Kuchiki-fukutaicho, but the Thirteenth sent a message. Third Seat Kotetsu wants to know if you can come back this afternoon to help authorize some living world missions."
"Tell her I'll be right there," said Rukia, getting up. She sighed, glancing at Ichigo. "…It looks like we'll have to cut lunch short," she said.
"Aa…" said Ichigo with a frown, pushing himself off the desk and getting to his feet. He glanced over at Rukia. "And that's another thing," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Kuchiki-fukutaicho?"
"Well, we can't very well have two Kurosaki-fukutaichos running around, can we?" asked Rukia, frowning at him. "People would just get confused." She folded her arms. "Besides, nii-sama insisted. I can't change my name while I'm still next in line."
"Yeah, yeah, I know," said Ichigo, rolling his eyes. "Politics." He leaned down, his expression softening somewhat as he watched Rukia. "See you at home?"
"Yeah," said Rukia, smiling slightly. "See you."
Yuzu smiled, watching them. Ichigo and Rukia still argued like cats and dogs once in a while, but there was no denying that they both felt very deeply for each other. The same could be said for Karin and Toshiro. It made her smile, when she thought about both her brash siblings being so completely in love.
They didn't kiss. Yuzu had a feeling they might have, if she wasn't standing in the office. But they did smile and exchange looks between them, as her new sister-in-law made her way towards the door.
The sliding door opened again before Rukia could reach it, admitting a breathless Hinamori. She had her hands cupped protectively around a black jigokucho.
"Taicho!" she called. "Message from the soutaicho. All captains available are being called to an emergency meeting."
Rukia's eyes widened. "What's going on?" she asked as Ichigo picked up Zangetsu from its place against the wall, slipping the sword over his back.
"Shir—Hitsugaya-taicho just got back from a living world mission," said Hinamori, her eyes wide. "Matsumoto-fukutaicho is seriously hurt. The attack was caused by a rogue Arrancar, reportedly the same Catalina Falza that attacked the Academy students ten years ago."
Yuzu's eyes widened. Ichigo's expression grew serious. "I'm on my way," he said.
"Is Rangiku-san okay?" asked Yuzu.
"She's stable, but she's resting at the Fourth," said Hinamori. "She's still unconscious." Hinamori turned towards the two vice-captains. "Kuchiki-fukutaicho, Kurosaki-fukutaicho," she said. "We've been instructed to assume control of our divisions and remain on standby until the captains return."
"Understood," said Rukia coolly, nodding her head.
"Mm," said Yuzu, her expression growing serious. She nodded as well.
"I'll leave it to you, Hinamori," said Ichigo, heading out the door.
"Hai, taicho!" said Hinamori with a nod as Ichigo passed her. Yuzu and Rukia exchanged nods, flash stepping out of the room simultaneously as Ichigo left.
Karin had only been back a few minutes when the summons from the soutaicho came. She had been in her quarters, cleaning the blood off her hands and changing into a fresh uniform when she caught sight of Kenpachi barreling through the Eleventh Division courtyard, his usual grin on his face as he jumped the wall completely and flash stepped away. She dropped her brush and finished tying her hair in its usual ponytail, knowing that that couldn't mean anything good.
"What's going on?" she asked Ikkaku and Yumichika as she stepped outside, walking over to them.
"An emergency captains meeting," said Ikkaku with a frown, his eyes still on Kenpachi's fading trail. "Something to do with Rangiku-san and the Tenth."
"Figured," said Karin with a shrug. "What are we supposed to do?"
"Officially?" asked Yumichika. He gave an exaggerated sigh, fanning himself with his hand. "We help the fukutaicho gather the men and keep the Division on standby."
"Standby means we might be called to fight," said Karin, folding her arms.
"Yeah," said Ikkaku with a grin. "Wonder if we'll get to see some action today."
Karin frowned. "Hope so," she said, scowling. "I want to go after Catalina."
"Will you be keeping the fight all to yourself, Karin-chan?" asked Yumichika, smiling slightly at her.
"Please," said Karin, rolling her eyes. "There'll be plenty to go around if it comes to that." She stepped back, glancing around. "The fukutaicho?" she asked.
"Up on the roof," said Ikkaku. "She's sulking about not being able to follow the taicho, but she'll be down any minute."
"Got it," said Karin. "I'll go get the guys in from the training yard."
"I'll head to the barracks," said Yumichika.
Ikkaku nodded. "I'll get the fukutaicho," he said, pointing his thumb in the direction of the roof.
The three of them nodded, heading off in three separate directions.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/N: Why yes, Ichigo and Rukia are married. This actually ties into the plot, as you'll see in a few chapters. ^^