"What Best Friends are for."

A Bleach Fan Fiction.

Written by trekkiexb5.

Hitsugaya/K. Kurosaki friendship. Rated T for language.

DISCLAIMER: If Bleach was mine, I wouldn't be writing this on the beach in Hawai'i. Or maybe I would…

CHAPTER THREE:

TRAVELING WITH THE DEAD

Human or Shinigami, healthy or injured, would find sleeping on a dirty cold concrete floor not that much fun. Or even comfortable, for that matter. Still, it was sleep and as the sun rose we ate lukewarm miso soup, gathered up our things and headed out into the chilly fall city.

"They moved," she said quietly. I was impressed. Her ability to sense hollows is known to me, but I think she is getting better at tracking at a distance.

"Yeah," I replied. They were further away north than they were yesterday. I almost regretted stopping for the night. But I knew I wasn't going to make it without rest. The wound was still bleeding and there was an infection noticeable when Karin checked it this morning. But there was something else, something to do with the fact it was me and the masked man was Kusaka. Regardless, it ate up my body's resources.

"Another long day of walking, eh?"

"If you don't like it, leave! I NEVER asked you to come along. In fact, I believe I told you not to come!" This exhausting was draining me and my temper, normally short, but controlled, burst out of me.

"I guess that food, sleep, and some healing helped because you are starting to sound like your old arrogant self!" she harrumphed and stomped off in the direction we needed to go. "Coming?" When she noticed I didn't follow.

"Shut up!" I shouted back, brandishing the sheathed Hyorinmaru at her. Normal? I'm not acting normal. I am sick, tired, frustrated and frankly scared. This isn't even close to normal. What does she know anyways? I have only known her for a few weeks.

She suddenly giggled, switching the net of soccer balls to the opposite shoulder. "You're funny when you are all riled up!" She waited for me to catch up and we continued our journey.

But her movement of her bundles reminded me of something. "Why did you bring the soccer balls? I don't think you are going to have time to play some games."

"I brought them for the hollows."

"Hmm?" Then I remembered her kicking the ball at the Menos Grande at the field a few weeks prior. While doing very little if any damage to the hollow, it did have power channeled into it, and strength behind it. Spiritual Power. She is a Kurosaki, after all.

She again interrupted my musings. I have been lost in thought a lot lately. "Well, I don't think I could kill those weird girls, Arracar right?" She continued after I nodded. "They are more powerful than the one from the soccer game, but if any regular hollows show up, can kill them easy! Besides, I'd rather not knowingly go somewhere dangerous without some kind of weapon, weak as it is."

I could understand that, any weapon can make…wait? Killing hollows? "Huh? You can…I mean, you have killed hollows before?"

"Yeah, with Jinta and Ururu and Don Kanonji. That's where I got the name of the monsters from, Jinta. And," She paused, looking down. "Someone had to do it when my brother was gone. Otherwise innocent ghosts and humans would die."

She was playing shinigami like it was a game? No. That wasn't it. She, like her brother have a need to protect. Jinta and Ururu, Urahara's wards, can kill hollows from what I have heard. So I can believe that. How did she meet them anyways? So many questions were popping into my head. Who was this Don guy? Another one of Ichigo's friends connecting to powers they shouldn't be? Regardless, I filed it away in the back of the mind for future reference. Maybe I would be able to do something about it later.

I grunted a reply and we continued to walk in silence. By noon, we had reached civilization, it seemed, again. Karin and I invaded a 'fast food' restaurant for the restrooms and lunch. As I stood in the lobby waiting on Karin, I perused the menu. Dear deities, the prices! Since Matsumoto's 'little' shopping spree the last time we were here I learned how much yen equaled my quarterly expense report. Thank the deities Rangiku avoided these places and opted for a traditional, yet unorthodox, Japanese fare.

Karin came back, and placed an earpiece in, not unlike what 12th Division hands out to all the World of the Living patrols, and held up her phone that was shut off. She whispered in my ear, "So it doesn't look like I am talking to myself."

Clever. Now, I can carry on a conversation in public with her without her looking stupid. She can't be related to that orange haired nitwit. Ichigo is adopted, it must be the case.

"So what do you want?" she asked. After a few minutes of deliberation, we chose our lunch, and she paid for it and carried it outside. We ducked into the blind alley behind the restaurant's dumpsters.

We ate quickly and quietly. The break, again being honest, was needed; I was leaning in Hyorinmaru heavily, and forcing Karin to walk slower than she was used to. While I was far better than I was yesterday, I was nowhere near where I ought to be. The wound wasn't healing and it was draining my reserves, but with assistance from Karin, I was keeping the status quo. The meal was appreciated. I told her so, and she blushed and mumbled something about not being a big deal.

As we picked up the rubbish and deposited it in the correct bin, I asked her about the money situation. I don't think 11 year olds have a lot of cash, and I felt guilty draining her of any coin she had. She was, after all, paying for every meal.

"Oh, I have plenty," she answered "I took some of the spare change vacation money. Dad often exchanges it with bills, cuz we broke the last jar that held the money in. So I was able to get big bills and little ones and change too."

If have no idea about spare change and vacation funds but if her dad checked it frequently… "Huh? Was that wise? Will your father be upset? Will he notice?"

"Not really. He's out of town for some seminar for doctors, and Yuzu is spending a week with a friend the next town over. Ichigo and I are the only ones home. We were told to use the fund for take out, since neither of us are especially good cooks."

"Oh."

She smiled. "Shall we continue?"

"Yeah."

We started back on our journey, feeling refreshed and a little motivated. My mind was still processing the soccer ball hollow killing from earlier. "How did you kill hollows with a ball? Soccer balls usually don't make effective weapons against them."

"Eh? That's a change of subject. I just kicked the ball."

"Just 'kicked' the ball? There has to be more to it than that."

"Yeah," She stopped walking and closed her eyes. "I see the mask of the hollow and I concentrate really hard on the thought of destroying it and then kick! Then boom!" She ended with a small hop and fist pumping in the air.

So she does channel reiatsu into the ball. Interesting. It isn't easy to 'charge' an item up with reiatsu and use it as a projectile. We used kido instead. Quincies, I have heard, have similar abilities but they generally takes time, and often do it before they go into battle, not at the moment of battle. "Does your brother know about your hollow hunting?" From what I gathered at Ichigo's house, he was oblivious to Karin's growing spiritual powers. Then again, he is oblivious to much unless it gets pounded into his skull, usually by Rukia Kuchiki.

"Heck, no! I mean, I did tell him about seeing him in Shinigami uniform and stuff but he laughed it off. Idiot!" She laughed. "I mean, I don't skip school or leave in the middle of the night like him, but if I am nearby and there isn't anyone else, then I take care of it."

I had to ask. "Are you sure that you are related by blood to Ichigo? Could you or he be adopted?"

She laughed heartily, startling people nearby. "God, sometimes I wish! If my twin Yuzu and I looked didn't a lot like our mother, I'd swear that my idiotic father adopted us and passed his stupid genes to Ichigo only!"

I smirked. "Your brother is certainly one of a kind. How does your mom put up with the insanity?" Then I realized that she didn't count her mother as one of the people in her house earlier.

Karin's smile dropped and she bowed her head. "She died when Yuzu and I was four."

You would think that the 12th Division would fully brief captains' and lieutenants' on such things. Especially when they are dealing with a spastic human shinigami with inflated and barely controlled powers. Knowledge of the family would help when Ichigo decided to take off for 'training.' I found out today she has a twin and her mom was dead. This might have been useful a few weeks ago. "Sorry…I didn't know."

"It's ok, it was along time ago." We silently started walking again. She spoke up again, barely audible over the train's rumbling across the bridge we were walking on. "Toushirou, if people die here, they go where you live?"

"Well, yes, or become a hollow or are eaten by a hollow."

She looked pensive for a moment. "Do…do you think my mom might be there?"

The human need for family units. Even shinigami, once humans ourselves, have that basic need. But I thought about her question for a moment. I needed to word it in a way that was kind enough but clear enough for her. "Well, most likely, but when you die, you don't remember your past life. There are rare, vary rare occasions that spirits have arrived with partial or full memories, but I wouldn't bet on it. But mostly you remember your name, and maybe a date, or a place or a face."

"Oh."

"Sorry to disappoint you. But really even if she did remember, trying to do something about it is useless. The Rukon districts are unbelievably large. It is almost impossible to search them. That's why it's good not to remember anything of your past life."

"Oh." I could tell she wanted to ask a dozen questions. "Uhm…Toushirou, so like when I die, I'll forget everybody and everything?"

She wasn't asking for confirmation, she was asking if she was different. If Ichigo was different. "If you came from a normal family, most likely, but everyone who have a high reiryoku has a higher chance of remembering. People who manifesting powers as a human even more so. Your brother is an exception. When he dies, and with my bad karma it will be soon, he will just be expelled from his body as a Shinigami. Well, that's what our R&D department predicts."

"Oh. Well, I'll try not to kill Ichigo then. You don't need an extra headache."

"Thanks, it's appreciated. I have enough problems with a lazy lieutenant." Her statement was in jest but she was still frowning. Being a Death God, myself, the topic of death isn't a sensitive subject, but I can understand how humans could be touchy. I wasn't sure what to say, or even to say anything at all.

After a few moments, I had an idea. It would appeal to the violent Kurosaki bloodline. And it may help her when I finally confront those Arracar…and Kusaka. "I could tell you how to channel your reiatsu better into the ball." Telling her not to fight hollows would be an exercise in futility. As for breaking the rules, Kurosaki's tend to be the exception to the rules and two; at this point, does it really matter if I broke a few more?

She looked up, her eyes filled with excitement. "Really? You'd do that for me, Toushirou?"

"Yes, telling you to stop is not going to work. At least you can be more effective with it and maybe be a lot safer. I'll even tell you how to put up a shield, like what I did last night." It wouldn't be much and it would be all theory, but if it gives her a chance, however small, to survive this, it would be worth it.

So the conversation turned to kido theory. Not my best subject at the academy, but better than hakuda. I was too small to be effective with that; outside using my size to my advantage. She asked intelligent questions. She comprehended me but paraphrased it so it would be easier to remember. She recited the chants pretty much correctly after a few tries.

Why couldn't Rukia Kuchiki find her first? She was a joy to instruct. If she was in my division, or even in one of my academy seminars, I could spend hours just teaching her. Regardless, the subject kept her animated and had me forget for a little while, my problems and my pain. It was an amiable talk. And I realized, for the first time in a very long time, I was enjoying conversing with another person.

It was nice.

And with my Karma, it wasn't going to last long.

I was right. In the middle of an explanation on Bakudo techniques, the spiritual pressure from the Arracar girls disappeared.

We both stopped, eyes widening. "They're gone," we chorused. I stared, my face most definitely showing shock for a moment. What am I going to do now? More importantly, why did they leave?

"What now?" echoing my thoughts, Karin startled me out of my mental panic. "Should we stop for the day? It would give you some time to rest."

Again, and yes, I believe it deserves repeating; she cannot be related to Ichigo.

"That's an excellent idea. There is no point moving in any direction until we know where they will be."

She grinned, face flushed. Belatedly, I realized I complimented her.

"Do you know this area well?" I asked her. Best not dwell on compliments.

"Not really, but I do know of a shrine nearby. It's only open in the spring. I went to the festival there a few years back."

"But it is fall…wait! It's closed now right?" My brain finally slid out of panic mode and back into logic mode.

Karin giggled. "There's a captain using his head!"

I was being mocked, but I found I wasn't upset about it. "Be quiet, you." I smirked.

She returned my comment with a grin that would have lit up the night sky.

It took us an hour to reach it, threading through now farmland and residential homes. It was generally in the same direction we were going, and it sat on top of a conical hill, covered in vegetation. Again, one last stop for food and such. Then we snuck into the shrine. Rather Karin did. I was invisible to everyone.

Not that it was guarded or such. But Karin told me vandalism in recent years has had the priests erecting barricades during the off times for the shrines that are unmanned.

Out of the eyes of the humans, I risked a short shunpoed jump over the fence with her on my back. A bit painful, but not too bad. We made our way up to the shrine, which consisted of a flat open area around a small wooden building. A traditional arch was at the end of the stairs that lead up to the shrine. Artifacts, statues, and such, if the shrine had any, were not present in the little building. But it was filled with various paraphania and trashed with disuse.

Regardless, we set up camp and dug into a bunch of bento boxes (not really that tasty, but edible.) She peppered kido questions between bites. I showed the ward spell and the shield spell, going a little slower than normal so she could she how it was done. I also explained why I was using these particular spells.

Again, I found it amazing and quite enjoyable. The topic soon switched to soccer, school, and her home life, and I found myself chuckling and smiling at her imitations of Ichigo and her father and their daily antics.

I think even with Momo, especially lately, conversations haven't been that enjoyable. Not that is fair, but lately it's been 'Aizen this' and 'Aizen that' and none of the silly childish conversations that I used to pretend I was upset with.

Damn that man.

And with that thought, my karma kicked in. In the distance, I had felt Ichigo and his human friends wandering about. Not surprising but despite them getting closer, I wasn't worried about them. Moreover, Ichigo was like a loud noise drowning out the conversations next to you in a room. The Quincy boy could pinpoint me if he was near, which he wasn't.

No, a new source of spiritual pressure appeared. It was a Senkaimon gate opening and the numerous reiatsu raining down on the World of the Living. After checking my shield and ward, I concentrated. They were a lot further away than Ichigo, but I would bet they would find me first. And yes, I would also bet they were here to hunt me. A few bright flares indicated probably a lieutenant or higher, maybe more than one, were in the group.

"What's wrong Toushirou? This isn't good, is it?" Karin's worried face swarmed into view when I opened my eyes.

"You feel them? Good. We may have visitors soon. Be prepared to move out fast."

She gulped and nodded. She quickly cleaned up and repacked. "How soon?" she asked.

I shook my head. "Could be in an hour or in two days. It depends on how good the leader of the group is at sensing cloaked reiatsu."

"Oh. Are they from where you live?"

"The Soul Society? Yeah."

"Then, you will know them?"

"Most likely."

She pulled the blankets out and offered a space. "No," I said. "I will sleep sitting up. I need to be on my guard."

She nodded her face serious. I took up position near the door. She pulled the blankets near me and after crawling into her makeshift bed, she rested her forehead on the side of my hip.

I started to drift, when she spoke. "Toushirou, will you kill them?"

I sighed. "I don't know. I will try not to though."

Her hand shot up suddenly grabbing my elbow. "Whatever happens, I trust you."

All I could think was Momo. Her trust of Captain Aizen. Her worshipfulness of him to the point she could not see the truth. "Blind trust is dangerous, Karin. You should always have some logic behind every emotional action," I am not much better, charging into a fight with Aizen and nearly dying. "And, Karin, never govern your choices because you lo-like a person. You can never know a person completely."

Stupid Momo! Never have I been rendered so useless by anyone like I have when she pleaded to 'please save Captain Aizen.'

"Uhmm," she murmured, sleep in her voice. "I know. But I truly believe you are worth helping, even though I think you shouldn't have done what you did. It was pretty dumb to seek this fight. I think you know it too, Toushirou. But I think it is more important to be there to catch a friend than to rest on one's logic and watch them stumble at a distance." She yawned. "Sorry if that didn't make any sense."

I kind of understood what that bit of a ramble was about. "Go to sleep Karin," I smiled, grabbing her hand. "And Karin?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

And I realized, really realized the reason I did not chase her away. It was because I wanted her with me. As stupid, childish, and greedy as it sounds, but it was the truth. Somehow this child knew me and understood me, or at least she tried. How did she accomplished that. I would probably never know. If we make it out of this mess I created, I would have a nice talk with Hyorinmaru on the subject that I did not truly appreciate or even understand: friendship. For I wanted to keep this friendship with a child though physically near my age but so, so young. I wanted this. For the first time in my life, I wanted to activately seek such companionship.

As I started to doze, I vowed I would make sure she survived this. And If I did with any remains of honor left, I would try to be a friend, the best friend I could be.