To break is all I know Chapter 12: Soccer, a bleach fanfic

I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet

This chapter had been beta-ed by Cittyno2 (thank you very much). If you find any mistakes, it is her fault (not mine). I was not pleased with this chapter, but luckily for me Cittyno2 did an amazing job with this one.

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To break is all I know

Chapter 12: Soccer

"Goodbye my almost lover …

Goodbye Toshiro … goodbye forever"

Kurosaki Karin's diary

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Today was the day! The soccer team gathered in the school's yard preparing for the following match. The difference between this and any other training sessions was that the students were invited to participate.

Usually the soccer practice was private, only the coach and the members could attend it, but at the beginning of every month, the team had a public session … another good idea the committee came up with; those guys broke the record for stupid decisions.

Karin watched in awe as a nosy mass of students trooped in the galleries, filling them completely. She could barely see the scoreboard between her schoolmate's heads. It was not even a proper match, yet every chick was present in the arena … there were some boys lost in the crowd, but they could have easily been mistaken for tomboys.

Firstly, Karin tried to think the situation logically … why were only girls present at the practice, it made no sense. Soccer was, is and will be a boy's game.

"Captain!" Screamed Tony, the well looking attacker, drawing her back in the real world "We have to make the teams"

The girl turned up her uniform's sleeves, this being her way of saying she's ready for the game. Yuzu, who was hanging in the first row, yelled some encouragements at her sister … well she tried to yell, since Yuzu's level of decibels is way under Karin's.

"Okay Tony!" Snarled Karin, earning another cheer from the crowd "Let's choose the teams. You are my adversary so choose wisely …. I'm a hard beat"

Aizen was scanning the galleries using the same logic Karin previously did. When he heard the girl's comment, he bit his tongue, trying to contain a sarcastic reply from escaping.

Tony whistled at the crowd and as a result, the annoying background noise disappeared gradually, being replaced by tension. Karin smirked at the girls' reaction and thanked god for choosing Tony as her second in command, since she was unable to silence a fly, let alone an angry mass of fangirls.

"I will choose Aizen" stated Tony, making a sign towards Aizen that indicated he's with him.

The ex Shinigami captain stopped some harsh words from coming out … along with a kido. It would look suspicious if a strange accident happened at Karakura High School football field and the only survivor was Samaki Aizen. Without any trace of doubt, Soul Society would go rampage, would search for him, and with his low reiatsu the possibility of fighting back was practically null.

He had to give up, but the idea was still tempting, especially when Karin joked about his model like appearance.

"Okay … if you want the red dyed model as your gate keeper …"

Tony snarled at his captain "I will show you that I made the right choice, captain-Sama"

"Whatever you say Tony-boy" taunted Karin "We'll see after the match …"

Tony looked like a bomb with a timer attached to it. Nobody could blame him, because the soccer captain was a difficult person … and a girl.

"And captain" said the boy, making Karin turn around "It's not red dyed model … is model with red dyed hair"

Aizen grinned at the girl's predicament, sensing at same time a figurative storm coming their way. He could swear that his captain processed the information way too slow and only after her teammates burst into a fit of laughter, the real meaning struck her. Karin was black from anger and embarrassment, but kept her mouth shut. Tony trembled when her blue eyes acquired a darker shade, promising a violent match.

"Coach!" Screamed a girl from the galleries "We wanna see Aizen-san in action, not two boys bickering"

Every other girl agreed and as a result, some of them rose from their seats cheering "AIZEN-SAN!" synchronous.

"At least now I know why so many girls came" mumbled Karin, swearing that the next time a new member will come in her team, she'll accept the transfer only if he's ugly … and with freckles; girls do not like freckles. Not that Aizen was well looking or anything … he was hideous …

'Damn it girl … you don't even believe that' thought Karin, slapping her face mentally 'He is the hottest guy you had ever met' she subtly leered at Aizen, only after she was 100% sure nobody would notice 'those abs are quite a hook. And if it's possible, he looks even better with this new haircut … totally gorgeous' her teammates were busy laughing at her expense, Aizen was glaring at the sky and Aizen's fan-girls were engaged in their own leering at the gorgeous gate keeper to notice hers.

'Did I just think … gorgeous? ... No … Because if I just thought he is gorgeous, I'm in a bigger pinch than I originally was' Karin's face suddenly became white with terror realizing the implication of her words.

Then it came down …

"WHAT THE FUCK … I'm a girl!" Yelled the young Kurosaki at the woman that commented of her bickering with Tony. "You should check your eyes" then she mumbled silently "bitch … just 'cause I don't have a huge rack doesn't mean I'm not a girl"

The attacker, Tony, smiled at Karin's misfortune "I see a complex there …" he taunted, while Aizen rolled his eyes in annoyance, waiting for Karin's comeback. However it did not come.

"Shut up" snapped the girl, her eyes darkening again, "It's my turn. And I'll choose …."

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After the two-team members had finished selecting the desired partners, and the whole team was taking the designated places along Karin and Tony, the game began.

Karin gracefully fetched the ball right from under Tony's nose, and like a trained cat, her legs flexed throwing her forward, giving her a precious head start. Two seconds later, she was approaching the enemy gate, which was guarded by Aizen, with a look of determination in her eyes. He may have beaten her at chess, but soccer was her game, a game she was eager to win.

However, the man seemed unfazed by her hateful gaze … as a matter of fact he was watching her closely with his smug facade and relaxed composure. His straight stance and wide smirk could communicate only one-thing 'Come, because I'm ready'

With the rest of the team, Aizen was flashing fake smiles and ego-soothing words, making them trust him completely, fooling them with a smooth attitude, but with her, his artistic play was breaking apart. The girl was not sure if it was 'cause she was seeing right through it, or because he was letting her see his dark side. At some point, she could swear he was doing it intentionality, but now with his intense gaze stuck into her soul, her beliefs quavered. One month spent in his presence and he was still able to shake her insides form root.

Karin shook those thoughts from her head and prepared her body for the future strike. When she was at a convenient distance from the gate, not to far too miss and not too close to be examined by the opponent, she took the pose necessary for a perfect shot and sent the ball at the gate. The round object spun into the air, aiming for the left top corner, the only weak spot she could see in Aizen's defense.

BANG!

The ball made contact with Aizen's stretched hand, producing clouds of dust on its path. It was a short moment of silence, interrupted by an overjoyed yell of happiness.

"It's a MISS!" Screamed Tony, jumping from one foot to another like a happy little child.

Cheers erupted in the galleries, an exaggeration from Karin's point of view, and even the all mighty coach was smirking under his bushy mustache. Just Aizen looked nonchalantly at the girl, seeming not to care about his spectacular catch, even if the whole stadium was ready to give him the golden medal for stopping Karin's impressive kick.

"That's all you've got, Karin?" Asked Aizen, definitely shocking the audience "That was supposed to be a kick? Because it felt more like a tickle."

"It is captain!" snarled Karin "And I'll give you a tickle …" she cracked her knuckles "… if that's what you want"

… That sounded bad …

A sly smile flowered at the corner of his lips, but only Karin was able to distinguish its true meaning, the others perceiving it as a peaceful and innocent smile.

Aizen threw the ball at a teammate, using only his hands, but because of the force hidden behind it, the boy wasn't able to catch it, Karin intercepting the object between her skilful legs.

The game continued with Karin kicking and avoiding her opponents tries of talking the ball, but none did so, because the girl was very crafty in dodging any attempt done with this purpose. She attacked the gate again, but Aizen kicked the ball right back at her, earning a delicious cheer from the crowd.

One hour later the score was still zero to zero, the match consisting more in Karin stealing the ball and constantly attacking the opposite gate with well-aimed kicks than a real team versus team match. The fangirls seemed happy with a Karin versus Aizen fight, so none complained about it and the team members were two engrossed in watching their captain get beaten up at her own game to notice anything else, like their own inactivity.

On the left side of the field, Karin was barely breathing, being too busy with building a decent strategy for Aizen's defeat to keep her own lungs in check. None of the ones she had previously thought seemed to have any effect on the man.

"Give up, captain!" Screamed Tony, accompanied later by another player. "You can't get past his defenses"

Ignoring her teammate's calls, Karin made one last try at the gate, but it proved to be a failed one.

With a mocking smile, Aizen was daring her to try repeatedly, knowing that in this case, victory was impossible. The look on Karin's face was one of pure fire and confidence combined with anger and enjoyment. The girl was clearly enjoying the game, no matter how cruelly and sordidly she was losing it. On the other hand, Aizen was enjoying their little quarrels as well, his face mirroring a different kind of pleasure than shouldn't have been displayed on a goalkeeper's dull face.

Enraged by the relaxed posture and soft expression Samaki was exhibiting and not being aware of his not so ethical thoughts, Karin struck the ball, not realizing she had added a small portion of her reiatsu in the mix. The ball flew at Aizen, leaving behind a trail of dust combined with spiritual energy.

It was very fast, too fast for a normal kick, but not its speed was important. The power behind the blow was foretelling to be a destructive one and by hitting Aizen, it could do extensive and irreparable damage not only to the hand, but also to the rest of his body.

Nothing seemed at amiss from the spectator's point of view, but Karin knew of the dangerous consequences the kick might have. For a moment, she hesitated in pointing it out to the man, but any doubt was erased from her head, when Aizen prepared to catch the ball.

"Get out of the way!" her voice hid a hint of worries and fear, but he ignored it, just like the rest of the people "Samaki you fool!"

'She had put spiritual energy in it and she knows about it' he thought, while talking a goodly pose 'let's see if her unschooled reiatsu can overcome my last remain of it'

The ball was approaching his position at high speed and still he wasn't concerned one bit about the situation, because nothing could compare with the thrill of being in danger's path and of feeling a truly powerful reiatsu.

When the ball hit his hand, the unique energy Karin possessed entered right through his veins and inside his being. It rushed into his system, trying to conquer every particle of his soul and if it weren't for Aizen's perfect control over his own reiatsu, no matter how weak and tiny it was compared to hers, she would have succeeded in bringing him down. For just one second the man was tempted to spike his energy to the sky, but if he did such a risky move, a horde of Shinigami was sure to come and ask him of health.

A loud cheer woke Aizen up from the silent daze and when his eyes encountered Karin's astonished gaze, a part of him felt proud at the sudden show of positive emotion. He wasn't able to understand her question because of the annoying noise made by happy fangirls, but he could clearly see as her lips mimicked the word "How"

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The match concluded in a draw between the two teams, the first time Karin's part of team didn't won. Usually the team that included the fiery captain was winning detachedly, but this time, by adding Aizen in the equation, they weren't able to score …manly because Aizen was guarding the gate.

In the locker room, Aizen was changing in the school uniform, listening to Tony and his ramble about how good and talented in selecting teammates he was. The only talent he had was the ability to annoy the team leader.

"You saw her face at the last kick?" asked Tony one of his teammates "Did you see it? Totally scared"

Aizen checked his appearance in the mirror, arranging the long sleeves of his blouse. The winter uniform was complimenting his tall and lean frame, defining the masculine figure he possessed. His red hair was getting in his eyes, making him wonder how he survived with a curl in the middle of his face. It didn't really matter since out of this fake body he would retake his previous spiritual body that included brown hair, curl (of doom) and older appearance.

The man could distinguish in the mirror Tony's blurry figure, but his voice was easily reaching his ears. He continued to ramble about Karin and how scared she had been. Still only Aizen knew of the real reason behind her sudden fear, but he couldn't speak about it. The girl knew of her powerful kicks and in her own twisted way, she was trying to defend him against it.

While Aizen thought about the unusual occurrence that took place on the soccer field, the room emptied quickly because the next hour was begging in 10 minutes and the boys were eager to lose time with their respective classmates. It was better than talking with some teammates they saw only once a week at the soccer practice.

After nobody else was stationed in the room, Aizen decided to leave, but he stopped because of a loud knock and a well-known voice asking:

"Are you decent?"

"Yes" he answered reticently.

He could lie about it, but a part of him wanted to find out the true reason of her visit.

Karin squeezed through the barely opened door, closing it behind her immediately after she was inside. By the looks of it, she was too embarrassed only by being in the boy's locker room, but not enough to blush or seem remotely disturbed by it. The only sign of awkwardness he could locate in her posture was the strange footing she chose for their discussion. Not leaned against the doorframe or stretched on a comfortable chair, but stiff and straight in front of him.

The red head tried to ignore the clothing, or lack of clothing better said in her case.

Karin had decided to abandon the jacket from the grey gym suit, wearing only the black tight shirt underneath it. A fancy, but short, ponytail gathered her dark, glossy hair at the back of her head, making her eyes more visible and her gaze even stronger than before. Only than Aizen realized how much had her hair grown in the month they spend together, remembering the first time they met and her short and unbelievably ugly hair.

The pair of brown eyes traveled lower over Karin's not ample, but not inexistent chest, talking notice of it and not determining if the light was playing tricks on his mind or this was really the soccer captain standing right before him. Her assets were covered by the dark cloth of her tee shirt and the man could almost distinguish the outline of a bra underneath it. Whether because he wasn't used to stare at a woman's breast, being far more interested in other things, like destroying Soul Society, making ingenious plans and being a god, or because he just wasn't the perverted type, Aizen avoided any other contact with Karin.

"I'm sorry … for your hand" she said pointing at his injured hand.

While Karin apologized for the pain she might have provoked, Aizen studied the bloody pattern that covered his palm, laughing at his incapacity to defend it against a simple burst of spiritual energy. Still the energy she had put in that kick was impressive for a normal human and again Aizen had some doubts regarding her true species.

"It was a good kick" he answered simply.

"Yeah …" even if she agreed with him, part of her couldn't do it because using reiatsu in a game of soccer felt like cheating. "If you say so"

She moved to reopen the door, but she heisted in leaving him. For one moment, Karin had the impulse to just exit, but part of her wanted to clear up something that had been bugging her for a while.

"You are a great asset Samaki" she smirked "I'll keep you in my team because of that"

It was the first time she made a compliment about anything related to him and knowing that it may be the last, Aizen felt like adding.

"I prefer to be called Aizen. I told you that before, but you have forgotten about it"

Only Shinji had called him by his first name; even if Samaki was not his real first name. It was ironic because she was the only one that doubted him just like Shinji had doubted his truthfulness in Soul Society 100 years ago. History was repeating itself like a never-ending circle.

"I'll call you Aizen when you'll call me captain"

"I knew you'll say something like that"

An awkward silence enveloped them. Karin prepared to leave, but again an unnoticeable force kept her there. It was like an important thing they were supposed to discuss was keeping her from talking that step outside the room and by leaving it unsolved; she wouldn't be able to finish it.

"Okay …Aizen" the name rolled from her mouth with easiness "Aizen …"she said once more "this name suites you like a glove" her smile widened "I don't know why, but it does. Don't worry. The only good things I'll ever say about you will be regarding your soccer skills"

"Such strong words … not fit for you" remarked Aizen, grabbing the last backpack from a nearby chair.

"What's fit for me Aizen?" She answered.

The man moved behind her and she opened the door, exiting the room with Aizen hot on her trails.

"True, so true …"said Aizen as he bypassed the girl.

Because he seemed to be in a rush, Karin eyed him mockingly asking a stupid question, just because she wanted to screw with him "Why do you insist on using your surname?"

"It's well kn …"he stopped, realizing how dangerous such a statement could be "It suits me better than my first name"

Karin approached the opposite door, the one that was going into the girl's locker room, while her companion prepared to exit through the front door.

"Cannot argue on that… like I said … it suits you, for a reason I cannot understand"

In addition, she left.

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On his way out, Aizen received an unpleasant surprise, standing in the way and, apparently, waiting for him. She had light brown hair, matching eyes and the annoying surname of Kurosaki attached to her name. The annoying copy of Hinamori and the woman he wasn't eager to meet … at all.

"Aizen-san" cheered Yuzu happily at the all mighty god.

Aizen's world froze. Yuzu talking with him wasn't a good idea. He peeked at the strange expression plastered on her face … definitely not a good idea.

"Yes?"

His voice sounded so far and distant, but Yuzu didn't notice; after all, she was too happy to realize anything else but her amazingly big happiness.

"There is a party, the freshman's party and everyone is asked to attend it, even the students from other years."Said Yuzu while fingering the front of her uniform "And … we can come with partners."

As always, Yuzu wasn't too subtle in asking someone on a date, or precisely in this case to be her date. She was wearing a sweet innocent expression, almost begging him to go at the party with her. Everything would have been okay, if Aizen hadn't known that the moment Karin would find out about this little settlement hell would break loose; and truth to be told he didn't want to go with the Kurosaki bitch anywhere or anytime soon.

"I had no idea" pacified Aizen, smiling sweetly on the outside, but cursing the woman with every free particle of his being inside his mind. Another part was searching for an excuse, but still nothing seemed to sound anywhere near logical enough "I guess my classmates forgot to tell me"

"Oh!" Exclaimed Yuzu "I see. I'm sure they didn't mean it. It must be a misunderstanding, that's all"

Not wanting to look like a total ass, Aizen agreed with her.

"Yes. You're right"

The woman standing in front of him visibly brightened up and Aizen could swear he had seen lights turning on inside her eyes and her whole being glowing in a bright aura of colorful happiness. This Kurosaki's ability of such a low level of naïve-ness still amazed him, but he wasn't that dumb to confess it, especially to the subject in discussion.

"Would you like to go?" asked the man.

Without any trace of hesitation, which didn't surprise Aizen one bit, Yuzu accepted. She didn't ask where or when, just accepted the offer.

'Strange girl … If I didn't know better, I would say Karin acts like a Kurosaki more than her' thought the man as he began a stagnated talk with Yuzu about their plans for the designated evening.

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On a lonely street, two girls were pacing/jumping over the mountains of trash and rotten eggs, one of them cursing the mayor's negligence the other being lost in her personal la la land. She almost tripped because of a lunch box carelessly thrown in the middle of the street, but the other one caught her elbow in a tight grip preventing a, probably, disastrous accident.

"Yuzu be careful" exclaimed Karin while helping her sister to regain her balance. "Where was your mind wandering?"

"I'm going on a date with Aizen-san"

It hit deep and hard, striking the girl like a tone of freshly poured concrete. The muscles on Karin's arms instinctively strained under the pressure of an unknown force and nothing seemed to matter.

She could not breathe, speak or do anything for a couple of seconds, being busy with the process of the newly received information.

"What?"She asked not believing a word, but guessing that her sister wasn't lying about it.

Featuring a flick of her wrist, Yuzu explained in a short statement what really happened after the soccer match.

"He said he'll escort me at the ball"

"It's a stupid party" mumbled Karin, trying to recover from the shock.

The digression had gone unnoticed by the naïve twin, who decided to detail her desires over the freshman's party instead of listening to whatever her sister wished to say.

While Karin thought of an escape route for both of them, which, preferably, didn't involve Aizen's presence, Yuzu began to jazz about the clothing she'll wear at the party, determining possible options for shoes and she didn't forget about the all mighty accessories.

"I cannot wait. I'll have to choose some pretty clothes. What do you think about my pink dress" a mumbled 'Which one?' was the only reply she got from the unenthusiastic twin, but nothing could destroy Yuzu's good spirit "Or the pink chakra spaghetti dress. The one dad gave me last summer for our own freshman party …Do you remember it? "

Not even the frown that spread over Karin's face could demolish the good mood. The girl was too happy to notice anything else.

"And a pair of high heels … the one bought by Orihime for my birthday. Do you think they are okay, Karin? I mean they are kind of exaggerated even for me."

"Yeah" agreed Karin, finding the opportunity to mock Aizen a little more "for a giraffe like Samaki-sama you might need at least 5 inches" sputtered the girl angrily.

"He's not a giraffe," exclaimed Yuzu, clearly offended by her sister's accusing tone "He's tall and handsome"

Not being able to stop herself from an ironic replay, Karin mumbled between clenched teeth.

"Yeah … the perfect guy"

Yuzu stared at her sister for a second and smiled happily the next one.

"True. I'm happy you see him in a positive light" she clearly didn't sense the irony in her sister's answer, even if the bitter tone she had used was enough of a clue "And I'm also pleased that you're not being like the last time he asked me on a date"

"Hm" sniffed the black haired twin.

"We had a pretty nasty fight, but in the end we were ok"

"Yeah … we were"

The walk home was sprinkled with Yuzu's ramble about what she'll wear at the party and some other things Karin couldn't remember because a bird flying in circles above their heads provided to be a better waste of time than listening to her sister. The girl gestured at a shiny store that was -coincidently- selling clothes and shoes, which brought Karin in a catatonic state of despair.

"Yuzu … I have to go somewhere" stammered Karin, making a defensive gesture with her hands crossed over her chest "Sorry. I'll let you here if you do not mind"

Moreover, if she did, Karin wasn't sure she would be of any help. Truth to be told she was trying to avoid entering in anything related to clothes, dresses, pink, heels or, the worst of them all, jewellery. There were some things that not even the bravest warrior could accomplish and one of them was shopping with her inoffensive twin sister … the other one being tea.

"You always go somewhere after school and you never tell me where" pouted Yuzu.

"Yeah …I'm really sorry" tried Karin to reconcile Yuzu and the adorable frown that threatened to appear on the girl's beautiful face "But look" she pointed at the store "You can choose whatever your heart desires and dad will be happy to give you money … you're under the protection of an expense account, especially if it involves… party clothes"

Yuzu seemed to think for a while, probably studying the Pros and Cons of letting Karin go or buying something for herself. Decisions, decisions.

"Okay …see you home then"

And she busted into the shop, being unaware of her sister's way of manipulating her into not following her wherever she was planning to run.

'Samaki, pray to god, because when I'll find you not even that pretty face of yours will save you' thought Karin while putting as much distance between her and Yuzu as was humanely possible 'I'll hang your balls from the ears. Believe me … You'll have one hell of a pair of fancy earrings'

The rabid steps were bringing her near the park and its little forest stripped of any leaves. She was seeking the meeting place, the place they had decided a long time ago, before any of this craziness could start.

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Somewhere else, in the Kurosaki household, three figures were occupying the small room at the first floor of the house. One was spinning on a chair looking disturbed by something, another one was getting comfortable on the blue cover that spread over the bed and the last one was leaning against the cupboard, a serious expression glued to his face. They seemed to stay like this for a while, until the silence was penetrated by Ichigo's annoyed, but curious voice.

"Byakuya, do you have any news?"

"No we do not", answered Renji instead, being aware of his captain's discomfort and short temper. Being in the same room with his archenemy, Kurosaki Ichigo, was sure to raise his apprehension along with his dangerous and heavy spiritual energy "By the way, where is your sister?" tried the red pineapple to lighten up the conversation.

Even if the (assumptive) friendly talk had barely started, a wry tension was mixing into the air creating an awkward sensation of heaviness and plague; nothing surprising when the two Shinigami knuckleheads were being involved in a silent fight of masculine ego.

Renji was always the one to distinguish that tension and usually extinguish it with some long and inevitably boring explanations. Still they worked like grease on a squeaky old hinge, but this time, it only maintained it and enriched it with even more vigor.

"Yuzu is in the kitchen, preparing dinner for you, insatiable Shinigami. You passed her when you went upstairs so you already knew that Renji. Why ask?" answered a suspicious Ichigo.

He rather guessed his friend's real reason for asking, but he was in the mood to fight with someone and since Byakuya looked too bored to do it anytime soon, the perfect target was Renji and his incredibly red hair.

"I was asking about the other one. Karin" came the harsh reply. "Don't be an ass"

Now Ichigo had the perfect opportunity to throw his sorrow and bitterness on someone else. All these unpleasant feelings were created by Aizen's escape and his total inability to be of use to Soul Society or to his family, especially his little sister.

"What's your business with my sister?" His snap seemed to wake up the third party, who was still very much silent and solitary in the secluded corner of Ichigo's room "I had enough problems with Toshiro and his sudden interest in my sister, and don't force me to do the same thing …"

"You did to him" filled up Byakuya "Kurosaki, you seem to be ignorant of the problem that revolves in your town, its name being Aizen and if you continue to banish Captain Hitsugaya, your town will burn in hell; with the worst criminals in history keeping it company there"

It was a real and normal reaction. Still Ichigo could not accept it. He turned around, facing the black haired captain and when his gaze collided with the smug expression plastered in the other's face, something snapped inside the orange haired Shinigami.

"Aizen cannot create the Key using this city. Rukia explained it so stop talking about him" the frown deepened on the boy's face, his eyebrows being stored between his brown eyes "He may believe he's an all mighty god, but if we keep on kissing his toes …"

"Do you think he won't do it just for pure revenge?" Asked Byakuya, totally ignoring the second part of the other's statement. "Get real Kurosaki and wake up from this dream you keep fooling yourself with. The whole Soul Society is on fire and you are busy cushioning your sisters"

Ichigo opened his mouth in a search for a comeback, but nothing came.

"We were sent to search …" began Renji, but this time Ichigo found the possibility to attack by interrupting his friend's –possibly-intelligent reply.

"Than go search for him and don't bring my family into discussion. Leave my sisters out of this"

"Do you know who broke the balance in this town?" Asked Byakuya.

Ichigo followed the man's gracious steps as he approached the window, settling on admiring the view. He wasn't reacting in any way and this scared him more than anything else did. If Byakuya wasn't answering to his, so-called, threats, that meant only one thing; the situation was very serious and even he was feeling the pressure.

"Do you?"

"No and I do not care"

It was a stupid and childish behavior but Rukia's dear brother was asking for it.

"You and one of your sisters" came the harsh voice.

"Karin" Renji cleared up the problem of which one.

While checking the watch and trying to ignore the sudden rush of fear that sneaked inside his soul uninvited by anyone, Renji had a short exchange of glances with his captain. From the looks of it, they were both reticent in starting a war with the man that sacrificed his powers for their good and for the city, they were supposed to protect.

On the other hand, they both felt that the overprotective brother role suited him well enough, but when important affairs were being involved it was getting overly annoying.

"I do not care" he answered, making the other two realize how right they were in their beliefs. Ichigo was too protective, and it was threatening to interfere with his judgment "My family stays out. I don't care what Soul Society wants, but I know my sisters are off limits and I do not want any Shinigami near them, especially near Karin"

"I can respect that" agreed Byakuya, still looking through the window at the city; he was being sympathetic because if Rukia was involved he would react the same way "But Captain Hitsugaya doesn't deserve such a treatment from someone who's not above himself in any particular way" this time he turned around focusing his whole attention on the teen "And I do know why you are trying to protect your siblings from other Shinigami, but don't forget your hierarchy"

It was almost as if Byakuya was telling him that the land of spirits was more important than his family and friends, something Ichigo couldn't accept in a million years. Therefore, he decided to end any conversation with a man that was unable to comprehend that his point of view over the situation was just different from some altered form of prehistoric loyalty.

"Maybe, but the old man owes me for saving Soul Society so many times …"

Realizing that nothing could be shared between them, the two Shinigami left silently just the same way they came. Ichigo was too hard headed to accept anything else but his own perspective and Byakuya was too pissed at him for acting like an asshole towards the white haired captain to release his own beliefs. It was a war of egos none was able to win.

The question was: who was right?

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The park had acquired a strange aura of melancholy, but Karin was too annoyed to notice it. She marched rapidly towards the secluded place, which was now covered by a disgusting carpet of mud blended with dead leaves and withered flowers. The mixture seemed to like her brown boots, because every time she stepped in a puddle, a ball of nasty smelling mud would splash over her shoes and trousers.

Still Karin ignored anything related to it, focusing her whole attention on the little oasis of light that was spreading in front of her eyes. There, underneath the fading light of autumn sun, a red haired boy was occupying a dark rock, having a book in his hands and apparently reading something from it.

"Aizen" she stopped just beside him, her toes touching the piece of rock he found shelter on "We need to talk"

To be continued

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I'm sorry for asking you to reveal your countries. It was impertinent on my part and I'm sorry. When I'm enraged by something I tend to act upon it without thinking. Hope it won't happen again :) Cannot promise anything, because I'm an incurable choleric. But I'm very happy, because thanks to your kindness Ta1234's review had been deleted by FF's crew, so I hope you (Ta1234) understand that they checked my story and realized I'm not faking my reviews.

The next two chapters will be hard to write… when I'll publish them you'll understand why *snicker* Sorry for the cliffy!

I'm sorry LilivOO, but I'm asking you to bear with me for a little while, because I have to prepare the land for the future actions. Now that I reread it, I realize it misses a "had" I'm under the impression that it had to be past perfect … damn this language.

SnowAry, my BF, the one that gave me this amazing idea, published her first fanfic featuring Karin. She told me the plot and believe me on this … it's mind-blowing.Soul Society brand KarinK signed with love & blood –only the first chapter, but she's writing the next one *smile* And there is another Codryshipping fanfic written by none other than …. SnowAry. We want to spread the love.

Long Live the Codryshipping and Shadownia Clow, the one that found the name for this shipping (you thought only Aizen is a narcissist?) The last but not the least of my issues is the rating for this story. I may be forced to change it in M. The main plot will be still T, but I plan something *evil snicker*