I do not own Bleach … :) and I do not earn any kind of money from this snippet.
This chapter hadn't been beta-ed yet. I apologize for my usual mistakes. I didn't have enough time to proofread it. I wish you pleasant reading.
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To break is all I know
Chapter 20: My possession
"My name is Kurosaki Karin and it means something … I do not feel like telling you anyway. Don't blame me. It's kind of embarrassing.
My father always had this fruit fetish. First he had to name my brother Ichigo. Who names his son after a fruit, a strawberry nonetheless? Very masculine papa! Now that I think dad is the embodiment of masculinity. Did you know that he liked to scream manly things at the bloody sunset? Yes, he certainly did and sometimes he brags about it like it's laudable.
Then he named me and Yuzu after fruits. I wanna kill that Goat Chin"
Kurosaki Karin's diary
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In Soul Society the captain of the 10-th squad was preparing his luggage for the, probably protracted departure in the human world. He didn't have many clothes to begin with, so he found it easily to choose a couple of overused trousers and two pairs of shoes. After this, he stuffed in the remaining space a toothbrush (even spirits had to keep themselves clean), a shampoo and the always necessary hair gel.
He had been informed by the Captain Commander that he'll be sheltered in Orihime's house since the Kurosaki family hadn't been told of his presence in their vicinity. Of course Toshiro asked what the reason behind this useless secrecy was, but the old man confessed he didn't want Toshiro to make contact with Ichigo or any member of his family.
The young captain knew when to listen to his leader, but this time he wasn't sure he'll oblige to his command. Also after 5 years of absence, his friend and soccer mate was sure to seek him out and inquire him on his reasoning behind the rushed leave. He had left without telling anybody, yet it wasn't his fault either. How could he have guessed that Soi Fon will need assistance in her mission in Hueco Mundo just after he had promised Karin a mythic match between the two of them?
He had damned the woman and he continued to do it for 5 long years for making his return in the human world virtually impossible. However things had changed and along with Aizen's escape all his previous fears turned into a raging fire. He was sure that no matter how upset Karin might be, his hate for Aizen beat anything else.
In 5 years the immortal bastard had found a way out of the most protected type of prison and was having the time of his life in the human world ... Or maybe in Hueco Mundo. They had no idea of his location and even if the hollows would have cooperated with them there was no guaranty the human world was the perfect place to seek into either, because he could have found another dimension to hide into.
The fact that Gin had suddenly "revived", even if he hadn't been dead to begin with, worsened the situation exponentially. The information thrown on them during the last major Shinigami meeting seemed to have embittered his lieutenant's usually light demeanor and his calmness as well. Just having the foxy captain in the vicinity awoke a feeling of uneasiness more powerful than ever felt before around him. If the spooky man's proximity was at fault, Toshiro just didn't want to know. Unlike before his betrayal, when Ichimaru's always smiling face was just a little fishy, now after all that happened with Aizen, he was plain suspicious.
The young boy released a moan, tired of thinking about one of his many enemies, and left his chambers to seek for the errant subaltern named Matsumoto Rangiku.
He found her one hour later, along with her usual drinking buddies: Iba, Kira and Hisagi. She would have been accompanied by Renji and Ikkaku as well if it hadn't been for their absence.
"Matsumoto" began the boy, eying the other 3 angrily "Have you finished your paperwork?"
"Oh, but Captain, we aren't supposed to leave for three more days. Why rush it when we can spit … spial … spill bottles together" stuttered the woman, raising her glass in the air theatrically.
A group of unseated Shinigami, too drunk to distinguish their own vomit from an apple juice, gave a loud cheer from a nearby table.
Toshiro ignored them and just as he was about to scold Matsumoto for drinking sake again, his eyes landed on the drinks scattered randomly over the table. They weren't the usual sake bottles he was used to see around his lieutenant. As a matter of fact the colorless liquid was deposited in transparent bottles which didn't have labels on them, so the captain couldn't deduce if it was alcohol or not.
"What are these?" he pointed at the bottle, addressing Hisagi this time.
The man's lips tightened in a straight line and his face reddened, making Toshiro realize that no matter the name of the thing they drank, it surely contained high amounts of alcohol. Babbling like a child caught in the act of stealing from the cookie jar, the man managed to answer, but only after having a quick visual contact with his friends.
"It's … err … Whiskey"
"Whiskey?" he repeated, searching through his database if he ever heard of this so called drink.
Maybe it was something not made in Soul Society, but somewhere else. His doubts were answered when Rangiku yelled from the other side of the room for the whole bar to hear.
"It's very popular the Human World and I can see why" she released a bark, which should have been a laugh, but in her state of drunkenness there was no way she could have distinguished between them without overloading her brain "It's the best drink ever. Maybe you should try it sometimes Captain"
"It's good for stress related problems" added Iba.
"Very good" strengthened the statement a very drunk Kira Izuru, who was laying face down on the floor.
"I can see that" responded Toshiro, not forgetting to add a little sarcasm, which remained unnoticed by the group of bacchanals.
Observing than no matter what he said, they weren't inclined to listen any of his spiritual words, the captain of the 10-th squad chose another tactic. A more direct one.
"Matsumoto. I want you sober in two hours. I don't care how you do it, but in two hours you will report to me in the office and resume your duties as the lieutenant of the 10-th squad. That means you'll have to finish filling up the reports rotting on your desk for the last decade and write a letter for each lieutenant informing them that you'll leave in the human world for an important mission"
"But Captain" cried the woman "There are too many papers on my desk. I cannot finish them ..."
"I don't care" snapped the boy angrily, not giving her the chance to finish whatever she wanted to say "Do your job for once in your life"
After this violent outburst, Toshiro dashed out of the pub, leaving behind a bunch of dumbstruck Shinigami and an ignorant Matsumoto.
The busty woman didn't seem affected by her captain's behavior, not because it wasn't unusual, since it was far from his normal pretty calm demeanor, but because she was aware of the problem bugging him daily. She knew why her captain was so angry all the time, and she couldn't blame him since she was going through a rough period as well. First there was Gin and then Aizen's escape, so it was no way the world could have continued gravitating in the same peaceful manner as it did for 5 beautiful years.
She sipped from her drink as her ears caught part of the conversations going around her.
"Who twisted his panties" joked a Shinigami.
"It has been stressful around here in the last two months" responded Iba from behind his sunglasses.
Another nameless man who didn't notice the numbered badges attached to their arms due to the cloud covering his brain, snapped at the funny looking lieutenant.
"It has been stressful for all of us. Long shifts, more unpaid hours, sleepless nights. I swear they work us like dogs and we don't even get properly paid for it either. If we're lucky a Hollow may find us and stop our suffering"
Iba didn't answer. He couldn't tell that man the true reason behind this martial law installed in Seireitei. Nobody who knew about Aizen could share this dangerous information with the public. It wasn't that the leaders' conduct suggested dictatorship, but the unknowing ones perceived it as so and acted in a similar manner.
'For my Captain it's more stressful than for you, believe me' thought Matsumoto, eying the Shiniagmi who ended the discussion.
Meanwhile Toshiro stormed out of the bar and continued to throw a tantrum at every squad member who wasn't doing his assign job. Some of them bowed at his command, others faked obedience, only to proceed in slacking off after he was out of range. Being already used to crass insubordination (he had to thank Matsumoto for that), the boy didn't go back to scold them a second time. He walked angrily towards his office, deciding to stop himself from throwing his nerves on his clueless subordinates.
"Shiro-chan" saluted a small black haired petite woman, just when he walked into the room serving as the 10-th squad's official dorm.
"It's Captain Hitsugaya" snapped the boy when he recognized the voice of his older sibling.
"Shiro-chan" repeated the woman, just to his further annoyance.
Twitching his eyebrow in frustration, Toshiro grabbed a handful of papers and smacked them in the girl's opened arms. Hinamori understood that her friend wasn't in a good mood and stopped the mockery from taking proportions, yet her face mirrored a self-pleased smile which bugged Toshiro more than a verbal attack.
"Why do I bother anyway" sighed the boy before taking the usual seat behind his paperwork-filled desk.
"I was summoned by Captain Commander-sama and he sent me here to give you a letter about our mission" stated Hinamori.
"Our?"
"Yes … I will come with you. Don't worry … I'm ok with it" tried the girl to assure him, not sounding too convincing from the young Captain's perspective.
Toshiro continued to watch her reactions, focusing his attention especially on her eyes since Hinamori was incapable of hiding her emotions too well and her eyes had always betrayed the inner mechanics of her soul.
"Please …. don't look at me like I'm some nutcase seeking for revenge. I'm fine Shiro-chan. No need to be cautious around me"
"Hinamori"
"I know what you want to say" she continued to speak her mind, not censoring anything "That I'm still emotional after what happened, that if I meet" she paused for a moment, sign of a deep, careful thinking "him, I'll react unexpectedly and put our team at risk. But I'm going to do neither of these things, though it wouldn't be the first time it happens, right?"
"Look Momo" began Toshiro to reconcile her, but she didn't give him the opportunity to state his mind.
"I am fine. I got over him a long time ago. Why does everyone think I can go insane any moment? It's stupid."
Toshiro let her speak until her whole soul was out on a plate in front of him. Only after that, Hinamori dared to look at him, studying the possible reaction he could have at her sputtered words. His gaze was not of an angry man, but of someone who couldn't decide what to do in that tangled situation.
"Sorry Shiro-chan. I overdid it, didn't I?" said the girl, freeing him from a possibly complicated answer.
"It's Captain Hitsugaya"
"Of course Captain Hitsugaya" she suddenly remembered the letter "Here's the letter given by Captain Commander. It was sealed before my eyes and I give it to you sealed. You know, I wanted to sneak a peek, but I didn't manage to gather the necessary amount of courage to do it"
He ripped the envelope and opened it, only after throwing an angry look at his annoying big sister. She mirrored his expression, or at least tried to.
However, when his eyes landed on the piece of paper unfolded on his desk, Toshiro's face became white like a marble statue. If the rigidness of his body didn't give away panic, his eyes certainly did.
"What happened?" asked Hinamori after asserting the boy's expression.
"Ichimaru" came the ambiguous answer.
Usually Hinamori would have found the whole ordeal funny and unexplainable, but now of all times for Toshiro to remind her of Gin's surname wasn't in the least a good thing. She decided not to jump to negative conclusions, so she waited and waited some more for the boy to elucidate the mystery behind the received letter. When no enlightenment came, she dared to ask.
"What happened?"
Toshiro folded the paper carefully and stuck it back in the envelope. His hands barely had enough force to place it back on the table without shredding it to tiny, untraceable pieces. The he folded his hands on his lap, presenting a facade of total calmness.
"He will come with us in the Human World"
Hinamori's reaction was just like he had expected: fear, then anger and in the end obedience. There was nothing they could do about the Supreme Captain's decision, but this didn't mean they approved it. From an objective perspective Gin was the best tracker since he knew Aizen better than anyone ever did, but Toshiro was very subjective when the silver haired traitor was involved.
Only after Hinamori left to inform Matsumoto of the unpleasant development, Toshiro had a little time for himself, even if he was supposed to finish all the paperwork in three days. With all the commotion going on around Soul Society, he had forgotten about the actual mission and what it involved, yet the fist thought regarding this matter was 'What will I say to Karin?'
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On the other side of Seireitei, a sliver haired Shinigami was leaning against the window frame. His eyes were lost in the white landscape unfolded before his blue eyes. After betraying Soul Society and eloping with Aizen in Hueco Mundo, one of the two things he kept on missing were the white walls of his home. The other one was quite obvious and it consisted in the feelings he harbored for one particular Shinigami. In the far land of Hollows he had been permitted to wear white clothes, he had a sun above his head, but Las Noches was a gloomy place, swarming with darkness. Wherever he looked there were only groovy shadows and red stains of blood. A truly dangerous place.
"Good morning" saluted a soft voice behind him.
When Gin turned around, he was welcomed by the sight of Unohana Retsu wearing a thin white yukata. Her braid was knotted over her back, leaving her companion to see her marble-like face and matching skin. No matter how much he looked at that face, Gin just couldn't shake the feeling of guilt from arising.
Maybe because she was nothing like Rangiku, or just because from some aspects she reminded him of her more than any other woman did. It was really hard to say, especially with so little clothes to separate them.
"Good mornin' Retsu"
"Something wrong?"
The Shinigami's smile widened, making his face look like an oval adorned in the lower half by a big U. The woman, being one of the few who had the ability to partially read him, was able to tell that whatever happened unnerved him greatly. She could also deduce from the stiff posture he took against the frame, that it was relate to Aizen.
"No" he answered rapidly, trying to distract her attention from the obviously embarrassing subject by blowing a soft kiss on her pale neck.
She let him conduct his charade, knowing that at some point he'll come clean before her. It happened earlier than anticipated.
"I received this letter two hours ago from my lieutenant" the woman waited patently for her lover to reveal its content "It says that I've been assigned in the human world to a new mission, along with Captain Hitsugaya, lieutenant Hinamori and … lieutenant Matsumoto"
"What mission?" she asked patiently, not seeming in the least upset by the news.
"Findin' Aizen"
The tall man followed Unohana's expression switch between amusement and surprise, but what happened next scared him more than the woman's creepy smiles and more than her unhealthy desire for control. For the first time in centuries the captain of the 4-th squad did something unexpected. She began to laugh with all her heart.
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"Stop rubbing my thing!" snapped Karin angrily at Aizen while gritting her teeth dangerously at his hand.
For just one moment the man turned around, facing her with that smug expression imprinted on his face, but looked surprised by her statement. What really bothered him was the way she had decided to lay down her desire. He was just scrubbing away a speck of dust he had seen on her waistcoat when the strange phrasing reached his ears. And when it did, there was no way he could have stopped the left eyebrow from raising in amusement.
"That sounded bad" noticed Karin moments later.
"You said it" agreed Aizen happily.
"And you are insufferable!"
The red head didn't answer looking kind of bored, but the smirk tugging at his lips said a totally different story. Meanwhile Karin studied his face, her gaze taking a break at his maroon eyes and then at his red lips. She had always been mesmerized by his deep, cruel eyes which seemed to look right through her soul, seeking for the darkest secrets hidden there. There always existed the frightening thought of him finding out all of them at once, but deciding that it was just a stupid presumption, Karin had banished it in the corner of her mind a long time ago.
Aizen felt her staring at him and moved his iris at the corner of the eye, meeting her serious gaze. They always made conversation through eye contact and not in the more conventional oral manner. Still it was enough for an unusual couple like them that communicated more than words or simple expressions. Words have limitations, while they never seemed to be restricted by anything: not by clichés, and obviously not by commonsense.
"I have to go home" suddenly said Karin, being very tired after a long day, plus the long training session and not in the mood to play mind games with her friend "My father, brother and sister probably called the police and declared me missing a long time ago, but they do that everyday so don't worry, the policemen won't take them seriously anyway."
Aizen hooked her head and softly squeezed her against him before kissing her gently on the lips. The eagerness of her delicious response gave great satisfaction to the conceited villain and to know he had managed to melt/conquer one of the fiercest tempers ever was indeed a colossal accomplishment.
"If I had known you were such a softy I wouldn't have kissed you" whispered Karin against his parted lips while her partner gave a short laugh of content.
"Is that so?"
"I really have to go Samaki" snapped Karin while freeing her neck from the tight hold of his arm.
It wasn't like he was putting any effort in it, but this was probably his way of pronging her leave for a couple of minutes. Still it didn't seem to work since Karin seemed to be in a hurry.
Finally managing to avoid his gaze, Karin turned around and disappeared between trees. In a matter of minutes she was on the other side of the park.
The man was left behind to reflect on the complicated game he had created without noticing. Even before escaping from prison, he had time to develop a complex plan involving the important pawns in Karakura. First he had taken in account the Kurosaki family, then their friends, deciding to take the necessary precautions in neutralizing their possible involvement, but never did it cross his mind that the game he was playing was like a sword, double edged.
His plan was simple: take over all the important human's memories, giving them the appearance of being in control. His web of conspiracy was perfect. He had released a little amount of reiatsu in Karakura, small enough o remain untraceable, but strong enough to reach its goal.
He was not a fool that came in Karakura not knowing that there was a 70% percent chance to be discovered. The only thing he had to do was to envelop the humans with a shield that filtered the information not releasing all those things/words related to his person. The key word was "Aizen". It was a simple and untraceable spell, but very helpful, especially when someone like Karin was exposed every day to the Shinigami world. In fact, he had come with this idea from the start of his journey, but finished it in a rush after he had found out Yuzu's surname. It would have been an unfortunate event, if Yuzu were to speak of him with her brother and uncover his name.
It was a kido hidden under the lowest layer of reiatsu. That's why nobody noticed the little changes that had undergone in the twins' spiritual energy. While with Karin had been fairly easy to conceal a part of his energy in the vast ocean of energy, Aizen had encountered many difficulties in applying the same treatment to Yuzu, because unlike her sister, she didn't spend so much time in his presence and didn't have as much reiatsu as her either. Also she had been top priority since Karin had said a long time ago that unlike Yuzu who liked to talk with Isshin about school and friends, she wasn't too keen of family bonding.
So only after he was done with Yuzu, his attention switched on the dark haired twin.
And now the game has change to his advantage.
His senses silently traced the girl's reiatsu, instinctively following the hot trail of energy left behind her. As always it left a sweet taste in his mouth and a tingling on the surface of his gigai's skin. Her energy was warm and welcoming, like a late spring sun smiling on the cloudless sky at the barely defrosted Earth. Unlike her temperamental nature, which was one of the main reasons why Aizen bothered to study her, the reiatsu she possessed was latent and very lazy. He had noticed the abnormality the first time she spiked her reiatsu in the computer science laboratory, but had a definite answer one month later when he had her pinned to the wall and struggling against him. Even in that tricky situation, her insides had never shown signs of panic. Almost like she didn't perceive him as a real threat at her integrity.
The glow of her reiatsu disappeared gradually, being enveloped in the pools of some pretty incredible energies as she approached her destination. It took only a moment to recognize the sharp edge of Byakuya's reiatsu, the coldness belonging to Hitsugaya's energy and another one belonging to his ex-ex lieutenant. There were others as well, hidden underneath the more powerful ones, but he ignored them in favor of checking out his true enemies' possible new abilities. Still, he wasn't comfortable with their presence in his woman's home merely because they were a threat to his plans.
Talking a short break from analyzing Ichimaru's reiatsu, he remembered that in his early days as a Shinigami, one mediocre Academy teacher said that usually Soul Reapers have a cold type of energy, others, very rare, have warm energy, and the legends were the ones with dark energy. The barbarian of the 11-th squad Zaraki Kenpachi and Yamamoto were one of the few Shinigami who were clearly catalogued in the second category. There were others, but none as powerful and daring as the two sustaining pillars.
Thinking about the conspicuous similarities between the two men and Kurosaki Karin, Aizen had to debate if being around her was a good thing. She could become a gold mine if handled correctly, but the possibility of error was just as great as the accomplishment of his mission. However, there was something which bothered Aizen more than the result, something he wasn't sure he ever wanted to confess. He stared at the phone number displayed on the blue screen of his phone and the name written above it … her name. The cursed combination of two words he hated so much, yet …
His instinct told him to run after her and take her away from her family; from Soul Society's restricting hold. Far away from her brother, who he hated so much, from Isshin's protection, who could only screw with his plans, just away from everything. She was his not theirs. His phone gave a crack before being smashed by its owner's grip. Aizen ignored the last remains while throwing them in a suspended garbage.
The villain would have never admitted he was nervous about Karin being in the presence of so many powerful Shinigami, yet his attention kept on drifting in her house's direction every minute checking out her status. If one had asked if he was worried about Karin unintentionally uncovering his secret, he would have said yes and maybe it wouldn't have been entirely a lie, but on the other hand he didn't want some nameless Shinigami to touch her, look at her, or just think about her.
Aizen sighed when realizing the absurdness of his thoughts. Still he was a god and gods are well-known for their possessiveness. After all Karin was his possession.
Meanwhile Karin practically flew home in the blurry daze that took over her mind. If any of her many acquaintances had seen her in that moment, they would have probably said she was drunk or on drugs. The second choice was closer to the truth because she was high, but not on the usual narcotics her classmates used. A not so tangible drug.
She was so happy and inattentive that she failed to notice the familiar aura of an old friend appear on her radar. Karin was just too pleased with herself to pay attention to the strong reiatsu entrapping her house.
That's why when she got home it came as a surprise to see her brother's nervous posture and Renji's relatively frightened face mirroring the look of horror imprinted on Jinta's face. Only then did she acknowledge the boy's presence in the room. He was so terrified that his spiritual energy shifted in the closed space like an unleashed hurricane. On the other hand a black haired Shinigami Captain (Karin deduced his status by the white haori with the six kanji written on its back) which appeared to be the embodiment of calmness, was leaning against the door frame with his eyes closed and serenity painted on his face.
"Ichigo?" addressed Karin her brother, who didn't seem to notice her presence beside him prior to her question.
"Karin. What are you doing here?" he inquired, jumping out of his skin when hearing his little sister's voice.
Only then did Karin see that Ichigo clearly didn't sense her presence, but what really vexed her were the brown eyes mirroring care, yet concern at the same time. Her brother wasn't easily scared, but something must have unnerved him at some point to make him react like a scared cat.
"I'm in my home. Where else should I have been, big brother" stated Karin, sarcasm dripping from her voice "Don't tell me you were about to throw a party with your Shinigami friends and I came uninvited, right? Have you told dad yet or maybe you're waiting for him to come home and scold you with his usual goofiness?"
Rukia came out of Ichigo's room when hearing Karin's voice and jumped in front of her, landing safely on her small feet. If it hadn't been for the slight unbalanced posture, Karin would have admired Rukia's almost perfect equilibrium, but since the girl buckled on her feet at the moment of the impact with the slippery floor, she judged her as a not so talented athlete.
"Karin-chan" she interjected in her Chappy like own way "Can I kidnap you for a second?"
"No" snapped the girl unpleasantly "I do not have masochistic desires, thank you very much"
Rukia stepped back like slapped as the venom of her friend's words hit her straight in the face. She knew Karin was full of irony, but this was like taking it to a whole new level.
"Karin" whispered the black haired Shinigami as she grabbed her arm "Let's just go upstairs for a little while, ok? Your brother has something to resolve down here and he mustn't be disturbed" she wavered when meeting Renji's eyes "It's about his extracurricular activities"
However Karin remained motionless, ignoring Rukia's request and resisting to her tries of sending her in the room she shared with Yuzu, but switched her attention on the back haired guy. Feeling the intense stare of the twin on him, which came accompanied by a spike of reiatsu, Byakuya's left eye parted slightly, letting a dark gaze stare into her eyes. Only after he realized she wasn't easily impressed by petty, deceiving glances, the man closed his eye and was left alone with his inner thoughts.
"Sorry Rukia" mumbled Karin, hitching from the woman's grip.
Being taken by surprise, Rukia released Karin without struggling more than necessary
"Karin, wait a second" interjected Rukia, trying to seized her arm again.
"What is going on Ichi-nii?" continued Karin, this time approaching the static figure of her brother.
"Nothing" responded the man, avoiding visual contact with the twin.
"Don't lie to me, Ichigo. What's happening with all this secrecy? I thought we were over all this crap with protecting me and Yuzu like we're some incapable little children." finished the girl, just as the front door opened behind her, giving a slight crack of oldness.
Though Karin failed to hear the creaky sound, the others didn't remain unconscious to the guests barely entering the house. Four figures stepped into the room, two males and two females, from who only one could be seen, since the second was hidden by the tall frames of the others. Judging their faces only the visible woman was happy to be there, but, with all the possible reticence mirrored on his face, one male spoke.
"Hello Kurosaki"
The girl's heart skipped a beat as her body twirled on the spot like a ballerina, very elegant yet fast and sharp.
"To … Toshiro?"
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Coincidently I have written the part with Toshiro's pov before saya's review & yes if I respect my schedule there will be more than 40 chapters. I just need the time to write them. Usually I would have written at least 2 chapters in this winter break, but unluckily for me using a different operating system took more than anticipated. Blame my teacher who wants us to compile under Linux.
As always you are right freestyler91. That's what I was aiming for, but there is something that will be added to your list *smirk* when I get to that part I'm sure you'll know what I mean.
For those who suggested that I shouldn't focus my attention on the couple that much, will have their desire fulfilled very soon. As for the cliffhanger, I am very sorry, but I prefer to break it in two and take my time with Karin meeting Toshiro again.
I was a little reticent at writing Hinamori, because I've never written her before, but I think it got out well. I hope she and Toshiro didn't get out too OOC. About the next update … I'll have my exam session in two weeks and I don't know if I have the necessary time to write another chapter before February the 13-th. If I do, promise I'll publish it.
Hope you had an interesting break and I wish you luck in the New Year. Let's just hope we won't die in 2012, ok?