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'll reread it tomorrow *yawn*). I didn't have enough time to proofread it. I wish you pleasant reading.
Fluff&Aizen alert!
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
To break is all I know
Chapter 21: Bittersweet December
Three days prior to the intimate moment shared by the two lovebirds in the park, into another dimension ruled by cruelty and hate, which had been named (ironically) by their archenemies, two hollows were carrying their tired feet through the deserted land of their home. The female looked like her ships had sunk into the ocean (not that water existed in Hueco Mundo), while the man was clearly very annoyed at something. The frown drawn over his incredibly blue, pointy eyebrows didn't leave space for discussion, but his expression clearly didn't scare his companion one bit.
They seemed to be ruled by a peculiar quietness and judging the tensed atmosphere they must have been in that gloomy mood for a while.
"Grimmjow?" asked a sweet voice, belonging to the beautiful blue haired woman.
Her eyes sparkled for a moment when meeting clear blue orbs.
"Yeah?"
"What do you plan from here on?"
Grimmjow grumbled something inaudible under his breath and only then did he bother to answer the question.
"I don't know yet, but I don't care" the woman threw in his direction what was supposed to be catalogued as a warning glare "Look, that butterfly freak Aizen will come here. We have to find him before that."
"I know that, but where will we find him. If I learned anything from you is that no matter the situation there is always a simple way out"
"What do you mean Nel?"
The blue-marine haired woman turned around, facing him completely, and continued to walk, but backwards.
"He must hide in plain sight. I have checked the reiatsu revolving around Karakura and, in the last year, some fluctuations have kept on coming from there, but we cannot be sure if it's Aizen or someone else's fault"
"Then what do you plan to do?" inquired Grimmjow from under his cape.
"Wait …"
"What?"
"Not even Aizen is powerful enough to begin a war immediately after escaping from prison. He's probably weakened and may remain like that for a long time King, but when he'll be ready … we will hear from him"
The man released a grunt of displeasure. Nobody liked to be reminded of the old, not so bright, times when his land had been ruled by a tyrant; the rule seemed to apply to Grimmjow as well.
After Aizen was defeated by Ichigo, Grimmjow had continued to train himself with the perseverance of a horse and the patience of turtle until he was capable of winning the trust and respect of the only alive ex-Espada, Nelliel Tu Odelschwanck. Unlike his predecessor, who had been a cruel and vile leader, Grimmjow proved to be more merciful and efficient, but a ruler with a firm hand and a pretty short temper. The other Hollows accepted him easily as their leader, not because they didn't fear him, but because he was a hollow with unimaginable power.
Sometimes Grimmjow wondered if those brainless half-assed Hollows could be impressed by anything else than instinctual crap. Living with Nel for so long, taught him the true depths of intelligence and beauty, something he had never experienced in his days as an Espada, so his mind automatically began to develop from the human point of view.
The thin coat that covered his shoulders flicked in the wind breaking the eye contact between the two. The sand blinded Grimmjow momentarily, only to find Nel gone when he opened them again two seconds later.
Blinking twice and checking the position of her reiatsu, the man registered her bounds with great ease.
"Bloody woman. Sometimes I swear she acts like a defenseless child" he grumbled as he disappeared in a sonido.
A path of dust was left on the trail of the hollow's flash step as the usual static sound lingered in the air a second before dispersing into the reiatsu enriched air.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
The young Captain of Gotei 13 could only stare at the young woman who had just said his name, helplessness spreading through his entire body, starting from the heart and ending at the tip of his fingers. The first thought that conquered his mind, slowly beginning to dispel the aftershock, was the girl's somehow unnatural beauty. Then, it was followed by a gorgeous pair of mysterious dark-blue eyes and in the end the realization of recognizing her from his blurry memories.
Yet the girl standing before him was nothing like he had expected her to be: sad, angsty, upset, angry. But this Karin radiated happiness, not in the least the negative feelings he had thought of when sensing her energy. She seemed a little off if getting into consideration external factors (like stress and being in the presence of some pretty powerful pools of energy), but he could only read surprise on her beautiful features; surprise and a barely visible hint of disappointment. While others might have gotten over this tiny, unimportant detail, Toshiro could not shake the feeling of guilt away, since he knew, albeit instinctively, that Karin's distressed gaze was partially his fault.
Looking with more care at her appearance, he noticed she had indeed grown up a lot in the 5 years which had passed since their last encounter. Firstly there was the more girly appearance, probably accentuated by the ponytail gathered at the back of the head, and then there were the mature eyes staring him down with the inhuman power worthy of a queen, not a stereotypical teenager. All of these new attributes made her look somehow feral, untouchable, impenetrable and strong, yet not in the bad sense of the words. It was more like he just couldn't recognize her anymore. The fact that she wore a look he had never seen in her younger days made him see the bare truth of being away for so long: The little girl he had left behind was gone and in her place a new person raised … someone he wanted to meet so desperately that it hurt.
Any hopes he might have had about stealing away Karin for a private conversation were obliterated when she passed him without sparing even the cheapest hello, almost like he was replacing a wall or something, and hugged Matsumoto tightly around the waist. The woman responded eagerly to the hug, being in her nature not to refuse the affection of another, but was careful not to squash the girl between her huge assets.
Gin followed Karin subtly, arising the unwanted attention of the other woman standing beside him. She was the only one who noticed him checking out the girl from head to toe as she hugged Matsumoto. And Hinamori was also the only one who knew he had the face of a man who felt that something was amiss with the subject of his attention.
'There is something strange about her' thought the captain of the 3-rd squad 'cannot really put my finger on it, but she just has a strange aura swarming around her'
Meanwhile Karin conversed with Matsumoto and the woman seemed happy to have an open-minded discussion partner. She continued to ignore Toshiro, who, in return, followed her example.
"Our entrance was quite epic, wasn't it!" smirked Gin.
"Creepy fellow" mumbled Karin and Matsumoto seemed to agree.
"Why are you here?" snapped Ichigo at the white haired boy, forgetting for one moment that Karin was still present in the room "Weren't you busy with paperwork …"
Venom dripped from the tip of his tongue, poisoning the little respect Toshiro had left for the Substitute Shinigami. After the Aizen incident all Soul Society, with some exceptions, regarded that single man as a human hero, but Toshiro couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness from arising; and seeing Ichigo throw with sarcasm at him, instead of pleasantries, made him realize he had been right in suspecting him of something. While Karin had a palpable reason for hating him, Ichigo didn't and that was enough to make him ask questions.
"Is there a problem, Kurosaki?" asked Toshiro, his voice enriched with anger.
"You bet there …" his speech was however interrupted brutally by a deep voice.
"We must go" stated seriously the Captain of the 6-th squad, swaying between the spectators elegantly like a swan floating on the water's clear mirror.
Karin could only wonder how he managed to look so masculine while performing a perfect ballet show. That guy was something else. The sensation of watching a spectacle from the first row was accentuated when Renji followed his Captain while stealing glances with Matsumoto. Maybe her mind was playing tricks but she could swear the silver haired Shinigami was playing a drama show with Matsumoto. The tension between the two was almost palpable.
Thinking about all the pressure she was feeling, every single person in the room was having some kind of conflict, sexual or of some other nature, with at least another person. She was having one right there with Toshiro, but the poor boy had been assaulted by Ichigo's not-so-kind glare even before becoming Karin's target.
The atmosphere was diffused by the sudden appearance of a big gate filled with an annoying bright light, which, as Karin will find out later, was called Senkaimon. The two Shinigami stepped through it and back into their improvised heaven.
"And so they go …" sang Ichimaru.
Matsumoto glared up at her partner, but he responded with a smile; though he did smile all the time, but it was hard to guess if he was truly smiling of just faking it for the audience.
The Kurosaki girl watched with mid interest the dynamics between the two Shinigami, concluding that they were probably having some unresolved issues of their own. Sexual tension all the way.
"We've came here to replace Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Abarai" whispered Hinamori, barely audible though "I hope we didn't disturb you with our spontaneous visit"
Ichigo gritted his teeth, not even bothering himself enough to hide the very deep annoyance mirrored in his brownish eyes. Nobody really had to ask if he was disagreeing with The Captain Commander and Hinamori indirectly receive the response to her question. In that moment she wished she would have kept her mouth shut.
"Don't be an ass" sneered Karin at her annoying relative "I'm sorry" she continued to talk, switching her attention on Hinamori "My brother has no manners whatsoever. Excuse his rudeness and antisocialness, but he gates all shivery around other beings"
Ichigo reacted by trying to snap Karin's mouth shut with his right hand, but the girl avoided his hand with ease.
"I think he's kind of agoraphobic, but he can hide it in the presence of a smaller group, but since we are quite dense right now …" continued Karin to ramble only to be grabbed from behind by a very annoyed Kurosaki Ichigo, who didn't seem to enjoy the image Karin presented to his dear friends.
"Thank you little sister for being so generous and sharing this precious information with the unworthy … us. Don't you have somewhere else to be?"
"My god, Ichigo. You've finally discovered the sarcastic gene in your blood. I'm so proud" cried Karin dramatically "It should be noticed in tomorrow's newspapers"
"Cut the drama" growled Ichigo.
However, the smile tugging at his lips told Karin he wasn't really upset, just amused at her bad habit of being a drag.
"We need to talk" interrupted Toshiro, already knowing he was in for a fight with Ichigo.
Karin glared at him for the second time, the first being when he had appeared on her doorstep, but her eyes didn't falter in showing animosity and anger. She was far from loving him, so he didn't dare to repeat the plea a second time.
"No way in …" Ichigo exclaimed ready to interpose himself between the two.
"We do" stated Karin, rather calmly especially for a person who was about to go rampage any moment.
"Outside" suggested Toshiro.
He was getting nervous from the curious dark eyes of his sister.
"Let's do that" she said while sending threatening glares at her brother.
Karin wasn't willing to throw away an important relationship, like the one she had with Aizen, but at the same time she couldn't forget her last one with Toshiro. It was like her heart was playing ping pong between the two guys she had feelings for. His sudden appearance had complicated things and she couldn't understand why she faltered in deciding who to choose. Thinking about it, Karin realized it was nothing to decide upon. She wasn't romantically involved with Toshiro and she had never been, but she was romantically involved with Aizen. Clear as crystal.
'I chose Samaki I am not some whore who cannot stop being in love with two. I've made my choice and even if I'll never forget Toshiro … Aizen is the one for me'
"The two lovebirds need time" were the last words Karin heard before slamming the front door after her rushed steps.
"Shut up" snapped Ichigo "Let's talk about Aizen"
Gin smiled, but inside, his heart bled. He didn't have a good relationship with Hinamori for obvious reasons. With Matsumoto it was even worse and Hitsugaya's face suggested violence every time he met him. Still the boy's neurotic attitude melted in a puddle when seeing Ichigo's sister. Someone who could manipulate the Captain of the 10 Squad was a rarity, so Gin decided to keep her under radar for at least one month. Also the girl had a strange energy, another reason why she was catalogued as a target for Aizen.
Not wanting to upset Ichigo more than he already was (by Toshiro's interest in Karin) Gin kept his suspicions away. It would have been too much of a coincidence if Karin was on Aizen's list.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
"Let's talk" commanded Karin.
One moment of painful silence passed between the two. While Toshiro struggled with his mind, even if a poker face of calmness rested on his features, Karin avoided any eye contact with her friend, finding her neighbor's garden far more interesting.
"How have you been?" tried the boy to initiate her in a simple subject.
"Fine" answered the girl rapidly, almost like she wanted to get out of there very fast.
"Do you still play soccer?"
"Yes" answered Karin dryly.
"Do you plan to answer like that every time I ask a question?" asked the boy, this time his voice being filled with impatience.
"Yes"
His left eyebrow twitched nervously and his lips gathered in a very cute pout. Karin restrained herself from laughing at the subtle gesture which had become a habit at her other good friend. There were so many things at Toshiro that resembled Aizen especially when they were annoyed at someone, explicitly her.
Still, Toshiro noticed the smile playing subtly on her rosy lips, and realized it was a good sign. Taking the opportunity in his hands he stated "You've changed so much"
"Don't forget that 5 years have passed since you left, but I guess that in a Shinigami's life, 5 years do not count as so much as they do for a human" replied Karin, losing the smile "You have barely changed Toshiro. Not physically at least"
The boy reddened as his cheeks got on fire.
"I see you still have that annoying midget complex with you"
"I'm not …"
"Yeah, yeah I know. You are not a midget" laughed Karin at the captain, nudging him in the ribs in one of her rare displays of affection.
She was still very upset about his leave and about being literally abandoned by someone she adored above common sense, but just seeing him there with her as he acted all mighty was enough to erase part of her pain. Her heart arched to grab his jacket and squeeze the life out of him while crying her hidden anger of 5 long lonely years, yet she didn't. Instead she remained in place offering Toshiro only a sly smile of content. It was a big mistake to refuse his presence and ask for an explanation. That's why she forgave him with much more ease than anticipated. Aizen was another reason why Karin didn't like the idea of getting close to Toshiro again.
Old feelings threatened to resurface when being in the presence of her first crush. Old habits and some things Karin just didn't want to relive; like the horror of being thrown in a corner and forgotten for half a decade or maybe the wound inflicted, unintentionally, in her already broken heart. So many reasons why she shouldn't have been in his presence, but his aura proved to be too tempting.
"I'm still taller than you" commented the boy.
Karin eyed him, trying to decrypt the tornado of ideas crossing her mind. It was kind of hard to pay attention to the source of her distress and think of solutions at the same time. That's why she abandoned logic and threw herself in the present conversation.
"That's because I didn't grow up in height that much." she smiled brightly.
Toshiro ruffled his hair, giving Karin a view of his usual cuteness.
"I'm still better than you at soccer" continued the girl to attack him. It gave her the impression of a friendly talk, and it also stopped her from over-thinking the situation.
"Yeah"
He smirked, but was welcomed by a slap over the back of the head.
"What was that Mr. I-am-too-tall-for-you?"
To her definite surprise, Toshiro didn't argue or comment her ironic statement, but gave her one of his well-known glares of discontent.
"Don't forget that I want a match Toshiro … very soon"
"We could play now"
"No. I have a little business with someone"
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Aizen watched as Karin erupted in a fit of swears.
She resembled her brother when it came to temper, but in the way she acted, the softness of her reiatsu and especially the maturity reflected in her eyes, she was nothing like her older sibling. Seeing her pout angrily at the table gave him a slight sensation of watching a bad comedy from the late 60s. Not that he had time to watch television in that period. Planning to destroy the world was funnier.
"What pissed you off, Karin?" asked Aizen curious to know what bugged her so much "Or who pissed you off?"
"Doesn't matter" Karin answered while her pout deepened.
For someone who had the decency of being a fairly normal teenager she was just a walking disaster at lying. At least Aizen had enough in that field … for both of them.
"Don't look at me like I'm some crazy woman you've just met on the street"
"You didn't answer my question" stated Aizen, playing with the cup of tea deposited between his hands.
Being the half of December was really tough for the ex Shinigami, because winter, snow and temperatures bellow zero were abnormalities in Soul Society in any period of the year. Nobody, apart from Rukia and Toshiro had any idea of how terrible human winters could be, especially in a dysfunctional gigai.
"My brother" came the answer, but Aizen continued to look at her expectedly "And someone else, you don't need to know about"
This made him even more curious about the source of her distress.
Blue eyes narrowed when the man finally decide to ask "Lover?"
"Fucker"
"Me or him?"
"Both"
Aizen left his place beside her and shifted closer to the end of the table.
Karin mixed absently the sugar in the cup of coffee deposited before her. Her eyes stared at a painting, but her focus was present on the inside. Her partner let her reflect on the stringent problem while delighting himself with a delicious cup of tea.
"To break is all you know" unexpectedly said Karin, breaking the comfortable silence. Maybe she just felt like sharing her unresolved issues with him, or maybe time taught her to trust him, not completely, but enough to feel at peace "but I'm unbreakable"
"Do you really want to try? Do you really want to put yourself in the imminent path of danger?" he asked sipping from his tea.
"I have nothing to lose … not my sanity, since I am crazy enough to do something without fearing the repercussions, not my life because you may be a little off, but definitely not a serial killer" Aizen's lips tugged upwards in an amused smile "and not my family because they will be there for me no matter what"
Brown eyes gazed back at her with an intensity never felt, but it was a warm, pleasant feeling tingling in her frozen limbs and up towards her rabid beating heart. She smiled a little remembering of how Toshiro used to wake up the same tender emotions in her a long time ago.
"It's your choice" said Aizen, smugly expression and all included "but I want something in return"
"I hope it's not sex, because I'll say no from the start" snapped Karin, being however taken by surprise when the answer came.
"Relax … it's nothing of that sort" Karin waited patiently for him to state his plea "I want to keep it secret from the others"
"I thought this came along with this. It's implicit, right?" sighed Karin, being somehow happy that it was nothing impossible to accomplish "Why do you smile?"
"Because" and he bent over the table capturing her lips sensually and then continued to sip his all-so-amazing tea.
He always seemed to find the perfect opportunity to embarrass her.
"You and your damn tea … and those English gentlemen" he smiled "I want a cup!" she screamed at a waitress scaring the shit out of her.
"Are you sure? Be careful, because it might poison you if you try too hard to ingest it"
"Very funny Samaki"
The man seemed unfazed by Karin's usual bluntness, although regarding the touchy subject of tea he had always had a slightly violent reaction. This got even worse in his good days in Hueco Mundo, but no matter how many times Karin damned, cursed and swore his tea, he just couldn't get mad; mainly because he found her amusing when being red like an apple. However Aizen's non-violent (for the first time) thoughts were broken by the cold touch of a foreign hand traveling over the wrinkles of his palm, reaching the wrist and resting there for a moment.
Karin avoided his gaze, preferring to stare in her cup of coffee. Embarrassment and a hint of shame could be decrypted from her evasive attitude, so Aizen was fairly pleased when his fingers wrapped themselves around her fragile hand. She was cold and her body shivered slightly from the sudden contact of his heated skin. His other hand joined the first under the table trying to heat up her frozen fingers. Bad circulation was to blame.
'I'll stay with you no matter what. I do not get back on my word' she squeezed his hand.
'Admiration is the emotion furthest from understanding.' Aizen thought while kissing the back of her hand sweetly. He might be a feared villain, but he was a villain with impeccable manners.
"Do you admire me?" he asked while playing with their tangled peripheries.
Karin barely had time to stop a bark of laughter from erupting.
"No you idiot. Why would I admire someone like you?"
"Good"
"Ai-"
She wasn't given the chance to finish the sentence, because her lips were sealed by two stronger ones.
'Never admire me' thought the villain 'you can fear me, you can hate me, you can love me, but do not dare to admire me' the sweetness of her being slipped between his parted lips 'Make things interesting, make me appreciate these months in the Human World, because I want to remember you as my lover, not as my loyal dog'
Every kiss brought them closer and closer, not just in terms of physical closeness, but as an entity as a couple, as the most unlikely paring in history. Both forgot time and space when being together, like they could live in another separate world, not affected by the triviality of a mortal life. Both loved to break away from their mortal strings, from what they called human weaknesses. And as time passed Aizen seemed to observe he shared many traits with Ichigo's sister, while some parts of her personality remained hidden to his eyes.
Karin was the one to break the contact, taking with her a piece of Aizen's soul. She didn't stop from looking at him with the sharp, merciless eyes of a feline caught in a hunter's trap, nor did she loosen the hold on his hand. The soft feeling of being protected spread inside her, sewing the last of her worries together in a bundle and throwing them out through the window. But neither this could make her forget the shame of being caught on the wrong foot for the second time that evening.
"Could you stop from … " Aizen raised an eyebrow "being an intrusive tea-sucking asshole?"
Aizen didn't answer, just stared at her cryptically. His eyes mirrored something she had never dreamt of seeing in those beautiful soft brown orbs. It was strong, intense, reverberating through her soul. Loneliness. Silence. Pain. Solitude. How could a man as charismatic as him feel lonely?
Seeing him in that defenseless position worried her more than his criminal tendencies or complex mind could ever do, because Aizen had never struck her as a man without a backup plan. He wasn't the type to uncover his heart before strangers. He was strong, powerful, never to be taken by surprise. Yet he had let her see a part of him; a part he clearly wasn't proud of. Maybe it hadn't been intentional, at last Karin doubted, but it was a sign of trust on his part.
"You stupid fool" whispered Karin against his lips, being aware of the pleonastic construction, but not really giving a shit for semantics. She wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders 'Lonely fool' were her last thoughts before strutting her head on his shoulder and closing heavy eyelids over dark blue eyes.
'You're making me love you'
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
-The end of the first arc-
Xxxxxxxxxxxxx
I'm not very happy of how I built this chapter. It was rushed and I didn't have enough time to add proper details … I'll work harder on the next one (pinky promise)
I repeat it's not the end of the story just the closure of a bigger chapter.
Note: The part where Aizen thinks about admiration is … cryptic. You will probably understand what I mean later … for now I can say this: Aizen doesn't plan to stay in the human world (aka with Karin) forever.
Please do not kill me. I shouldn't be blamed for my twisted mind. I know many of you want some hitsukarin action, but if I make them too personal (you know what I mean) I risk portraying Karin as a player. Do not forget that she had accepted a relationship with Aizen before Toshiro's return; in this chapter she has just suggested some guidelines. There is still time for them, do not despair.
The only ones who knew about Toshiro were Renji, Byakuya, Ikkaku and Yumichika and that is because they are the closest to Ichigo. If you remember Gin and Retsu had no idea why The Captain Commander didn't want to send Toshiro in the Human World. Thanks for the update in the "rin" kanji. I really needed that information. Search engines do not seem to help you when you want to find a proper translation, so thanks again.
Thank you for waiting after the lazy me who couldn't write anything, but I've passed all my exams and I got good grades too. That means I can keep my scholarship for another semester. And it's cold *sneeze* seriously. Europe is an iceberg! And Danube froze up (great weather)
GRIMMJOW IS ALIVE!(Kubo confirmed it!) *Codry runs away to throw a party*