xi.
Karin's eyes are red.
It's the first thing Toushirou notices when he steps into Urahara's store, aside from she curls into herself, mouth twisting into something unpleasant. She shakes her head once he catches her eye, a conversation for later then, and he can't suppress the protective feeling of anger inside him.
"Another colour next time?" Urahara asks lightly, and Toushirou frowns at him, unable to help it.
"Perhaps." Karin answers, non-committal. "Black's a good colour as any."
Urahara smiles, somewhat mysteriously. "I'll keep that in mind."
Toushirou's mood only sours after that, worsening as Urahara's effervescent veneer gradually becomes more intolerable and Karin remain reticent and feigning disinterest.
By the end, he's grinding his teeth and resisting every snide comment for each smile Urahara sends his way, and he's never been more impatient to leave.
They walk back to the carriage in silence.
Toushirou doesn't say a word until they start moving away from the town, but he's astute enough to realize that something has changed. The untouchable air that surrounds her becomes more pronounced and impossible to ignore, curling in the tightened grip of her palms and tensing the sharp angles of her shoulders.
"What happened?" He asks, blunt. "You're upset. Talk to me."
It frustrates him to no end that he always feels out of his depth whenever it comes to Karin. If it was anyone else, he would know exactly what to say and what to do next. But he's tired, and angry, and worried about her, and maybe Kiyone is right: he should be direct.
Karin doesn't say anything for a long time. But she doesn't flinch either, doesn't withdraw or turn away.
He thinks back to their conversation, the brief snippets that Karin had revealed to him. They knew each other, yet they'd acted like strangers in his presence.
"I hit him." Karin admits, face carefully blank, and failing nonchalance due to her red-rimmed eyes.
Toushirou blinks. "You hit him."
"Yes."
"Good." She arches her brow, and he amends his statement. "It probably wasn't the best course of action to take, but I think under the circumstances, it's an understandable one."
"Maybe." She shrugs. "It just… happened. And then. We talked after that." She stares at him, cautious and indecipherable and trying to say something without using words, and he wonders if she's pushing him to ask. Instead, she says, "I think it went okay."
"That's good." He says, tentative, happy that she's optimistic. "And you're…"
"I'm fine."
"Karin."
"I'll be fine." Tersely, she snaps. Quieter, she mumbles, staring at her hands. "I just never thought I'd see him again."
He must have been some dressmaker, Toushirou thinks privately, and indeed, the dresses on display seemed remarkably elegant. Still, he can't help but feel cold towards Urahara.
Toushirou softens when he looks at her, wishing that he could reach out and—say something that would comfort her. "I know."