Author's Note:
Hey everybody! Good to have you back for chapter 4! In this chapter, just like in my last story "After All These Years", there's a pretty big time-skip, as I didn't want this story to be thirty chapters long, lol. Anyways, we get a little snippet of war-time life in this chapter, and a look at how much our main characters' opinion of the other has changed, along with their relationship dynamic :-D.
Another big thank you to Phany9634 for the review of last chapter! So glad you enjoyed Toshiro's backstory, and are ready to read more! You're right, his past is incredibly sad; but those losses have made him into a strong young man, and we all know that only a strong man can handle Karin ;-)
I'd also like to thank everyone who has favorited/followed this story, as well as those who have favorited/followed me as the author! Some of you are returning readers who have read/favorited some of my other works, and some of you are new readers (at least, as far as I know, lol), which makes me very happy to see. It warms my heart whenever I see that people are enjoying the content that I put out, and I'm very thankful to you all for your support :-)
Alright, I hope you enjoy chapter 4! Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. All credit goes to Tite Kubo.
Six months later…
There was chaos everywhere, and the desert landscape was coated in blood. As he heard the agonized cries of both enemies, and allies, lying injured and dying all around him, he tried to stay focused on his mission.
"Izuru, hold on! I'm coming!"
"Your highness, get down!" Genshiro hollered out, and Toshiro immediately ducked; an array of arrows soaring above his head, and piercing the seven soldiers he'd been fighting in the neck.
Standing back up, he hurried over to his fallen brother-in-law; quickly assessing his injuries, before picking the blonde up, and carrying him off of the battlefield. He'd never been more grateful for the cover that Karin and her archers were providing than now.
Just three days after his late-night conversation with the Karakura princess in the drawing room, they had received word from king Tetsuzaemon's general, Atau Rindo, that Aizen had launched another attack on Chujitsuna's borders. They were in need of reinforcements, so Karin had gone with a portion of her men to support the general, while Toshiro remained in Orora to re-secure the Dragon's Pass; after which, he left to join the battle himself. He had put Rangiku in charge of managing the security of the kingdom, and taken his other general, his brother-in-law Izuru, with him to the battlefield.
Normally, he would have taken Rangiku with him, and left Izuru at the kingdom with his family, but the bubbly blonde was the only other person whom Hyorinmaru would allow to ride him; and, given that it was the dragon that guarded the Pass, he needed to leave someone whom Hyorinmaru would work with while the Pass's long-term security was in question. So, he didn't have much of a choice but to have Matsumoto stay behind this time.
With the help of the Karakura soldiers, along with reinforcements from king Byakuya that had been residing in Saikyo, they had been able to defeat Aizen's men, and actually push them back further into Hueco Mundo territory; finally gaining some ground on their enemy. The total amount of time that they had spent there was four months, before they were confident that they had entirely secured the large swath of newly captured land; receiving word only a day later that Genshiro and Nanao, in collaboration with King Zaraki and his general, Ikkaku Madarame, had finalized the plan of attack on one of Aizen's largest forges and weapons caches, and were requesting Toshiro's and Karin's assistance with the siege.
Toshiro had informed Karin and Izuru of the request within an hour of receiving the letter, and they had departed for Kenka by the evening; arriving a few days later, and joining the combined armies of Kenka, Saikyo, Orora, and Karakura on their way into Hueco Mundo. Given that the king and general of Kenka were very much 'every man for himself' kind of fighters, Toshiro had been put in charge of the armies; and Karin, along with her team of archers, were acting as snipers, support, and cover for everyone on the front lines. They had been in battle for two months now, and were close to completely securing both the forge, and the neighboring town that had been commandeered by Aizen's men for living quarters.
Unfortunately for them, two of Aizen's elite army, the Espada, had arrived just the other day, and had managed to deal a significant amount of damage to their regular forces; almost doubling their casualty count for the entirety of the conflict in the course of a single day. Given the heavy losses, the Espada were quickly deemed too skilled, and too dangerous, for the average soldier to get near; so, now, Toshiro, Kenpachi, Izuru, and Ikkaku were personally handling the Espada; while the men worked to secure the few remaining areas in the town, and drive out the remaining enemy soldiers.
Izuru had been attacked by both of the Espada while everyone else was preoccupied by a sudden flood of enemy soldiers, and he'd been heavily injured by them; but, thankfully, he managed to kill one of the Espada before he went down.
When Toshiro had seen his brother-in-law hit the ground, with his right side and arm covered in his own blood, the young royal had charged in without a second thought; unsheathing his family sword, and driving off the other Espada with the ice-powered weapon. While he'd been preoccupied with that, however, he'd failed to notice the several other enemy soldiers charging towards him.
Fortunately, Karin had not, and managed to take out thirteen of the twenty soldiers headed for him from her position on top of one of the many large sand dunes in the desert landscape.
While Toshiro knew he could take out the remaining seven men himself, he also knew that he needed to get Izuru out of there, and to a medical team, immediately; so, he was grateful when he heard the warning from Genshiro to get clear. 'Perfect timing, as always, Karin' he thought, as he got his brother-in-law off of the battlefield, and over to the medical tent set up well away from the chaos and carnage.
As soon as he put Izuru down on one of the make-shift linen cots, he heard a very familiar voice holler from outside the tent. "Move, you bastards! Let me through!"
Toshiro sighed, and shook his head with a mixture of exasperation, and amusement; not sure why she always felt the need to be so flippant to everyone during the heat of battle. 'Well, she is a Kurosaki, after all' he thought; a small smirk making its way onto his face, despite his worry, as Karin stormed through the tent opening with medical supplies in-hand.
He gave her a questioning look; glancing at the five medical staff they already had in the tent with the other wounded, before looking back at her.
The Karakura princess put her supplies down on a nearby table, and started mixing some type of topical ointment; shooting him a challenging glare. "Don't give me that look, Toshiro. I saw his injury; he needs specialized medical treatment, or he's going to lose that arm. I'm more needed here right now, so I've put Yona in charge of my archer unit for the time being." she said, as she continued grinding the ingredients.
Feeling a tug on his sleeve, Toshiro looked down at the eyes of his brother-in-law, which were clouded over in pain. Nodding, he took his general's left hand, and gave it a firm squeeze. "What is it, Izuru?" he asked; the anxiety in his voice only noticeable to the two people in the tent who knew him best.
The blonde-haired man squeezed the hand that held his in reply, before finding Toshiro's gaze with his own. "Thank you for the rescue, your highness. I'm sorry I won't be of any more help to you for a while. Good luck out there, and be sure to come back in one piece." he said; giving his worried sovereign the best apologetic smile he could muster.
The young king offered his brother-in-law a small smile in return, as he shook his head. "Don't apologize, Izuru; you've done more than enough, so rest now. Momo will kill me if I bring you home injured." he said; offering the blonde man a small, humorous smirk to try and distract him from the pain.
Izuru smirked in reply; nodding his head slightly. "That is true; but don't worry, I'll be sure to take the full force of her fury if I return home with one less limb."
"You're not going to lose your arm, Izuru; I promise you that." Karin said, as she walked over to the two men; making her way over to the blonde's injured side and arm. Cutting open his shirt and sleeve with a knife she had concealed in her boot, she tied a torniquet on his bicep, took a wet cloth, and began cleaning the extensive injuries. "Toshiro, you should rejoin the fight. Izuru is in good hands, and you're needed out there. Come back when you're done, and not before." she said, as she continued to clean the still-flowing blood from Izuru's skin; her tone booking no argument.
Toshiro looked from Karin, to the blonde, who gave him a nod, before he reluctantly released his brother-in-law's hand; grabbing his sword, and making his way back out onto the battlefield.
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Praying that Karin actually could manage to save Izuru's mangled arm, the young king gathered the remaining generals and rulers to assess the current situation. He wanted to finish this within four days; but, in order to do that, they would need to first kill the final Espada that remained, and push their men to their limits. While no one was especially keen on asking so much from the already-spent soldiers, they all acknowledged that the battle needed to come to an end. They were now a general down, and the number of fit soldiers they had available had been severely diminished by the Espada. So, after an hour of conversation, and planning, they disbanded; making their way to their respective stations to initiate their final push.
Toshiro managed to get behind enemy lines by way of the town; being sure to stay out of sight until he found the last remaining Espada, who was treating the wounds the young king had managed to inflict upon him when the white-haired man went to rescue Izuru. Once he secured his target, and was sure that there were no enemy reinforcements close by, he engaged the Espada while the rest of the soldiers spread out, and moved to drive out the remaining enemies from the town; half of Karin's archers going with them to provide cover from strategically selected rooftops.
It took Toshiro a good two hours to finally kill the Espada, and he'd sustained several lacerations on his arms, legs, chest, and back; but the victory had been well worth it. Picking up the Espada's weapon, and leaving the frozen body behind, Toshiro made his way back to the camp; the medical staff swarming him as soon as his bloodied figure came into view. He dismissed them all, and went directly to his tent to at least wrap his wounds, wash his hands, and change out of his crimson-stained and tattered clothes, before he headed over to the medical area to check on Izuru. The last thing he wanted was Karin tearing into him (again) for touching an injured man with dirty and bloody hands. 'I can practically hear her yelling at me already: "Toshiro! how many times have I told you to wash up before coming to the medical bay! That's how infections happen, you half-wit!"' he thought amusedly; chuckling to himself as he reminisced about his previous run-ins with the raven-haired hot-head, and arrived at his make-shift travelling quarters.
Pulling back the curtain, he was greeted by a sight which had now become quite routine for them over the course of the last several months fighting side-by-side. Karin was standing in front of the wooden trunk which held the few garments he'd brought with him; grinding up ingredients in a stone mixing bowl, with various herbs laid out on top of the trunk. Not even bothering to look at him, she pointed to his makeshift cot that she'd put a medical sheet on top of. "Strip, and sit down. I'm almost ready." she said; going back to grinding up the plants.
Raising an amused eyebrow at her, he did as instructed; taking off his family sword, leather belt, and removing his garments down to his braies. Carefully, he made his way over to his bed, sat down, and rolled up his undergarment to just above the cut on his lower thigh; feeling the sting of his wounded flesh intensify with every movement.
Looking back over at her, he gave her a humorous smirk. "The fact that I'm so used to hearing you say that to me should be far more scandalous than it actually is." he said; amusement, and laughter, reflecting in his bright turquoise eyes.
Karin smirked back as she finished preparing the salve; walking over to him, and sitting down beside him to clean the wounds, and better assess the damage. "True, but everyone knows that I've never cared much for convention, anyway; so, it really shouldn't be. Besides, given how much we have to put up with around here, I would think everyone would be immune to stuff like that at this point. Now, hold still; this will sting a bit." she replied, as she began cleaning the lacerations with an antiseptic. She felt his muscles tighten beneath her hand; but, per usual, he didn't show the discomfort on his face.
Over the last six months of fighting together on the battlefield, the two had formed a very strong bond, and solid friendship; discovering over the course of many nights of joint guard duty that they actually had quite a bit in common; and that their personalities complimented each other quite nicely. They were a great team in battle, and seemed to think along very similar lines; being able to communicate with each other through looks and gestures alone, and always being there when the other needed backup. Amongst the soldiers, they were considered the ultimate duo on the battlefield; and, much to their chagrin, king Kenpachi would often make inappropriate comments implying that they were far more than just allies. The gruff ruler even went so far as to ask Karin one time, while they were all eating dinner, if the 'white-haired midget' was able to keep her satisfied at night while they were without the privacy and luxury of the castle; and if they would stay together after the war was over, or if this was just a way for them to sew their wild oats while they had the chance, and her over-protective brother wasn't around.
That comment had earned Kenpachi a very angry, and embarrassed punch to the face from both Toshiro, and Karin; with everyone else in the makeshift mess hall laughing hysterically at the sight of the mighty king of Kenka lying flat on his back on the dirt floor in a stunned heap.
Suffice it to say, the older king had watched his tongue more after that incident with the two royals, and everyone got the message that their relationship was strictly professional. There were still whispers here and there from new soldiers, but most everyone acknowledged that it was just empty gossip; the two were merely very good friends, and nothing more.
All was quiet in the tent for a moment, before Karin decided to speak again. "By the way, Izuru is in stable condition now. He'll be able to keep his arm, but it needs at least three months of rest. I'd recommend sending him back to Orora as soon as he's able to travel."
Toshiro let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding, and allowed himself to finally relax; a relieved smile on his face. "Thank you, Karin. I mean it, I'm very grateful. I'll be sure to send him back as soon as possible, so he can rest, and recuperate. When do you think that he'll be fit to travel?" he asked; glancing back at her with a questioning gaze.
Karin thought for a minute, and let out a small 'Hmmmm' as she continued her way along his back with the cloth and antiseptic. "Well, as long as he minds my instructions, and doesn't push himself, I would say he'll be good to make the journey back in a few days."
Nodding, Toshiro brought his gaze back out in front of him, and remained quiet for a few minutes; letting a short silence settle over them before he spoke again. He was hesitant to say this, but he hoped she'd take it the right way. "You're not going to like this, but hear me out before you say anything. I'd also like to send you back to Orora with Izuru." he said; sighing as he felt her hand still. He didn't have to see her shocked and displeased stare to know what she was going to say in response.
Karin glared at the back of his head for a moment, and calmed herself down, before she replied. "What the hell are you talking about, Toshiro? I'm still needed here; there's no way I'm leaving…besides, I'm the only person who you'll allow to see your scar, so who else will keep patching you up if I'm gone?" she asked, as her tone shifted from annoyed, to playful and slightly concerned; something he wasn't expecting. He thought she'd smack him on the back of the head, or something, like she usually did when he made a decision she didn't agree with.
Looking back over his shoulder at her, he found her gaze with his own. "My reason for sending you back is two-fold. First, I want Izuru to have someone with him that I know will give him the best possible care while he's recovering…and the second concerns Orora." he replied; his face serious, and his eyes pleading.
Karin's facial expression immediately sobered as she held his gaze; waiting patiently for him to continue. She could see in his eyes that whatever this was about, it was very important to him; so, she would give him her undivided attention, and a chance to explain.
After a moment's pause, and seeing that she was willing to hear him out, Toshiro continued. "With Izuru out of commission for the foreseeable future, I'll need to send for Matsumoto to take his place here. I'll still be needed here for at least another month and a half before I can return to Orora, and I want to make sure that there's someone there that I trust who can protect both my kingdom, and my family, while I'm gone. If it's not asking too much, I'd be grateful if you would fill that role, Karin." he said; watching her intently.
Silence fell over the two as Karin processed his request; her eyes widening, and mouth falling open slightly from her shock. For a moment, she couldn't believe he was serious; but the intensity of his gaze quickly dispelled any doubt she had that he wasn't being sincere.
After several seconds of quiet, she collected herself, and spoke. "You trust me enough to put your kingdom's, and your family's, security in my hands while you're gone?" she asked; her gaze never leaving his. She knew of no other sovereign who would willingly give a foreigner that kind of unsupervised power over their kingdom; no matter how long they had been allies, or how deep the friendship ran. To say the request took her completely off-guard would be an understatement.
To her surprise, an almost infinitesimal smile made its way onto Toshiro's face as his eyes conveyed, for the first time, the amount of trust he actually had in her. "Yes." he said simply; causing a small smile to make its way onto her own face in response.
He didn't say anything more than that, and he knew he didn't need to; Karin understood the true weight of that single word, and he watched in relief as she nodded her head in agreement. "It would be an honor, Toshiro. I promise, I'll look after everyone until you come back." she said; a soft smile on her face, and her eyes shining.
He held her gaze for a moment longer; before his smile grew slightly, and his facial features softened. "Thank you, Karin; it means a lot to me." he said; staring at her with those same beautiful turquoise eyes that she was finding more and more mesmerizing the longer she spent with him.
Almost every time they had a moment like this – which was quite often, given that he almost always came back injured – she was tempted to close the distance between them, and finally cross that personal-professional line; but she always stopped herself from making that potentially huge mistake, and risk losing his friendship.
Yes, there were times when he infuriated, or annoyed her, but he was also able to put her under his own kind of unique spell just by looking at her; and it alarmed her how easily she let herself fall under it. In some ways, he was like a drug to her; strangely addictive, and making her crave more of his company, his attention, and his time.
She wondered, at times, if she had the same effect on him, as there were moments where she thought his gaze was softer than usual when he looked at her; more affectionate than it needed to be; while other times it seemed as though he acted gentler with her than with anyone else. She wanted to both relish it, and confront him about it.
Every time, though, her fear of rejection, and loss of the best friendship she'd ever had, overruled her desires; and she would keep her mouth shut. She had never been the romantic in her family – choosing to leave that territory to Yuzu – so she felt disturbingly out of her depth whenever Toshiro managed to draw her in with just a simple look.
This time, however, for a reason she couldn't explain, she believed that he wouldn't push her away if she did try to bridge that gap…and she was tempted to see if she was right.
Unfortunately, the spell was broken all too soon, as the curtain to his tent was pulled back a moment later; with Genshiro coming in to give the young king a report on their progress with securing the remaining land. Karin went back to cleaning, and bandaging, his wounds while the men talked; feeling her heart beating faster than she knew it should. 'Damn, it's getting worse' she thought; hoping there wasn't a noticeable blush on her uncomfortably warm face.
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She had Toshiro cleaned up, and bandaged, in an hour; and then made her way back to her archers to sort out their chain of command until she reunited with them back in Orora. For the next three days, she stayed close to Izuru to monitor him, and she patched up Toshiro every evening when he came back to the camp; as well as making sure her Karakura soldiers were clear on their instructions, and chain of command, for while she was gone. She knew they would miss her just as much as she would miss them, but she knew she was leaving them in very capable, and trustworthy, hands.
Finally, after packing up everything of hers and Izuru's, helping to convert her tent into another medical area; saying goodbye to her archers, and soldiers; and sending word to her brother by way of horse and rider of the change in her location, it was time for them to depart back to Orora. They had sent word to Momo and Rangiku via messenger falcon of the recent events, and Toshiro made sure to include his order for Rangiku to depart for Hueco Mundo as soon as Karin and Izuru arrived.
Getting Izuru into the armored carriage, and making sure they had all of their luggage, she turned to her comrade-turned-best-friend, and gave him a smirk; putting her hands on her hips. "Try not to miss me too much, Toshiro…and make sure not to get maimed while I'm gone. If you come back injured, I'll give you hell for it." she said; a silent challenge in her eyes, and sarcasm in her voice.
The white-haired king smirked back at her; his arms crossed over his chest, and his eyes dancing with humor. "I'll try to bare the lack of yelling, and smacks to the back of the head, as best I can." he said, before letting his facial features soften a bit as he gave her a small smile. "Be careful on your way back, Karin; and give Ryu a hug for me. I'll look forward to seeing you all again soon."
Karin's smirk morphed into a soft smile as she nodded in reply, before turning around, and getting into the carriage with her charge. Toshiro closed the door behind her, and, with a nod from the sovereign, the driver clucked to the two white horses strapped to the carriage.
Toshiro watched as his general, and best friend, gradually disappeared into the distance; a sudden sense of loss he'd never experienced before hitting him like a ton of bricks.
'Try not to miss me too much, Toshiro'
Her words swirled around in his head on repeat, and he let out a defeated sigh. 'If only you knew, Karin…two months, and then I'll be home with you' he thought, as he turned back towards his men, and gave the orders to begin preparing for their advance southward.
Their plan to start making their way further south into Hueco Mundo had just been finalized, and they were scheduled to join up with Ichigo and his army in one month's time. They still had a long way to go before they got to the planned conjunction point, however; hence, why he needed to remain on the battlefield. Kenpachi and Ikkaku would be staying close to Kenka, and Genshiro and Nanao would be returning to Saikyo for a much-needed rest; so, he would be joined by king Byakuya Kuchiki, of Sakuranohanabira, and his general, Ginjiro Shirogane, in two days' time to continue their campaign south.
While it had been many years since Toshiro had worked with him, he knew it would be nice to see the older general again. General Ginjiro had served under king Byakuya during the beginning of the war, and agreed to return to his old post as the sovereign's general when Byakuya's brother-in-law and former general, Renji Abarai, wed his adoptive sister, Rukia Kuchiki, a few years ago; becoming king of Odoru yuki in the process.
Realistically, Toshiro would have preferred to return to his own kingdom alongside Izuru, and Karin, but he knew he was needed here until they met up with Ichigo; so, he was determined to try and make the best of it. So far, everything had been going relatively smoothly, all things considered, and he hoped it would remain that way until they joined the hot-headed crown prince later on.
'Well, only time will tell at this point' Toshiro thought; looking over at the map of the area controlled by the enemy that still needed to be traversed, which laid spread out on a nearby table. Seeing the vast swath of land, he sighed to himself; thinking about the long and grueling journey ahead of them. 'One day at a time. The sooner we manage to get this done, the sooner I can go back home to everyone' he thought, as he made his way over to his tent to prepare for the beginning of their advance south, and get one last decent night's sleep.
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That night, Toshiro kept thoughts of his loved ones in his mind to keep him motivated, as well as an image of stormy grey eyes, a teasing smile, and silky raven hair in his dreams; the remembrance of the sound of laughter he'd grown so fond of lulling him to sleep, as he started his countdown until he was home with her again.