Bleach 1. Hello Again

**Okay. First introduction. Hi! I'm animefreak! First of all, this is my first Bleach fanfiction. Second, it's a HitsuxKarin fanfic due to watching episode 132. Next, you can fav this. Finally, don't even think about reviewing. I do this for creativity, not for fame.**

**C.T.E.: … animefreak…**

**S.A.N.: Please say it, or we will be in big trouble.**

**Me: (sigh)… I don't own Bleach.**

**C.T.E.: (takes out her scythe and points toward the readers) And she won't repeat it again.**

**S.A.N.: C.T.E.! No pointing that to the reader! You're going to scare them!**

**C.T.E.: Could I take animefreak's soul then?**

**Me: Hell no!**

**Here are the bios about the four characters.**

**Karin Kurosaki: She is the sister of the famous Ichigo Kurosaki, the boy with massive reiatsu power and a Shinigami representative. When she awoke her power, her sister-in-law informed her that she held a power in her that would save Soul Society and humanity from an upcoming enemy whose power was so massive that it surpassed Ichigo's. Despite her headstrong and defiant personality, her will and strength are matched to her brother's, along with her strong kicks. Her powers are still mysterious, and her brother said that she is much stronger than him or their dad.**

**Toshiro Hitsugaya: He is known as the captain of the 10****th**** division and so-called childhood friend of Karin Kurosaki by two of her childhood friends. He is still cold, serious on topics, and likes sweets secretly, but he grew taller over the past six years and showed some kindness toward others. Since the mysterious twin bladed Shinigami appeared in the real world three years ago, Soul Society wanted to find the twin bladed Shinigami and gave the most important assignment to him since he was more familiar to the real world. He and Karin still argue about their personalities and other things, but he is relieved to see her again.**

**Natsu Kazeru: He is the younger brother of his twin, Heiwa Kazeru. Natsu is known for his powerful strength and love for fights. He may look like an innocent boy, but he is a fierce fighter in both Martial Arts and Swords. He is very concerned about the fights between Karin and Heiwa, but he says that it is best that they resolve problems by themselves. Being the childhood friend of Karin Kurosaki, it has its ups and downs, such as being ignored.**

**Heiwa Kazeru: She is the childhood friend of Karin and Yuzu, along with her little brother, Natsu. Her strength is defense over offense, giving her the advantage of the brains and wary conscious. Although she is calm and collective, Karin always crossed the line, causing arguments and chaos. Her solitary attitude and uncaring personality are thought to be cold toward others and suspicious, but inside her heart, she actually cares about others, mostly about her friends.**

**Yuzu Kurosaki: She is the younger sister of her twin, Karin, and a childhood friend of Natsu and Heiwa. Yuzu is always concern about the fights between Karin and Heiwa, and she always tells them to stop, even if it means yelling to get them to stop. She doesn't like to fight, but when either her sister or the Kazeru twins are battling against a Hollow or an enemy, she would support them with her own reiatsu powers, the three spirit familiars. When anyone of her friends or her sister is injured badly, something snaps inside Yuzu, releasing her full power into outrage.**

Chapter 1: Hello Again

"Karin-chan! We're going to be late! Hurry!" The short brown haired girl called out in the house. The raven-haired girl sighed in annoyance as she put up her hair that reached to her mid back up into a ponytail. She checked herself in the mirror as she was done tying her ponytail. Wearing the uniform of a Karakura High School student, she didn't look half bad. Her hair had grown, but she kept her hair bangs separated from being caught in her eyes. No longer the eleven-year-old soccer girl, she was a grown 5' 5", sixteen-year-old soccer captain woman. She didn't have Orihime's, her brother's old friend, curves, but many boys and girls could tell that she was a girl.

Scratch that, she is still a tomboy.

"KARIN-CHAN!"

Oh, brother in college. Karin could feel the annoyance and anger rising in her body. Since her brother is in college and living away with his wife, Rukia, the house wasn't the same without him. The door suddenly opened, and Isshin Kurosaki was wailing in tears, trying to hug her.

Scratch that again, it was still the same.

"KARIN-CHAN!! ARE YOU SICK?! ARE YOU-" Before he got a chance to hug her and check her normal temperature, Karin side kicked him in the face. Her father flew away and crashed straight into the wall, making a hole in the hallway. The soccer captain grabbed her backpack and walked casually out of the hallway.

"I'm fine, otou-san. Yuzu-chan and I are going now. Gomen ne, Yuzu-chan. I took a little longer. Let's go." Karin said, opening the door and closed it after they were outside. Isshin was still on the ground, unconscious from the powerful kick.

0000

Karin could feel it. She could feel _their_ presence nearby. One was the calm and serious type; the other…

"I got you this time, Karin-chan!"

POW!

On the ground, a high school boy twitched with a big bump on his head. Yuzu was asking if he was all right; on the other hand, Karin had a vein on her fist, meaning she was pissed as hell.

"You, reckless idiot! You call that a sneak attack, Natsu Kazeru?! If I was Heiwa, you would be dead in less than a second!" The boy looked up and opened his brown eyes. His hair was dark brown and semi-neat, but the bump on his head made it messy. He stood up, being 5' 8", rubbed his neck that meant he was okay.

"Aw, damn. Is it that I need to have better stealth?"

"No." Another voice was heard behind Karin and Yuzu. Later, a rock flew near the girls' head and straight to the boy's forehead, sending him back to the ground. The girls turned to see a slightly tanned woman who is at the same age and same height as Karin. She had the same hair cut like the boy's, except with longer hair down to her back, and her eyes and hair color gave away her identity. She pushed her glasses back up and gave the boy the cold voice.

"It's your brain that need to be better." Recognizing the personality and not so happy voice, Karin smirked and said the usual to piss her off.

"Hey, Ice Princess. Haven't seen you for a long time? Were you in an iceberg yesterday?" The woman scowled and gave her an answer. No one could penetrate her emotions, but Karin always broke her cool demeanor.

"No. Otou-san was making such a ruckus in Natsu's room that I had to… impair him. As for you, Miss Egocentric, was Isshin-san giving you medicine to relieve the fever?" An anime vein appeared on her head as Karin was losing her playful personality. The genius smirked and stared at the girl with sharp eyes, waiting for her remark about today's incident in her own room. Yuzu sighed and tugged her older twin's sleeve.

"Ano… Karin-chan. We all have to hurry, or we will be late." Karin "hmph"ed and walked ahead, stepping Natsu's head.

"Karin-chan!" Yuzu scolded, but Karin ignored it. Later, the girl followed behind her, stepping on her brother's head.

"Heiwa-chan!" Natsu sighed.

"Great… I feel like a carpet."

0000

Yuzu and Natsu expected the same thing and ignored what was happening behind them. The two girls were now arguing and fighting about the same thing. Natsu always told Yuzu that she shouldn't stop them because it's their way of saying hello to each other. Yuzu was still concerned, but she knew the same thing. There was no way to stop them in arguments, even if it's something they like to beat the crap out of each other. Right now, they are fighting, creating a cloud of dust in their fighting area and calling out names… in Karakura High School.

"Stick-in-the-mud!"

"Crybaby!"

"Bookworm!"

"Little Kurosaki!"

"Wa-chan!"

A classmate with red hair tapped on the non-interested brother who was doodling random characters in his notebook. He responded the usual.

"What is it, Jinta?" Natsu knew it was his friend from elementary school until now. When Natsu and Heiwa moved to Karakura after their mother's death, Natsu was a very hyper boy, trying to get over his sorrow, while Heiwa was a little depressing girl who wasn't so close to everyone. The so-called Don Kanoji's superhero team and the twins met in school, and it was his idea that he and Heiwa should join the team. Heiwa, however, declined, saying that it's pathetic to keep believing in childhood dreams. When she said this, Karin was... how should he put this?

Ultra-pissed.

Karin was yelling at Heiwa for calling it childish because Heiwa was also a kid, and Heiwa always scoffed at the enraged girl and told her to look into reality to see if any super heroes saved anybody in the town. Yuzu always politely said to the girls to stop because she didn't want to get anyone in trouble. Unfortunately, Karin had to follow her and argue with her everywhere Heiwa goes. He thought it was his fault, but after a few days of school and Karin's constant stalking and beating, Heiwa was responding back in anger and annoyance. He couldn't believe what he saw or hear, but his twin sister was back to normal.

"Is it okay to leave them like that?" Natsu looked up to see Karin pulling Heiwa's hair and Heiwa head-locking Karin's head.

"It is okay. It's just that I don't get involved in their fights." Yuzu and Ururu entered the conversation between Natsu and a random classmate.

"Natsu said that it's their way of saying hi to each other. I don't get it, but we are friends since elementary school." Later, other classmates gathered around, discussing about mainly the two certain girls. However, the bell rang two minutes later, ending their discussion and the entertaining fight.

0000

Karin looked out of the window, ignoring the teacher's lecture. It has been five years since Ichigo returned home from the war against Aizen. He told Yuzu and her the story about it, and Karin was very happy that Ichigo was stronger and returned home from Soul Society. The others also returned home, and Soul Society and the real world were now at peace.

However, Hollows started to appear everywhere in one day… three years ago. Soul Society summoned the Gotei 13 to enter the real world to help Ichigo and his friends to eliminate the Hollows. Karin and Yuzu were worried because Ichigo and their father, Isshin, left to go outside. Karin and Yuzu wanted to follow them because they can prove that they could see Shinigamis and Hollows, but her father had a serious face, surprising his two girls. They never seen their father serious during their lifetime, but they back down, reluctantly. They wanted to see what was going on because they sensed many reiatsus and Hollows outside, but they were stuck at home. Karin and Yuzu were considering going to bed, but when they sensed three very powerful reiatsus that surpassed their older brother's reiatsu, they prayed to whoever was watching the battle to bring the idiotic father and strong willed brother home safety.

In three hours, the three reiatsus disappeared from their senses. Karin and Yuzu sighed in relief when they could still sense their reiatsus. When the two came back home, Yuzu ran and hugged the two injured Shinigamis. Karin smiled and bashed her father's head when he tried to hug her. After Ichigo carrying the former captain to bed, Ichigo suddenly patted Karin's head, surprising her with his unusual act. It was the first time she felt a pat on the head by her brother. Karin knew that Ichigo wouldn't do that, but he looked proud… but what did she do?

She sighed to herself and paid half her attention to the teacher. Now, Ichigo and his friends are now in separate colleges, and they were studying for their future. Rukia and Ichigo were married three months ago in the real world, but they were still protecting the souls from the Hollows after all.

Karin sensed a weak reiatsu nearby and looked at Yuzu next to her. Karin's sense of power grew stronger over the six years, and Yuzu received hers four years ago. Yuzu nodded, giving Karin a worried look like sending a message to be careful. Karin raised her hand for the teacher's attention.

"Teacher? May I go to the nurse's office? I don't feel too well." The teacher stopped and nodded.

"All right, Kurosaki-san." The girl bowed and ran toward the door, sliding it open and closing it behind her. She ran across the hallways, downstairs, and outside to see a Hollow in the middle of the fields. It didn't destroy anything yet, but it gave a huge screech. Karin frowned and looked for anything to kick. Spotting a soccer ball behind the Hollow, she smirked. In no time, she dashed quickly… possibly a bit too quick for the Hollow. The Hollow crashed its hands on the ground, trying to grab the quick girl. However, the girl reached her pinpoint and smirked. Karin gathered enough reiatsu on her foot and kicked it, hard. The ball was flying in full speed and power towards the Hollows head. The ball did hit the Hollow and bounced back like it had no effect, but with much power and speed, the face blew up. The Hollow disappeared and was purified by just a soccer ball. Karin sighed and looked up in the sky to see the clear sky. However, the sky had a white robed Shinigami staring back at her.

"Toshiro?"


	2. Allies or Foes?

**Another one just for the heck of it.**

Chapter 2: Allies or Foes?

Toshiro couldn't believe what he saw. He was in the real world for a short period of time until his cell phone went off, finding a Hollow around the town. He thought it was one of his subordinates' turns. Unfortunately, his subordinates were all taking a break, making him do the job. His encounters were expected to be not so interesting, but today's sight just caught him off guard.

The Hollow was quickly gone, not to mention purified, by just a weak power that was caused by a small object. When the smoke cleared, he spotted the source of the cause.

Karin Kurosaki.

"Kurosaki?" He dropped down and landed on his feet near the girl who he didn't see for six years. He observed the grown girl with slight surprise. She was feminine by the curves that were showing, and her hair did grow longer. However, she still had the same hairstyle, tough eyes, and attitude.

Karin looked at the boy who she thought was an elementary student. He was still the captain of the tenth division, but something was a bit different about him. Was it his height or something? If it is, he was much taller than her. She guessed that he was the same height as Natsu. Karin smiled and greeted.

"Toshiro! How are you?" She smirked, spicing the conversation a bit to see him get a little pissed off.

"Did you have a growth spurt? If you did, you still look like an elementary kid." That did it. He felt a vein pulsing in his forehead and anger rushing through his veins. She was still the same Karin.

"I am not an elementary kid." He growled, making her laugh normally. He blushed and turned his head to the side, crossing his arms at the process.

He wasn't the emotional type, but how could he be embarrassed so easily? He took a quick glance at Karin who was still laughing. She was making fun of him, but he felt happy to hear her laugh. He never felt this feeling for a long time. He couldn't even remember what the emotion was called. Her laugh subsided, and she smiled like she did when she is relieved.

"It's good to see you again, Toshiro." The captain suddenly looked at her to hear her voice soften. Her voice sounded sad but happy, soft yet relieved. He never heard her voice soften since the Hollow attacked the soccer field.

"I thought I wouldn't see anyone again after the war against Aizen. Everyone moved on and left this place, but some came over for a while and later leave again. I figured that it was the best that I also moved on, so I wouldn't be a burden on my family." Toshiro smiled to hear a somewhat gratitude and relief from Karin. After Aizen was defeated, his childhood friend and sister-figure, Hinamori Momo, recovered and moved on. She was now captain in place of Aizen and was more serious on the job. She was kind toward others when she is doing her job, but in battle, she was focused and deadly. Hell, even Toshiro was scared when she was angry in battle. The others, who were vice captain, were now captains in place of their former captains.

Yamamoto had three Shinigamis in mind for vice captains and, surprisingly, the Twin Bladed Shinigami for a special job, but he said that he would wait for a few years until they appear. Toshiro didn't understand why he would wait for a few years after the appearances of many Hollows in Karakura. Then again, he was curious about the Twin Bladed Shinigami and his subordinates.

"So… why are you here?" Karin asked. Toshiro blinked and answered.

"I was here to purify the Hollow, but it seems that you already did the job." Karin was about to speak another question, but she closed it and frowned. Toshiro was curious why she didn't speak, but he frowned also.

A strong reiatsu… very strong one… was very close.

The captain quickly spun around to see a masked Shinigami. However, the mask is no ordinary mask… it was a Hollow mask.

In other words, a Vaizard.

The Hollow mask covered the identity of the suspect but didn't cover the brown hair that was tied into a low ponytail, and it had a shark fin on top of the mask. Blue markings, like Ichigo's mask, reached from the top left and right sides of the head down to the eye level. Toshiro was very wary about this massive reiatsu that matches to a vice captain… possibly stronger than Ichigo Kurosaki; if he looked behind him and saw Karin's face, she looked surprised and not cautious… like she knew this person.

"Who are you?" The white haired man asked, pushing the raven-haired girl behind him. The masked person paid no attention to the captain and focused on the girl.

"I'm not here for any trouble," the two-voiced female stated, "but if you are not in the nurse's office in the next three minutes, you might cause suspicion that you are actually skipping class." After a short message, the Vaizard disappeared without a trace.

"He disappeared. Kurosaki, what is she-" When Toshiro turned around to ask the girl, he saw Karin running to the opposite direction quickly like she had a time limit. The captain sighed and disappeared, returning to his job.

0000

Karin sighed and glared at Heiwa who crossed her arms and tapped her foot. It was already lunchtime, but Heiwa had to drag her protesting friend up to the roof and wanting answers.

"Well? Who is he?" Her brown haired friend asked calmly yet strictly. Karin stomped her foot on the ground and intensified her glare.

"Dammit! Why should I tell you? Plus, who told you that you can follow me?" Heiwa snarled and gave her the leveled glare right back.

"Karin, that person could be dangerous for all we know. Our secret would be blown if he pries too much of our 'daily' life. I can still sense his reiatsu around this town, and I am not going to allow you or any of our friends to get hurt." Karin reassured her friend about the misunderstanding, but Karin really wanted to do is punch her.

"Heiwa, this guy isn't dangerous. If he was, he would be drawing his sword at me, but he didn't." Heiwa didn't say anything about this and asked with curiosity.

"So, you know him?" Karin raised an eyebrow.

"Why should I tell you?" Heiwa knew she was going to lose her cool, but she planned something that would get something out of Karin.

"If you don't tell me, I'm suspecting that the Shinigami you met is your boyfriend." Karin blushed and argued, blowing a fuse.

"NO HE ISN'T!!"

"Then who is he? He isn't your boyfriend, and I know that you and he aren't acquainted with each other just by saying each others' names. Who is he?" Karin growled and reluctantly stated.

"He's… an old childhood friend." Heiwa raised an eyebrow.

"Childhood friend, huh?" Heiwa smirked, giving Karin a bad feeling.

"I still say he's your boyfriend." Karin blushed in million shades of red and screeched.

"YOU BOOKWORM!! I'M GONNA SMACK THAT EMPTY HEAD OF YOURS!!"

0000

Toshiro didn't know if it was coincidental after he met the Kurosaki girl. He acted like he didn't care what she did, but it still surprised him that she, out of all the humans, could purify a Hollow, let alone by one attack. He frowned when he remembered the Vaizard who wore the same mask. It has been three years, but he finally found one of the Twin Bladed Shinigami's subordinates. In other words, the Twin Bladed Shinigami was nearby.

"Toshiro!" He heard his name called by the same girl who he met a few hours ago. Whenever he was in Karakura, Karin always knew where he is. The last time he saw her was when he helped her on the soccer game five years ago and his departure for the Winter War. He said to her a farewell, but she just shook her head and said that they will see each other someday. She insisted, or forced, him to see her later, and the tenth division captain reluctantly agreed. Right now, here he was, standing on the very same place where they meet. Toshiro didn't look up from his cell phone from writing a report, but he knew that she was there beside him.

"What?" Karin twitched from the casual tone of voice he used, but she smiled, knowing he acted the same.

"Sheesh. You need to relax. I won't hurt you." She sat on the rail next to him and stared at the sunset. It has been five years since she was with him, but the sunset reminded her of some memories from her past. They sat in silence for a few moments until Karin broke it.

"Hey, Toshiro?" Karin still heard the cell phone numbers pounding when her friend didn't answer, but she knew he was listening.

"Why are you here? Is it another assignment from Soul Society?" He didn't answer, but Karin continued.

"I'm just curious, but if it's about the strong Hollows showing up in town, I understand." She heard the cell phone snap shut and his voice.

"No." She was surprised. If it wasn't the strong Hollows, then what is it?

"If it isn't the strong Hollows, then why are you here?" He started to walk away and answered.

"To search for the Twin Bladed Shinigami." Karin stood up and walked after him. Dammit! She wasn't even finished with her questions.

"Wait up! I want to ask more questions! Toshiro!" The white haired young man was a little annoyed about the young woman pestering him for answers, but he slowed down his speed for her to catch up. Karin caught up with him, panted a bit, and began to ask.

"Is anyone here besides you?" Toshiro nodded and looked at her without moving his head.

"Hai. Matsumoto Rangiku, Ayasegawa Yumichika, and Mada-" He suddenly stopped speaking and stopped, and Karin now was worried what made him cease to continue that she looked at him straight in the eyes and asked.

"Who?" However, her question fell to deaf ears as Karin stared at the worried Toshiro. What was Toshiro worried about?

"What happened?"

"Nani?"

"What happened to you?" Oh… that. Karin just smiled and touched her bandage on her forehead. So that's what Toshiro was worried about.

Her injuries.

"This is nothing. I had a fight with my friend at school first…" she pointed to the bandage on her cheek and arm, "and this is from soccer practice." Karin touched the bandage on her forehead.

"Don't worry about me. I'm used to it for a long time." Toshiro sighed in slight relief and continued to walk forward. Damn girl gets injured, and she said that it's okay. He must be getting softer. Karin noticed that her friend started to walk again, so she followed.

"I'll say it again. And who?"

"Madarame Ikkaku." She nodded and understood. In her head, she was getting a little sense out of this. Soul Society wanted to find the Twin Bladed Shinigami, so they sent Ichigo's friends to town to find him. Suddenly, Toshiro's cell phone went off, and Karin sensed three strong reiatsus. They both whispered.

"Hollows." Toshiro took out a soul pill and popped one in his mouth, separating himself from his gigai. Karin was about to chase after him, but his gigai grabbed her arm. She turned around and tried to pry her arm from his grip.

"Let go! I need to follow him!" The gigai shook his head.

"I can't let you do that. The captain would take care of them." Just before she could retaliate, she sensed another reiatsu. However, this reiatsu was stronger than Toshiro's and was more familiar.

This wasn't good. If any of the Shinigamis are going to fight _him_, none of them is going to make it out alive. She bit her lip and grabbed his shoulders. She's going to spill the beans, but she needs the gigai to trust her.

"Listen. You have to believe me. Toshiro and the others are going to be in danger if they fight this guy. I will tell you some things what I know, but I need you to promise me that you would never tell a soul until it is revealed." The gigai looked at her with suspicion, but his eyes widened when he saw her eyes are welling up. The gigai gulped and nodded, hoping that she doesn't cry or lie. She released her breath and wiped her eyes before any of them fell.

"All right. Here goes."

0000

"Taichou!" A strawberry blond haired woman called out to her captain. Toshiro looked back to see his subordinate and two other Shinigamis following him. When they were halfway to their destination, they immediately sensed a strong reiatsu near the Hollows.

"Could that be Kurosaki's?" The pretty boy asked. The bald headed man concentrated on the identity of the reiatsu; however, he shook his head in a negative way.

"No way. This reiatsu is much stronger than him. It could be one of the Twin Bladed Shinigami's allies." Toshiro narrowed his eyes, remembering the Vaizard who appeared undetected.

"Be on high alert, everyone. I have a bad feeling about this." The four quickened their paces to reach to the location. Unknown to them, Karin was following them through the neighborhood, and she was trying to stop them from fighting _him_. The raven haired girl stopped to catch her breath and looked up to see them gone. She growled in anger and frustration, stomping her foot down. It looks like she has to use the alternative choice. Karin scanned her surroundings and double checked to see if anyone was around.

_That's good. No one is here._

Karin took a deep breath and concentrated on the strong reiatsu. She looked up and disappeared without a trace. Then, a strong wind followed after she disappeared.

Back to the four Shinigamis, they arrived on the cliff to see the battle scene taking place in the forest between the Hollows…

… and another Vaizard. The Vaizard was jumping on the Hollows' heads, taunting them and confusing them. He had a Hollow mask with an upside down triangle mark on the cheeks. Another three upside down triangle marks were on his forehead that were pointing down between the eyes, except the middle triangle was larger than the other two. Two horns on both sides of his mask were hovering over his ears, and two canine teeth on the end of the mouth. The group observed his actions around the Hollows. It seems that he was just like Ikkaku but a little more daring. The Vaizard jumped on top of the Hollow's head and saw an upcoming hand from behind. Then, he leaped away from the grasp, making the Hollow grab one of its companions head and pulled it down to the ground.

"Come on, you stupid Hollows! Show me your full power!" The two voiced male shouted in enjoyment. One Hollow screeched and tried to swap the Vaizard in the air. However, he leaped and landed on the hand first. He grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it out from his left side.

"Tch. You, three, are not worth a challenge." He said as the sword glowed red.

"Taichou…" Rangiku gasped, recognizing the weapon. Toshiro nodded and knew what was coming up next.

"Let the blood shine in the night. Come, Akatsuki (Red Moon)!" The sword glowed bright red in the hands of the Vaizard, changing the form of his sword. The blade was no longer metal but red as blood. The end of the hilt had a long cloth bandage that looked like it was used and old, and the bandage flew with the wind. The Hollows were now alert and attacked directly at the Vaizard. When their hands were close to the Vaizard, he disappeared in a blink of an eye. The Shinigamis sensed his reiatsu disappear and concentrated on tracing the massive reiatsu. He quickly appeared on the cliff in front of the group, surprising them with no end.

"Whoa! He's quick!" Yumichika stated. Ikkaku was a bit surprised and grinned, looking forward to fighting the Vaizard in the future. Rangiku took a step back, but Toshiro jumped back a few feet away from the Vaizard, being surprised by the speed of the mysterious Vaizard. The Vaizard held his red sword up in the sky, and the sword glowed. The Hollows look up at the cliff to sense the strong reiatsu and see the sword glow.

"Too late!!" The Vaizard brought his sword down, sending one crescent toward the middle Hollow. When the crescent was halfway, it spit into three fiery crescents toward the Hollows in rushing speed. At the same time, the crescents sliced through the Hollows in half, destroying the Hollows and purifying them. The battle was over, but the sword was still out. Suddenly, the Vaizard turned around and pointed his sword to the group.

"Those three were nothing, but you may be able to entertain me." Toshiro grabbed the hilt of his sword while the others jumped back and grabbed the hilts. However, in a quick second, Toshiro felt pain all over his body, mainly his chest, and felt the ground on his back, hard. He heard Rangiku, Yumichika, and Ikkaku either grunted in pain or yelled in major pain. Toshiro opened his eyes to see the Vaizard holding his sword down. How could this Vaizard be so quick and inflict damage before they can draw out their weapons? His thoughts were cut off when he saw the blade up in the air, glowing like it did for the Hollows.

"You guys are no fun."

"YAMERO!" Toshiro's eyes widened when he immediately saw the raven-haired girl in front of him, arms open to block the view between Toshiro and the Vaizard. Rangiku gasped, and the other two blinked in surprise.

"Ichigo's sister?!" Karin ignored Rangiku's surprise and the gasps from Ikkaku and Yumichika, and she glared at the Vaizard in front of her.

"Yamero! You won the battle against the Hollows! There's no need to fight anyone else!" Toshiro gnashed his teeth and shouted at Karin.

"Kurosaki! What are you doing here?! Get out of here!" Karin shook her head, disobeying the captain of the tenth division. Toshiro struggled to get up, but the pain on his chest and arms were too much to bare, not to mention losing blood in the process. The Vaizard growled and pointed his sword to the girl.

"Move. They are here for something else other than to eliminate all Hollows. Step aside, so I would kill them." Karin retaliated.

"No! I won't let you do that!"

"Why not?!" Karin snarled and stomped her foot on the ground.

"I won't let you hurt them because they are my friends! Toshiro helped me a long time ago, and I won't let you hurt any of them, even Toshiro!" The Vaizard stood still for a bit and sighed, drawing his sword back into his sheath.

"Fine." Karin sighed in relief and dropped her hands.

"However, I'll give them only one condition." The Vaizard crossed his arms and walked toward the cliff. Karin gulped and asked.

"What? What condition?" The Vaizard turned his head half way and spoke.

"If they were to sense any of us nearby, they will not follow us or eliminate any Hollows once we get to our destination." Karin looked back to the injured group, waiting for an answer from them. Toshiro sighed and nodded.

"Fine." Ikkaku nodded and pointed at the masked Vaizard with his good hand.

"I can't make any promises if I meet the guy again." Yumichika sighed and nodded, not going to deal with a powerful Vaizard who damaged his hair and skin. Rangiku nodded, agreeing with the Vaizard's condition and worrying about the captain's condition. Once the agreement was done, the Vaizard nodded and disappeared without a trace or reiatsu. For a few seconds, Karin sat on the ground in exhaustion. Dealing with that Vaizard was a piece of cake, but stopping him from killing anyone other than Hollows was difficult to handle, let alone one human.

"Kurosaki." Karin turned her attention to the captain who struggled to get up behind her. Rangiku tried to help him sit up, but Toshiro swatted her hand away and sat up enough to see Karin. His eyes were staring at her with question, along with everyone else. Karin knew she was screwed, and she hoped that a certain someone would get here quickly as possible. Toshiro broke her thoughts when he asked… no… demanded answers.

"Kurosaki. Tell us everything what was going on during these three years and the two Vaizards you were familiar with." Ikkaku, Yumichika, and Rangiku were surprised and were about to ask Toshiro that he and Karin encountered the two Vaizards, but Toshiro glared at them to shut up. Karin was sweating bullets, feeling the pressure and the beating of her heart. Did she have to go through this?

"Well… ano… how should I start?"

"Hello?! Is everyone all right?!" They suddenly heard another two-voiced person coming somewhere in the forest, saving Karin the trouble from explaining. They sensed another reiatsu, but this one was weaker than Ichigo and the other Vaizard. Karin sighed and yelled out.

"There are three injured Shinigamis and one critical injured captain, but we're alive!" Then, another Vaizard jumped out of the bushes and landed on her rear.

"Itai…" She moaned and rubbed her rear. The group sweat dropped, and Karin slapped her forehead. The Vaizard's mask had three leaf marks on the forehead: one in between the eyes and the other two next to its eyes. Karin stood up and walked toward the fallen Vaizard. She held out her hand, and the Vaizard grabbed hers with the opposite hand and thanked Karin. The raven-haired girl shook her head with a smile and pointed to the group behind her.

"Not yet. You need to heal them." The Vaizard looked at the injured group and gasped.

"Don't tell me. He did it again." Karin nodded with a little anger. The weak Vaizard sighed and called out.

"Hi, Hoshi, Tsuki!" Three balls of energy swirled above the Vaizard's head and floated toward Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika. Karin tapped the Vaizard's shoulder and whispered.

"Hey… could you tell everything during the three years and about the others? I'm… kind of stuck on how to start this off." The Vaizard stared at the raven-haired girl with her yellow eyes. She nodded her head, agreeing to help out.

"You got yourself in this mess, but I'm glad that _he _didn't kill anyone or you. I'll help you out a little bit." Karin smiled and nodded in relief.

"Arigato." The two walked to the surprised and wary group. At first, there was an awkward silence, but Karin cleared her throat and spoke.

"All right, then. I don't know how to start, but my… ano…"

"Vaizard." Toshiro pointed out, and Karin glared at him.

"… friend, who happens to be a Vaizard in Toshiro's description, would start what happened during the three years and who were the other two Vaizards." The Vaizard sat down and crossed her arms. Karin sat next to her, feeling the tension on her.

"I don't have any intentions on giving my name away, but I will start on how Karin and we, Vaizards, met. It was around two years ago, and we sensed a Hollow nearby. My two companions and I were tracking down the Hollow. However, we didn't know that Karin was stalking us."

"I was following you guys, not stalking." The Vaizard rolled her eyes and continued, ignoring the statement.

"Well… the Hollow, we fought, was difficult to handle. It was one of the stronger Hollows we rarely detect around the town. My two companions were greatly injured, and I was exhausted from the continuous healing. The Hollow had a sword on its back and drew it, ready to strike one of us." Rangiki narrowed her eyes and whispered.

"Arrancar." The Vaizard scratched her neck and nodded.

"If that's what you called it. We thought we were done for, but Karin intercepted by kicking a soccer ball toward the Hollow. We thought it wasn't going to work, but when the ball made contact on the mask, the ball exploded, purifying the Arrancar. We were suspicious and asked what kind of powers she had for a human. She was lucky that our leader wasn't around, or things would be beyond bad." Toshiro gapped a bit and stared at the human in front of him.

"You were fighting an Arrancar?!" The white haired captain shouted in surprise before he winced in pain and shut his mouth up. The Vaizard blinked and observed the wound. Karin winced at the volume that Toshiro had used when he told her that he wasn't an elementary student. Memories are painful once you experience it before.

"It looks like my companion did a number on you. I only have enough energy to heal the chest, but you need someone else to heal you on the other wounds." The Vaizard's spirit friends flew away from the three Shinigamis, who no longer have wounds to repair, and flew over Toshiro's chest.

"Karin would explain a little about me and my two companions after I finish. When she said that she could only see Shinigamis and other spirits, good and bad, we figured out that she only had those kinds of power other than kicking. We also asked her to promise us not to tell anyone about our existence. That's why she kept us a secret, but that secret would eventually be known to others." The Vaizard went silent and nudged Karin's arm, signaling her to tell the Shinigamis about them. Karin nodded and reluctantly informed the Shinigamis.

"I only know some things about the Vaizards, Toshiro and I encountered. This Vaizard…" She patted the female Vaizard's head and smiled.

"… is the only Vaizard you could count on. She could heal anyone and cure anyone, and she is honest. You can trust her." The Vaizard didn't do anything but sat down, squirming in slight embarrassment. Karin's smile turned into a frown, and her eyes darkened.

"The Vaizard, you all fought, is… complicated to understand. You can count on him sometimes, but he loves challenges. He also loses his better judgment and just plays around in a real battle. I would recommend staying away from him if he is in a middle of a battle." Everyone, except the confusing Vaizard, looked at Ikkaku who was confused.

"Nani?" They shook their heads and turned their attention to the raven-haired girl. Then, she fumed, ranting about the Vaizard.

"He doesn't even recognize his own mistakes. That jerk! Every time I stop him from attacking someone else or anyone else, he just gives me the cold shoulder and leaves!" The group blinked and looked at the girl who was stomping the ground with all her might. The Vaizard murmured something, but Karin heard it.

"What was that?" The Vaizard shook her head.

"Nothing." Karin looked at the Vaizard, incredulously, before continuing on.

"The Vaizard, who Toshiro and I met…" She trailed off, thinking for an explanation. Everyone was waiting for something to come out of her mouth before Toshiro asked.

"What do you think about the Vaizard we met in your school?" Karin was concentrating and bit her lip in frustration.

"I only know that she… was staring at me... like I have something that they don't have. She seems calm in battles like she never took it seriously. Gomen ne. That's all I know." When Toshiro felt his chest healed, the spirits disappeared without a trace. The Vaizard stood up and bowed.

"Gomen ne. I have to go. My… friend needs me back home." The Vaizard was about to disappear, but Yumichika guessed.

"Is your friend the Twin Bladed Shinigami?" The Vaizard stiffened and turned her head around to meet the pretty boy.

"How do you know about my friend?" Yumichika shrugged.

"Didn't you guys fight with us during the Hollow Invasion three years ago?" The Vaizard said nothing and disappeared, leaving nothing behind. Karin shook her head and told them a little more about them, in slight anger.

"I don't think you know what happened." The attention was now on her, and she felt a little more confident.

"I don't know what happened either, but I assumed that they lost their memories or they are trying to recover some dignity after the invasion. I would recommend that you shouldn't say anything about their past, or you would lose trust in them." Yumichika's jaw dropped, and Ikkaku sputtered.

"How the hell do you know that?" An anime vein appeared on her forehead as the raven-haired girl glared at the bald Shinigami.

"For Kami-sama's sake! Do you think I am that stupid?! I know this, Soul Society, the Winter War, the Hollow Invasion, and Shinigamis because my brother is also a Shinigami! Have you forgotten Ichigo Kurosaki?!" Silence engulfed around them while Karin was fuming in anger like she was going to kill someone... mainly the bald guy. Ikkaku sweated in bullets and put his hands up in defense. Karin was scarier than Ichigo, especially if it wasn't physical battle related.

"Hai. Hai." Suddenly, they sensed Hollows around the town. Toshiro was about to stand up and go, but the vice captain of the tenth division put her hand on his shoulder.

"Taicho. I think it would be best that you and Karin-chan leave this to us while you rest." Toshiro grunted and nodded, feeling the pain lingering in his body parts. Rangiku looked at the raven-haired girl and said.

"Take care of Hitsugaya-taicho." Karin nodded in agreement as the three Shinigami's disappeared in the forest. Karin stared at the forest for a few seconds before she turned her attention to the injured captain. She knelt down and asked.

"Is your right arm still fine?" Toshiro nodded, letting her know that it was still in good use. Karin smiled and lifted his right arm to wrap around her neck. She carefully used her left arm to hold his waist. Karin started to walk and making sure that Toshiro wasn't stumbling much.

"Kurosaki." Karin heard him whisper and nodded.

"Hai?"

"What about the Twin Bladed Shinigami?" Karin was silent for a moment, trying to think for an answer.

"I don't know. Gomen ne. I never met the Twin Bladed Shinigami in person." Toshiro sighed and continued to walk along with the girl. She felt bad, so Karin offered something.

"Hey, Toshiro. After you return to your gigai, would you pretend to be knocked out or asleep while I carry you to my home? I need to think of a good excuse why I was late, or otou-san would change my curfew to an earlier time." Toshiro nodded.

"Fine" Karin sighed and looked ahead. Toshiro knew that he would lose conscious after he returned to his body, but he had to put up some energy without being a burden to Karin. He felt like he has to pay a huge debt since she gave him enough information about the three Vaizards and saved him and his fellow companions from the Vaizard. Toshiro gave one last glance to the girl and looked back to the view ahead of them. She was still the tomboy friend he knew, but she looked stronger and more matured over the six years.

Unknown to Toshiro, Karin's thoughts were now in a scramble and panicking. Oh yeah. She was definitely screwed. _They_ were going to do more than kill her. Karin made a mental note to take aspirin and pain killers out of the counter before she would have to meet _them_ in the next little meeting. She took one last glance at the injured captain and back to the road ahead of them. He was still the serious and cold friend she knew, but he knows how to accept kindness from others and being kind back.

_Now... how to make a good excuse..._ Karin wondered and planned.


	3. Karin's Secret

**I was bored, so here we go. If I copied anyone's ideas from any parts of the chapter, please tell me so I could change parts of story.**

Chapter 3: Karin's Secret

The light brown haired girl was washing the vegetables in the kitchen and preparing dinner for her father and her older sister. It was just only Yuzu at home since Karin has soccer practice and their father is still working in the clinic. She was used to it after Ichigo left, but it was still lonely and quiet. Yuzu looked at the ticking clock in the kitchen. It was seven thirty already, and Karin hasn't come back. The light brown haired girl looked down and cut the vegetables.

"Where is she?" She whispered as she cut a green pepper and continued to chop it up into smaller pieces.

"I hope she's all right. Karin-nee-san does show up late but never this late. If I only could…"

"TADAIMAS!!" The loudmouth father of theirs shouted in the house, making Yuzu sweat drop. At least, someone is back to keep her company.

"Konbonwa, otou-san! How was your day?" Yuzu saw her father come in with a tired look on his face. Karin and Yuzu knew that either it usually meant that there were more patients coming in his clinic or there were more Hollows around the town.

"I feel great, Yuzu-chan! I never felt so energetic in my long life! No need to worry about me, my sweet little daughter!" Yuzu knew he was lying because she could see that he was getting tired. Yuzu scratched her neck and trying to figure out how to deal with the tired-out father.

"Ano… otou-san? Would you rest for a bit or relax on the sofa while I finish dinner?" Isshin stared at his youngest daughter and then bawled. He ran up to her and hugged her like a child hugging a new teddy bear.

"I didn't know that my little daughter cares for me! I am so happy!" Yuzu was getting crushed and said in muffles for her father to hear.

"There will be no one caring about you if you are crushing me." Isshin let go of Yuzu who took a deep breath for air. She knew that her father and Ichigo are strong, but how strong is her father?! The two heard a door slammed open and a cry for help.

"Yuzu! Otou-san! You have to help him!" The two dashed to the entrance of the house and saw the injured Karin holding an injured young man on her shoulders. Isshin went serious and ran to the white haired boy's side, helping Karin to carry him to the living room. Karin saw her twin and whispered.

"Get the first aid kit." Yuzu nodded and ran upstairs quickly, understanding the situation without question. Karin and her father laid him on the sofa carefully. His wounds were not fatal, but it could be infected. Isshin looked at his daughter who had bandages on her head and panicked.

"Karin-chan! What happened?! Are you alright, my sweet little-" Karin decked him in the face and hissed in anger.

"Otou-san! We don't have time to worry about my injuries! We have to help him!" Isshin, however, didn't give up questioning his daughter because he worried sick about her.

"Demo… what happened?!" Karin sighed and bluntly stated the false information.

"Heiwa and I finished our practice and were going back home. There were drunken men on the way, and since Heiwa injured her leg, I told… no… demanded Heiwa to run while I held them off. We had a little argument until he came and helped me. He and I managed to drive the drunks away, but he was badly injured. Heiwa said that she would inform Yuzu about the condition, but I think Yuzu forgot." Isshin had pent up emotions and cried like a proud father. Karin mentally slapped her forehead, forgetting how _emotional_ he could be, and she couldn't believe that the great captain of Soul Society was her idiotic father. Maybe her mother was the one who changed his personality into an idiot.

"Karin-chan! I, Isshin Kurosaki, will help the boy who saved your life from evil men! I am a Kurosaki after all! The greatest doctor in the-"

POW!

"OTOU-SAN! This is no time to brag about how great you are, baka!"

Yuzu rushed down with the first aid kit on her hands, but instead of one patient, it looked like she and Karin has to deal with two: one who supposedly got into a gang fight and the other who was knocked out by her very pissed off twin.

0000

Toshiro Hitsugaya felt warmth and comfortable. Despite the stinging pain on his arms, back, and legs, the captain of the tenth division felt that he could battle again. He heard voices around him and slowly opened his eyes to meet dark eyes looking back at him.

"So, the mighty Toshiro awakes. Welcome back to the real world." Karin grinned at the scowling Toshiro. He scanned the room he was in, and it looked like it was Ichigo's old room. Toshiro looked back at Karin who was still grinning. She had her hair down and changed her outfit. She now wore a blue tank top and grey sweatpants since she is in her home.

"Is anyone here besides us?" Toshiro asked the raven-haired girl who nodded.

"My sister, Yuzu, and…"

"KARIN-CHAN!" Karin can feel pent up anger surging through her veins as an anime vein appeared on her forehead. Toshiro knew that voice anywhere, but that voice wasn't _that_ loud. The door slammed open as the old goat appeared with tears in his eyes.

"… otou-san…" Karin sighed. Isshin walked toward the boy and shook his hand.

"You have guts and courageously saved my daughter, Karin! I never have seen someone courageous to rescue Karin-chan from drunken men! You just tell me what you want, and I'll give it to you!" Isshin pulled Karin to his side and patted her head.

"You have my blessings and shall marry Karin-chan, my sweet daughter." Toshiro just blinked and sweat dropped. Karin, on the other hand, just blushed, in anger and embarrassment, and drop kicked her father down the floor that was connected to the living room ceiling. She created a huge hole and heard Yuzu yelling at her.

"Karin-nee-san!! I told you not to create a hole in the ceiling!" Karin laughed sheepishly and replied.

"Sumimasen! I forgot." The white haired captain could hear the younger sister murmuring in frustration about fixing both the ceiling and floor. Toshiro knew that Ichigo's family was abnormal, but this was beyond abnormal.

"Is this family chaotic?" He mumbled to himself, but Karin heard what he said and smirked.

"No. I have a friend who lives nearby, and her family is exactly the same as mine. She, Yuzu, and I are the only ones who are sane." In a house a little far away from the Kurosaki residence, a certain someone sneezed after knocking her father out with her fist in the face.

"Geez, Nee-san! Did you catch a cold?" Her brother asked but shut up when he saw his older sister giving him a glare before he's next.

0000

Yuzu glanced at the not-so-interested Toshiro, the glaring-at-the-father Karin, and the injured Isshin. Since Yuzu asked the captain to stay over for dinner, Toshiro agreed without an argument. He didn't need to eat, but he needs some recovery before he sets out again to watch over Karakura… and find the Twin Bladed Shinigami.

"Ano… what is your name?" Yuzu asked the white haired boy. Toshiro looked at Yuzu and the father who was curious about his name. Isshin knew, but he wanted to be "normal" around the twins. Toshiro put his bowl and chopsticks down and said his name.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro."

"Well, Toshiro. Welcome to the Kurosaki family! I am Isshin Kurosaki, father of the two twins and a son who is in college! You may call me otou-san in here." Yuzu clapped, but Toshiro and Karin gave him the "what-the-hell" look. Suddenly, Isshin flew to the mural of his wife, crying in happiness.

"Oh Masaki! We have another son who is marrying our dearest Karin-chan! We are so proud!" Karin blushed and shouted.

"That's it! I'm burning the poster! Who says that I'm getting married?!" Her father was now crying in fear and hugging Karin's waist from getting the lighter nearby.

"No, my dear Karin-chan! Please! Don't send Masaki to heaven, yet! She wants to see you and Yuzu-chan in the wedding dress before she goes!" Toshiro observed the scene before him and sweat drop. No wonder why Karin and Ichigo are brother and sister. It's just the former captain of Soul Society had his tough personality reduced to an idiotic parent. Toshiro heard the younger twin's question.

"Ano… where will you be staying?" Toshiro pondered and guessed.

"Well… I could go to Orihime's apartment to stay." Karin interrupted after putting her foot down on her father's back.

"That's out of the option, Toshiro. Have you forgotten that everyone, including Ichigo, is in college in different places?" Toshiro mentally smacked himself. How could he forget? He sighed and asked.

"Well, since everyone I knew is gone, is it alright to stay-"

"Of course!" Ishhin shouted while he's still on the floor.

"You are staying in this home of the Kurosakis! It is the tradition of the Kurosakis that when a member from another family is marrying one of the Kurosaki family members, the member must stay with the Kurosakis until the married couple finds a home for themselves!" Karin used her other foot to slam her father's head back to the floor, shutting him up.

0000

"You do know that you're screwed." A female stuffed animal stated, sitting on her desk and crossing her arms. Karin sighed and glared at the miniature dog above her homework. The stuffed animal was a yellow dog with lope ears and a red necktie that reaches to its belly. Her sea green beady eyes stared at her friend with disappointment. The raven-haired girl twitched and grumbled, continuing to write her essay for her English class.

"I know! I know! You don't have to repeat it again, Inu." The little stuffed animal grunted and shook her head.

"How am I repeating it again? I'm reminding you that you have a Shinigami, the taichou of the one of the Gotei 13, living in your house, and you are-" Karin pinched Inu's cheeks with more annoyance and anger. Damn, she just already dealt with her father, now she has to put up with a blunt doll who is constantly not making her situation any easier.

"I _will_ rip that mouth of yours if you keep talking! Someone might hear us!" The stuffed animal squeaked in pain when Karin pulled the cheeks a little.

"Relax, Nee-san. It's just me." Karin turned around to see her twin closing the door and sighed in relief. She released the stuffed animal as Inu jumped from the desk to the bed for sweet freedom. She combed her hair bangs and lightly hit her head on the desk.

"You kinda gave me a worry, Yuzu." The light brown haired girl smiled and sat on the chair next to Karin.

"Daijoubou, Nee-san?" Karin looked up and groaned.

"I'm just stressing out. Not only I have to deal with keeping this secret in me, I also have to hide it from Toshiro." Yuzu nodded and looked outside the window. In some days, Karin would sigh in distress and think how to deal with it with her twin, but Karin was stuck because she brought in the captain of the tenth division to their home, making it harder for her to deal with this.

"It is hard, but… don't give up, Nee-san. You'll awaken it very soon." Karin sat up and stared at her twin, then smiled with a bit of hope. Then, the two girls sensed a reiatsu and stood up, knowing whom it is. Karin walked toward the window and saw nothing. However, she opened the window and stepped aside. Someone dashed in and landed on the wooden floor.

"Oh shit." Karin groaned, feeling a headache coming up. It was the Vaizard who had the mask with blue marks. She looked up to see Karin and punched Karin's face with the gloved hand. However, the glove was actually the same glove Rukia use to pull out Ichigo from his body. Karin was separated from her body and flew to the bed when her body thudded on the wooden floor. She jumped to her feet quickly and rubbed her red face, pointing and yelling at the mysterious Vaizard in less than three seconds.

"That hurt, dammit! What the hell was that for?!" She grabbed the collar and pulled Karin to meet mask to face. Yellow orbs glared at the girl's eyes with anger and suspicion. Karin didn't show any fear and challenged the mysterious Vaizard with her own look, but she couldn't help but sweat a little.

She.

Is.

Pissed.

As.

Hell.

"You, me. Outside with red triangle marked mask boy. Now." The masked Vaizard release Karin and walked toward the window, waiting for the girl to follow her. Karin nodded and dug into her drawer. She pulled out a black mask to cover her mouth and nose and a black straw hat to hold her long hair inside. Karin looked at the lump on her bed and quickly pulled Inu out of the covers.

"Hey! Put me down, Karin no baka!" It squeaked, but Karin put her hand in the mouth and took out a small yellow marble. She dropped it in her body's mouth, and her body came to life.

"You know that you should have told me." Inu pouted, but Karin ignored her. She turned to Yuzu and nodded, signaling that she's going to be out. Yuzu nodded, planning a way to distract her dad and Toshiro.

"Please bring pain killers and an aspirin after I come back." Yuzu giggled a bit and nodded, making sure that her sister's pain would disappear after she comes back. Karin looked at masked Vaizard, and they quickly dashed out the window. Yuzu sensed another reiatsu by the door and ran quickly to the door in order to distract one of them. She opened it a little to see the white haired young man who was about to knock on the door. Yuzu put on a fake smile and greeted.

"Konbonwa, Nii-san. Is there anything you need?" Toshiro blinked and looked a little behind Yuzu. "Karin" was doing her homework, frustrated over a piece of paper. Toshiro sighed and shook his head.

"No. It's nothing." Yuzu blinked and smiled, knowing that Toshiro was worried about a certain someone.

"Were you worried about Karin-nee-san?" Toshiro quickly turned away and walked.

"I wasn't worried about her." Yuzu closed the door after seeing his retreating form in Ichigo's room. She turned to Inu who looked back and smirked with Yuzu.

"Toshiro-nii-san was definitely worried about Karin-nee-san." Yuzu stated and walked to her own desk to finish the rest of her homework.


	4. Close but No Chance

**Adding another one!**

Chapter 4: Close but No Chance 

The same Vaizard who had the mask with red triangle marks was flipping a lighter, constantly. He was bored as hell, and a certain someone had to bring the troublemaker before he would search for Hollows to purify or burn at least one tree. The Vaizard was sitting on a rock in a middle of the damaged forest he fought the three Hollows. There were many damaged trees, footprints and slashes on the ground, broken boulders, police tape around the area, and cones. Why are they meeting here? He doesn't understand why, but it was important. He sensed two upcoming and speedy reiatsus coming, flicked the lighter shut, and cracked his shoulders and stiff bones.

" 'Bout damn time." He looked up, but his sight was now pitch black. He also felt pain and tasted dirt in his mouth. From out of all the possibilities, those two landed on him.

"Gerroff me." He muffled in the ground before he felt the heavy gravity lifted off his back. He pushed his body off the ground and landed on his rear. The masked Vaizard glared at the other masked Vaizard and a masked Shinigami. He removed his masked and spit out dirt from his mouth.

"Was that necessary, Nee-san?" The blue marked Vaizard removed hers and stared at him with no interest.

"You were going to burn one of these trees, were you, Natsu Kazeru?" The tanned girl questioned the brown haired boy with utmost anger. Natsu sweat dropped and laughed sheepishly, hoping that he wouldn't receive the beating.

"Ah… no! Not at all, Nee-san!" The masked Shinigami removed her mask and hat to give a glare at the troubled Kazeru twin.

"I still can't believe that you, a wary genius, have this kind of a brother." Heiwa closed her eyes and sighed.

"Hai… I still wondered how am I related to this reckless idiot." Natsu sweat dropped, feeling ignored at the moment. Heiwa opened her black eyes with yellow orbs and commanded him.

"Stand up, Natsu. Karin is going to give an explanation about the Shinigamis who are in this town and what really happened three years ago." Natsu got on his feet and paid his fullest attention on the Kurosaki girl. Heiwa nodded sternly, letting Karin to start on the beginning… the very beginning when Ichigo borrowed the Shinigami power from Rukia to the Winter War.

Well, it took a very long time to explain everything in every event. Karin tried to remember some events from what Ichigo told her, but her childhood friends said that it doesn't matter that if she couldn't remember. They just need to know how she knew them and the events her brother faced off. It started from Ichigo's borrowing the powers, then to the Grand Fisher's appearance, a Quincy friend versus Ichigo, the battle against Soul Society and rescue of Rukia Kuchiki, the fight against the Bounts, the other Vaizards appearance and Ichigo's own Vaizard powers, rescuing Ichigo's friend from Hueco Mundo, and the Winter War against the leader, Aizen. It took a long time to finish the events for Karin, but it was worth it. After all, Heiwa and Natsu were still… very still. The raven-haired girl looked at the stunned Kazeru twins before continuing on.

"Finally, the Hollow Invasion occurred in Karakura Town. Yuzu-chan and I didn't see the fight because Ichi-nii and otou-san told us to stay in. We did, but we were about to get out since we were worried why were they fighting so long. Right when we were about to open the window, we sensed four strong reiatsus… very strong. We thought Ichi-nii and otou-san were done for along with the others, but when we sensed the Hollows' reiatsus disappearing in great numbers, Yuzu and I were relieved that they were on Ichi-nii's side. We waited and waited until we no longer sensed the presence of the Hollows. We also sensed the four reiatsus disappeared from the town, knowing that they finished their mission here." Karin looked up in the sky and sighed. It was night now, and the stars were shining with the moon.

"Ichi-nii and otou-san returned after the rest of the Shinigamis returned to Soul Society. Yuzu and I don't know what happened, but Ichi-nii was smiling at us… like he was proud." Heiwa and Natsu glanced at each other and back at Karin, and the male Kazeru asked.

"Um… Karin-chan? How did they, the Shinigamis, know about us?" Karin tensed up and stared at Natsu with surprise and anger.

"You were spying on me and Yuzu-chan?!" Heiwa looked at Natsu and turned her attention at the fuming Karin. Heiwa, now serious, cleared her voice and strictly questioned her childhood friend.

"Answer the question, Little Kurosaki. We do not want to risk the chances of getting killed by them." Karin glared at Heiwa for calling her "little" before moving on.

"That… I don't know. I never knew that they knew about the three Vaizards who are protecting this town. I heard from Toshiro that they are searching for the Twin Bladed Shinigami… like they knew only him." Heiwa was a little shocked about this, but she was still in her cold personality.

"So that's it." Karin nodded while Natsu scratched his neck in confusion.

"Um… Karin-chan, you pretend to say that we never remembered anything during the three years or we are recovering, right?" Karin nodded and looked at Natsu. Natsu turned his attention to his older sister, letting Karin follow his direction. Heiwa seemed to be thinking… very deeply, like this was some kind of puzzle.

"Very… strange. Karin, did Ichigo-san say anything what happened to the four mysterious reiatsus after he returned?" Karin blinked and put her finger on her chin, recollecting the memories. However, nothing came in mind about Ichigo telling about them.

"No. He never told me about them. Even if I asked him about them, he would just smiled, ruffle my head, and say that he'll tell me after a few years later." Heiwa nodded and was still thinking, but her thoughts were scattered when they sensed another Hollow nearby. Natsu smiled and disappeared, wanting to kill his boredom. Karin was about to call him back, but Heiwa stopped her.

"Don't. Just leave him alone. Natsu just needs to train a bit more." Karin's eyes softened and stared at the forest.

"Your family… are they…?" Heiwa noticed where Karin stopped, but she understood what she meant.

"Hai. They are still making Natsu the heir." Karin stomped her foot down and yelled at Heiwa.

"This is bullcrap, you bookworm! How long will they keep on doing this?! You have good scores in school, behaved like a well-mannered person, and lived up to their reputation! What the hell do they want more from you?!" Heiwa pushed up her glasses and turned around.

"It's not what they want from me, remember? It's because of my gender and the lineage Natsu and I come from. Have you forgotten what different race okaa-san was in compared to otou-san?" Karin remembered and didn't say a word. She was still fuming about Heiwa's family because they want something out of Heiwa, but she couldn't do anything to help Heiwa or Natsu. Heiwa noticed how Karin wasn't yelling at her anymore and sighed.

"Listen, soccer girl…" Now, Karin was yelling at Heiwa about the name-calling, but Heiwa just smirked.

"Well, that _did_ woke your voice box up since you were quiet for a few seconds." Karin stopped yelling and smiled, finally getting over the sadness.

"Hai. I did. Were you about to say something?" Heiwa nodded and turned around. Karin and Heiwa were facing eye to eye, and it was serious.

"You said that three years ago, four reiatsus appeared out of the ordinary and helped Ichigo-san and Kurosaki-san in the Hollow Invasion." Karin nodded, letting Heiwa continue on.

"Right this very moment, three Shinigami and your friend, Toshiro, are searching for the Twin Bladed Shinigami and recognized me, Natsu, and Yuzu-chan in first day." Karin scratched her neck in an unsure composure.

"I don't think they would recognize you three."

"But they know about the Twin Bladed Shinigami, right?" Karin nodded with a bit of knowledge.

"Hm… and you 'lied' about that we couldn't recall anything or were recovering after the Hollow Invasion." Heiwa knew or thought about something Karin doesn't understand.

"Then, what's going on?" Heiwa thought for a little while and sighed.

"Karin. This is going to be difficult to believe… or you don't have to believe, but this is from my hypothesis. Three years ago, strong reiatsus appear in the Hollow Invasion and helped the Shinigamis to fight it. After the invasion, Ichigo-san just smiles at you and Yuzu-chan that you didn't do anything. Later on, four Shinigamis appear to search for a Shinigami who possesses two swords. I presume that the four Shinigamis knew about me, Natsu, and Yuzu-chan way before they seen us today." Karin raised an eyebrow and asked with high suspicion. Something was up and out of the ordinary.

"So, what's your guess, genius?" Heiwa retorted back with a little doubt.

"I may be a genius, but I may be wrong about this. From what I think about all this, there might be a possible way that something happened that related to you three years ago that made Ichigo-san smile at you. Additionally, they also knew the Hollow powers we, three, possess but not the identity of the four reiatsu powers. They said you assume that 'we' are recovering from the battle or have amnesia. In connection, they already knew that we exist before. Is there a possibility that you, Karin Kurosaki, may be who they seek for?" Karin blinked and finally got everything in her head.

But… that's impossible! She was never involved in the Hollow Invasion before! She never knew what happened out there or never received her powers three years ago. She was thirteen or twelve years old at that time, and she received her own powers at the age of fourteen. Yuzu received hers at the age of fifteen and defeated the Hollow inside her twice. The Kurosaki twins and the Kazeru twins met five years ago, and the twins received their powers at the age of fifteen and defeated their inner Hollows.

"Wa-chan, are you high on something?" Heiwa had an anime vein on her forehead and glared at the girl.

"I said that it's only a hypothesis, Karin no baka. I could be wrong. It could be another group of Shinigamis they are searching for who are still around here. You might not receive the powers of two swords because that happened three years ago. I'm just assuming." Karin sighed in relief, but Heiwa precaution her friend.

"However, keep your powers a secret from the others. We do not want anyone to jump into conclusions." Karin nodded and wore her mask and hat.

"Hai." They sensed another Hollow above and looked up. A brown Hollow crawled out of the dimension and grinned.

"I smell… something yummy. You, two, smell delicious… Shinigami… wearing hat… smells very delicious." Heiwa sighed and swiped her face, revealing the blue marked mask. He removed her sword from its sheath and held the hilt in front instead of the back.

"Light up the way of the azure skies, Aohi." The sword glowed in blue light and changed its form. Instead of a sword, it was a silver shield divided into two. Its edges were blue, and two shields contain one image: a sun on the top and the moon on the bottom.

"You better fight this one, Crybaby. It's weak to me, but it's on your level." Karin charged forward and yelled at Heiwa.

"You don't have to tell me, you stick-in-the-mud!" Karin dodged the upcoming fist that was about to crush her. Heiwa was backing up Karin for healing and support, and whenever the Hollow would attack Heiwa, she would use one shield to block the assault while Karin would attack its open spot. The black Shinigami jumped over its head and tried to stab it through; however, the Hollow jumped back a little and slam its palm right at Karin. She was knocked back but retained her balance by skidding on the ground with her feet. Again, Karin would run back, slice an open spot, get knocked back by the Hollow, regain her balance, and go back to the beginning. Karin knew how to fight a Hollow and made this easy, but Heiwa had a nagging feeling in her head.

Wasn't Karin supposed to awaken her zanpakuto?

It has been two years since Karin awoke her powers, but what is it keeping her weapon to reveal itself? Heiwa and Natsu already gain the power of the Vaizards in less than a month, and Yuzu had to endure her inner Hollow, twice. Was there something Karin needs to do in order to awaken her power?

_Vaizards…no…we are not those kinds of race. Something tells me that we are more unique than Vaizards, Bounts, Shinigamis, or human. We are something special that I cannot describe in my own knowledge._

Her mind shattered in an instant when Karin finally cut down the Hollow with her sword. The Hollow screeched and disappeared, being purified by the girl. Heiwa kept on staring at the smirking girl with something on her mind.

_Karin…what kind of power do you have? You and I are the same… yet I get the feeling that you are stronger than Ichigo-san or me._

"You ready to head back home?" Heiwa stated, and Karin nodded, feeling stronger aside from the pain and minor cuts. The two disappeared, leaving nothing behind. However, they didn't notice was there was a black cat in the bushes, listening and observing everything they do.

0000

Toshiro sighed and sipped the tea from the cup that the Kurosaki father gave him. Toshiro wanted to know what Ichigo and Isshin knew about what happened during the Hollow Invasion, but Isshin inform him the same thing other than the identities of the four masked Vaizards.

"So, you won't tell me." Isshin shook his head at the captain of the tenth division.

"Ichigo and I made a promise to the leader of the Vaizards. We cannot reveal their identities until all of them awaken their zanpakutos… again." Toshiro nodded and looked at the cup he was holding.

"Does Urahara know about this secret?" Isshin nodded again.

"He does, but he does not give away the identities, too." Toshiro was stuck. He could not get the identities of the four Shinigamis out of the three of them. Ichigo was way out of the option, Isshin was now no longer an option because he, too, knows this, and Kisuke Urahara was an option. However, Urahara would pull riddles on Hitsugaya just to frustrate the game. So, the last option was to be patient until the four awaken their zanpakutos.

Toshiro glanced at the pictures that were near the poster of Masaki Kurosaki. There was one picture that had the whole family grouped together when the mother was still alive and the Kurosaki children were at the young age. Another was Ichigo's graduation picture with Rukia, the twins, and Isshin. The last one was the grown up Kurosaki twins with two other humans in a festival: one was a girl and the other a boy. Isshin looked where the white haired captain was staring at and smiled.

"Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan have grown up after Masaki-chan died. It was hard for them and Ichigo to change their personalities. Now, Ichigo has a new life, and the twins are independent. Every time I see them get older, I can't keep them from moving on forever." Toshiro looked back at Isshin who was still looking at the pictures before looking down to stare at the cup. It was true for every father to let his children go move on, but he couldn't help but feel pity for the former captain. He looked up and saw Isshin grinning at him. Isshin stated with much enthusiasm.

"That is why you will watch over Karin-chan in the future. She is going to be your future wife!" Toshiro had a slight blush and a huge sweat drop. Was he really talking to the former captain of Soul Society? Then, they heard the shouts of the enraged girl from upstairs until she was silenced in muffles and thuds in the ceiling.

"Gomen! Ignore what's going up here!" Yuzu yelled from above.

0000

"Karin-chan! Don't go down to kick otou-san in your Shinigami form! You will reveal yourself to Toshiro-nii-san!" Yuzu whispered harshly at the struggling girl who was pinned down my Yuzu and Inu in Karin's body. When Karin returned to her room, the first thing she heard from her father was that she was going to marry Toshiro. So… that's how it went.

Karin sighed and muffled a "Fine," feeling Inu and Yuzu off her back. Karin sat up and sighed.

"Do you have the pain killers and aspirin, Yuzu?" The little brown haired girl nodded and pointed to the tray next to her bed. The raven-haired girl quickly went back to her body, spit out the candy, and put the candy back into the dog doll's mouth. The doll went back to life and complained about the essay being too hard. Karin groaned in pain and took the medicines. Another doll looked up from Yuzu's bed and spoke softly.

"Ano… Inu-chan… may you not yell at Karin-san? She's in pain." The toy dog looked at the blue toy mouse that wore a red sweater before nodding.

"Fine, Chu. Well… oyasumi nasai. I'm going to bed." The doll jumped into Karin's bed and fell asleep when her head hit the soft cushion. Karin finished drinking the water and placed the glass back on the tray.

"Arigatou, Yuzu. Now, I'm going to finish my homework." Yuzu nodded before she slipped in her own bed. Karin turned off the room lights except the night light and the lamp light. When she was about to start her homework by writing a word, her right hand froze still above the paper and a few centimeters away. Karin sighed and placed the pencil next to her paper. She looked at her right palm and clenched it tight.

_I was so close._ Karin remembered the first words that her sword spoke. It wasn't one voice but two little girls' voices.

**_"Karin…"_**

_I almost woke them up. Dammit…_


	5. Going to School

**C.T.E.: Hehehehehe…**

**S.A.N.: Animefreak? Why is she happy?**

**Me: I watched the making of Silent Hill 2, and now she's all scary.**

**S.A.N.: I… see…**

**Me: I don't own Bleach.**

Chapter 5: Going to School

Toshiro woke up instantly in Ichigo's bed. Something was wrong in this house, and it was not another Hollow around the town. No. If there were any, his cell phone would be ringing in his pocket. However, this was something his instincts reacting in a different way. Wasn't it like run away or get out of the room before…

"OHAYO GOZAIMAS!!"

… the father comes in to beat the crap out of him?

Karin and Yuzu heard crashes and thuds in the hallway where an occupant guest was sleeping in Ichigo's room. Karin grabbed the pillow under her head and squished it over her head to shut away the noises. However, her attempt failed due to a loud thud in the hallway. Karin peek a little to see her sister yawning and smiling.

"I haven't heard otou-san making a ruckus for a long time since Ichi-nii left." Yuzu sweat dropped after her sister pulled the pillow down for a few seconds. The raven-haired girl couldn't go back to sleep and finally submitted to the morning call. She removed her pillow off her head and tossed it back on her bed. She grumbled and slammed the door open to beat the crap out of her dad. Yuzu peeked over Karin's shoulder to see what happened. Apparently, Toshiro slumped on the wall across Ichigo's door, and their father was standing in front of the door with his arms crossed over his chest. The Kurosaki twins sweat dropped, and Yuzu asked.

"Ano… otou-san? Was that necessary?" Isshin sighed and nodded.

"Hai! He is going to live here, but he must get stronger if he must survive in the real world." The twins looked at the captain who rubbed his head in pain and back to the father who was still standing in the middle of the door. Karin sighed and walked toward her father while talking.

"Otou-san. I have three requests I want to tell you." The father was in deep trouble and couldn't move from the spot because either it was someone who put a binding spell on him or Karin's pissed off mode. Karin held up an index finger while continuing to walk toward her father.

"One: We know how to survive when we are outside, so don't tell us what we already know." She flipped another finger beside her index finger.

"Two: Don't do that again. Toshiro is still injured after the fight." She finally held up three fingers.

"Three…" Karin withdrew the fingers and swung her fist down on her father's head, creating a second hole on the floor and making him unconscious.

"Do not start this in freakin' six in the morning because I only had five hours of sleep."

Toshiro stared at the girl who slightly defended him from her father's habit of beating up his "descendents". She was being scolded and smacked on the head by her fraternal twin, but Karin was smiling like she finally felt better. Yuzu sighed and gave up on Karin before she walked downstairs to clean up the mess and get her father back up on his feet. Karin noticed his dazed look and smirked, insulting him a bit.

"Hey, Shorty! Are you okay to stand up?" Oh, she did not say that. He hated that word and anything that made fun of his previous height, but he was taller than Karin. Toshiro smirked and quickly stood up. He walked toward the Kurosaki girl and towered over her.

"Have you not notice that I…" He patted Karin's head with a bit of dignity, "… am taller than you?"

Karin blushed a bit and smacked his hand away. It was true that he was taller, but she knew that Toshiro is still Toshiro, despite his bluntness. She retaliated the insult back, even though it's the truth.

"Even though you are taller than me," Karin patted his head and ruffled the white soft hair, "you're still 'Shorty' to me." Toshiro froze and glared at the grinning human with his icy sea green eyes. He could also feel a vein pulsing rapidly on his forehead like he really wanted to shout. She was so lucky that she was the daughter of the former captain, or she would be turned into ice in no time. He may be a genius, but he isn't going to back down in this verbal challenge.

"Yeah. Being called 'Shorty' is better than being called 'Crybaby.'" Karin stopped grinning and snarled at the white haired boy. He was pushing it a _wee bit_ farther. No one… calls her… "Crybaby"… and gets away with this.

"Well then _Small Fry_, shall we go downstairs for breakfast?" She mockingly asked with drip of acid in her voice. Toshiro lost his better judgment, and the name-calling began.

"Fine, Rin-chan."

"Do not start this, Shiro-chan."

"I'm not starting this, Little Kurosaki."

"You are, Short Man!"

"If you weren't a hothead, you wouldn't bring up the insults!"

"If you weren't an iceberg, you would just forget all this!"

"Don't call me an iceberg, Fruity!"

"Then you don't call me a hothead, Little Santa's helper!"

"YOU, TWO, STOP FIGHTING!! GET DOWN HERE TO EAT BREAKFAST, OR YOU'LL BOTH MISS SCHOOL!!" Karin and Toshiro covered their ears from the maximum volume that the young Kurosaki twin used to get attention. Karin knew that shout from anywhere whenever she and Heiwa always get into fights and arguments that would go out of hand. That meant Yuzu was angry. Her anger is rarely shown around other people, but around Karin, she just yelled.

"Was your sister this loud, Kurosaki?" Toshiro removed his hands from his ears after the _little_ shout. Karin sighed with a slightly happy little smile.

"No. Not until my childhood friends came along, and I had to fight one of them. If she could only yell at otou-san to stop being an idiot and not me…" Toshiro chuckled and lightly punched Karin's head.

"Come on, kiddo. Let's go." Karin glared at the captain and followed him behind.

"Fine, _old geezer_." Alas, Yuzu sighed while she listened to the name-calling and arguments by two certain people during breakfast. Thank Kami-sama that her father was still knocked out, or things would get worse. Yuzu looked back at the bickering couple and couldn't help smiling. She could imagine her friends' reactions once they meet the captain of the tenth division.

0000

Heiwa and Natsu observed at the newcomer who stared at them with disinterest. The Kazeru twins were waiting for their childhood friends to show up. They did… except that a bleached-haired boy was following them. He wore the same uniform as Natsu, meaning he was going to the same school as them… probably a "transfer" student from somewhere else.

"Who are you?" The tall brown-haired boy asked Toshiro out of nowhere. Heiwa sighed and whacked him hard on the head for being rude to a stranger, even if she was suspicious about the white-haired boy.

"Soccer Ace, would you care to explain what is going on?" Karin gave her the "what-the-hell" look and crossed her arms, defying the meaning of explaining. Heiwa sighed and introduced herself… and her little brother.

"My name is Heiwa Kazeru, and this guy who was rude is my little brother, Natsu. We are Karin's childhood friends." She pushed her glasses back up and crossed her arms. Toshiro raised an eyebrow in confusion, and Karin cleared her throat. Heiwa noticed what she was missing and bowed to Toshiro.

"Nice to meet you." Natsu followed his older sister and bowed to Toshiro, saying an apology.

"Sumimasen." The two got back up, and Karin explained to Toshiro about their reactions to others.

"Their parents are from two different places. Their otou-san was born here, but their okaa-san was born in America in a different type of ethnic background. That's why they reacted differently to others." Toshiro nodded, understanding a bit of their reactions. Heiwa faked a surprised looked and complimented her with a fake mild amazement.

"Wow. Nice explanation from an average student." Karin glared and was too tired to argue back. She hated to deal with two people who called her names: one who is living in her home and the other living somewhere a bit away.

"Shut it, Brownie. I just saved you from explaining things, okay?" Heiwa smirked a bit before returning to her cold attitude.

"So, why don't you introduce him to us? It seems that he's attending the same school, so we would know him before the whole school knows." Karin stopped glaring and introduced Toshiro to them.

"This is Toshiro Hitsugaya. I told you about him during lunch, Heiwa." Heiwa nodded, remembering about that time.

"I see. So, you're Karin's other childhood friend." Toshiro gave a questioning look at the raven-haired girl. Karin put up her hands in defense, explaining about this.

"Hey, wait a minute. Don't go accusing me on this. Heiwa has some kind of ability to see through people like glass and guess correctly." Toshiro asked.

"How many times she guessed right?" Karin pondered about this and guessed.

"I think… around seven out of ten people she could get it right. She can guess anything right if she knew anyone close to her." Toshiro nodded.

"I see."

"Hey!" Everyone's attention was turned to the confused Natsu who didn't know what was going on. Karin and Yuzu looked at Heiwa who shrugged, meaning that either she didn't tell Natsu about this or Natsu was too busy that she couldn't find the time to chat with him.

"What's this all about? How come I didn't know about this until now? Nee-san! You're supposed to tell me what you know!" Heiwa blinked and looked behind him. She put her palm up over her eyebrows like she was trying to see something from a farther view.

"Wha… what's behind me, Nee-san?" He stuttered out of fear. Heiwa blinked and sighed.

"I see a fangirl." Then, in a blink of an eye, Natsu dashed through the streets opposite of the school, passing the blinking Toshiro, the laughing Karin, and the giggling Yuzu. Toshiro turned around to try to spot the running boy, but he was gone. Karin held her palm up, and Heiwa slapped it in a high five.

"That was perfect, Genius!" Karin exclaimed while she still was laughing. Heiwa smirked and pushed up her glasses, saying nothing but feeling appreciated. When Heiwa was about to say something to Karin, she caught someone staring at Karin who was unable to know her surroundings…

… and that someone was a certain person who they recently met.

Heiwa formulated a plan before grabbing Yuzu, who yelped, and dragged the poor girl behind her… in dashing mode. Karin stopped laughing and yelled at the running Heiwa. Karin hated this whenever her friends ditch her when they were about to do something else, especially what they know that she doesn't know.

"H-Hey! You can't just leave us here, you bookworm! Get Yuzu and your butt back here before I really gonna smack you!" However, Heiwa was gone out of their sight and out of hearing.

Karin could feel her anger rise like fire and hear the words like "Last one who arrives to school is a rotten egg!" The angered girl stomped her foot down on the ground so hard that Toshiro could feel a little quake near her. She gritted her teeth and said a few "colorful" words through her teeth, making her language harder to understand. Toshiro restrained himself from either smirking or coughing his laugh out. Karin was too easy to get mad over something that it wasn't even Hollow-related. He shook his head to get rid of the humor and patted her head.

"Come on, Little Temper. You're going to be late." Karin calmed down a bit from Heiwa's departure and went ahead, letting Toshiro follow her. While walking to school, she looked ahead… lost in her thought. Toshiro was here on a mission to find the twin bladed Shinigami, and Heiwa made a guess about what happened in the past that was supposed to be related to Karin. Heiwa told her to not worry because it was just a guess that could be wrong. But… what happens if it wasn't wrong? What if there was really a connection between her and three years ago? She couldn't help but doubt the cold hearted girl's reassurance.

_I can't bring myself to believe that her guess is wrong. I mean I could hear two tiny little voices in my head in my dreams. They just called out my name over and over again. It's like they wanted to be found, but why? It's just that I have one weapon containing one person who has two voices, right? ARGGH! What the heck is going on?_

She felt someone pulling her shoulder back, stopping her in front of the street. She came back from her thoughts and saw a car pass across her. Holy crap. That was close. If she kept on going, she would have died. Karin could feel her heartbeat increasing rapidly and looked over her shoulder to see Toshiro giving her a concerned look. Karin rubbed her neck and lowered her eyes to the ground, feeling stupid for not paying attention.

"A-Arigato, Toshiro, for saving me." Karin could feel her cheeks flushed and frowned. She never felt so embarrassed in her life. She was normal around the whole class whenever she dragged one of her friends into something she got into trouble. However, this guy could make her blush by just one look that would make her feel ashamed. Oh for Kami-sama's sake! Karin shook her head to get rid of the funny feeling. The sign flashed "Walk," and Karin started to move on.

"C-come on! Let's go!" Karin stuttered a bit and walked faster than normal. Toshiro followed her, glancing at the prideful girl with a bit of suspicion and concern.

0000

"Well… this is where you sign up. You already know this school, so I'll be seeing you whenever." They were at the administration office since Toshiro is a "transfer" student. Karin couldn't help but feel excited in school. She hadn't feel this happy when the Kazeru twins, Jinta, Ururu, and the Kurosaki twins were studying in the same class at their first day of summer school. It was both a good one for a reunion… and a bad one for a first greeting from Heiwa: a punch on the face. When the raven-haired girl was about to turn around and leave, Toshiro grabbed her wrist, stopping her from taking one step. Karin turned around and slightly blushed at Toshiro's actions.

"Nani?" Toshiro gave her the intense look and asked.

"Kurosaki, when I stopped you… why did you look like you weren't yourself?" Karin was confused. She… wasn't herself?

"What do you mean, Toshiro?" Toshiro said an example to make it clearer.

"Like you were in deep thought, and you didn't know you were about to cross the street when the car was coming." Karin couldn't find an answer to this. She could only say this.

"It… was nothing." Toshiro didn't believe her.

"It was more than nothing." Karin shook her head and looked away from his eyes. It was too hard to explain.

"I don't know… I have a lot of things in my mind." Toshiro released his grip on her arm and crossed his arms.

"Such as?" There was a moment of silence between the two, but Karin broke it by shaking her head and smiling a smile.

"Don't worry about me, Toshiro. I'll get over it quickly." The white-haired boy stared at Karin for a while and sighed.

"All right, Kurosaki." Karin turned back to her destination and started to walk. When she took her third step, Toshiro stopped her again.

"Oh… Kurosaki." Karin could feel annoyed by stopping every few seconds. If he had something to say, just say it! She turned around again, placed her hands on her hips, and grumbled.

"What now, Toshiro?" Toshiro faced her half way and said, offering a little help.

"If you're still troubled, don't hesitate to ask for my help." Karin just stared at the tenth division captain with a bit of awe. She opened her mouth a bit before grinning playfully.

"Whatever, Toshiro." Toshiro closed his eyes a bit but smirked at Karin. He turned his direction straight through the open door and disappeared from her sight by closing the door behind him. Karin stared at the door a bit before shaking her head. She turned around and continued her walk to her class.

Karin felt a bit relieved and a little happier. Toshiro was a jerk when she first met him, and he was still one. However, he showed a bit of concern and offered help today, so it meant that the ice was melting… just not very much. Karin smiled and giggled a bit when she was walking up the stairs. It was strange how much a person could change after a few years. Ichigo finally had the guts to ask Rukia to marry him, Rukia's brother gave his blessings to Ichigo, Yuzu was a bit meaner and stricter on her friends and Karin, Heiwa accepted Karin's friendship through a rough fight, and the list goes on and on. When Karin was on the third floor and the hallway, she spotted the ditcher and smiled maliciously. The raven-haired started to run fast straight at her and swung her fist behind the brown-haired girl.

"YOU, DITCHER!"

**POW!**

A person could change after a few years, but a person would still be the same person... no matter how much trouble or fights a person would cause.

0000

The classroom was now in session. After much hair-pulling, face-pinching, head-locking, head-smacking, and audience-laughing, Karin and Heiwa were now sitting on their seats, recovering from their warm up fights. The teacher walked in with his suitcase and cleared his throat.

"Ohayo, minna-san." A husky voice greeted everyone in class.

"Ohayo gozaimasu, Densetsu-sensei!" Their teacher, Densetsu, was a handsome teacher. He had clean black hair that reached to his neck, and his eyes shined light blue. He wore a dark blue business suit with black business shoes. He had a fan club about him, and there were some girls in there. He had the mysterious yet creepy smile whenever a student is in trouble or something good happened. Karin grinned at the thought of the Yumichika guy meeting their teacher. It would be either Yumichika would be crying in envy or Densetsu-sensei would be bothered a lot. Also, Densetsu-sensei would be killing Yumichika because he hates annoying people. Either way, Karin would find it hilarious.

"Listen up, minna-san. We have a new transfer student studying here in this class." The class was now talking a bit about the sudden news until the teacher clapped his hands.

"Alright, alright. I want all of you to give your attention to him and welcome him. Come in, Toshiro Hitsugaya." The door slid open to reveal the white-haired boy right after Densetsu called him in. Toshiro calmly walked toward the teacher and turned his attention to the class. The teacher said with a smile that matches to the captain of the thirteenth division.

"Now, introduce yourself to the class and a bit about yourself." Toshiro nodded calmly and said.

"My name is Toshiro Hitsugaya. I came from the S.S. Academy." Karin rolled her eyes on this. It meant Soul Society Academy for high powered souls where Toshiro studied.

"I'm an expert on swords, so don't even try to mess with me if you all want your heads removed from your neck." Everyone, except the Kurosaki twins, the Kazeru twins, Jinta, and Ururu, froze like ice when Toshiro glared at them. The girls and Jinta looked at Natsu who was next to Heiwa's right. They sweat dropped when they could see fire around him clashing with the icy aura. It seems that Natsu found a rival on sword fighting and gave a heated glare at the white-haired boy. When the whole class looked at the fuming boy, then to the icy-glaring boy, and back to the fuming boy, they all had one thought through their heads.

_Oh no. Winter clashes with Summer. This is going to be bad._

Densetsu cleared his throat to break the tension between the glaring boys. For the sake and safety of the class's well-being, he had to intervene.

"Hitsugaya, please sit next to Karin Kurosaki. Karin, please raise your hand, so he would know where you are." Karin smirked and held her hand in the air. Toshiro passed through the three rows and sat next to Karin's right. The whole class sighed in relief. It was a good thing that Karin was sitting next to the window, and two seats away from Natsu. It was also a bad thing because their personalities…

Do.

Not.

Mix.

Well.

They just prayed to Karin's safety, but she just smirked like she was going to take a risk in a danger zone. They wished that Yuzu was two seats closer in front of Karin, so she would discipline her. Alas, Yuzu was in the front row, along with Jinta and Ururu. This is going to be another chaotic day. Densetsu nodded and started the lesson.


	6. Struggle

**I'm adding a new one because I'm bored.**

Chapter 6: Struggle

It was lunchtime in Karakura School, and the whole school was on their break. Usually, it involved buying food or eating their lunches. Jinta and Ururu forgot to make their lunches, so they were going downstairs with Yuzu following along. It was just the two clashing seasons and the fighting over the food girls.

"Come on! Just lemme try the egg roll!"

"Hell no, Fruit Face! The last time I let you eat one of my cooked foods was when I barely had any lunch left!" The boys were staring at the two girls with much disinterest and incredibility. They were attracting attention and were making a distraction for others. Toshiro shook his head and stared outside to kill his time.

This was ridiculous! He was attending school like other humans do, but what could he do? Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika all voted to send him to attend Karakura School through text message, and they said that it would be easier to have Karin with him just in case one of the three friends of the Twin Bladed Shinigami shows up. It was partly true what they said, but he was going to put them into drills or training for the next few months. They didn't give him a chance to talk this out, for Kami-sama's sake!

"I see. You're not used to see this, right?" Toshiro turned his head to see the standing brown haired boy who was still staring at the fighting girls. Toshiro nodded, giving the boy the answer. What was his name? Natsu? As in Summer?

"Don't be bothered about this," Natsu reassured the white-haired boy, "It's normal for them. It's just their way of greeting and showing friendship toward each other… even it doesn't look like a peaceful conversation." Toshiro nodded again, not caring at all. He slightly frowned at the boy's reiatsu. It was too high for a human, and the girl with glasses had a slightly stronger reiatsu than the boy's reiatsu. He looked at Karin who finally got the egg roll by force. He could sense Karin's reiatsu, but it was stronger… much stronger than the girl or the boy's reiatsu. He had a gut feeling that she's going to be much stronger than Ichigo and up to the level of the mysterious Twin Bladed Shinigami.

Natsu glanced at the silent boy next to him. The white-haired boy wasn't much of a social person or a talker, and he even wasn't interested in much of anything. He was more likely to observe things before he would understand them. Natsu sensed the reiatsu from the captain of the so-called Gotei 13. It was strong… probably matches to his, and it would be challenging to have someone fight him on the same level or on a higher scale. The Kazeru boy silently calmed himself from wanting to shout out a challenge to Toshiro, so he asked out of the ordinary.

"Are you really an expert on swords?" The whole class, even Karin and Heiwa, went silent and listened to what the white-haired boy is going to say. Toshiro gave an icy glare at the boy, but Natsu gave him the heated glare back.

"Hai, and I am not going to accept your challenge." The brown-haired boy shrugged, and his mouth formed a creepy smile.

"Fine… Midget." The whole class dropped their jaws while they saw Natsu walking away and leaving an angry Toshiro behind him. Suddenly, Toshiro grabbed a pencil from his desk and threw it toward the boy's head. In a blink of an eye, Natsu spun around and grabbed the pencil with ease by two fingers. The boy smirked at the surprised Toshiro and asked.

"So… you accept?" Toshiro glared at the smirking boy and didn't say a word. Natsu nodded and tossed the pencil back to Toshiro who caught it.

"Five thirty in the evening. Tomorrow in the kendo club. Don't be late." With that, Natsu calmly walked away and exited the class. All eyes were now on Toshiro, and the poor captain was now involved in a sword duel. Heiwa coughed dryly and excused herself from eating with them. She ran out of the class to catch up with her little brother, either scolding him for doing that or asking him if he really meant it. Everyone went back to their own conversations, trying to ignore what just happened. Toshiro sighed in relief and was about to sit down again, but someone grabbed him by the collar and dragged him out of the class.

"Toshiro. May I have a word with you in private?"

… and that someone was Karin.

0000

An orange haired man walked out of the airport with two luggages on both of his hands. He scratched his goatee and smiled. It was a short trip from Tokyo to Karakura town, but he felt like it has been forever. He looked around to find that father of his, even if his father tried to sock him every time they meet.

"Ichigo! Where's otou-san?" The man sighed as he looked at his rave-haired wife who was looking around to find him. It has been three and a half months since he stepped foot on Karakura Town, and he wondered how his whole family would react to the "news." He grinned at the thought and wrapped his arm over his wife's shoulders.

"Relax, Rukia. He's right over there." Ichigo pointed in front where the goat of a father was waving his hands up. Rukia smiled and went ahead, waving her free hand while her other hand was carrying a purse. Ichigo shook his head with a smile and followed after her, making sure that she doesn't hurt herself.

"ICHIGO!! MY SON!!" Strawberry decked Isshin in the face, becoming annoyed already and not caring if they were making a scene outside.

0000

Karin was pacing back and forth on the rooftop of the school, trying to plan a solution without getting the two boys seriously hurt. She knew that this was going to get critical, but she needed to warn him about Natsu who secretly was the one trying to kill him. She has to think of something that wouldn't blow Toshiro or Natsu's pride and dignity. She may be short tempered, but she defied the challenges that were pressed between two friends. Karin kept on pacing, not minding the weird stare from Toshiro.

"Would you stop pacing and just tell me why did you bring me up here, Kurosaki?" Toshiro said impatiently. Karin stopped and sighed, facing Toshiro face to face.

"I'm not so sure what to say about this," Karin rubbed her neck nervously and frustration, "but have you sensed Natsu's reiatsu?"

What is she trying to do or say? Why is she so frustrated and unsure about explaining things? It was unusual for her to walk around frustrated in thought and try to explain things that were hard to explain, but it was very strange that she would just blank out into thought. Toshiro nodded, confirming her question and thinking about the same thing. Karin sighed and looked out of the school.

"Toshiro. Just be careful when you're facing him." Toshiro was a bit surprised to hear the Kurosaki girl telling him to be careful. She held her hands up in defense and stated.

"It's not like that he's powerful or anything, okay? It's just that his fighting style is… different." The captain asked, crossing his arms.

"How different?" Karin bit her lip and slowly spoke her thoughts.

"His style… probably… is more straight attack. Er… I'm not quite sure, but I saw him use a sword with only one hand."

"One hand?" Karin nodded and informed him.

"I mostly saw him practice a sword with one hand each side. He mostly strikes with one hand and quick swings, and he uses the hilt to block attacks. He trained himself on both swords and martial arts, so his fighting stance may be a little awkward. However, his mixed stance does give him an advantage in real life threats, such as fighting gang members and bullies." Toshiro nodded a bit. It seems that this Natsu fellow was going to be a handful on Toshiro's sword skills, along with the boy's massive reiatsu.

"I see." Karin held up one finger.

"One more thing, you know the rules in the kendo club, right?" Toshiro nodded.

"I'm not a genius for nothing." Karin nodded.

"That saves me a lot of trouble explaining, but there are two new rules in a duel in Natsu's challenge." This was new. Toshiro has to hear this out before he will face Natsu in a duel.

"What are the new rules?" Karin was serious in this but so was Toshiro.

"First rule: Hit your opponents many times as you can. It doesn't matter if you aim at the head, arms, legs, or anywhere. Just hit him with all you got. If you are down on the floor or lost balance, be quick on your feet. There's no mercy. Second rule: You'll only have a thirty second limit. Once time's up, the judges will count who has the most contacts and decide the winner." Toshiro nodded, knowing what this duel was about.

"Hai. Arigato." Toshiro turned around and headed for the door, but he felt his arm pulled back. He turned his head to the see Karin putting on a serious face, just like when she sensed a hollow nearby.

"Nani?" He asked. Karin didn't know why did she do that or what have gotten into her. Karin just quickly grabbed his arm from leaving like six years ago. She took a deep breath and warned him.

"Don't underestimate him or lose your guard, Toshiro. He may be an innocent bystander like the rest of us… with or without a high reiatsu, but he's reckless. Natsu doesn't care if he injures someone in a fight." They stayed like that for a little while before Karin released his arm. Karin looked away from his staring eyes and frowned. Why did she say that? She was just warning him about Natsu's habit, and nothing more, right?

"Don't worry." She looked at the captain with mild surprise. Toshiro continued and reassured her.

"I'm well aware of that friend of yours, so don't worry about me. I'm a captain after all." Toshiro turned around and walked back inside the school. Karin didn't follow, but she whispered in fear.

"Being a captain isn't enough, Toshiro. There are things that you don't understand about him… about us. He will hurt you." Karin looked up in the sky, feeling stressed and hopeless.

0000

Heiwa's sharp eyes glanced at the two people staring… er… glaring at each other from a very distant place. It was an after school soccer practice, and the first thing she heard from Karin was an argument from Toshiro about meeting at a certain place. Toshiro argued back that he would stay to watch Karin because it would be easier for him to pick her up and help heal the injuries. The other teammates giggled at the couple, and Heiwa sighed, tying her hair into a low ponytail and taking her soccer ball with her to practice. Those two "just" met, and they were arguing like they knew each other or like married couples. Well, it's their fault if they started rumors around the school.

"No! You are not staying! You hear me?! Just meet me at the rail or at home!" The high ponytail raven-haired woman was half shouting and half pleading him to go away. She did not want to deal with him around, and she does not want him watching her playing soccer now.

"I think not, Kurosaki. Yesterday, you had injuries, and now you had more injuries than before. It would be wise that you have me around." The tall white-haired man stated the obvious. Karin and Heiwa got into a fight again during study time, and they both were sent to the nurse's office, immediately. Karin patted her forehead where the bandage was wrapped around her head… again. She had a bandage on her left elbow and right cheek, and there was a hidden bandage wrapped around her right arm.

"This is nothing." Toshiro poked the bandage on her head, making her slightly flinch. He shook his head in disbelief and placed his hand over her forehead.

"More than nothing. Face it, Kurosaki. You need me to watch over you."

"I don't need a babysitter, Toshiro!" Toshiro removed his hand from her head, smirking at her slightly flustered face.

"Right…"

"Hey, Rin-chan!" The two people turned their attention to the brown haired girl who was putting her gloves on.

"Stop flirting with your boyfriend and get your ass in the field." A vein popped on Karin's forehead, and she gritted her teeth in annoyance. She took her soccer ball out from the net she carried and tossed it up in the air.

"Minna-san! Move out of the way!" One of the girls shouted, and their teammates scrambled to move for a wider space and away from Karin's target. When the ball was at her knee height, Karin lifted her right leg up and swung it when the ball was at her foot level. The collision between the ball and her foot was enough to make the ball fly straight and fast at the prepared Heiwa. Heiwa smirked and slammed both of her hands on the ball together. The ball was still spinning on her two gloved hands and was slowing down quickly. When it stopped, steam evaporated from the gloves, making the whole team applaud in amazement. Karin scowled and placed her hands on her hips, glaring at the smirking Heiwa. A whistle was heard from the farther side, and everyone turned to see the coach and teacher, Densetsu.

"All right, minna-san. Warm up." The whole team screamed in excitement or in affection toward the teacher.

"Hai, Densetsu-sensei!" Since practice started, Karin sighed and told Toshiro to do whatever he wants. She ran toward her teammates and started the exercise. Toshiro mentally shrugged and walked to the benches near his right. He sat on the front and observed the scene before him. He never knew that she was a leadership type. Karin divided the team in half since there were more girls than before: the half for stretching and the other half for running. Karin patted Heiwa's shoulder, making Toshiro guess that Heiwa was the vice captain of the team. Karin led her team in running, and Heiwa led the other half in stretching.

"Hitsugaya-san." Toshiro looked up to see the teacher before. The man wore a grey sweater and grey sweat pants, obviously the coach of the team. The man sat next to the white haired man, staring at the divided teams who were still warming up.

"What do you think about Karin-chan?" The man asked Toshiro. He glanced at the black haired man and back at the field. Karin and her team were now switching with Heiwa's team, and Heiwa took the lead of the running while Karin was taking the lead in stretching. When Toshiro didn't say anything, the teacher shrugged and dealt with his silence. Densetsu talked, stating his own thoughts.

"Karin-chan is a strong girl. You may not know it, but she has dealt with many issues and influenced a lot of people. She said that she would take in all the responsibilities involved around her, and her friends are there to support her and carry those responsibilities with her." They continue to stare at the raven haired girl who tackled the ball from a teammate of theirs and passed it to the other. Heiwa was shouting for next three people after Karin's team and tossed the ball in the air for the upcoming team.

The exhausted teammate kicked the ball and missed the goal. Karin stopped from going around and ran quickly to the exhausted girl, checking her condition. Heiwa shouted for one of their teammates to take over and continue the drill before she comes back. The brown haired ran to the other girl who suddenly collapsed on Karin and asked what the issue was. Toshiro couldn't understand what they were saying, but he could understand what it looks like. Heiwa seemed to try to talk about bringing the exhausted girl to the nurse's office, but Karin shook her head and said that she would bring the girl to the office. Heiwa hesitated a bit, but she nodded, agreeing to Karin's terms. The brown haired girl ran back to the team, and some of the friends asked how the collapsed girl is. Heiwa nodded and told them that she's going to be fine because Karin was going to bring her to the nurse's office.

It was true.

Karin carried the girl on her back and started to walk out of the field without moving one of the girl's limbs. Densetsu stood up and sighed, muttering to himself.

"It seems that Karin-chan is going to be out for a while. Might as well take over for her." Before the coach left, he turned head to see Toshiro and stated.

"She is indeed a strong girl, but someday, she might crack if the weight is too much." The couch turned his head back and called everyone's attention. Toshiro stared at the man's back before shaking his head and walking away from the soccer field, undetected.

0000

"Arigato. Tell her that she has the day off tomorrow. Sayonara!" Karin waved to the nurse and walked out of the room. Karin felt responsible for not paying attention to her teammates, and now one of her teammates is exhausted. Karin walked downstairs and thought about how much pressure she was putting on her teammates. The raven haired girl stopped, clenched her fists, and gritted her teeth in frustration.

_Calm yourself, Karin. There's no way that you are going down because of this. You need to face this._

Karin unclenched her fists and relaxed her body, feeling the tension off her shoulders. When she felt her whole body relax, a splitting headache occurred. Karin grabbed the handrail from falling flat on her face and the other on her head.

"Itai… itai… itai…" She mumbled over and over again in pain.

_**Karin!**_

_Those voices again! Who the hell are you?!_

_**Karin! Karin! Can you hear us?!**_

_Us?! Who the hell are you guys?!_

_**Can you hear us?! Karin!**_

Karin couldn't hear them anymore as she felt the strange pain fleeting from her head. She slowly stood up and removed her hand from her head. Headaches do not occur in your head like an instant. It must have been something else. Karin looked around to see who was calling her.

"That's strange. No one's around." She muttered to herself and remembered what the voices were trying to say. They kept on calling her name out, saying that if she can hear them. She could hear them for Kami-sama's sake! They were yelling at them in her mind, dammit! Karin sighed and remembered those same voices yesterday. There were actually two voices in her head, but who were they?

"Kurosaki?" Karin looked behind her to see the white haired captain, staring at her with confusion.

"Hey, Toshiro! What's up?" Karin asked.

"I just sensed your reiatsu shot up for a few seconds, and then it returned to normal. Is there something wrong?" Karin thought for a moment. Yes, there was something definitely wrong with her. She wasn't going to say "Yeah. There's something wrong with me. I have two voices shouting in my head during the painful headache like they want to be heard. So, do you know what's going on?" Oh, no. She would be labeled as a mental patient, and she does not want to deal with her father. Karin just shook her head and smiled.

"No. I'm fine. I can control it." Toshiro crossed his arms and stared at her like he didn't believe in her lies. Not one bit.

"Are you sure?" Karin sighed in frustration and held her hips.

"Look. I'm fine, and I really need to go back to the field before Densetsu-sensei is going to chew me out. Let's go." Karin walked down the stairs, stubbornly and impatiently. She really didn't want to deal with this.

"Is there anything else I should know before I face your friend?" Okay. This is something she could deal with it other than being concern about her health. Karin pondered about this and found a solution.

"Well… there's a little charm I made. It's sort of a good luck charm and a protect charm. Just wear it on your neck, and the duel could either be a draw or a win." Toshiro raised an eyebrow and asked.

"Does it work?" Karin nodded.

"There's a legend behind it. If you make a charm, both luck and protection, for a person you are worried about and give the charm to them, it would protect the person who wears it from harm and would make the fight either a draw or victory." Karin and Toshiro were now on the first floor and were walking to the entrance of the school building.

"I just gave it a try, and my first one was not exactly the same as the one in the book. Heiwa wanted independence from Natsu, but to gain her independence, she has to fight Natsu in a duel. I was worried about her because she was never good on swordsmanship, but I didn't show it. So, I gave Heiwa my own charm, and in the day of the duel, Heiwa surprisingly won." When they were out of the school building, the two stopped.

"Well… that's enough that. I have to go." Karin smiled and was about to run. However, she felt Toshiro's hand on her shoulder, and Karin looked over her shoulder.

"Nani?" Toshiro blushed and looked away, feeling his pride being crushed by one human girl.

"I have a request from you." Karin blinked a little and then grinned.

"You want to borrow the charm, right?" Toshiro nodded a bit. Karin still grinned and promised him.

"Don't worry. I won't tell a soul. Of course you can." With that said and done, Toshiro released her and stared at the running girl who was going to join her teammates. His mind raced over what Densetsu said.

"_She is indeed a strong girl, but someday, she might crack if the weight is too much."_

"Kurosaki did feel pressured a lot. What is making her feel tense? ... I just hope I relieved her a bit." Toshiro whispered as he walked toward the soccer field.

**Omake:**

"So… Karin-sempai…" One of the girls walked up to the raven-haired girl who was packing up after practice. Densetsu wanted a little chat with Toshiro, so they were out of hearing range. Karin looked at the younger student who had the glint in her eyes.

"Nani?"

"You seem familiar with Hitsugaya-sempai, even though you two first met." Another one walked up to Karin, joining her teammate.

"Hai. It's like you two first hate each other when we saw you and him in front of the soccer field. Later, you guys have a mutual friendship when you were coming back. Did something happen along the way?" Karin shook her head, feeling her whole team ganging up on her.

"Now… wait a minute… where are you guys getting at?" The group of girls looked at each other and smiled… in Karin's case… evilly.

"Oh. Is there a possibility that you guys are… going out in the future?" Karin blushed and looked away.

"Y-you guys are getting the wrong idea. We are NOT going out." The girls were still smiling.

"Yeah right. That's not what Heiwa said." Karin's blush intensified and stuttered.

"W-what do you mean?"

"Heiwa told us that Yuzu told her that Hitsugaya-sempai is living under the same house you are living, and Yuzu called him, 'Toshiro-nii-san.' Are you guys getting married?" Karin blushed and screamed, wanting to kill Heiwa who left early.

"IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK!!"

**A.F.:Don't worry, Karin-chan. You'll get over your denial. Also, the legends in this story are fakes. I made them up to keep the story a fiction.**


	7. Childhood Friends

**I am very sorry about holding up this long. My computer crashed and erased all of the stories in my computer, so I have to start over again in this chapter.**

Chapter 7: Childhood Friends

"She's more than dead." Karin muttered as she kicked the soccer ball forward. After soccer practice, Karin searched for Heiwa around the team. However, one of her teammates said that she left early for an event at home. She growled and kicked the ball a bit farther.

_Event my ass! That's just an excuse to get out of there and leave me behind!_

Karin forgot the mention that Heiwa left Karin alone with Toshiro, but she would not think about that in any way. Toshiro walked behind her just in case she spaced out like last time. The Kurosaki girl looked like she was normal since she was gritting her teeth and kicking the ball forward.

"I'm going to sneak into her house, grab her baby pictures, and show them to the class! That'll show her!" Karin was still ranting about it, and Toshiro couldn't hold in his snicker. It was sort of hilarious to see her lose her temper over nothing, and the girl was something... special... in Toshiro's vocabulary.

"What are you laughing at, Toshiro?" Karin snarled at the snickering captain. Toshiro just shook his head from laughing, but he just smirked at her.

"Nothing." Toshiro said, making Karin roll her eyes. They continued to walk down the sidewalks in silence. Karin looked around to figure out this place. It was familiar to her, and she took this road on some days. They were walking beside a narrow river. The grassy slope was easy to slide down on the flat grass. There was a bridge nearby that leads to another place for cars. Toshiro looked around and frowned.

"Kurosaki, this isn't the way." Toshiro said.

"No. It isn't." Toshiro's eyes were now focused on Karin who stopped in the middle, looking at the river that reflected the sunset in different colors. Her eyes were no longer ignited in flames nor had that playful glint in them, but it reflected some sort of happiness… in a sad way. Toshiro didn't say anymore and looked at the river with Karin. The silence took over for a few minutes before Karin broke it.

"Ne, Toshiro?"

"Hai?"

"You said that the sunset brings back memories, right?" Toshiro nodded, remembering what he said when Karin and Toshiro met for the third time. Karin closed her eyes, remembering what happened three years ago.

_A pissed off thirteen year old girl was chasing another girl who was at same age. It had been for hours that the short haired girl was in pursuit of the long brown haired girl because of what the brunette girl just said about her team. The raven haired girl was not very pleased and stomped up to the cold hearted girl, saying that it is not childish. The cold hearted girl brushed the raven haired girl off like she was an insect, but the raven haired girl always came back to bother the brown haired girl._

"_Bug off, Kurosaki!" The brown haired girl shouted as she continued to run across the road near the river. It was sundown, and Karin was still chasing the girl, not giving her body at least a decent rest._

"_Not until I get an apology out of you, Kazeru!" Karin increased her pace and was catching up to the running Heiwa._

"_I don't even need to apologize to a child like you!" Heiwa responded, noticing Karin's speed and trying to increase her own pace. However, Heiwa was getting a bit exhausted from all the yelling and running. Karin found an opportunity when she was close to Heiwa and tackled the running girl down. Heiwa yelped and fell on the ground with her face flat on the dirt. Karin panted and wiped the dirt off her face. It has been three days since Heiwa escaped from Karin's sight, but she finally caught her. The raven haired girl stood up on her feet, grabbed the girl's collar, and lifted her up face to face, not caring if Heiwa was the same height as her._

"_Finally caught you! Now, you apologize to my friends about what you said!" Heiwa, however, didn't back down and snapped at her._

"_Heck no! I'm not going apologize to a kid like you!" Karin argued back._

"_You ARE a kid like me! Don't you act like a grown up all the time! How do you know about how a grown up should act?!" Suddenly, tears spilled from Heiwa's eyes as Heiwa shouted at Karin._

"_You don't even know me! You don't even know what I have been through! Do you know how painful it is to lose okaa-san, being seen as just Natsu-kun's nee-san, or being pitied because of your gender that you can't be the next heir, no matter what you do?! How the hell do you know about not acting like an adult?!"_

_The next thing she knew was that she was facing to the side and felt the pain on her left cheek. Heiwa sat up quickly, holding her cheek with surprise. She looked at the girl who looked down like she was about to cry or something._

"_Wha-what the hell was that for?!" The four eyed girl shouted._

"_I'm sick of this." The tomboy murmured._

"_Nani?" The girl whispered._

"_I am sick of this 'what I have been through' crap!" The tomboy glared at Heiwa with tears of rage. Karin began to exclaim everything from her mind._

"_I am sick of this! If you lost your okaa-san, tough it up because she wants to see you not grieving over her forever! If you are sick of just being seen as just Natsu's nee-san, prove to them that you are just more than that! Challenge Natsu to prove that you are your own person! If you are being looked down, stand up for you own self and say that you will prove yourself that girls can do better than boys! If you think you lost your childhood self, you are wrong!" Karin quickly wiped her tears away and pointed to the surprised Heiwa who didn't say anything._

"_There's always a kid inside of you! That kid never dies! It's never too late for just playing games and to enjoy life! This is your life, Heiwa Kazeru! Don't let others walk over you because they want to! Stand up and fight!"_

_The wind blew gently, and Heiwa couldn't move, speak, or think. She just stared at the girl in front of her. Heiwa just smirked and stood up._

"_Wow. That speech is really something." Karin shouted in anger._

"_What was that?!" Heiwa still smirked._

"_Pretty corny from you who I don't know, but it was very… interesting." Karin's anger disappeared for a moment, feeling surprised. Later, Karin grinned and rolled up her sleeves._

"_Well then. Let me hit that head of yours to let you know about me, painfully." Heiwa still smirked and crossed her arms._

"_Bring it on, Fruity." A vein popped out of Karin's forehead as the raven haired girl charged toward the cold hearted girl._

"_That's it!"_

Karin smiled and chuckled, feeling better whenever she came here. After that incident, the two girls were friends in a physical fighting. Heiwa was much colder and cares less about what people say. She did stand up for herself and beat her brother for her own independence. Heiwa was also feared by her own family because she had much potential, so the family tried to bring her down by saying she was just a girl and cannot be the next heir. Karin hoped that there would be a place where she would be accepted as her own being. Both of her hand cradled her head, feeling the wind breezing through.

"Remembering something, Kurosaki?" A voice beside her reminded her that she wasn't alone. Karin just shrugged and continued walking, kicking the ball a bit farther.

"Something like that." Toshiro sighed and shook his head, walking behind the happy girl. He couldn't help but smile at the girl, feeling that he should bring her here on some days.

0000

"Tadaima!" Karin exclaimed when she entered her own home. She heard laughter in the living room and wondered what the heck they were laughing and who was there with her two family members. She heard footsteps coming, and Yuzu peak her head out with a big smile.

"Karin-nee-san! Toshiro-nii-san! Come in, quickly!" Karin took off her shoes quickly and walked to the living room. When she saw who were occupying the couch across her father, she could not believe what she saw. The ball dropped from her hand also made an effect that she was surprised.

"Ichi-nii?! Rukia-nee?!"

Yep. The carrot top head was sitting on the occupied couch next to the raven-haired woman with his arm around her. It has been three months since Ichigo and Rukia were there, and Karin felt a lot of pressure off her shoulders.

When Ichigo left Karakura to college in Tokyo with Rukia, Karin and Yuzu secretly protected the whole town. Karin was the first person who gained her powers when Yuzu accidentally pulled Karin's soul out of her body. Yuzu was sick and thought the glove was the mitten for the baked cookies. Karin came to the kitchen to check on her sister's condition. Yuzu felt dizzy from standing up and started to fall, trying to grab onto something. The raven-haired girl saw this and ran toward her fallen sister to catch her. Yuzu's hand grabbed onto Karin's wrists and pulled Karin. Karin caught her sister, but she felt something separated from herself… well… her soul separated from her body.

Before she could say a greeting, she heard Toshiro stopped behind Karin and saw the two wide eyed people, greeting them like the usual.

"Konbonwa."

"Toshiro!" The two people exclaimed as Karin now felt the weight pressed down on her shoulders… once again.

0000

"So… I'm gonna have another brother-in-law." Ichigo muttered in disbelief. Isshin nodded with great pride and happiness as he patted Toshiro's back. Rukia squealed in delight and hugged Karin, congratulating both Karin and him. Karin retorted back with denial that her father didn't think correctly and with embarrassment by the thought of Toshiro and her together. Toshiro's eye twitched, regardless of his calm status.

"Shiro-chan saved Karin-chan from drunken men! Therefore, he and Karin are going to be married. I am very proud to have a son like him in the family!" Ichigo, Toshiro, and Yuzu sweat dropped when they saw Karin free from Rukia's grasp and drop kicked the father in the head.

"Ano… where would you two be sleeping when Toshiro-nii-san is sleeping in Ichigo's room?" Yuzu asked the married couples. Ichigo thought about it and said.

"I think I would be sleeping on the couch. Rukia would take the guest room-"

"Nonsense!" Everyone turned their attentions to the father. He pointed his thumb to himself with a big smile.

"I will be sleeping on the couch. You and Rukia-chan will be sleeping in my room!" Ichigo was about to say something, but Rukia beat him.

"Arigato, otou-san!" The raven-haired girl hugged her father-in-law with joy. Ichigo mumbled in misery as the twins giggled and Toshiro smirked. When Rukia released Isshin, Ichigo coughed. Rukia blinked in confusion until she remembered why they were here for.

"Minna-san? There's something I want to say why we are here." Everyone perked their ears to hear what she had to say.

"One: Ichigo and I are here because Ichigo finished his semi-finals." Everyone sweat dropped because they thought it was something important.

"Two: I'm three months pregnant." This time… everyone had their jaws dropped and their eyes wide. Karin and Yuzu squealed and hugged Rukia, happy enough that they were going to be aunts. Isshin cried in happiness and ran up to the poster of his wife. Ichigo smiled proudly, and Toshiro looked at everyone with a slight of happiness. Next, the orange haired man was glomped by his sisters who were very happy. Toshiro smirked to see the famous Ichigo Kurosaki, captain of the new fourteenth division, trying to get the two girls off him with much effort he could. Rukia and Isshin were laughing at the struggling Ichigo. It was one happy family Toshiro was involved in.

0000

"Say what?" Karin whispered to Yuzu across her bead. It was already night time since Rukia and Ichigo came over to visit, and Isshin said that it was time for bed. Everyone made a face and shouted that they were not children. Isshin, being the greatest former captain in Soul Society, glared at everyone with his "do-what-the-captain-says" look. The next thing the twins know they were in their own room with lights off.

"Heiwa said to meet her at the river tonight in your shinigami form. She wants to discuss with you, privately." Yuzu repeated. Karin sighed and looked to the floor next to Yuzu's futon. Inu and Chu were sleeping next to each other with a mini blanket. Yuzu thought it was so cute that she had to take a picture. Karin thought it was cute also, but she never showed it. Karin smirked and scratched Inu's ear, waking her up and look up.

"Nani? Go to sleep…"

"Could you take over my body and sleep until I get back?" Inu rubbed her eyes and yawned.

"Fine…" Karin smiled and shoved her hand in the mouth. With much silent struggling and grunts from the raven-haired girl and the toy dog, Karin finally got the candy out and swallowed it, separating her soul from her body. She quickly grabbed the mask and hat from the drawer and wore them. Karin opened the window, and Yuzu shivered and pulled the quilt over herself, feeling the draft in the room. Karin muttered a small apology and quickly disappear using Shunpo. Yuzu walked over to the window and closed it quietly. Yuzu looked out with concern and placed her hand on the window.

"Karin-nee-san… is in pain, but what kind of pain?"

0000

Heiwa stared at her masked self through the running river. It was dark, but the moon shone light, reflecting her mirrored image. Her hand hovered over the water like she was trying to control the running water. She drew her hand back when she sensed the upcoming reiatsu. She sighed and stood up from her crouching, spotting Karin who appeared behind her.

"You've come." Heiwa spoke through her twin voices. Karin crossed her arms and grunted.

"In a middle of the night, you had to pick the worst time in the right place." Heiwa chuckled and sat on the grass. Karin walked a bit closer and stood beside the masked girl's right, staring at the river with the masked girl. They were silent, remembering their formed friendship in one place. Heiwa sighed and stated.

"You know, I never got you back when you punched me."

"Why is that?" Karin asked. Heiwa continue to stare at the running river, feeling at ease.

"I never thought that I would learn something very important from you whose seven months younger than me." Karin retorted back with a bit of anger.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Heiwa shrugged and felt Karin's foot on her head with a lot of force. Heiwa had a good balance, so her head was leaning on her left while her whole body stayed straight.

"Answer my question, peace soldier." Heiwa sighed and nodded, signaling her that she would tell. Karin smirked and stopped pushing her head. Heiwa stared at the water and told her.

"If it wasn't for you, I would never be here for a long time. I thought you were just an annoyance who wouldn't give a damn." Karin smirked and asked.

"So… I'm not annoying?" Heiwa scoffed.

"You're still a pain in the ass."

"Hey!" Heiwa held her hand up, stopping Karin for a bit.

"But… you are strong, good willed, and care about others… other than just us." Karin blinked and smiled softly, planning on not beating the crap out of her. They stayed there, hearing the water rushing gently and the crickets chirping.

"I sensed two powerful reiatsus nearby, Karin. Do you know?" Heiwa asked.

"Hai. Ichi-nii and Rukia-nee are here, and guess what?" Karin questioned Heiwa who sighed.

"Lemme guess. They are here because Ichigo-san finished his semi-finals." Karin sweat dropped and scratched her head.

"Ano… that's one, but guess another thing." Heiwa blinked and gave some thought about it. However, nothing came up in her mind other than Ichigo's arrival.

"I don't know. Tell me." Karin gave a big smile and stated.

"I'm going to be an aunt!" Heiwa stared at Karin for a bit before smirking.

"So, Fruity is going to be an auntie. Wait until Karin-ba-san is going to be driven crazy by a little kid." Karin glared at the smirking masked girl, laughing dryly.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." Heiwa grinned behind the mask and looked at the river again.

"Ne, Karin?"

"Hai?"

"Could you tell Ichigo-san to watch over Karakura town? I need Yuzu-chan and Natsu no baka in my home." Karin blinked and gasped a little.

"Is your inner Hollow… trying to take over?" Heiwa grimaced and nodded, remembering the fight… twice. She hated attacking, but what could she do? This was a Hollow she has to face, and it was difficult for her because she was fighting with shields. She was defensive over the offensive. She could throw her shields like discs to slice the Hollows in half for long range, swing one of her shields for wide range, and tackle with her shield forward for short range. However, she only used those for counter attacks. She worked on her defense and counterattacks, but she never was the offensive type. Karin sighed and reluctantly agreed.

"Fine. I'll tell him." Heiwa sighed and stood up.

"Arigato." Karin made a face.

"Hai. Hai. Just don't get yourself killed. If you did, I'm gonna find your soul and kick your ass." Heiwa waved her hand, getting her message. Heiwa started to walk away, but she stopped and snapped her fingers.

"Oh. I also forgot!" Heiwa turned around and asked with a grin.

"When are you and Toshiro getting married?" Karin slapped her own forehead.

"We. Are. NOT. Getting. Married." Heiwa just shrugged.

"Yeah, but I saw you glancing at Toshiro a lot. You have a crush on him, do you?" Karin stammered with a bit of nervousness.

"I… demo… we're not…" Heiwa laughed it out and waved her hand.

"Don't worry. You're secrets safe with me and the team. Another thing, if you tell a soul whatever happened here, I _will_ tell everyone about your little crush on the white-haired boy." Karin blinked and crossed her arms.

"Whatever." Heiwa shrugged again and took off with Shunpo. She looked back a bit to see Karin still standing there, and then she looked forward.

_Karin…you influenced me. Arigato, my friend. I will not fail you._

Karin stared at the spot Heiwa where she took off. Karin felt happiness and relief, and she dashed away back home. However, neither of the two girls sensed a Vaizard nearby. The Vaizard was hiding behind a tree nearby, and the Vaizard had a mask with right marks on the left side… not to mention having orange hair. The Vaizard looked back where Karin disappeared and smiled… a sad smile.

"Ichigo…" He felt a hand on his shoulder, and Ichigo looked to his side. Rukia smiled sadly and looked where Karin left. The two could still remember what happened three years ago.

"_You should be proud of her."_

"Ichigo, let's go home before she's going to suspect anything." Ichigo nodded, carrying Rukia in bridal style and disappeared quickly.

**Omake:**

Karin snuck in quietly and dashed into her body quickly. She felt her soul and body connected again, and she spit it out the candy, putting Inu back into the toy dog. Surprisingly, the doll was sleeping like nothing happened. Karin sighed, feeling her body slipping into sleep.

"WAKE UP, ICHIGO! TOSHIRO!"

"What the hell are you doing?!" Karin snapped her eyes open, still wanting to sleep more. Thuds and crashes are heard again in the hallway and rooms. Karin grumbled, stomping on the floor and not caring if she woke up Yuzu, Inu, and Chu. She slammed the door open to see Isshin pinning Ichigo on the wall and holding Toshiro down on the floor by the foot on his back. Rukia walked in the room with a pissed off face and rolled her sleeve up.

"Karin-chan. Will you help me beat some sense into them?" Karin nodded and cracked her knuckles for a morning warm up.

"Gladly."


	8. Winter versus Summer

**Me: …**

**S.A.N.: What's wrong, AF?**

**Me: Did you know about C.T.E.'s birth inside of me?**

**S.A.N.: No. Why?**

**Me: I just noticed that Shinigami and C.T.E. are actually Deaths here.**

**C.T.E.: (walks in) I. Am. Not. A. Rip. Off.**

**Me: I was thinking about that!**

**C.T.E.: How could you say that I, wearing a black cloak with a hood over my head, having a right boney hand, and cutting every soul for a living, am a riff off from Bleach?**

**Me: Because! You're wearing black and have a weapon on your hand… oh… wait… you're actually a rip off from the Grim Reaper.**

**C.T.E.: (glint) That's it. (Takes out scythe)**

**Me: AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!**

**S.A.N.: Animefreakdoesn'townBleachbecauseitbelongstoTiteKubo! Bye! C.T.E.! Stop chasing her!**

Chapter 8: Winter versus Summer

It was an after school event, and everyone stared at the transfer student with a little fear. They all knew about what happened yesterday, and everyone was looking forward to it. Natsu was grinning and pumped up for the upcoming event. Ururu just left and went after Natsu to make sure he was NOT going to injure himself. Besides, the whole group except Natsu knew that Ururu has a crush on the reckless idiot. Heiwa never knew what did the girl saw in that brother of hers, but as long Natsu doesn't hurt Ururu's feelings, she's okay with it. Jinta still has a crush on Yuzu, but Yuzu… is a Kurosaki after all.

Toshiro slipped on the armor and grabbed the wooden sword from the bench. He was about to grab the helmet, but Toshiro spotted the charm that Karin gave him.

_Toshiro stared at the green diamond shaped charm that was on Karin's palm. The charm contained two kanji words on each side: the front has the word "protect," and the back has the word "luck." It was badly written, and it looked like it was beaten up like a rag doll. Toshiro looked up to meet Karin's face, questioning her if she's joking. Karin glared at him, stating the obvious._

_"This is no joke, Toshiro. This actually helped Heiwa win the battle. Even though it looked like it came out from wherever, Heiwa always wore it when she and I were in a game." Toshiro still stared at the girl and shook his head._

"_Nevermind. I will fight him without it." The next thing he knew, he was facing a pissed off Karin who yanked his collar down to her height._

"_You said that you would take the charm." Toshiro glared at her with his icy glare, not backing down._

"_I change my mind." Karin's face turned red in anger, but she released him and walked toward the fence, looking at the city and her back facing him. She took a deep breath and put her hand on her forehead. Toshiro stared at her back with confusion. Usually, she would argue with him and give him the look, but this was different._

"_Look. I'll make a deal with you." She said with her face looking down on the ground._

"_I'll tell you something that is up with Natsu, and you'll wear this charm in the duel. Is that good for you?" Toshiro opened his mouth but closed it, choosing to not turn down the offer. Karin was the only source of information he could get about those mysterious humans and the three Vaizards, even if she is hard to deal with. Toshiro sighed and nodded with a bit of reluctance._

"_Fine…" Karin turned around with a big smile. She walked toward him and held out the charm to him._

"_Here." Toshiro looked at the charm before taking it from her hand. Karin smiled and nodded._

"_Alright. Now for your bargain. There's something up with this duel Natsu always challenge other people. I don't know if Natsu knows how about reiatsu, but he is definitely using it in a duel." Toshiro raised an eyebrow, finally interested on this. Karin continued when she was not interrupted._

"_Two years ago, a classmate in the same class was challenged by Natsu. It was actually the first duel I had to witness through Natsu's duel. Heiwa dragged me there to watch. I did, but it was no normal duel. Natsu fought the guy with his own reiatsu and won against him. After the duel, the guy felt pain on his leg and arm. On the next day, he had one bone fracture on his leg and surgery on his left arm." Karin bit her bottom lip and continued._

"_I thought last year was a fluke, but the next year was worse. The next opponent was a hothead, and Natsu challenged him. We thought Natsu was hyper since he was excited about being captain of the kendo club. Heiwa and I were watching the duel again, but something was up. I saw Natsu's reiatsu flared up, and he attacked the boy with one strike. I was about to stop him, but Heiwa stopped me, telling me that I couldn't interrupt Natsu's fight… no matter how bad it is." Karin clenched her fists, trying not to cry._

" _I just…I just stood there, watching the fight. The boy was taking all the blows and didn't have a chance to attack. When he finally lifted his sword to block one attack from Natsu, his wooden sword broke into pieces. Natsu hit his head and lifted his sword again for another strike. Heiwa dashed in and grabbed behind him, telling him that he has already won. Three other club members grabbed his arms to prevent him from striking, and two other dashed in to the guy's side just in case." Karin gave out a shaky sigh and unclenched her fists._

"_Later that day, the guy was hospitalized. Everyone was scared of Natsu because of what happened in the duel. No one wanted to challenge him or face him in a duel, so that's why I told you to be careful."_

_Who knew that Karin had a concerned side? Toshiro looked at the charm on his hand and back to Karin who was fighting off her tears. He closed his eyes, regretting about the thought of not accepting Karin's charm. He opened his eyes and nodded._

"_For you… alright." Karin looked up with surprise and a bit of happiness. She smiled genuinely._

_"Arigato."_

Toshiro stared at the charm and sighed. Every time he held onto the charm he could remember Karin's face. When he was about to just forget the charm, his mind went back to Karin's hurt face. When he held the charm on his hand, he could remember her smile and her voice, thanking him, laughing at him, arguing with him, and worrying about him. He slipped the charm over his head and hid it in his armor.

_I hope this thing works._

Toshiro slipped the helmet over his head and grabbed his wooden sword. He didn't notice the charm glowing dimly under the armor.

0000

"Stop pacing around, Karin-nee-san." Yuzu stated, watching her sister pacing back and forth outside of the club. Karin dragged her out since Heiwa was preparing the club. Karin told Yuzu that they shouldn't talk to Heiwa for today because her inner Hollow was bothering her… again. Also, Karin passed the message to her little sister that Heiwa needed Yuzu's assistance to help heal injuries and set up a barrier. Karin stopped on her tracks and looked at Yuzu with a concerned face.

"I can't help it! What would happen if the charm doesn't work? What if-" Karin stopped and glared at her grinning sister.

"I don't like you, Yuzu-chan." Yuzu still smiled and shrugged.

"I'm not the one who's walking back and forth, worrying about the duel... mostly about Toshiro-nii-san." Karin blushed and looked away, crossing her arms. Yuzu giggled, but she stopped and turned around. Karin and Yuzu heard murmurs and a group of boys gathering in front of the entrance. The girls dashed in the club and tried to get through the crowd. Yuzu was apologizing, but Karin was a bit rude.

"Sumimasen."

"Coming through."

"Ah! Gomen nasai!"

"Kuso! Move! I need to see what's going on!"

They struggled through with much strength and finally got to the front. Karin gasped slightly, and Yuzu covered her mouth a bit. Toshiro was standing on the right, and Natsu was standing on the left. They were already in their armors, and the crowd was cheering for either Toshiro or Natsu.

"Where's Heiwa-chan?" Yuzu asked as the two girls scanned around the crowd. Karin found her and pointed in front.

"There." Heiwa was facing Jinta with a serious face, instructing the red head. Karin and Yuzu felt sorry for Jinta who was sweating like crazy. Heiwa was definitely suppressing her inner Hollow because they could see her strained eyes, her scowling face, and her darker personality. She handed him a hand counter to tally the hits, and Jinta nodded without an argument and definitely not facing a very dark Heiwa. Heiwa faced the whole crowd and announced with a stern voice.

"Listen up! This duel is about to begin!" The whole crowd cheered, hooting for the cold transfer student or for the excited captain. Heiwa silenced everyone by pointed one finger in the air. Then, she pointed to Toshiro and later Natsu, still announcing.

"Hitsugaya Toshiro and Kazeru Natsu will be fighting each other in this duel. The rules still apply in the kendo club, but there are two rules added to this duel. Rule one: Hit any body parts as many times as you can. I do not care whether it's on the head, at the face, at the stomach, or where it hurts the most," all the guys who are in the kendo club winced and covered the center of their lower body part, "They only count as one point. Rule two: you only have thirty seconds. Since this duel is only thirty seconds, make this quick and snappy."

Heiwa took a deep breath and backed away from the fight just a little bit. Jinta was about to stay behind Heiwa, but the Kazeru girl grabbed behind his collar and brought him out. Jinta sighed and accepted his fate, going to watch the intense fight.

"Ready?" Heiwa looked at the two sword fighters who held their swords out. Everyone held their breaths, staring at the two experts and feeling the tension.

"Hajime!" In a flash, the two wooden swords clashed into a stalemate. Natsu was grinning behind the caged mask and removed his left hand away from his sword and behind his back. The two fighters moved back, and Toshiro swung his sword sideways.

_Gotcha._

**SMEK!**

_What?!_

Toshiro's sword collided against Natsu's sword, but Natsu blocked Toshiro's sword by the hilt. Natsu smirked and twisted his wrist, smacking him on the side of the face. Everyone continued to stare at the fight, and Heiwa pushed the button of Natsu's score. Toshiro frowned and moved back, trying another move again. However, Natsu dashed forward to have another hit, thrusting his sword forward and sending a bit of reiatsu power.

_Shoot!_

The tip of the sword hit Toshiro's left arm, sending pain with it. He remembered what Karin said and understood what she meant. Natsu was sending little of his reiatsu to injure his opponents whether or not it was a duel or not. Toshiro swung his sword and hit Natsu's shoulder, gaining one point. Natsu held his sword up and brought it down to hit Toshiro's head, but Toshiro blocked it, making another stalemate.

"Just in five seconds!"

"So fast."

"Who's in the lead so far?"

"Kazeru is in the lead."

Toshiro glared at the smirking Natsu and pushed him away. His sword quickly hit Natsu's head, but Toshiro felt a wave of pain on his ribs when Natsu hit the left rib. He gritted his teeth and blocked another strike when Natsu was going to swing his sword again. Toshiro was now fully aware and blocked every attack, trying to find an open spot without getting hit. Every time he blocked Natsu's attack, Natsu comes back with another strike. Every time he hits Natsu, the Kazeru counterattacked with his reiatsu, inflicting pain. Everyone was now excited and shouted encouragement to either Toshiro or Natsu. Karin couldn't say anything to either of the boys. She wanted to cheer for both, but it would only make things worse. Natsu is her childhood friend, but Toshiro is also her friend. They were running out of time, and she could only watch them, hoping for a draw.

_Come on… where's the opening spot?_

The white haired captain continued to block every swift attacks and to walk back to evade his sword thrusts, and he was losing this duel. Dammit! He is a captain level, and this kid was making fun of his status. Natsu continued to strike him without any thought or awareness. He noticed something that was unprotected.

_Just a little more…_

Natsu now swung his sword sideways that was close to Toshiro's head.

_Now!_

In slow motion, Toshiro ducked and quickly struck Natsu's right rib, gaining one point. Then, the sound of the whistle screeched in the room, stopping the two fighters and making everyone cover their ears. Natsu and Toshiro turned their attention to Heiwa who had the whistle in her mouth and the hand counter on her hand. The whistle fell from her mouth, and Heiwa spoke with a less stern voice.

"Time's up." Jinta gave her the other counter, and Heiwa compared the scores between the two fighters. Finally, Heiwa looked up, watching everyone who wanted to know who won.

"It's a tie."

Everyone was silent for a second until they shouted, causing a small earthquake around the kendo club.

"**WHAT!!**"

"Hold on, Nee-san. There's gotta be fluke. How could it be a tie?" Natsu asked Heiwa with disbelief. Heiwa held out the two devices in front of Natsu's face, showing the same score.

"Twenty-two hits for Natsu, and twenty-two hits for Toshiro. It's a tie." Natsu's face faltered and sighed, taking off his helmet. Toshiro took off his helmet and face the Kazeru kid. Natsu scratched his neck, trying to figure out what to say. Finally, he held out his hand to Toshiro.

"You are really an expert. You have my respect." Toshiro stared at the hand and back to Natsu's face. Then, Toshiro grabbed Natsu's hand and shook it.

"You're not really bad yourself, Kazeru." Everyone cheered with happiness and congratulated the two fighters. The fight was so intense and was the best fight they seen for just thirty seconds. Yuzu went there to congratulate her older brother and her friend while Karin sighed in relief and stayed behind to see the gathering.

**Omake:**

"Oy! Toshiro!" The white haired boy turned around to see the raven-haired girl walking behind him when the club members left the room. She smiled in relief and praised him.

"Congratulations. It's too bad that it's a draw." Toshiro shook his head, meaning it was all right. Then, he remembered the charm.

"Kurosaki."

"Hm?"

"I need to give you back the charm."

"Oh! Right." Toshiro grabbed the string around his neck and pulled out the charm… or what's left of it.

"It's burned…" Karin stated. The kanji sign was still in tack, but the small cloth had small holes like it was burned through. Toshiro stared at the charm with amazement. How did it get burned? Toshiro just slipped the charm over his head and didn't do anything.

"I… I didn't do anything! It was fine when I put it on!" Toshiro exclaimed, but Karin shook her head, smiling with happiness.

"No. It's fine. I'm just glad that you are safe." Karin gently took the burnt charm from Toshiro's hand and looked at the charm with a bit of sadness.

"Gomen ne." Toshiro said with a bit of regret. Karin shook her head and reassured the captain.

"I told you! It's fine. I can make another one like this. You don't have to apologize."

"Aww… how cute." The two turned their heads to the entrance, seeing the group grinning at them. Actually, Yuzu and Ururu were having the starry eyes like they witnessed a romantic scene, and Natsu and Jinta was grinning at the blushing Karin and Toshiro. Heiwa just stayed neutral, watching the scene with her friends.

"So… when's the wedding?" Natsu asked before a wooden sword flew straight to his forehead by the two blushing teens.


	9. Unknown Savior

**Hey guys! I'm back! I was gone for vacation, but I still made this chapter. Enjoy the story!**

Chapter 9: Unknown Savior

"Kurosaki just left?" Toshiro asked the brown haired girl. After the duel, the kendo club members bothered Toshiro and Natsu, asking a lot of tips of fighting. Toshiro didn't say anything, but Natsu told them to shut up before he would shove his sword up in anyone's butt. It took the whole hour to get out of the club and walked straight to the soccer field, only to find the whole team done and packing. They waited for the two girls to get out, but when Heiwa was out, Karin was nowhere to be seen. Yuzu asked Heiwa about Karin's whereabouts, but she just shook her head, saying she was busy packing up.

"So it would seem. I heard her shout that she was leaving early because something just came up. I'm not quite sure, but whatever came up, she could take care of it by herself."

"Heiwa-chan!" Yuzu scolded, but Heiwa shrugged her shoulders.

"Hey. It's true. Karin would beat up anyone who is going to mess with her. Oh, by the way…" Heiwa looked around the group, looking for something.

"Has anyone seen Hitsugaya?" Everyone looked around and found out that the white haired kid was nowhere to be found. Everyone sweat dropped when they couldn't find a trace of his existence around them.

"Hitsugaya-san left to find Karin-chan." Ururu sighed. Heiwa closed her eyes for a bit and looked at Yuzu and Natsu.

"Oh well. Hitsugaya would have to find Karin by himself. Yuzu, Natsu-kun. Let's go over to my house." Jinta jumped up and down in excitement.

"Oh! Oh! Could Ururu and I help?" Heiwa sighed in annoyance and started to walk away.

"Do what you want. Just be careful."

Meanwhile, Toshiro was running to find the troublesome girl. Karin just left, and she didn't even tell anyone where's she heading. Toshiro's cell phone didn't pick up any Hollow activity, so Karin wasn't heading to any active places. He ran to the riverside to find the girl. However, she wasn't there. Toshiro frowned and ran again, hoping to find her where they stare at the sunset. When he reached to the rail, Karin wasn't there either. Toshiro thought for a moment, trying to recall any place Karin hung out from the last six years. Suddenly, his cell phone rang in his pocket, interrupting his thoughts. The captain grabbed his cell phone in his pocket and flipped it open, holding the cell phone to his ear.

"Nani?" Shouts were heard through the phone, and Toshiro held the phone away through arms length. He could figure out that voice.

It was Captain Ichigo Kurosaki… scratch that, a very pissed off Captain Ichigo Kurosaki.

When the volume subsided or stopped abruptly, Toshiro finally put the phone next to his ear without a problem.

"Hello?" Rukia was on the phone instead. He wondered what happen Ichigo, but he didn't care.

"Gomen ne, Hitsugaya-taichou. Ichigo tends to lose his temper when Karin-chan and Yuzu-chan are not home. We already called Yuzu-chan, and she said that she is going with her friends to Heiwa-chan's home. She doesn't know where Karin-chan is, so she thought you knew where she is. We tried to call her, but she didn't pick up her cell phone." Toshiro sighed, thinking about the missing Karin.

"No. I can't find her."

"You lost her?!" Rukia gasped, and Ichigo shouted through the phone.

"YOU LOST HER, SHORTY?!"

"ICHIGO!!" Toshiro could hear the silence after the Rukia's outburst. Who knew Rukia could be scary?

"Gomen ne, Hitsugaya-taichou. Ichigo doesn't know who is the boss around the house." The chirpy Rukia apologized through the phone. Okay… she's definitely beyond the word scary, despite her cheerful personality.

"O… okay."

"Oh! Yeah! There's something Ichigo was supposed to tell you before he got angry." Toshiro could hear the muffles clearly through the phone.

"Ichigo, you talk to him what Karin-chan wrote on the note before she left."

"Me? You were reading with me, so you tell him!"

"I had to put up your reaction! Now you talk to Hitsugaya-taichou about the news!"

"Demo-"

"Now. Ichigo."

"Yes dear." He could hear the phone handed to the captain of the fourteenth division, and Ichigo's voice was normal… if Rukia wasn't behind him.

"Oy, Shorty!" A vein popped on Toshiro's forehead when he hears that word. There might be a high possibility that Karin picked up Ichigo's habit from the last years. Other than that…

"Kurosaki, don't call me that. I'm at the same height as you are, so don't push it." Ichigo chuckled and let the captain of the tenth division continue.

"What did she wrote?" He could hear paper rustling and later Ichigo's voice.

"She wrote a message from one of the Twin Bladed Shinigami's friends. One of them said that something was wrong with the blue masked friend, so they asked for our help to watch over the town while they find out what's wrong."

"I see. Arigato, Kurosaki-taichou."

"Hai, hai. If you find Karin, tell her to get back home before she's in trouble. I had to deal with otou-san in here from going out to drive around the town."

"Hai." Toshiro shut his cell phone and slipped it back into his pocket. He took out the candy dispenser and swallowed one, separating his soul from his gigai.

"I'm going to find the Kurosaki girl. Go back to the Kurosaki residence and wait for me." The gigai saluted, and the two separated

0000

In the middle of the soccer field, Karin was standing wearily with her hands on her knees, panting and sweating. It had been some time Karin was kicking the soccer ball again and again. Some people thought she was practicing to improve her skills, but Karin was trying to get stronger in her human body. She couldn't turn to her Shinigami form because it would cause suspicion and not to mention being busted, and God knows what Ichigo would do if he found out that Karin is a Shinigami.

"Come on, Karin. Once more."

Karin held her right hand over a soccer ball next to her with her reiatsu. The soccer ball reacted and shot up to her hand, making a loud smacking sound. Karin gritted her teeth from the pain because she forgot to control the ball, but the ball was attached to her hand. Karin threw the ball up and kicked it in midair, sending the ball straight to the goal… very quick. The ball hit the net and skidded against it.

Karin quickly held out her right hand and recalled her soccer ball. The ball flew away from the goal and went straight to the girl. Karin then swung her foot on the upcoming ball and smacked it, sending it to the goal again. Karin's intention was to fall on the ground with her two feet up in the air. Her upper body twisted, and her left hand was her balance. Karin's right hand reached for the ball again, and the reaction from the ball was returning to the user.

Karin cut off the reiatsu from her hand and slammed it to the ground for full support. Her left heel smacked the ball, sending it to the goal again in full speed. Karin's lower body slammed on the ground, and the girl panted heavily from her self-training. She opened her eyes and stared at the orange sky.

"Kuso."

"That was an interesting performance, Kurosaki." Karin turned her head to the right and saw the Shinigami Toshiro with his arms crossed. Karin quickly sat up in embarrassment, thinking that Toshiro would make fun of her.

"How long were you there?"

"Long enough to see you kick the ball three times." Karin slightly blushed and stood up. She held out her hand, and the ball flew straight to her hand, lightly smacking her hand. She dropped the ball and trapped it with her foot afterwards. She walked up to the captain with a serious face.

"Ichi-nii sent you to find me, didn't he?" Toshiro nodded, confirming her thoughts. Karin sighed with annoyance and lifted the ball on her foot, not letting it fall.

"Baka nii-san. I can take care of myself. Why does he continue to worry about me and Yuzu when we are not home?" Toshiro shrugged.

"It's natural for him to worry about his family, right? Just like you, Kurosaki." Karin stares at Toshiro for a bit and sighed.

"Whatever." Karin was about to walk away, but she sensed a very strong reiatsu behind her. She quickly turned around to see a black void in the middle of the soccer field. Toshiro's cell phone beeped, and he flipped open the phone. It was beeping all right, but it was large.

"Is… is it a Hollow?" Karin asked with alert. Toshiro nodded but frowned.

"It's similar to a Hollow… could it be a Menos? No… a Vasto Lorde?" Karin shouted in confusion.

"NANI?! What's a Lorde Vasto doing here?!" The void grew larger, and Toshiro unsheathed his sword, pushing Karin behind him to protect her. However, a huge force slammed the two away even though Toshiro was in the front. Karin was exhausted from her training and was knocked unconscious when the force hit her. Karin's body slammed on the grass and rolled a bit on the ground. Toshiro's feet skidded on the ground and stopped in front of the unconscious Karin. Toshiro looked behind to see the girl was not harmed.

"Oh shoot. I didn't expect a Shinigami to be here. A captain to be exact." The woman's voice stated as the Lorde Vasto stepped out of the void. The woman looked like human, around 5' 5". She had very short messy red hair and green sharp lifeless eyes with black shades. She wore brown gauntlets that had spikes on her knuckles and black steel boots. Her black cloak covered her black tank top and black kaki pants with three straps around her left leg. The hole on the center of her chest definitely showed that she is a Hollow. She looked at the captain with a malicious smirk.

"You must be Hitsugaya Toshiro. Nice to meet ya." Toshiro's eyes widen. How the hell did she know his name?

"Who are you?" The red-head girl smirk and mocked a surprise.

"Oh. I didn't say my name. The name's Windy."

"Wind… dee." He pronounced slowly, not feeling the familiarity from certain words. Windy nodded.

"Hai. That's my name, but I doubt that you'll remember."

"And why's that?" They heard another voice from the side and turned their heads.

"Kurosaki-taichou." Toshiro murmured under his breath.

"So this is the famous Kurosaki Ichigo, captain of the fourteen division. I heard about you." Windy stated while Ichigo stayed stern.

"I'll say it again. Why is that?" Ichigo asked, making the Vasto Lorde smile evilly.

"Because I'm going to erase your memory about everything that has happened here when I'm gonna eliminate the girl, Kurosaki Karin." Toshiro moved his feet a little to the side to block the Hollow's sight of Karin. Windy laughed and slapped her lap.

"Hahahahahaha! Oh man! You should see the look on your face! Priceless!" Ichigo dashed toward the Hollow and slammed his zanpakuto where Windy was standing. However, Windy dodged the quick attack and skidded on the opposite side of the fourteenth captain. She whistled to sense the strength and reiatsu of the two Shinigami captains.

"Holy crap. This is going to be fun. I'll play along." Ichigo growled and lifted his zanpakuto again.

"Get the hell out of here, and stay away from Karin." Windy just smiled and stood up straight.

"Not a chance." Her two index fingers slipped in her mouth and under her tongue, and she whistled, very loud. After one second of her whistle, sparks were heard and seen above and behind her. There were becoming more visible and were now formed as a ball of electricity. She smiled and held her arms out.

"These are my reiatsu power. Let's see if you can protect the girl while dodging my sparky friends. If you manage to hit me, I'll leave. If not, say goodbye to little Karin." Some of the sparks surrounded the Hollow, and most of them were still in the sky.

"Go!" She yelled, sending the floating spirits straight to the guarding Toshiro and the aggressive Ichigo.

"Set upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" Toshiro called out his zanpakuto's name, and his sword transformed. The nearby electric energies turned into a large ball of ice and fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. Toshiro kept his guard up and will freeze any energy near him or Karin. The energies quickly flew straight to Ichigo to stun or inflict damage on him. However, Ichigo was quicker and slashed the energies in half. The Hollow woman was sitting on the goal, observing the scene before her. They were putting up a good fight and were eliminating the electric balls quicker than she thought.

"I think I'm going too easy on them." She muttered as she increased the speed and power of her reiatsu. The electric energies started to increase its size and became more dangerous since the electricity was becoming quicker. Ichigo and Toshiro noticed the change and increased their guard and power. However, they failed to see the speed and infliction from the electric balls. Ichigo was fighting off the gathered energy balls, but they were quick and inflicted injuries on him. Ichigo felt stunned and pain all over his body. The shocks from the electricity paralyzed some of his body parts, mostly on the legs and his left arm.

Toshiro continued to freeze and slash every oncoming electric ball. One almost reached to Karin's unconscious body, but Toshiro blocked it with Hyourinmaru. Windy frowned and tapped her fingers on her left arm. She sighed and got off the net, feeling the need to get rid of the annoying Shinigami.

"I guess I have to break the rules after all." In a split second, she punched the guarded Toshiro straight to the stomach. The white haired captain spat out blood from his mouth as he saw the smiling Hollow.

_Impossible. How could a Hollow use Shunpo without being traced? Is she equal to Yoruichi-san's speed? Is she this strong?_

Toshiro suddenly felt pain all over his body and shocks in his nerves. The energy balls finally got him and injured his whole body. The tenth captain fell on the grass hard on his back. He opened one eye and struggled to look at the Hollow woman. Windy looked down at the unconscious girl with a fist of electricity above her head.

"Too bad. Too sad. You two should have come after me than one of you attack and defend. Oh well. A loss is a loss." Toshiro felt his strength revived from the shock and quickly got onto his feet with no time. Toshiro use Shunpo again to attack Windy, but he suddenly fell on the ground with a hand around his neck.

"Toshiro!" Ichigo shouted but screamed as the ball of energy hit his back, stunning him in the same spot.

"Little pest. I'll deal with you first." Windy recoiled her fist and was about to smash his head to the ground. Toshiro could see everything flash before him: his childhood life, his Shinigami life, the day he met Karin, the day he helped win the soccer game, the day he saw her grown, her determined face, her laughs, her angry expressions, her smiles…

0000

"Holy crap…" Natsu gawked, not believing what he saw. Yuzu and Ururu stared with wide eyes and didn't say anything. Jinta's reaction was a jaw drop and his endless questions.

"How the hell? What happened to me?" Heiwa stared at herself through a mirror with her bangs covering her face, but she was normal like a human would be… just the difference of the new look.

"How the hell did you get _that_?! How the hell did you gain this power?!" Jinta continued to ask constantly.

"I don't know. Just give me some time to find out where this come from." Heiwa answered with a calm attitude, but she was really confused what was going on. She is a genius, but this discovery baffled her down to the core.

"Do you remember what happen during your fight against your inner Hollow, Nee-san?" Natsu asked, and Heiwa recalled the battle. For a moment, she didn't answer her friends until she looked up.

"I think I know, but it is very intense and risky." They suddenly sense a very powerful reiatsu, alerting them. It also shook them with intense force and felt their bodies tense up instantly with different emotion: surprise, excitement, fear, and shock.

"What is that reiatsu?" Yuzu asked when she hid behind Jinta.

"Is it a Hollow?" Ururu asked, but Jinta shook his head.

"No. It's too pure to call it a Hollow."

"Whose reiatsu is that? He must be very strong to gain that level." Natsu grinned when he clenched and unclenched his left fist from lashing out. Heiwa kept her mouth shut, trying to figure out whose reiatsu was releasing the power and figuring out the strength of the power.

_Unlike a Quincy's power, this power could cease an existence of a human or a Shinigami immediately, making the soul or body disappear…forever._

0000

Toshiro snapped his eyes open to see glowing orange light. He stared at the light with awe and thought this was an angel sent down from Kami-sama. The light was formed of a woman with long hair and large wings like an angel. Her body was curvy and slender, and her eyes glowed soft blue light. Her soothing light calmed Toshiro from tension and the energy balls from attacking. The energy started to disappear one by one, and some disappeared completely near a foot radius around her when they tried to attack her.

Windy was on the ground, tasting the dirt and creating a seven foot long ditch on the soccer field. She groaned and got up with her hands and knees. She spat out blood with distaste and glared at the glowing woman. She got up and used Shunpo to attack the glowing woman.

"Why you-" She was cut off when she felt numerous pains all over her body for one second and was down to the ground again. She looked up to see the glowing woman already near her.

_Who…what the hell is she? Is she using Shunpo without wasting so much reiatsu? Her power… it's tremendous! She didn't even attack my reiatsu when she was near them!_

Windy created a void and used Shunpo to make a quick get away. She slipped through the dark void and sent a message to the Shinigamis and mysterious woman.

"I'll be back to kill the girl."

The void disappeared quickly, and the Hollow was gone, disappearing from being detected. The winged woman turned around and walked calmly toward the injured captains. Her reiatsu flowed gently like a breeze from the wind and calmed the two captains. Toshiro and Ichigo's strength and reiatsu instantly recovered and could move. The two stood up and stared at the glowing woman, unsure about to trust her or to be suspicious about her.

"Who… are you?" Ichigo asked, but the woman shook her head and quickly disappeared from their sights.

"Hey!"

"Kurosaki-taichou. She's already gone, along with her reiatsu." Toshiro stated calmly even he was also surprised by the instant disappearance of the woman. A moan was heard from the side, and the two captains turned their heads to see Karin gaining consciousness. Ichigo dashed to his sister's side while Toshiro calmly walked to the conscious raven-haired girl.

"What… happened? Ichi-nii? Why are you here?" Karin asked while she held her head from the throbbing pain.

"We were attacked by a Vasto Lorde." Toshiro bluntly stated. Karin thought they won since there were burn marks and healed wounds around their bodies.

"So, you guys won." Ichigo shook his head.

"No. We lost." Her eyes widened and panicked quickly.

"If you lost, then how are we still alive?!" Toshiro held his hand up to shut her up, and surprisingly, it did work.

"Someone helped us on our battle, but we don't know her name since she disappeared without a trace." Karin stared at them with disbelief. She wanted to ask them if they are joking, but their eyes were telling the truth… no matter how hard it is to believe.

0000

"Are you sure about this, Windy?" A woman's voice asked in the dark room. Standing on the middle of white pavement, Windy nodded, showing the dirt and bruises around her arms and legs.

"Hai." The man laughed darkly and stepped out of the shadows, aqua green eyes glowed in the dark.

"Windy, Windy, Windy. Are you sure you aren't imagining things?" The man had blond hair that was tied into a low ponytail. His black trench coat flew behind him. He had black army boots and black pants with a brown belt loosely hanging around his waist. His zanpakuto and sheath were slipped through the belt, easier for him to take his sword out. The hole was in the middle of his muscular chest, representing him as a Hollow. Windy glared at the blond man.

"I wasn't imagining things, Tsunami. I would be dead if I hadn't got out of there." The man grinned and tsked the glaring Hollow woman. A sigh was heard from the side, and another man stepped out of the shadows with the coldest glare from his dull sapphire eyes. His brown short hair was in a messy state, and the hole was on his chest. His zanpakuto was wrapped around his waist, securing it from falling.

"Enough. Our lady has something to say." The three faced the woman's outline in the dark. She stood up and grinned with her teeth glowing with malice.

"Arigato, Flare. It seems that little Karin has few surprises up her sleeves she doesn't know yet. Let us sit back and watch their progress. We'll send some Menos and Hollows if it is necessary."

**Omake**:

Ichigo returned to his body and found Rukia asleep on the couch. He smiled and carefully picked up his wife bridal style. Not long after that, Toshiro and Karin entered the residence and entered the living room, seeing Ichigo carrying a sleeping Rukia. Karin grinned and teased her brother.

"Aw… I never seen you as a husband type." Ichigo blushed and glared at his little sister and the smirking Toshiro.

"You are lucky that I'm nice for a change." Karin rolled her eyes and rubbed her head, remembering the scolding and the smack on the head from her angry brother after the battle.

"I don't think you're that nice." They heard Rukia murmured in her sleep, and it was one of the most surprising things from her.

"You look so cute in the Chappy Bunny costume, Ichigo." Ichigo blushed and excused himself from the gapping Karin and the wide-eyed Toshiro, running quickly up the stairs.


	10. Legends of Angels

**Me: ****Nyuuuuuuu**

**S.A.N.: ****Animefreak****! What's wrong?!**

**Me: I need to finish up my summer reading for school, and I haven't finished the two books. Also, school is coming up soon!**

**C.T.E.: … that's it?**

**Me: Yes.**

**C.T.E.: …pathetic.**

**S.A.N.: ****Animefreak**** doesn't own Bleach.**

Chapter 10: Legends of Angels

It was night and late for people to do anything else. The streets are empty, and the neighbors are prepared to go to bed. Some drove back home late because of work or because there was an emergency. The two captains were not yet sleeping because they were talking to the General-Commander of the Gotei 13 about the battle.

"I see. So this new Vasto Lorde is powerful enough to defeat the two of you. Addition to the new information, Hitsugaya-taichou said that a strong power from an unknown person defeated the Hollow without taking damage and instantly healed you, correct?" An old man from the communicator asked with slight interest. Toshiro nodded.

"Hai. She is very powerful and saved us, but she disappeared without a trace of her reiatsu or detection, Yamamoto-taichou." The first division captain nodded and thanked the two captains for the report.

"Arigato. Hitsugaya-taichou, you may leave. Kurosaki-taichou, I have something to discuss with you." Toshiro was surprised and glanced at the not so surprised orange haired man. He seemed to know what Yamamoto was thinking, but it was between the two captains. Therefore, Toshiro couldn't interfere no matter how curious he is.

"Hai." Toshiro bowed and turned around to walk out of the room. He closed the door behind him and continued to walk to the stairs. When he reached to the living room, he heard Karin talking on the phone and stood behind her, listening to what she was mumbling about.

"… did you give Kazeru-san the letter I wrote to him?... good, good… nani? Brownie has… You need to stay over to…? I see… All right. Take care Yuzu… make sure she… Hai, Hai. I got it… Fine. I'll see you tomorrow." Karin hung up the phone and turned around. Karin froze on the spot when she saw Toshiro overhearing her conversation with Yuzu. She was starting to sweat a little, thinking that she was already screwed. They stayed on the same spot in silence before Toshiro started to speak.

"Kurosaki-"

"It's not what you think! Yuzu just told me that she would be coming here late because Heiwa needs more help on her project! That's all!" Toshiro stared at idiotic Karin with a sweat drop. When he was about to say if she was all right, Karin just panicked like she was hiding something she knew.

"What are you talking about? I was going to ask if you are alright." Karin sighed in relief.

"I'm fine. You just startled me." She, then, scowled at the man before her and ranted.

"Why the hell were you just standing there? Do you know it is rude to eavesdrop behind someone's back? I'm not sure if you do that in Soul Society, but it is rude. You hear me?" Toshiro had an urge to roll his eyes but suppressed it. He just shook his head and just took it. He stared at the girl who reacted strangely by just denying something that was out of the main point. He wasn't going to let her slide this one out, but he'll play along.

"I hear you. However, I'm not the one who is rude to others and mumble through the phone." Karin glared at the white haired boy to cover the blush. Toshiro inwardly smirked at her attempt to cover up the glare. She was definitely embarrassed. The phone behind her rang, and Karin turned around to pick up the phone and ignore the young man behind her.

"Moshi mosh…" She mumbled and made the conversation unclear. "Otou-san! SHUT UP! ... no… Yuzu's going in to be late… otou-san… er… Heiwa, Natsu, and Yuzu… working on project… don't tell me to… Hell no! He is not going to read me a bed time story! I'm already sixteen years old!... gulp… fine. I'll… sleep… promise me that you'll never bring this up again… got it?… okay… don't worry about… Oyasumi nasai." She hung up and sighed, feeling tired and stressed out. She turned around again and walked passed the captain, muttering about needing sleep. She looked at the captain and hesitantly sighed.

"Hey, Toshiro."

"Hm?" Karin blushed and scratched her head, trying to put words into place without crushing her dignity. Oh for Kami-sama's sake! This was far too humiliating for her. She was already old enough to make her own decisions, and the old goat just made it worse. Even though her father is smart and understanding, he still treats her like a kid. He also threatened her by trying to push the humiliation further in the town. Very clever for someone who's in the clinic again for another patient…

"Okay. Don't laugh or tell anyone about what is going to happen in this house, or I'll make your life here a living hell. Understand?" Toshiro raised an eyebrow and nodded slowly. Whatever it was, she looked like she wanted to commit suicide on that very spot after the conversation with her father. Karin took at least three deep breaths and spoke out against her pride.

"You are going to go with me upstairs and read me a bed time story by otou-san's 'order.' If you are going to ask why, he said that I have to do it or he'll make my life a living hell. And for the sake that is good, don't even dare smile or smirk! It's not funny!" Karin shouted with a very red face and caught a glimpse of Toshiro's mouth twitching.

Toshiro wanted to laugh at her or smirk in amusement, but he didn't, no matter how hard it was to keep the humor in. The strong Kurosaki girl was easily succumbed to the former captain's orders by humiliation. He shook his head and kept a calm face, patting her head before he passed her to the stairs.

"Fine. We'll go to your room. It's time for bed."

"Will you shut the hell up, Toshiro? You're not making this any easier." She grumbled as they walked up the stairs and to her room. Karin opened the door and walked in with Toshiro following her. Karin sighed and sat on her bed. Toshiro sat next to her, and the two blushed slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable.

"Then what would you want me to read about?" Toshiro asked to break the awkward silence between them. Karin thought for a moment and looked at the books in the mini bookshelf. The twins were in high school, so Isshin bought them a bookself for their summer reading books or any other outside reading. Karin thought it was a stupid idea, but Isshin was right. Karin scanned the books around and knew which book she knew about it. When she reached to the children's books, she almost forgot about it. Her index fingers slid on the small spines of the eight books.

_I almost forgot about these._

When she reached to the end, she picked the last one, slipping the book out and reading the title on the cover.

"Densetsu no Tenshi: Shinu and Tanjou."

"I heard about that." Toshiro stated when he heard the title. Karin nodded and walked back to her bed, giving him the book. The cover had gold engraved letters and two people holding each other's hand: a black figure of a man with black wings and a pink figure of a woman with pink wings. He stared to recall the legend of the ten angels.

"There were ten angels who have a different legend in each angel: Hyouzan, the angel of ice; Kasai, the angel of fire; Mizu, the angel of water, Kaze, the angel of wind; Chikyuu, earth; Hikari, light; Yami, darkness; Shinu, death; Tanjou, birth; and…" He trailed off, trying to remember the last and famous angel out of all the legendary angels. Karin blinked and tilted her head in question.

"You can't remember what the last angel, can you?" Toshiro shook his head, and Karin sighed sadly.

"It's okay. Don't push yourself." Toshiro felt guilt and changed the subject.

"Since when did you get this book?" Toshiro asked with curiosity. Karin has a tomboy personality and would never cry in front of others, but she has a child book in her bookshelf.

"Heiwa gave me the eight books on my fourteenth birthday, saying I need to read the legends of the angels. There were supposed to be nine books, but one was missing in Heiwa's collection. She said that she lost it or it was left in her old home. This one was the most favorite out of all the books." Karin sat beside his left and leaned a bit over his shoulder.

"Why is that?" Toshiro asked when he flipped the book open to the beginning. Karin thought about it and finished with a dreamily yet sad smile.

"Because it reminded me of okaa-san and otou-san." Toshiro glanced at the raven-haired girl and looked at the story.

"If you feel sleepy, just put your head down on my shoulder." Karin looked at him with surprise and finally placed her head on his shoulder, inwardly very happy to hear the story with someone she likes. Toshiro started to read the story.

"Below the heavens, there was an angel named Tanjou who was sent down to slay the four demons of destruction. She was very beautiful and very caring for others than herself. When anyone was in danger, she helped them and aided the people as her first priority than her mission. Men tried to court her, but she always turned every single one down because no one would love her as she is. Not long after her, there was another angel named Shinu who was sent to bring the souls to heaven. When there was any death, he would find them and bring them up to heaven. He was famous and feared by many, but he wanted to be accepted as who he is." Toshiro turned the page and continued the story.

"On that one day, a young girl was about to fall from the bridge and into the rushing rivers. Shinu stayed back to wait for her death and take her soul up to heaven. The girl screamed for help, and her hand slipped from her grasp for her death. Out of the sky, Shinu saw a bright light dashing to the girl and caught her from death. Everyone was surprised and saying it was a miracle that Kami-sama saved the little girl from death. Shinu was surprised, but he was not the only one to be invisible to others. A woman with wings like him saved the girl and walked away without being noticed by other people."

Toshiro turned the page again and looked at Karin who was still staring at the book. She wasn't showing happiness, but her eyes were giving it away.

"Shinu was following her because he wanted to know more about this guardian angel. Days and nights, he learned more and more about her and started to love her for who she is. On the one day, she sensed someone following from behind. When she turned around to find the death angel following her, he was stunned to see her and afraid at the same time. Tanjou continued to stare at Shinu and took a step forward. On reaction, he took a step back because he feared of being rejected by the beautiful angel."

Toshiro remembered what Karin told Toshiro about her parents. Isshin was a famous captain in Soul Soceity and feared, but he did have a good heart that half of the Shinigamis accepted him. It was a wonder why Karin liked this book out of all the legends.

"Tanjou wondered why he was afraid of her and took another step. The step made Shinu run in fear in the forest. Tanjou ran behind him, calling him to stop because she wasn't going to hurt him. He continued to run, but he stopped when he saw the four demons with swords. He fought against the demons, but he was losing. When the final blow was about to pierce him, Tanjou intercepted and blocked the sword by a pierce through the shoulder. The two fought against the four demons and won against them, but the demons disappeared and said that they will return."

"Tanjou and Shinu were together, learning about each other and started to grow in love. However, Shinu's time was up and was about to leave back to his home. Tanjou asked if they would see each other, and Shinu said that no matter what happens to them, their love will never break. Tanjou nodded with tears in her eyes and gave him a charm that would protect him from danger. Then, Shinu disappeared, leaving Tanjou in the world." It was no wonder how Isshin and Masaki were sort of related to the story. Toshiro turned to the next page.

"The next decade, Tanjou was walking through a flower field because her mission was still continuing. Tanjou wondered where Shinu would be because it has been a long time. In the middle of the field, a wounded human figure slept there and didn't move. Tanjou ran to the wounded person and asked if he was alright. The man woke up and groaned, calling her name at the same time. Alarmed by his familiarity to her, Tanjou quickly stood away from the figure and asked how he knew her name, clutching her weapon with suspicion. The man said this, 'Because Tanjou… you gave me the protection charm ,and it worked.' Tanjou's eyes widened, and she dropped her weapon. Shinu was back with injuries, but he was smiling with happiness for his entire life. Tanjou ran to him and threw herself into his awaiting arms. The two were never separated ever again."

Toshiro closed the book and looked over his shoulder. Karin was already asleep and resting her head on his shoulder. He sighed and slipped her head off his shoulder, but he carried her upper body down to her own bed. He placed her head on the pillow and pushed her legs on the bed. Finally, the captain pulled the quilt over her body and tucked her in without a sound. He observed the sleeping girl, unconsciously moving a strand of hair away from her face.

She looked like a little child again, and his heart calmed with ease. Toshiro moved himself away from the girl and turned off the lights. He looked back to see her once more before he closed the door.

0000

"I see. It's happening right now, isn't?" Ichigo asked the general captain. Yamamoto nodded and continued the discussion.

"Just like the report said. She was telling the truth after all." Ichigo frowned and asked the general.

"Hey, old man. I have a request." Yamamoto nodded and listened to what Ichigo has to say.

"The Hollow… I felt that she's not exactly in the Hollow category or a Vasto Lorde. Would you research anything about what kind of Hollow is stronger than a Vasto Lorde? I have a feeling that this is not like the others during the Winter War." Yamamoto nodded, helping out whatever he can.

"I'll ask the Information Headquarters to find this higher class. Be careful. I have a feeling that this future battle will be worse than the Winter War." Ichigo nodded.

"You too, old man." The screen turned off, and Ichigo turned around to exit his old room. When Ichigo was out, he was a bit surprised to see Toshiro exiting out of his sisters' room. Toshiro saw the fourteenth captain standing in the hallway and sweat a little.

"Why were you in there, Shorty?" He asked with a bit of suspicion. Toshiro sighed and wished that he wouldn't deal with Ichigo who now wants to beat the crap out of him. He lied, saving Karin from humiliation.

"Don't get the wrong idea, Kurosaki-taichou. Isshin-san ordered me and Karin to go to bed, or he'll make our lives a living hell."

"But that doesn't explain why you were in her room." Toshiro walked passed the irritated Kurosaki and said before he closed the door behind him.

"It was a small request from Isshin-san. Don't push it."

0000

Karin woke up by a tap on the window. She looked at the clock and groaned silently. It was two o'clock in the damn morning, and someone was going to die. She looked down and saw Yuzu sleeping. It seems that Yuzu came back very late. Chu and Inu were sleeping with her to make sure she gets sleep before the next day of school. Karin quietly tip toed out of her bed and to the window. She slowly opened it up and looked outside.

"No one's there." She muttered and was about to close the window, but a letter was hanging by a string over outside. She wondered who was there and grabbed the letter, pulling it from the string as it broke. Karin was very suspicious about whoever found this place other than her friends. She looked at the front and whispered.

"Only for the Kurosaki twins and Kazeru twins a.k.a. Masked Shinigamis. Who is he? How does he know us?"

**Omake**

Heiwa stared at her ogre of a father and her twin with anger. She didn't like to have unknown guests in her house until she agreed with her family, and she didn't like to have unknown guests in six o' clock in the morning. Her father was huge and had a brown beard and messy hair. He was old but strong, wise but an idiotic father. The two males in the house stared to feel scared of the calm Heiwa who looked like she would create a tidal wave in any moment. Sitting on the couches, a busty woman, a bald headed teenager, and a pretty boy with feathers on his eyelid and eyebrow were staring at the irritated girl twin.

"Didn't I remind you that I want to be involved in whatever conversation you two were talking about before we have guests in the house, _dear_ Natsu-kun and otou-san?" She was very pissed about this, and the two men were scared of her, nodding out of fear.

"Of course!" Natsu agreed, but Hiewa was still not very happy about this.

"Then, why didn't you let me be involved with these terms?!" Natsu looked at their father, but the father gave him the letter. Natsu sighed in defeat and gave Heiwa the letter.

"What's this?" Heiwa took the letter and started to read. For a few seconds, Heiwa's eye twitched and turned around to the stairs, stomping up. Everyone stared at the disappearing girl and heard the stomps above them. The next thing they heard was the door slamming; what they don't know is that her strength ripped the hinges of the door and the door slammed on the floor, very hard.

"DAMMIT!! NOW I HAVE TO FIX THE DOOR!!" Natsu sighed and smacked his head on the table.

"That's better than we expected" The three Shinigamis stared at the boy in disbelief.

"Are you joking?" Rangiku asked the two brunettes.

"When we told her that she was tutoring her cousins…" Natsu muttered and looked at his father to finish the rest.

"You got to admit it though. That single punch on the wall definitely brought the house down."


	11. Until Three Days

**Me: Oh CRAP!**

**C.T.E.: (sigh)… you still need to finish your summer reading.**

**Me: Um… yeah… that. But I have to be prepared for school next Monday! And I'm not even finished with packing up!**

**C.T.E.: Great… Bleach belongs to ****Tite**** Kubo, so go ahead reading.**

Chapter 11: Until Three Days

Four pairs of eyes stared at the envelope lying on the desk in front of Karin. Karin slipped it out when everyone was out, especially Densetsu-sensei and Toshiro. They have the whole class room all to themselves, and they only have thirty minutes until they split apart for their clubs. Karin already explained how she got the letter, and someone already knew about them and their Shinigami forms.

"Argh! How the hell did this person know about us?! I mean, this person definitely knew about us, and we don't!" Natsu exclaimed in anger. Yuzu bit on her fingernail and started to become very troubled.

"I don't understand. Karin should have sensed the reiatsu nearby. How could we miss him?" The brown haired girl's eyes looked at the raven-haired girl in question. Karin frowned and shook her head. Heiwa agreed with her twin for once. She was getting suspicious about this whole thing, and she did not like it.

"This person may have hid his or her reiatsu somewhere, hiding him or her from Karin's detection. Maybe, he or she knew about us wherever we are." Natsu and Yuzu didn't say anything, and Karin closed her eyes. This… was bad. Someone could easily alert Soul Society about them, and search parties would spread all over Karakura town like wildfire until the four are found. Dammit! If only those voices could hear her…

"Karin…" She snapped her eyes open and saw everyone staring at her. She looked at each one and asked.

"Nani?" Everyone sweat dropped and sighed. Heiwa spoke with a bit of irritation.

"I will repeat it again. Would you open the letter since you received it?" Karin nodded and reached for the envelope. However, something sparked on her fingers, shocking her. Her hand retreated from envelope quickly, and she felt her fingertips sting.

"Karin-nee-san!" Yuzu ran beside her and took her burned hand to her. A light appeared behind Yuzu and went close to Karin's fingers. Her fingers glowed softly, and the burns disappeared in an instant.

"Arigato, Yuzu." Karin said as the light disappeared. Everyone stared at the envelope, not daring to reach it out again. Heiwa sighed and crossed her arms.

"There's a seal on it." Everyone turned their attentions to the genius who figured out what was going on.

"A seal?" Heiwa nodded and pointed her finger above the envelope. The three saw a strand of her reiatsu flowing to the envelope, and the seal appeared like a dome to cover the opening.

"There is one!" Yuzu exclaimed.

"It seems that only a use of reiatsu could break the seal. It's a small one, so I doubt that we should use a large amount on it. Oy! Loudmouth…" Karin made a face and dully glared at the Kazeru girl for both the name-calling and force volunteering.

"And why do I have to do it?" Heiwa didn't say a word, so Karin just did it. Karin held her hand over the seal, gathering a small amount of reiatsu on her hand. She released that small amount on the seal, and the dome disappeared.

"It worked!" Karin was surprised.

"But… there's a black spot on the envelope." Yuzu stated by her observation. Heiwa nodded, but she pointed to a tiny black spot in the middle of the envelope.

"Hai. It's because Karin didn't have full control on her reiatsu. This is what happens if you don't use the right amount of reiatsu." Karin glared at Heiwa and shouted.

"Then, why the hell did you choose me to do it?!" Heiwa sighed and explained.

"If I choose Natsu-kun, he would just burn the letter because he doesn't have _any_ control on his reiatsu. He's a fighter not a spell breaker." Natsu pouted, feeling the coldness of his twin.

"Yuzu couldn't break the seal because she only sends a very small amount of reiatsu to heal. She also needs to work on controlling her reiatsu."

"How about you?" Yuzu asked with concern, and Heiwa sighed.

"I have a new power, but I am still concern about it. I'm not quite sure if I have full control on my reiatsu. Remember the time I beat my Hollow the second time?" Karin, Natsu, and Yuzu winced and nodded.

"Hai… You actually knocked us out just by one counterattack during practice." Natsu stated, feeling the pain on his chest from that hard rock shield. Heiwa nodded and looked at Karin.

"Karin is the only one who didn't reach to Hollow stage or received her Shikai yet."

"Shikai? What's a Shikai?" Karin asked the brown haired girl with surprise, along with Natsu and Yuzu. Heiwa looked at the three and sighed.

"It's what my zanpakuto said, Aohi. Shikai is the second form of the zanpakuto. Aohi is a form of two shields, and Akatsuki is a form of a red sword. Hi, Hoshi, and Tsuki are from one zanpakuto divided into three beings and share one-third of the power." Natsu and Yuzu nodded, understanding what Heiwa was saying. Karin wasn't fazed by it and stared to suspect something from her.

_Why do I get the feeling that Heiwa isn't telling the truth?_

Heiwa looked at the envelope and back to Karin.

"Anyways… Karin has a very close small amount of reiatsu that matches to the seal. It wouldn't burn the letter or burn the inside of the envelope, but it did burn the outside. That's why I ask her to break the seal, despite the risk I am taking." After the long explanation, Karin took the envelope and ripped it open on the top. She took the letter out and flipped it open, reading the contents in the letter.

"What does it say, Karin-chan?" Natsu asked with curiosity.

"To the masked Shinigamis,

I'm quite surprised that you all have hid yourselves from the Shinigamis who are searching for the Twin Bladed Shinigami. You may have know about me or not, but you all know Jinta and Ururu. My partners and I have watched you and your every move when you are fighting Hollows or having a meeting to discuss the different matters. I know that three of you possess a Hollow mask, and the first one who received her Shinigami powers didn't. Like the quote always says, 'The first shall be last, and the last shall be first.'

Enough of this, here's a little something I want to tell you. Like Ichigo, who I trained to help him gain his Shikai, I am willingly to train Karin to gain her Shikai if you all agreed to this. I know all of you, but I will keep it a secret from the Shinigamis and Soul Soceity.

Boy with the red marked mask: If you are reading this, you have already mastered zanjutsu and hakuda. I have seen you enjoy fighting and use fighting techniques from both of your parents. You may have mastered the two techniques, but you need more training and more control on your reiatsu and powers. The fights you have experienced have become far too harsh, and one day you will injure a comrade if you keep your attitude up, despite your innocent looks.

Girl with the mask of green leaves: You have learned healing on your own, and you have supported your friends. However, you must learn how to fight against Hollows on your own, and you cannot depend on others so much. If you wish to learn to fight and defend, go to your otou-san and become stronger.

Girl with the blue mark mask: I know you have become suspicious of me, and I have become suspicious of you. You choose the defensive over the offensive, and you have intelligence. Despite your intelligence, you still have a lot to learn since you are learning the basics of many techniques. I will go no more, for you have been far too suspicious.

For Karin: I have known you from Ichigo and from the battles taking place in every location. You have a power inside of you that would save us all, but you must learn how to control it and learn the combats of battle. I will no longer go further in this because it would be spilling the beans.

For everyone: This is your choice. You have three days to decide along with the three Shinigamis. If you choose to gain Karin's Shikai, you all must drop one blood on the letter. If not, you can continue to protect Karakura town, but you will die once the real battle has begun. The future rests upon your decision."

Everyone felt that everything has stopped in one place. They stared and listened to the letter in horror and surprise. Natsu had his jaw dropped and didn't say a protest. Yuzu covered her mouth from gasping about how the person knew her. Heiwa's glasses were glaring from the sun, but her eyes were glaring at the letter. She clenched her fists with internal rage. Karin's hands shook, and her eyes were in fear from reading the letter.

"How the hell did he know about us? How long?" Karin whispered audibly when she released the letter from her grasp. The letter floated down on the desk and was merely forgotten. Heiwa calmly looked up to Karin's trembling face and looked down at the letter.

"What now, Karin? What's your decision?" Karin was quiet, unsure what to say.

"I would say that I would agree." The girls turned their heads to look at Natsu who was still staring at the letter.

"Naze?" Heiwa asked.

"He does sound like he's the mysterious guy around, but he wants to help Karin-chan get her Shikai or whatever. He doesn't sound like a bad guy to me since he wouldn't tell anyone about us." Yuzu thought about it and nodded with agreement.

"He does have a point. He may be acquaintance with otou-san, so he isn't that bad." The two looked at their twins who were still unsure about their decision.

"What do you think, Nee-san?" Natsu asked his twin sister. Heiwa glanced at Natsu and Yuzu with unsure eyes.

"I'll go with Karin on this one. It's her decision." Everyone turned their attention to Karin who was still thinking about it. She sighed and looked at the clock, letting everyone follow. It was almost time to depart.

"Give me exactly three days, guys. I'm gonna need to think about this." Heiwa closed her eyes and nodded, grabbing her soccer equipment and starting to walk away from the group.

"In three days, Natsu-kun and Yuzu will be helping me control this power. I expect an answer from you, Karin." Heiwa said as she walked out of the classroom.

0000

In Soul Society, there was a thriving place for all of the Shinigamis and souls. It has been years of peace since the Winter War and the Hollow Invasion in Karakura town. There were a statue of the famous Ichigo Kurosaki who saved Soul Society twice, and other statues of his comrades were placed in different areas.

In the middle of Soul Society, it was the headquarters of the Gotei 13 and main place of the first division. Three certain captains of different divisions were called to meet the General Commander of the Gotei 13 for information, and those three captains were from vice-captainless divisions.

"Momo-chan! How are you?" A blond haired man waved to his good friend. She giggled and waved back at him with a smile.

"Kira-kun. I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm doing great! As long there's no paperwork left, I'm doing fine." A sigh was heard ahead of them, and they turned their attentions to a punk who had a tattoo number 69, a bandage across his face, and scars down on his right eye.

"What's wrong, Shuuhei-kun?" Momo Hinamori asked with concern, but Izuru Kira put his hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to him to see him shake his head.

"Don't, Momo-chan. Today's the day of the anniversary." Momo's eyes turned into sadness and looked down to the ground. She felt bad for Shuuhei Hisagi. Momo still had her little brother, Toshiro, but Shuuhei lost his childhood friend in a mission they were going together. His childhood friend was concerned about others, but she didn't show her emotions. Sure she could be cold and senseless, but she was always calm and protected her friends from Hollows or egoistic Shinigamis.

"Guys, don't worry about me. She doesn't want to see me or everyone sad because of her death." The man stated with a slight recovery from depression. However, Izuru and Momo were still not convinced.

"Demo…" Momo said, but Shuuhei shook his head.

"Listen, it's not anyone's fault. It just happened, and she said that nobody is at fault. Whether it is something mission related or not, she already had a feeling that she was willing to die for us to protect us. If I did stop her, she would break through just to protect every single one of us." The three captains stayed on the same spots for a while until Momo nodded.

"Hai. It's best that we shouldn't grieve over her forever." Izuru grinned and nodded.

"I agree." Shuuhei smiled and turned around to open the doors. Momo and Kira were beside him and walked with him inside the General Commander's office. They continued to walk in and stood before the first division captain. The old man looked up and smiled at the three captains he called out.

"Ah, Hisagi-taichou, Hinamori-taichou, Kira-taichou. I've been waiting for you. Do you know why you are called here?" The three nodded, and Shuuhei answered.

"Hai. You said that the three comrades of the Twin Bladed Shinigami are seen around Karakura." He nodded.

"Hai. I did, but there's another reason I called you here. Are you familiar of the three comrades?" The three captains looked at each other with confusion and familiarity, and Izuru answered.

"Hai, but only in battle in the Hollow Invasion."

"Demo… where are you getting at, Yamamoto-taichou?" Momo asked with uncertainty. Yamamoto stared at them with intensity until he spoke out.

"Are you familiar with a Shinigami who uses shields in battle?"

**Omake**

"I'm tired…"

"You just said it two minutes ago, Kurosaki."

"Shut up, Toshiro!"

It was after practice, and the whole group was walking down the sidewalk to go back to their homes. The five, lagging behind the two arguing people, were getting irritated by their constant squalling. Heiwa was ready to slam the two heads together, but it seems Karin grabbed Toshiro's arm and in the photo booth nearby to continue the argument. Everyone stopped to see what was going on, and that's when Heiwa had a devious idea.

"Natsu-kun, gimme 500 yen from you pocket."

"Eh?! Naze?!"

"Because I lend you my money for safe keeping. Now give them to me." Natsu gave him a large coin and saw his sister dash to the photo booth without making a sound. She slipped the coin in the slot while the two were still arguing, and she quickly ran back to the group. Heiwa grabbed everyone's arms and ran away quickly.

"What about Karin-nee-san and Toshiro-nii-san?!" Yuzu asked with concern, but Heiwa reassured her.

"Don't worry about them! Just worry about us!"

In the photo booth…

**Flash!**

"What was that?!"

"Oh shoot…"

**Flash!**

"Get behind me, Kurosaki!"

"Toshiro! Calm down! It's just-"

**Flash!**

"Stay back, Kurosaki!"

"Calm down, or I'll smack you down!"

**Flash!**

**POW!**

"I said calm down!!"

**Flash!**


	12. Headaches

**Me: Ugh… I'm finally done with those books.**

**C.T.E.: Now… the book reports.**

**Me: … T.T Why are you always here?! Where's S.A.N.?**

**C.T.E.: She's in heaven to visit our Grandparents and Great Grandpa.**

**Me: Oh crap! I don't own Bleach, so save me!**

Chapter 12: Headaches

The next day was the second day of the deadline. Karin was still unconcerned about her decision, and Heiwa was learning about how to control her new powers. It was already lunchtime, and people were enjoying the scene before them. Heiwa said that she needed to go to the bathroom, leaving Toshiro and Karin who were already arguing about meeting other than the soccer field. She gave up on watching those two fight and left them for little cute flirting.

"Dammit, Shorty! I'm telling you not to come over to the soccer field! We have a final game in the tournament tomorrow, and I can't afford to have any distractions!"

"Then ignore me! Sheesh! Isn't that hard to do?"

"Bull! You always stare at me, and it feels like someone is burning a hole through me by a stare, considering you on the top of the list!"

During that _little_ episode occurring in the classroom beneath the four people of a group, Natsu and Yuzu cornered Jinta and Ururu on the roof, wanting answers from them. Karin probably forgot that Jinta and Ururu were involved with this, but Heiwa wasn't. It's just that Heiwa would come by later. Therefore, Yuzu wasn't good on anger, but Natsu was. Natsu wasn't called "Summer" for nothing.

"Ururu-chan, Jinta. You have explaining to do… such as knowing us our powers before we introduced it to you." Ururu winced at the angered tone coming from her crush, but she knew that he wouldn't result this into violence. He may love fights, but he would never fight a friend unless it was a safe challenge. Yuzu just kicked him on the right shin, making Natsu wince and hopping on one foot while holding the wounded shin.

"Are… are you mad at us?" Jinta asked with sadness. Yuzu reassured them and calmed their fears.

"We're not angry at the two of you. You are both our childhood friends, and we all have been together for a long time. We would not get angry or hurt you because you lied to us for a good reason. Please… tell us." Jinta and Ururu looked at each other and sighed.

"All right. We'll tell you, two." Ururu said.

"Make that three." Yuzu and Natsu turned around to find Heiwa leaning against the frame of the door with her arms crossed.

"I was wondering where the rest of you, guys, were, considering the fact that I wasn't enjoying what's going on beneath us." The two stiffened to hear her cold voice and thought to be angry. She looked at them with disinterest and sighed, figuring that her two friends were afraid now.

"Listen, I won't get angry. I just want to hear the explanation, with or without mentioning your boss's name, and get this over with." Natsu turned his head back to them and nodded with a smile, relieving them from the stress and letting them start their story.

0000

Karin was walking, or rather stomping, to the restroom to find Heiwa. Toshiro was following her to search for her friends, and she doesn't want to deal with him. Unfortunately, he had to follow her, but he wouldn't go inside the girl's restroom due to rules. Karin looked every single damn place where the gang hung out or where the girls mainly hung out: gym, dojo club, soccer field, baseball field, kitchen class (Yuzu's favorite, and the girls "outside" activities), and girl's restroom (where the girls all have to get out of their bodies). Karin was trying to find that blasted girl.

Sadly, Heiwa or the others were nowhere in sight, and it just added to her exhaustion.

Karin knew that it was almost time to go back, and the others would be back. When she was about to leave, the splitting headache occurred… again. Karin fumbled to the ground and caught the sink nearby to catch her fall. She held her head again, but this time, she could hear ringing in her ears.

"…"

Addition to it, she couldn't shout for help!

_Dammit! I can't say anything!_

_**Karin! Could you hear us?! Karin!**_

_Them again… I can hear you! Where the hell are you, guys?!_

_**Karin! Karin! Can you hear us?!**_

_Screw this! Who the hell are you?! Are you inside my mind?! Are you supposed to be my zanpakuto?!_

…

_Hello?_

_**Karin? Is that you?**_

"Karin! Daijoubou?" Karn could finally hear and looked up to see Ururu, Yuzu, and Heiwa, kneeling down to the raven-haired girl. Their faces wore an expression of worry and concern, not to mention alertness. Karin stood up and could feel the little pain in her head. She sighed and gave them assurance through a calm voice.

"Hai." Yuzu was still worried about her sister because she was stubborn to the bone.

"Are you sure? Do you want one of us to take you to the nurse's office?" Karin was about to say that she didn't need to go, but Heiwa stepped in.

"Karin. You _**need**_ to go to the office, immediately." Karin glared at the brown-haired girl, but she glared right back at her with a much stronger one. Karin's glare broke into surprise, and her eyes widened. Heiwa may be serious on things such as the mysteries of the events, but today, she was very serious that could mean that something was going to happen in the future.

"Naze?" Heiwa sighed and pushed her glasses from slipping. Ururu and Yuzu looked at each other with worry and back at the confused Karin. The brown-haired girl turned around to the entrance of the restroom when she didn't say anything. When they were out, the boys were surprised that Karin held her head in slight pain.

"What's wrong with Karin-chan?" Natsu asked when they ran to Karin. Toshiro held the girl in front of him, and her head landed on his shoulder, groaning in slight agony. Heiwa shook her head and commanded the white haired boy.

"Hitsugaya, take Karin to the nurse's office, quickly. She has a headache. We'll tell Densetsu-sensei about her condition." He didn't have to be told twice as he helped Karin walk to the office without collapsing on the floor. In his mind, he was concerned about Karin.

_Karin's reiatsu spiked up so suddenly. I know that it isn't a headache, but what is it? Could that be the reason why Windy wanted to kill her? And why there are…?_

Toshiro mentally noted himself to check up on the Kurosaki girl everyday. He frowned when he felt his heart feeling crushed and fired up. He could remember the face from the Hollow was expressing: wickedness, enjoyment of toying around, loathing every fiber of Karin's being. He would stop every single one of them to protect Karin from harm. The search would still continue, but he must be extra cautious around him since there is more than just Windy.

When they reached to the nurse's office, Toshiro opened the door and asked for assistance. The nurse quickly stood up and pulled the curtains of a single white bed. Toshiro helped her walk to the bed and told her to sit lie down on the bed. She did and let her head rest on the pillow, still groaning with pain.

"What happened?" The nurse asked.

"Kurosaki's friends found her almost collapsing on the floor. Kazeru said that it may be a splitting headache." Toshiro explained. The nurse nodded and searched for a medicine in the shelf. While she was searching, Toshiro walked to Karin's side and unconsciously held her sweating palm. He frowned, remembering the first time she had the headache. It could have been the pressure, but Karin said that she was fine handling the responsibilities. However, the headache came back so suddenly and left vengeance in her head. The nurse found the medicine and shook out two pills. She told him to hold her up, so she would take them since Karin couldn't get up on her own. He nodded and used his free hand to help her up. He felt her grip tightened, and she gasped out in pain.

"Toshiro…" Toshiro inwardly winced to hear her raspy voice.

"Just take the pills, and get some rest." Karin nodded and weakly took them from the nurse's hand. She slipped them in her mouth and swallowed them in the process. Toshiro carefully laid Karin down and pulled the covers up. He felt a gently squeeze from his hand and released him from her grasp, meaning to thank him. The nurse smiled and told him.

"You can go back now, Hitsugaya. I'll watch Kurosaki until she gets better." Toshiro nodded and gave one last look at the now sleeping Karin. His heart felt cold and couldn't decrease his heartbeat because of her pain. It was very different than her last sleep. Her sleep in the Kurosaki residence was a peaceful one that made his heart calm and unworried about her. In here, she was sleeping in pain, and there's nothing he could do about it. He could only brush a strand of hair away her sweating face and walk out of the office, hoping for the girl to get well.

**Omake:**

When Toshiro was back in his seat and staring at the board, he couldn't help it but feel like some people are staring at him behind him. It still happened when Toshiro returned from the office. Everyone just paid his or her attention to the bleached haired boy. Some glared at him, others smirked at him, and a few were disinterested.

"Taichou!" He cringed at the voice and side glanced at the window.

_Oh…shoot…_

There was Rangiku, Yumichika, and Ikkaku sitting outside in their Shinigami forms, grinning like they knew something. He hoped that they didn't spy on him.

"Oy! Taichou! How are you and Karin-san?" Yumichika smiled.

For the rest of the day, Toshiro Hitsugaya suppressed his energy to keep his temper down while the three Shinigamis tormented him outside of the windows.

**A.N. This story is going to be updated slower than usual because I have school tomorrow, and it's going to be a long school day to create a chapter, especially when I'm a senior now.**


	13. Doubts

**Me: Hey! Everyone! It's been a long time!**

**C.T.E.: Precalculus is hell. My head hurts from all those problems.**

**S.A.N.: But… you didn't complain about Creative Writing.**

**C.T.E.: It's because… in case you haven't noticed, we, THREE, are the same person. And where in the heavens were you?!**

**Me: (sigh)… I don't own Bleach.**

**S.A.N.: How about the order of the couples in here, AF?**

**Me: (blink) Oh! Yeah. Um… you see…**

**C.T.E.: You'll tell at the end of this chapter.**

**Me: Stop stealing my lines!**

Chapter 13: Doubts

"M-minna-san! I'm fine! Now, stop worrying about me!"

It was after soccer practice for the girls' final soccer tournament, and everyone was worried about the raven-haired girl. When she woke up, the nurse gave her a container with tablets for headaches. Later on, Densetsu asked about her health and recommended that she would take it easy. Stubborn as ever, Karin said that she's all right, continuing the practice. It had been a hassle, but Karin managed to practice with her health in check. Right now, Karin was walking ahead with her arms crossed and a scowl on her face. She hated to be babied ever since she was a child, and it mocked her and her dignity as herself. Nobody said anything before Heiwa broke it.

"Are you sure?"

**POW!**

"Kuso… what the hell was that for?!"

"For the last time, I'm FINE! Stop getting on my nerves, Wa-chan!"

"Is that a challenge, Rin-chan?"

"Actually, it is!"

The rest of the group just sighed and stared at the two girls fighting. They were fighting… outside of school… in public… causing a commotion. It took some time to separate the two, and Karin was next to Yuzu with a very, _very_ dark aura around her. Natsu tried to not run away and stay next to his sister with much energy forced on him to stick with her when Heiwa was emitting a silent raging aura.

"Oy! Minna-san!" Everyone turned his and her attention to Jinta.

"Nan deska?" Yuzu asked with curiosity.

"Could we borrow Toshiro for the rest of the day? He, Ururu, and I are working on a project in Physics." Ururu was about to say something else, but Jinta glanced/glared at her to shut up. Ururu got the message and nodded. The two grab each arm of the white-haired boy and walked away without a struggle.

"See you around, guys!" Ururu said.

"Make sure that Shorty gets home with bruises!" Karin chuckled when she heard Toshiro shouting at her, with the lines of "I'm not short!" When the guys were gone, Yuzu asked with concern.

"Ano… Karin-chan?" Karin turned her attention to her little sister in an instant. It's been a habit for her because of Ichigo's disappearance in the last years, and Karin was the only one there to take care of her.

"Nani, Yuzu?"

"Have you decided? Tomorrow's the last day." Karin's mind flashed to the paper. Karin's index finger tapped her chin, pondering about her decision. Today was the second day, and things passed by quickly. She remembered the words from the piece of paper and frowned.

This person… definitely knew them, and he said that he will train her to gain her Shikai… just like her brother. Her stubborn side said to refuse the offering because it means following a person's footsteps, but another side said to go with it because she must live and survive against the obstacles that would occur. This person definitely was familiar with her father and Ichigo, but what's his connection to the two men? Was there something she needed to know? If this was another event like history class, she was definitely not going to understand it much, but she could catch them a little.

Karin broke her thoughts and looked up to her patient friends who were waiting for her answer. Well… this was it. She wasn't going to back down on her decision, and the raven-haired girl was going to survive with the help she can get.

"Natsu, Heiwa… get Neko and Kon tomorrow."

"Hai." The twins answered in unison, no longer questioning their friend.

"Does that mean that we're accepting his offering?" Yuzu asked. Karin nodded and started to walk forward.

"Why turn it down? I definitely don't want to be killed in a real battle."

0000

The white-haired captain thought it was another meeting for all the Shinigamis, and he was correct. Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika were present in the shop like before, sitting on the same seats and waiting for him to come back to the hellish "high school." He thought it was an ordinary meeting about Hollows and other threats just like the previous. However, this meeting didn't involve about the Hollows. Oh no…

This meeting was involved with the twin bladed Shinigami.

Toshiro was surprised to no end. He could hear the details and the words echo in his mind, and those words are from the owner of the shop, Kisuke Urahara. This man, a former captain, definitely knew the identities of the three masked Vaizards _and_ the identity of the shinigami possessing two blades. Mr. Hats-and-Clogs smiled behind the fan, and he definitely knew what was going on. The master of riddles and mysteries was waiting for the questions from the four stunned Shinigamis.

"So, you say that you know their identities… but they don't know you, Urahara-san?" Toshiro asked with caution. Caution… Toshiro wanted to know who the mysterious Shinigami was, but he had to be careful. One question could lead him to a dead end by just a single word. All he need are some hints from him, and Toshiro would find them quickly as possible to end the mission. Toshiro is a prodigy and the captain of the tenth division, and he is a genius in his experience. Urahara still smiled, but he answered.

"Correct. I know them from the very beginning of their Shinigami powers, but they didn't know that I or Yoruichi were observing their actions and fighting techniques." Rangiku raised her hand in question.

"I have one question." Urahara nodded, letting her continue.

"If you know them, how come you can't tell us their names? Wouldn't it be easier to find them?" Toshiro closed his eyes in anger and mentally face-palmed. There goes his plan on finding some hints about finding the person. Urahara shook his head and flapped the fan closed.

"That would just spoil the fun. Besides, you wouldn't want to lose the trust… especially in their leader, now would you?" Rangiku's mouth tightened, silencing from further questions. Urahara looked at the clock ticking on the wall and smiled.

"Well… it's almost time to go. Hitsugaya-taichou, be here around five thirty in the evening. The rest of you, be here before four o' clock. Yoruichi would explain things while I'm gone. The four will come here."

"How are you sure?" Ikkaku asked with a bit of uncertainty. Kisuke Urahara tipped his hat with a cherish cat grin.

"I know."

0000

Karin stared at the cup that was held on her hands. Yuzu retired to her bed earlier because Karin ordered her that she should rest a bit. Yuzu wanted to make sure Karin does the same thing, but Karin told her that she has some thinking to do and a plan for the upcoming events. Yuzu reluctantly agreed, but she said to Karin about not pushing herself too hard. Ichigo and Rukia were out with Isshin, helping out the patients in the clinic, so Karin was sitting on the couch alone. Her reflection was seen through the tea, and Karin's eyes closed.

_Did I do the right thing? I know that Heiwa's guess could be possibly wrong, but I have a feeling that she's right. If the Twin Bladed Shinigami is really me, then, what the hell is going on?_

Karin began to muse over the reactions from her family members and friends.

_What would Ichi-nii and Rukia-nee say when they finally found out who I am? I would imagine that they would flip, and Ichigo would want an explanation, even when I don't know what's going on. What would Yuzu and my friends say about me? They would probably not understand the whole search about the Twin Bladed Shinigami thing. What would otou-san say when he found out about me?_

Karin cracked a sad smile.

_Otou-san would probably ask a million questions about why did I help them, despite that I wasn't there to watch them._

An image of a certain person flashed in her mind, making her smile falter into sadness.

_What would Toshiro say if he found out about me?_

She, however, didn't know that Toshiro was already home or heard his footsteps coming behind her. However, her thoughts were disrupted by feeling something draped over her shoulders. She looked over her shoulder to see strong hands that belonged to the captain of the tenth division. She recalled her previous question in her head, and it replayed like a tape recorder. Her eyes were still glued to Toshiro as he walked around the couch and sat beside the inner turmoil girl.

"Is there something you want to talk about?" Toshiro asked with disinterest.

**SMACK!**

"Is that you have to say, you jerk?!" Karin increased her voice a bit after she smacked him on the head. She couldn't believe this guy! She was thinking about the negative thoughts, and here he was, saying it with no concern at all. It was a good thing that Karin put the cup down on the table before she smacked him. His head was slightly bent, but he still had Karin's attention on him instead of thinking too deeply.

"I'm offering help to you. Is that hard to accept?" Toshiro stated, making Karin red on the face. She grunted and looked back to the cup, unable to retaliate. They were quiet for a moment, and Karin asked with a bit of uncertainty.

"Ne, Toshiro?" He didn't reply, so Karin continued.

"How would you react if you knew something about me that makes you surprised?" Toshiro was silent. Karin mentally cursed with a few word choices. She should have known that he would go to suspicions like she thought.

"It depends on the situation." He said. The raven-haired girl sighed and tried to make the conversation a bit clearer.

"Such as you know what I would do, but you didn't know at the same time. I know it isn't a clear question, but-"

"Probably…" Karin stopped talking and listened to what Toshiro was about to say. His green eyes were staring at her, making her feel more uncomfortable on the spot.

"I would ask you to explain things to me, and I'll ask the questions until I'm satisfied with the whole ordeal." Karin rolled her eyes.

"I wouldn't believe you would 'ask'… maybe demand a little." Toshiro glared at her from the side of his eyes, but Karin grinned.

"I'm joking. I'm joking." They didn't start talking before Karin felt a lightheaded.

"Ne… Toshiro?"

"Hn."

"You would accept who I am, no matter what happens, right?" Karin muttered before she drifted off to sleep. Her head landed on Toshiro's shoulder as she used it as a pillow. Toshiro didn't budge on that spot, but he didn't mind her sleeping on his shoulder.

"Baka… You are who you are. Nothing would change your identity." The white haired captain sighed and closed his eyes to drift into sleep with the sleeping raven-haired girl.

**Omake:**

Ichigo's eyebrow twitched. The two people occupying the couch were already asleep, and he felt that he wanted to drop a certain white-haired on the head or break one of his bones. He heard his wife giggled and a snapshot from his side.

"Oy! Rukia! What are you doing?" He whispered harshly, but Rukia rolled her eyes.

"Oh, come on, Ichigo. Just one for the moment?" The next thing he saw was a puppy-eyed Rukia and a little begging.

"Pwetty pwease?" Ichigo knew he was defeated and reluctantly agreed. Rukia smiled in joy and kissed her husband. While Rukia was going upstairs, Ichigo could feel a chill down his spine. He knew that Rukia was sending the picture to Soul Society, and he was going to face a very fuming little sister and a very cold captain of the tenth division in the future.

"Why me?" He groaned.

**Okay. Basically, I have the couples I like in no particular order: Toshiro and Karin, Ichigo and Rukia, Ishida and Orihime, Jinta and Yuzu, Yoruichi and Kisuke, Renji and Tatsuki, Nanao and Shunsui, Rangiku and Gin, and finally, Kira and Momo. So, there. I'm done for today.**


	14. Final Day

**Me: … ****Yay****! I have a new laptop for my school.**

**S.A.N.: ****Yay****! This means you can work on stories in school!**

**C.T.E.: So that means that you can just slack off and type chapters in class?**

**Me: No! I'm not that kind of person!**

**C.T.E.: Right…**

**S.A.N.: (sigh)… ****Animefreak**** doesn't own Bleach.**

Chapter 14: Final Day

"Karin-nee-san! Yuzu-nee-san! I missed you!" A plushie toy jumped out of the back pack that belonged to the Kazeru boy, but Karin punched the face in annoyance. Heiwa face-palmed with a sigh, and Natsu scratched his head in confusion.

"How come every time I stuff him in my bag he always gets out?" Karin sighed and shook her head.

"That is what I was thinking. I guess he has his ways since he was with Ichi-nii." She grabbed Kon by the head and brought him up to her scowling face. Kon started to sweat a bit, seeing her look toward idiots like him and her father.

"Listen up, Kon. I hope you know what's going on here because we all are going to need you, Inu, Chu, and Neko for this." Heiwa's bag started to move side to side until another plushie popped its head out. It was an orange cat that has three black vertical stripes on its head. It also has two black horizontal stripes on its arms and legs. There were also huge horizontal ones on its back, and the tail looked like a pattern of black and orange until the tip of the tail is completely black. Yuzu's bag also moved, but it was a bit stronger. Yuzu quickly opened the clip, and two other plushies popped out of the corners.

"How come I can't go into Karin's bag? I don't see why there is a problem to it." Inu whined because two plushies in one bag can cramp Inu and Chu.

"Inu-chan, we don't know what would happen after we, four, agree to the contract. I think it would be wise if you stay with me in case something happens to Karin's soul before the tournament," said Yuzu.

"Anyways, you, four, are going to be in those plush bodies until the evening. We'll call you when we gather around somewhere deserted." Karin gave the order, and the plush dolls saluted her. Heiwa looked at her watch and warned them.

"We have to hurry. School starts in less than ten minutes." Karin, Yuzu, and Natsu had their jaws dropped and madly dashed on the sidewalk. Natsu grabbed Kon from Karin's grip and stuffed him in his bag while the other three toys slipped back in the now secured bags.

"Kuso! Four-eyes! Why didn't you say anything?! The guys are going to kill us if we are there late!" Karin shouted in the front.

"How the hell should I know that you let them went before us?! You should have told me that in the first place, Soccer Ace!" Heiwa shouted from behind the group.

"You, two, shut up!" Natsu shouted while trying to catch up the same pace as Karin.

"SHUT UP, NATSU!!" The two girls shouted at the same time as the group made a sharp turn around the corner.

"Less shouting, more speeding!" Yuzu scolded the three as they were near the school.

0000

Somewhere in another school, there was a martial arts class that was occupied by many people who were training for school. A giant with brown hair was observing the training between the trainees. They were using the gym for practice since there was a problem in the other room. His brown eyes scanned around the place, feeling calm for the moment.

_Ring_

_Ring_

_Ring_

_Click_

"Hello, Tsuyosa Kazeru speaking." A gigantic man picked up his cell phone from the table. Some of the students paused from what they were doing, but he hollered at them to continue. Everyone went back to their training, and Tsuyosa talked on the phone again.

"Sumimasen, Isshin. I'm busy right now…" His lips lined tightly when he was hearing his friend.

"So, Karin-san and Heiwa-chan have decided… All right. We'll chat in another time." He closed his cell phone shut and sighed, continuing to watch his students.

"Kazeru-sensei?" A boy walked up to the giant, timidly. The man raised an eyebrow and stared at the young child.

"Is Heiwa-sempai and Natsu-sempai coming here to practice? They said that they'll train me to be stronger like onii-san." His eyes softened a bit to hear this from a young child. Even though Natsu was a reckless boy without any rational thoughts and Heiwa was cold to the core, those twins secretly act like their mother: kind, promising, loyal, overprotective, and concerning about others than themselves.

"They will. They are studying to try their best in their school. It is hard for them to go through school, so be patient." He assured the child. The little boy nodded and went back to his sparring partner. Tsuyosa sighed after the child was back to practice. It was going to be hard to let go of them.

0000

Karin fiddled her bag when she was riding in the bus with her teammates. All the girls, except the captain and vice captain, were excited and nervous about their last game. They were talking with excitement and discussed things to keep their minds from their fear.

Karin, however, was fidgeting on her seat. Her hands were twisting the bag, and her knuckles turned white. She bit her lip in anxiety, and her heartbeat increased every ten miles closer to the stadium. Many thoughts ran through her head with doubts and possibilities.

She felt a hand on her head, startling her out of her thoughts and glanced to her left. The brown-haired girl sent a bit of her reiatsu on Karin's mind, and the raven-haired girl began to calm down and relax. Whatever was in her mind disappeared, and her doubts flew away from her head. Karin felt Heiwa's hand off her head, and she turned her head to give the sour look.

"What the hell was that for?" Heiwa closed her eyes and removed her glasses.

"I was calming you down since you looked nervous. Don't worry about it. I'll back you up."

"I never asked for your permission." Heiwa smirked and opened her eyes.

"Deal with it."

"Oy! Karin-sempai! We're here!" One of their teammates shouted and everyone through the windows to see the field. Everyone was amazed by the size of the stadium. They could imagine the enormous field they are going to compete on, and everyone from two high schools is there. There were many cars parking in the parking lot and the students from their school are lined up outside.

The students cheered as they saw the soccer girls' bus. The girls waved their hands in excitement and greeted their companions in the bus. Karin looked everywhere to find her friends, but they were nowhere to be seen. Probably, they were mixed in the crowd because everyone from their high school is gathering around. Karin felt a hand on her shoulder, and she looked at the Kazeru girl who had a smirk.

"Good luck, Karin-taichou." Heiwa joked, and Karin grinned at her, getting the joke from somewhere.

"You too, Heiwa-fukutaichou."

0000

Isshin sighed and moved his shoulder around from carrying the heavy boxes. His gigai was aging like his soul, but his Shinigami form was still young… just a few years younger. Rukia was checking on the other patients, and Ichigo was changing one of the patients on the bandages. His employees were working on the other patients as well, so Isshin carried the boxes by himself.

"Oy! Otou-san!" The goat father turned his head to the side and saw his orange-haired son and a man with a sandal hat.

"Mr. Hats-and-Clogs is here." Ichigo said. Isshin nodded and relaxed from delivering boxes to the cellar.

"Hai. Arigatou, Ichigo." The man turned around and exited the room, leaving the two men to discuss a certain topic. Urahara smiled.

"You're definitely growing old, Isshin." The former captain Kurosaki chuckled and retaliated back.

"Same goes to you, Kisuke." Isshin's smile faltered and he crossed his arms.

"So… has Karin agreed yet?" He said with a serious tone. He was okay with this training and the decision his children made. He was a little worried about the timid Yuzu, but he knew that she was going to be protected. He didn't need to worry about Ichigo and Rukia because they were already strong.

Karin, however, was the person he was worried about the most.

Kisuke nodded with a smile. "Hai. Yoruichi already overheard their conversation. Tomorrow, they will all be here. I'll get Hitsugaya-taichou and the others. You, Ichigo, and Rukia will come over after Karin has her Shikai." Isshin nodded with a smile.

"Understood. However, I already called them, and Ichigo and Rukia knew already." Urahara tilted his hat to the side with a smile on his face.

"Arigatou. Also, there's something else you need to know." Isshin's face frowned and let him continue.

"It seems that Karin has more potential than just a captain or general captain." Isshin's eyes widened and asked.

"What do you mean?"

0000

Shuuhei bit his thumbnail with anticipation and anxiety. He remembered the meeting with a crystal clear mind. His mind was blank after the discussion. He felt many emotions that he hadn't shown to anyone: anger, happiness, fear, shock, and relief. He wanted to go to the real world, but he must have the general's permission on doing so. His friends already knew what Shuuhei was thinking, but they couldn't do anything about it, not even Shuuhei himself could do anything about it.

"Oy! Hisagi! You okay?" His mind was disrupted through the voice of his drinking friend. He looked up from his paperwork and sighed, relieved to see Kira instead of any other captains or vice captains. If they caught him dozing off, they would give him more paperwork. He couldn't slack off on his work, but he couldn't block the image of his dead friend.

"Hai. I'll get over it." Kira frowned and sighed. Hisagi was hard to deal with when a certain someone was in his mind. He drank sake after their dear friend's death, and yesterday, he drank too much that Kira had to bring him back to his room all the way from the restaurant. Kira looked at the frame that hung on the wall and smiled.

"You know. The girl, from Yamamoto-taichou's description, acts like her and used shields in a battlefield, Hisagi. It may be possible that she might be our friend." Kira stated with a bit of hope before he exited the office. Shuuhei sighed and reluctantly agreed. There was no doubt her personality and usage in the battlefield was similar. The girl was definitely who Shuuhei was thinking. He recalled his memories about her and her voice.

_"What are you doing, __Hisagi__**-kun**__?"_

_"Just shut up and take it. I'm not into this… holiday."_

_"__Hisagi__ no __baka__ Don't worry about me. This wound is nothing compared to my experiences."_

_" No__, no, NO! You, dunce! How could you write that demonic spells are sword fighting!"_

_"Do you know how worried I was? If you fight the Hollows alone again, I'll make sure you have more than a bruised cheek."_

_"Listen. If I die, don't grieve over me. I'll come back. I swear."_

"Nasake…"

0000

"Where's Karin-nee-san and Heiwa-chan? Aren't they ready yet?" Yuzu looked through the entrances to find a single life in the shadows. Yuzu and Ururu dragged the two protesting boys to the game to watch their last tournament for the year. Toshiro wasn't one of the boys because he was going with them, no matter how useless it was.

"Don't worry, Yuzu-chan. Neither of the teams is ready, yet. They are going over a little chat before they start the game." Jinta assured her with a smile. Toshiro was sitting on the end and three seats away from Natsu. Even though their duel ended for a while, the three sat between the two boys because they were still at it.

"Over there!" Ururu pointed at the team Karin and Heiwa were in. The crowd erupted into cheers as the two opposing teams entered the field.

"Go, Nee-san!"

"Karin-chan! Heiwa-chan! Good luck!"

"Karin-nee-san! Heiwa-chan! Over here!"

"You better not lose!"

Toshiro felt like leaving the place already. It was too noisy and lively and was giving him a little headache. The people next to him were standing up to cheer when the teams were out of the building. However, he spotted Karin who was looking around with a bit of loss. The Kazeru girl tapped her shoulder and pointed to the audience where the group was occupying. Karin spotted Toshiro and waved her hand in the air with a happy expression. It didn't matter if the atmosphere was noisy or the people next to him are jumping wildly. Karin's relief and smiles were all that mattered to him.

The two teams formed one single line on two sides and ran ahead with their hands up. Each teammate said good luck to their opponents before breaking the line to their assigned positions.

"It looks like they are about to start." Natsu grinned before the crowd sat down on the bleachers to watch the game. Heiwa and Karin were on the field with their teammates, but they were in different assigned positions: the Kurosaki girl was offense and the Kazeru girl was defense.

**Omake:**

"When are we getting out? I'm getting cramped here." Kon asked quietly while being cramped in the bag. Since the bags were left in the bus, they were allowed to talk a bit. However, they were not to make a noise during the soccer game or after it.

"Itai! That's was my nose, you jerk!" Inu growled at the mouse with a bit of anger.

"Please, be quiet. Do you want Heiwa and Karin to get in trouble?" Chu hushed.

"I wonder how long this game last. Last time, it took more than four hours for them to finish." Neko sighed.


	15. Last Goal

**Me: Oh… crap…**

**C.T.E.: You have to finish the other story?**

**Me: No! I just need to sleep since I am sleep deprived.**

**S.A.N.: AF doesn't own Bleach.**

Chapter 15: Last Goal

"You all ready?" The referee asked the two teams. Karin nodded with the opposing girl in front of her, and the referee tossed the ball in the air before he dashed out of the way from the serious soccer cat fight. When the ball landed on the grassy ground, Karin quickly kicked the ball to the side to her teammate. The teammate ran with the ball in front of her, and the offensive players ran beside her. The opposing players tried to steal the ball, but the teammate kicked the ball to the other teammate. The teammate continued, but the other players blocked her way from the goal, stealing the ball from her feet.

Karin quickly dashed back to steal the ball from them, but they were quicker than her. She mentally cursed and increased her speed. Their opponents were close to the goal, but Heiwa intercepted and stole the ball.

"Great job!" One of their teammates shouted, and Heiwa ran toward the Kurosaki girl. Karin ran beside her to make sure none of the other players could take the ball from Heiwa. When one of them was catching up to Heiwa, the Kazeru girl knocked the ball to Karin who sped up after she had the ball. The defensive players tried to block the girls, but Karin and Heiwa separated to two different directions. When Heiwa was still open, Karin kicked to ball to Heiwa, and Heiwa used her chest to block upcoming ball and let it fall to her feet. The girl swiftly kicked the ball to the goal, and the goalie failed to grab it by an inch away.

"Alright!" Karin cheered as Heiwa and she ran back to her team to be defensive. The crowd cheered with excitement when the two teams were fired up with excitement. Karin's team had many points in the first hours, but in the second hour, the opposing team was catching up by one point. Karin was excited about this and had her hopes up until that one trick.

The opposing team had the ball and was passing to each other from one of Karin's teammates. Heiwa stole the ball from them and ran toward her friend.

She ran straight to a trap.

Her fatal mistake was not realizing a different member was running toward her from her side. The soccer player slid on the grass with her foot sticking out, kicking the ball from her foot and tripping her at the same time. Everything went in slow motion for Karin. Her high hopes were now reduced to a minimal, and fear consumed her mind. She saw her friend skidding on the ground, and her elbow smacked on the ground… hard.

The whistle was blown from the referee, calling a time-out. Karin's eyes widened in fear and ran to Heiwa's side with her teammates. Many concerns were running through her mind, but the most recent image was showing up after Heiwa was injured.

_Just like what happened five years ago._

"Daijoubou, Heiwa-sempai?"

"Are you hurt? Are you alright to move?"

The girls asked questions to the injured vice captain who was moaning in pain. Karin knelt to Heiwa's side and checked up on her. Karin bit her lip when she recognized the injuries and Heiwa's movement.

"Shit. Heiwa…"

It was a good thing that Karin learned most of the things in her father's clinic. She recognized the white knuckles that were shown when Heiwa was clenching very hard. Her left hand held the swollen elbow like handling a glass with one hand. Her left knee was swollen and bleeding from skidding on the grass, possibly fractured.

"Get a stretcher! Heiwa's injured!" Karin yelled out with worry waving out of her voice. Heiwa gave her a pained expression, but she smiled a bit.

"Gomen ne, Soccer Ace. I'm gonna be out for a while." Heiwa said and winced when the air hit her wound. The medics rushed in, carrying a stretcher for the injured soccer player. Karin stood up and walked a bit away from Heiwa but not leaving her side. A medic examined Heiwa with careful eyes and shook his head.

"She's badly injured. Be careful with her, men." She watched the medics carefully lift up the fragile girl behind the shoulders and under her back. They placed her on the stretcher, and the two medics lifted her up and walked her away from the field. Karin's focus turned to the opposing team, and her emotion erupted in rage when she saw the opposing team's satisfied and amused expression.

_They planned this all along._

"Karin-sempai. What are we going to do?" The girl asked Karin with defeated hope. Karin looked at her teammates who were now lost without Heiwa's strategy. Karin frowned and realized those defeated looks.

"Minna-san…" Everyone looked up to hear her voice soften, but their eyes widened to see Karin's face of determination, not depression.

"We're going to win this, and we are not going to give up by a long shot. We all are here to finish this tournament with our own skills. We are not here to count on one person to win this tournament. We are here to show them what we are made of. Heiwa may be out, but it doesn't mean that we are all out."

This wasn't over. With or without Heiwa, they are still playing. Karin hoped that the girls are realizing this.

"All of you have played many parts and scored points for your teammates, with or without me or Heiwa. If you hadn't realized this, I'll say get out of the shadows that Heiwa and I stand and do your own." Silence loomed over the girls before one by one, they all shouted in agreement.

"Hai, Karin-sempai!"

"We'll never lose!"

"We're going to show what we are capable of!"

"You, all, are the best! Now let's go out there!" Karin shouted with her fist in the air. All the girls had their fists in the air with her.

"Yatta!"

"All right! Yuki, fill in Heiwa's spot! Anyone else wanted to switch?" Two hands rose up, and Karin looked at them with surprise. However, that surprise quickly disappeared with happiness and concern when she saw the exhausted girls.

"I understand. Ayame, Haruki, you, two, did great. Go get some rest. Ayase, switch with Haruki on goalie. Suzuki, switch with Ayame on offense. The rest of the team, I'm proud of you. We'll go to Plan 4." Everyone gasped a bit, but Karin held her hand up.

"This is about all of us, not just me or Heiwa. I know that this plan is crazy, but I'm counting on all of you. I'm not going to be the star of the game, you all are." Karin held her hand in the middle and waited for any of them to join her. A timid girl held up her hand and placed hers on top of Karin's.

"I understand." Another placed her hand on top of theirs, going to follow Karin's plan.

"Me too." One by one, the girls slapped their own hands on top of Karin's.

"Me, too."

"Me, three."

"We won't let you down." Karin smiled with hope.

"Let's go!" Every girl shouted in unison and scattered, resuming the game.

0000

In the audience, Natsu was about to run out to his sister, concerning about her health. However, he was held back by his friends and causing a commotion.

"Let me go, guys! Nee-san's injured!"

"No way! You're not going to leave here over a tiny concern about Heiwa!" Jinta shouted while holding his arm. It was difficult for them to put the struggling Natsu back into place, but they were also worried about Heiwa. Natsu was about to turn around and smack Jinta, but Toshiro smacked the Kazeru boy behind the head.

"Baka. If we leave, who's going to cheer for Karin and the rest of the team?"

"Demo… Nee-san!" Natsu tried to reason, but Toshiro smacked his head harder.

"If Kazeru-san is that much of a concern, then you are truly not worthy of a swordsman or a martial artist." Natsu froze on the spot and _slowly_ turned his head to the white-haired boy who released him. Everyone released Natsu's limbs and stepped away from his psychotic death glare.

"What was that?" Toshiro crossed his arms, glaring at the same level as Natsu's glare.

"Have you no concerns about everyone else instead of Kazeru-san's injuries? If not, then you are not a swordsman or a martial artist."

"What do you mean? Am I missing a fact?" Toshiro's glared leveled up and snarled at the dense boy.

"Being a true swordsman and a martial artist has many meanings. Becoming stronger with a lot of training is one of them, but having a heart and thoughts of others are the most important parts of becoming stronger. If you have someone to protect and concern about others than just one person, you have the strength to overcome the obstacles. If not, you have no chance of survival."

Natsu didn't say anything. He just stared at Toshiro with disbelief. Natsu's mind reeled to memories of his training, and he remembered that small part he kept pushing aside.

His father said the similar thing to Natsu when he was taking both kendo and judo training. His father told him about having a heart about others would make him stronger. Natsu thought it was just a lame advice, but apparently, it was true. Natsu finally sat down, and everyone sighed in relief.

"You sound like otou-san." Natsu whispered quietly, but Toshiro heard it and nodded, sitting down with the others to watch the game.

0000

The whistle was blown, and Karin dashed forward with the ball kicked in front of her. She knew that Plan 4 was risky since it was experimented, but Karin has to try to make this work. This was their last game, and they have a few seconds left. Heiwa mastered Plan 4 on her own without any injuries, but since she was going to be out, risks are going to be taken…

… and it was not going to be one of Karin's teammates. Oh no, no, no…

The captain dribbled the ball around the offensive players and was walking toward the edge of the lines with the soccer ball. She could hear the shouts of her classmates in the bleachers to watch out and be careful.

_Just a little more._

She spotted the two girls running to their assigned positions and then stopped on their spots: one on the corner of the field and the other near the goal.

_Now!_

Karin kicked the ball high in the sky and over the player's head to Karin's side. Karin sidestepped next to the player and ran to the ball. Her back was from the ball, and she flipped in the air with her right leg up. At the same moment, her leg made contact with the ball, sending it to the player on the corner quickly. The player used her head and head butted the ball to the player near the goal. The ball bounced once half way to the player, and the defensive players charged to the prepared player. The ball hit on the grass again, but this time near the player. The player raised her leg up and kicked the ball to send it to the goal. The goalie jumped to catch the ball above her head.

At the same time, the ball hit against the net and Karin landed hard on her left knee, fracturing the bone.

The whistle was heard again, signaling that the game was over. Karakura students roared in joy, and many shouted the players' names with praise. The soccer players ran to each other and hugged one another, jumping with victory. Karin stood up with struggle, but she was proud to see her team finally having courage. Karin looked at the audience and saw her friends jumping in joy as well. When her eyes met with Toshiro's eyes, she smiled to show her pearly teeth, thanking him for watching her without words.

**Omake**

"Yo! Four-eyes!" Karin limped to Heiwa's side with a smile. Heiwa looked to her side and smirked.

"You, guys, won. I can tell from your face and the noises from the other side." Karin had an ace wrap around her fractured knee and crutches under her arms. Heiwa had a leg cast and a sling on her arm to lessen the movement. The two best players were injured, but they were happy. Heiwa smirked and shook her head in disbelief when she saw Karin's busted knee.

"You just had to use Plan 4." Karin grinned, but her smile was small.

"It seems that the team doesn't need us anymore." Karin stated when she sat on the chair next to the brown haired girl. Heiwa nodded, understanding what will happen. The door suddenly slammed open, and in a blink of an eye, Natsu was already by his twin sister's side.

"Nee-san! Daijoubou? Do you want me to get you anything?" Without hesitation, Heiwa slammed her good fist straight to her brother's face, sending him to the wall.

"Peace and _quiet_ would be nice, you reckless idiot." Heiwa hissed with annoyance.


	16. The Chase

**Me: …zzzzzzzzzzzz…**

**C.T.E.: …**

**S.A.N.: … not again.**

**C.T.E.: (sigh) Bleach belongs to Tite Kubo.**

Chapter 16: The Chase

"You're going now, Toshiro?" Karin asked a bit of disappointment, hopping to him with crutches. Toshiro nodded and shut his cell phone closed. It was already time, and the meeting would start soon to find the mysterious Shinigami. The three other Shinigamis were already with Yoruichi for a head start on something, and Toshiro must go back to Urahara's shop before the Twin Bladed Shinigami and Vaizards appear in his shop.

"Hai. I have to be somewhere for something important." He heard Karin sigh, but he assured the raven-haired girl.

"Don't worry. I'll be back." Karn stared at Toshiro for a moment and grinned.

"Hai. You better be back, or I'll beat the crap out of you." Toshiro smirked and walked away from her.

"Toshiro! Don't forget! The party starts in around 8!" Karin shouted at the white-haired boy who waved, getting her message. He couldn't help but feel worried about her if she was alone with injuries like that. However, she was going to hang around with her friends, and she wasn't going anywhere. Toshiro looked around and took out the candy dispenser. His thumb pressed the head, and a candy flew to his mouth. He took the candy and swallowed it, separating his soul from his body. Toshiro ordered his gigai to go back to the Kurosaki residence from causing further suspicion and used Shunpo to the shop quickly as possible.

Meanwhile, Kisuke Urahara was expecting the captain to come over. He made preparations for the meeting and, surprisingly, didn't slack off. Jinta and Ururu were away to get four certain people over after Karin's Shikai level. Yoruichi was already leading the three other Shinigami for Objective 1. When Toshiro appears through that door, Objective 2 would be completed. Kisuke sighed and took off his hat from setting up the training grounds below his shop. He didn't like to work, but probably, Yoruichi threatened him to set up the bottom training field. The alternative would be Yoruichi would deal with his lazy attitude… personally.

0000

"So… Toshiro left without saying goodbye." Heiwa stated while shifting herself to a more comfortable position on the wheelchair. Since the medic said that she must go to the hospital tomorrow to check up the arm and leg, Heiwa must remain on the wheelchair all day. That earned Karin a laugh to see Heiwa's gaping expression and a bruise on Karin's forehead by the wary genius. Karin had a bandage around her forehead, and she nodded with a neutral face after her glaring face.

"There's something he has to do. He's a captain… after all." Karin said. Heiwa just stared at her friend and looked forward. The two girls were quiet for a long time, hearing the cheers and talking of their teammates. Their teammates were talking about what they were going to do to celebrate their victory. Some were going home to celebrate, and others were going somewhere with their families. Karin and Heiwa didn't join the conversations, but they were arguing in the bus before the serious conversation they were having.

"Don't be sad, Soccer Ace." Karin gave her the "what the heck are you talking about" look. Heiwa gave her the same look, only much more mischievous.

"You know what I'm talking about. That tone of your voice wavered a bit on the last words, so you are disappointed about Hitsugaya-san's departure. When I say don't be sad…" Heiwa smacked behind Karin's head.

"Get your act together!"

"What the hell, you bookworm?! I'm still recovering from the bruise you gave me!"

And thus, all hell broke loose, entertaining the girls and the sighing in distress coach.

0000

"Karin-nee-san! I told you to stop squirming!" Yuzu scolded while trying to heal Karin's knee by a ball of light. Karin scowled at her sister and stated that she was trying to make herself more comfortable on the dirt ground she was sitting on. Since they were at the empty soccer field, they could seal the deal without any interference. In the soccer field where Karakura high school is, Karin and Heiwa told their old teammates that they needed to go to the hospital a bit sooner. Er… actually, Heiwa said that sheand the protesting Karin was going to the Kurosaki clinic quickly as possible. Karin paled a bit and tried to exit the room, but Heiwa grabbed an object nearby and threw it on her head… that was a soccer ball, leading to an all out war.

"It feels funny." Karin stated while the ball of light floated near her injured knee. It was true that it felt funny for Karin because she never had any broken bones in her years. Sure there were cuts, gashes, stabs, and fatal loss of blood in her previous years, but she never had a bone fractured or broken. Heiwa and Natsu said that their broken bones felt like funny bones during Yuzu's healing.

"There! All done!" The light disappeared from her hands, and Yuzu stood up. Karin removed the ace wrap from her knee and moved her healed leg back and forth.

"Arigatou, Yuzu-chan." Karin moved her legs under her and carefully stood up to make sure her leg would fall down. Heiwa had her injuries healed before Karin because she was going to help them without any injuries in her Shinigami form. In Karin's mind, Heiwa wanted to get out of the wheelchair as quickly as possible. With a sigh of relief and new found energy, the raven-haired girl zipped her bag open and dug in for the letter. Inu was already on her shoulder and trying to hang on to the cloth from falling. Chu and Neko were already on their respective friends' shoulders, but Kon was hanging upside down from the foot by the Kazeru boy.

If anyone wanted to know how Kon ended up living with a reckless brother and a cold yet "I don't give a crap" sister, Karin and Yuzu found out that Kon was a modified soul in Ichigo's old room. Yuzu still had attachments to her doll, but Karin wasn't fazed. Oh no. She was pissed as hell. Due to Kon's perverted actions, Karin and the reluctant Yuzu gave the modified Soul to the Kazeru twins for Natsu. Additionally, Heiwa wasn't _very_ happy about Karin's free gift.

"All right. Here it is." The Kurosaki girl pulled out the envelope and took out the letter. She also took out a small pocket knife to cut a drop of blood from each person. She stood up straight and looked at Yuzu.

"Yuzu-chan. Call out your Shikai." Yuzu nodded and summoned the three spirits.

"Tsuki, Hoshi, Hi!" Three balls of light appeared again, and they were circling around the light brown haired girl.

"Gomen ne, Tsuki. I know, I know. You want to sleep. Karin-nee-san wanted your help to heal a small cut that we are going to perform." Yuzu went silent and sweat dropped.

"No. I haven't told him yet…" Then, she blushed and yelled at the light with embarrassment.

"No! I'm not going to do the old trick!" She stopped and shook her head in disbelief.

"Come on… let's get this together." The three little balls of light stopped in midair, and Yuzu nodded.

"Arigatou." She looked at her sister to continue after the discussion between them. Karin, and the Kazeru twins, sweat dropped.

"Ano… is that how your zanpakuto acts every day?" Karin asked with a bit of curiosity. Yuzu blushed and nodded, feeling embarrassed and shy.

"H-hai. Hi is a happy person who just enjoys life. She's a bit of a shy and nervous spirit, but she's good. Tsuki is a mean person who likes to do mischief around me. She kept on complaining about getting her sleep disturbed. Hoshi is a bit of Hi and Tsuki, so she's alright." Yuzu rubbed her neck in further embarrassment.

"How about your zanpakutos, guys?" Karin asked the twins with further curiosity. Natsu opened his mouth to say something, but Heiwa beat him to it.

"Natsu complained that Akatsuki is an arrogant bastard who wouldn't shut up about being released in fights, both major and minor. Through the descriptions and constant rants, I come to the conclusion that his zanpakuto is just like Natsu." Karin blinked and looked at her two blushing friends who admitted to their zanpakutos' personalities.

"So… Aohi is just like you, right?" Karin asked, and Heiwa nodded. She sighed, mentally crying in hopelessness. One Heiwa was enough, but two was going to send Karin straight to the grave. Heiwa rolled her eyes and stated calmly.

"Let's start." Karin, out of her hopelessness, nodded and took the knife to her thumb that held the knife. The knife slit the skin a bit, and blood formed slowly into a little drop of red. Karin pushed the drop of blood on the paper and quickly removed her thumb from the letter. The ball of light quickly went through her thumb and heals the cut instantly from further bleeding.

0000

"Stay here. You know what to do." Yoruichi ordered and flash stepped to the certain place. The three Shinigamis stood there with their swords out, waiting for the next step.

"I can't believe this! I thought the Twin Bladed Shinigami and the Vaizards would appear in Urahara's shop! But no! I have to come here to ruin my looks!" Yumichika griped with a dramatic voice. Matsumoto had to agree with him. She thought that the mysterious group of Shinigamis was going to his shop. Apparently, Urahara _had_ a change of plans, and chaos will ensue in the next ten seconds.

"At least we have a chance to fight them." Ikkaku grinned with excitement.

Scratch that, make that five.

0000

Karin's eyebrows narrowed when Heiwa looked up from her thumb. Natsu and Yuzu already cut their thumbs and imprinted their bloody thumbprints next to Karin's thumbprint.

"I have a bad feeling about this." Heiwa stated.

"Come on, stick-in-the-mud. We're going through this, and we're not backing down." Karin stubbornly said. The four-eyed girl sighed and pressed her thumb on the letter. She knew something was going to happen, and that something was going to be bad. Her conscience was yelling to not agree, but her body obeyed Karin's words. When she removed her thumb from the letter, the letter disappeared in a quick flash.

"Where's the paper?!" Natsu asked in surprise. They suddenly felt a strong reiatsu nearby, and they looked around.

"Down here." They heard the woman's voice in front of them. Right when Karin's eyes landed on the source of voice, she only saw an upcoming hand in front of her face and now up the sky with pain on her chin. In the eyes of her friends, they saw a masked woman who pushed Karin's Shinigami soul out of her body.

"KARIN!" They shouted as the masked woman grabbed Karin and tossed her over her shoulder. Karin was now seeing her friends upside down and suddenly saw them as little ants.

"W-wait! Don't I have a saying for this?!" Karin asked while feeling the speed of the masked woman. The masked woman didn't answer her and stopped suddenly for a few seconds.

"They're coming! Get ready! If this kid needs to have her zanpakuto awaken, you all need to intercept them from coming to Urahara's shop!" The woman ordered some present people in front of her. Karin felt pain on her back and bend up to have her back some relief…

… and that relief broke 0.03 seconds.

"Kurosaki?!" Karin knew that strawberry blonde hair anywhere and it belonged to one Shinigami.

"Ano… konichiwa, Rankigu-san. I'll explain all this." The masked woman shook her head as everyone sensed three raging reiatsus coming to their direction.

"No time!" The masked woman flash stepped again, making Karin yelp in surprise. At the same time when the masked woman disappeared with Karin, the three Vaizards appeared in front of them with their masks on.

"Kuso! We're too late!" The red masked Vaizard cursed when they couldn't catch the woman.

"Gomen ne, but we're going have to stop you from going through." Rangiku apologized as she drew her sword out. The two other masked Vaizards saw the three prepared Shinigamis, and the blue masked Vaizard shook her head.

"Shit… would you, two, take care of them? We have to save Karin." The green masked Vaizard nodded and summoned the three spirit familiars, and the red masked Vaizard summoned his zanpakuto with a hiss in his voice.

"Hai. I want someone to fight after all this kidnapping. I'll take on Baldy and Pretty Boy. Go and save Karin." The blue masked Vaizard nodded and crouched down. The red masked Vaizard already irritated Ikkaku by calling him bald, and the fight was two against one. Rangiku was about to summon her Shikai at the blue masked Vaizard, but she put her sword up and blocked a ball of light. The light flew back to the green masked Vaizard and circled around her body with the rest of the lights.

"I'm sorry about this, but I won't let you harm my friends. You're going to face me if you want to fight her." Rangiku frowned but was ready to fight the Vaizard in front of her. The blue masked Vaizard nodded and dashed forward, using reiatsu on her feet for greater speed.

_Okay. I can sense two reiatsus nearby. That place can only be…_

0000

"We're here!" She announced on their arrival. Karin looked up and raised an eyebrow, questioning the masked woman.

"Urahara-san's shop? But… why here?" The masked woman didn't answer and opened the door, dropping or throwing the Kurosaki girl on the dirt floor. Karin quickly sat up and shouted with anger in her voice.

"What the hell?!"

"It seems that your friend is coming here." Karin heard what the woman said and suddenly sensed a raging reiatsu.

"H-Heiwa! No! You better not hurt her!" The woman shrugged.

"I won't hurt her… much." Karin's anger rose, and she got off the ground and dashed toward the closing door. However, she was too late as the door shut one second before she could reach it. She pulled the sliding door open, but it was stuck.

"Shit! Open up!" She was about to make another tug, but she heard something coming to her way quickly. Her eyes widened and instantly grabbed the sword on the hilt. She drew it and blocked what was coming her way. It was a cane, but that didn't faze her.

"I see you have grown strong like your brother, Karin Kurosaki." The man wearing a hat said with a calm voice. Karin's eyes narrowed at him, but no suspicion arise in her voice. However, a question was heard behind the man in a familiar voice.

"Kurosaki? Why are you here? Why are you a Shinigami?"

_Crap…_

**Omake:**

"Wow. That was fast." Kon stated in Natsu's body with a bit of amazement. Since the four modified souls were in the four bodies, they could do whatever they want. Inu sighed in Karin's body and looked around.

"I wonder what that was all about. Yoruichi didn't have to hit Karin that hard to split the soul and body apart." Neko nodded in agreement while she was in Heiwa's body.

"It seems that in order for Karin to have her Shikai, she must not have Yuzu, Natsu, or Heiwa around her. It would waste time and would hinder the awakening." Chu, in Yuzu's body, sensed two upcoming reiatsu and looked back.

"Hey, Kon."

"Nani?"

"Look behind you." Kon looked behind him and made him grin.

"Nee-san! I missed you!"

**POW!**

**SMACK!**

**WHAM!**

"Was I supposed to warn him about using Natsu's body and about Ichigo's whereabouts?" The two modified souls observed Kon getting beaten into a bloody pulp by Ichigo Kurosaki himself and Rukia sweat dropping behind them. Neko and Inu looked at each other and shrugged with no care.

"Nah."


	17. Why?

**Me: Whee! I'm happy!**

**C.T.E.: Oh god…**

**S.A.N.: Don't say my Lord's name in vain!**

**C.T.E.: I just want to go to a vacation or somewhere that doesn't involve AF! I knew I shouldn't give AF the latte filled with sugar!**

**Me: I don't own Bleach! So since I am in a very good mood, I made this chapter a whole lot longer!**

**C.T.E.: I'm outta here.**

**S.A.N.: I don't think it's such a good idea…**

**Me: COME BACK HERE, C.T.E.!!!**

Chapter 17: Why?

Toshiro and Karin couldn't stop staring at each other. They felt that time stopped between them, and many questions were whirling around their heads. Karin was afraid now, and she cursed the man who attacked her. She could imagine about the reactions of her family when they found out about Yuzu and her becoming a Shinigami without their consent. She could also imagine Toshiro shouting at her and losing him and his trust. Losing trust... she shuddered at the thought of losing her family and friends, especially Toshiro. Her blood went cold and jerked Karin out of her thoughts back into reality.

Toshiro stared at the raven-haired girl and thought about many possibilities or resemblance that Karin could be the one they would be searching for. However, none were related to the Kurosaki girl. If so, how come she was here as a Shinigami? Wouldn't the mysterious Shinigami gain the Shikai form and stayed on that form for three years? Additionally, how could she say that she hadn't met the twin bladed Shinigami if she was the Shinigami? He didn't notice that he made the temperature turn cold in the shop.

"Now, now. Hitsugaya-taichou, you shouldn't turn my store into an igloo. You are going to clean up the place if you did." Urahara chide. He withdrew his cane, and Karin drew her sword back to the sheath. The temperature returned to normal, but Toshiro wasn't happy about this.

"Kurosaki, what's the meaning of this? Why didn't you tell me that you were the Shinigami?" He half shouted at girl. Karin gave him mixture of confusion and anger. She truthfully answered him in her own answer.

"How the hell should I was supposed to know that I was who you were searching for?! I only agreed to the letter, and the response I get was a pain on the chin, rear, and back! Not to mention I was kidnapped away from my body!" Toshiro was now baffled about her answer. Her eyes were blazing with fire, and her voice was loud enough to be heard if she was seen through human eyes. Her expression was real enough to express the truth. If she didn't know that she was the twin bladed Shinigami, then… what the hell is going on?

"And you!" Karin snarled at the man in front of her with the fan open like he did nothing wrong. Karin wasn't convinced about his innocent look. Oh no, she knew that every innocent face dissembles the true intentions behind the mask.

"What the hell?! Urahara-oji-san! How do you know I was a Shinigami?! What's going on?!" Toshiro almost lost his balance from what he heard from the angry Karin. Oji-san?! Do they know each other?

"How do you know each other?" Toshiro asked in surprise. Urahara, as expected, didn't answer his question, but Karin nodded, not letting her glare to tear away from the old man.

"He and otou-san knew each other for a very long time. Probably, they became friends when they were still in Soul Society." Toshiro closed his eyes and remembered the small information about Urahara and the retired Isshin Kurosaki. Of course. Before Toshiro entered the Gotei 13, the two captains were in the Gotei 13 before Isshin's disappearance and Urahara's expulsion. Toshiro's eyes opened and glared at Urahara along with Karin.

"What's going on, Urahara? Why is Kurosaki here?" Urahara smirked and closed his fan.

"Don't worry, Hitsugaya-taichou. Karin-chan is here for the meeting, but before the meeting, I want to seal the deal." Karin's eyes widened and asked with hope.

"Really?" Urahara nodded, but his smirk didn't leave.

"Hai. However, there's one condition." Karin didn't have time to ask as she felt pain on her cheek and crashed in the hard floor… or what she thinks it was a floor. Her whole vision was first darkness. Later on, she was blinded by a bright light and a canyon. She crashed on the hard ground that was at least twenty feet above the ground, emitting a loud yell that echoed through the rocky cliff.

In the shop, Toshiro ran to the hole where Urahara punched Karin through and checked on the girl. The girl seemed fine since he heard her cursing a lot of words she learned at a young age.

"Hitsugaya-taichou," Toshiro looked up at the serious Urahara, "may I ask for your assistance?"

"Naze?" Toshiro frowned. Urahara didn't smirk or smile this time, but he answered the captain.

"If Karin-chan must awaken her Shikai, she must fight two Shinigamis. You and I are the only ones who are going to wake them up since her friends only hinder their awakening." Toshiro raised an eyebrow.

" 'Them'?"

0000

"Come on! Come on! Is that the best you can do?!" Natsu grinned as he brought his sword down on Ikkaku's pike once again. The bald headed Shinigami grinned like Natsu and pushed the masked Vaizard away from him. Yumichika stayed behind from the fight since Ikkaku wanted to fight the red masked Vaizard and observed any weaknesses from the boy. It was still a tie since the two hotheaded men had cuts on their kimonos and gashes on their body parts.

"I'm just warming up, you little shit!" Ikkaku threw the head of the pike at Natsu, but he pushed the attack away with the hilt of his sword.

"Kurenai Mikazuki (Crimson Crescent)!" Natsu brought his sword up in the air and slashed down, sending one blood red vertical crescent toward the Shinigami. Ikkaku dodged it by jumping back before the crescent crashed on the pavement.

"Is that all you got?" Ikkaku grinned at the masked Vaizard but didn't see the next attack.

"Oy! Look out!" Yumichika yelled when three horizontal crescents cut through the pavement and smoke. Ikkaku brought his pike up to block only one crescent, and that crescent was the one in the middle. At the same time the middle crescent hit straight against the pike, and the other two passed it and cut Ikkaku's arms. The crescents disappeared, and they left Ikkaku injured with two large cuts. Ikkaku grinned evilly as his eyes flared in satisfaction.

"I like this! It's better than fighting Espadas six years ago." Natsu frowned.

"You're not giving up, will ya? Fine. Kurenai Mikazuki!"

Meanwhile, Rangiku and Yuzu were still fighting. However, Yuzu was keeping two spirit familiars near her while she sent one against the busty woman from releasing her zanpakuto. Yuzu was losing reiatsu and strength, and she was already panting through the mask.

"Tsuki! Kougeki Binshou (Agility Strike)!"Yuzu shouted as the light sped up its pace. Rangiku was having trouble focusing on the Vaizard because the light she sent always attacked in random times. She knew that the Vaizard wouldn't hurt the Shinigami, but she wouldn't let her help her two friends.

"Let's stop this! There's no reason to fight against each other!" Rangiku yelled as she slammed her sword against the ball of light. Even though it was true for Yuzu, she couldn't…

"I know! Demo…"

"Naze?! Why are we fighting if we both know that it's pointless?" Rangiku asked as she dodged the light's attack from her side. Yuzu's mind went blank until an event flashed in her mind.

"_Karin-chan!" The young girl reached her hand out to try and grab her sister's bloodied hand. _

_The rain was pouring heavily, and horse feet were coming closer to the raven-haired girl. Lightning and thunder were heard and seen as the feet stopped behind Karin. The lightning flashed and illuminated Karin's eyes. Yuzu's eyes widened and watered to see Karin's eyes in fear. _

_Karin was all bloodied and injured from fighting against the unknown thing. She protected Yuzu with all her strength, but she couldn't fight anymore because her reiatsu diminished. That… thing was too strong and already defeated Karin within a few minutes. With no help to call for or their father and brother's protection, tears spilled out from both of the twins, and a hand was close to grab Karin's shirt. Karin screamed out her sister's name before she was lifted up from the ground._

"_Yuzu!"_

Yuzu frowned and looked up with adrenaline flowing in her blood. No, she wouldn't want to back down and let her friends protect her. She didn't want to let Natsu fight against all three and get injured in the process. She brought her head high and clenched her fists.

"Because… I don't want that to happen again. I…" Yuzu swallowed her fear down, and her strength returned. Flashes of the friends and her sister came into her mind, and the last image was her injured sister that the event happened two years ago.

"I may not be able to fight, but my friends, onee-san, they are counting on me. I won't let them down." The three lights started to get brighter.

"Gomen nasai. Kougeki Binshou!"

0000

"What are you waiting for?" Yoruichi taunted at the blue masked Vaizard. She already was in her fighting stance and ready to flash step to the defensive Heiwa. Heiwa already knew how fast the masked woman was before her. Since the woman could flash step easily and reach many miles ahead of her, Heiwa must observe the woman before finding a weakness or flaw. Already releasing Aohi from his little nap, Heiwa was blocking the most blows from the fighting woman. She already missed twenty five percent of her predictions of the next move, but she received a few damages. Heiwa was dealing with bruises and pain on her sides and back, but none of the attacks could penetrate from her shield to her front or head.

"I'm just biding my time." Heiwa stated as she brought her arms up again for another block. She wasn't wasting too much reiatsu, but she only used it to increase her defense against special combination attacks. The masked woman was wasting reiatsu if she keeps this act up, but Heiwa was cautious for nothing. Besides…

… the four-eyed girl knew that this was only a warm up for the both of them. The woman grinned and used Shunpo to get to the girl from behind. Heiwa predicted the next move and moved her right arm to the front. She felt the hard force against her shield and swung her arm behind her to block the next second attack. At the same second when she felt another force against her left arm, Heiwa shouted.

"Mizuiro Kagami! (Sky Blue Mirror)" Water shot up in the air to protect Heiwa's sides from the next attacks. The water bursted when the attack struck, but it still stood beside the Kazeru girl. The bursts still continued until it stopped in the tenth second. Yoruichi appeared on the roof, panting from wasting her energy.

"I say… not bad for a good defense… I hadn't fought this for a while since last time…" Heiwa didn't frown, but she was intrigued about the masked woman's history.

"Last time?" Yoruichi smiled behind the mask and stood up again.

"That's for me to know…" She disappeared again and struck against Heiwa's already defensive shield.

"And for you to find out!" Heiwa gritted her teeth and continued to protect herself from the speed. If she couldn't get answers out from the woman, then she would have to do a little research.

0000

Karin looked around her surroundings and frowned. There were many boulders and rocks around the place. Skyscraper-like pillars were high enough that it looked like it would soon topple over. Deep ditches looked deep enough to make one person dive in for their final moments. The sky is clear, meaning that there was no safe place to hide.

"This place looks like it will hurt like hell." She muttered to herself.

"Exactly." Karin heard Urahara's voice from behind and drew her sword out. She turned around to face not only Urahara but Toshiro as well.

"Shall we start?" He asked when he held his cane up. Karin held her sword tightly with two hands. Her guts were screaming that she must be careful. If there are two Shinigamis for her training, then this was dead serious training.

"Bring it on, oji-san." Urahara smiled and summoned his zanpakuto.

"Scream, Benhime." The cane transformed into a sword, revealing his Shikai. Karin's focus left Urahara and spotted Toshiro who summoned his zanpakuto.

"Set upon the frozen heavens, Hyourinmaru!" The clouds gathered around, making the whole place dark and sending the sword with a chain on its end down to the captain. Toshiro grabbed the sword and the chain where the silver crescent was connected.

At the same time, Karin dashed Urahara with her quick speed. The man easily blocked the attack with his sword and made it a stalemate… unless he caught her into a trap.

"Too slow!" Karin turned her head to the side and saw the blade coming to her head.

"Shit!" She shouted and brought her head back to avoid the sword. At the same time, she moved out of the way and swung her sword against Toshiro's zanpakuto. She and Toshiro brought their bodies a bit closer to have a little discussion.

"Since when did you become a Shinigami, Kurosaki?" Toshiro asked.

"Two years ago after you and Ichi-nii fought against the Hollows." Karin pushed her sword forward and broke Toshiro's guard for a bit. However, Toshiro recovered and jumped out of the way to let Karin see an upcoming crimson blast. Karin quickly brought her sword up to lessen the damage, but she was pushed back and crashed to the boulder behind her. The boulder broke into pieces and collapsed on Karin who didn't have a chance to escape.

Toshiro's worry spiked up when Karin was under the pile of rubble. He was about to go there and get her out, but Urahara put his hand on his shoulder, either stopping him or reassuring him.

"No. She has to learn on her own. If you help her, her zanpakuto would not wake up." Toshiro gritted his teeth and looked at the fallen rocks where Karin was buried. The boulders began to move, and a rock fell off. Little by little, the raven-haired girl dug herself out from the ground and panted from the lack of air. She jumped out of the rocks and landed in front of the captain of the tenth division and ex-captain. Urahara smirked as he saw Karin recomposing herself to fight again, despite the cut on her forehead.

"Besides, her zanpakuto… or zanpakutos… are different from other zanpakutos. Instead of one, it seems that those two are going to need to hear Karin-chan's voice." Toshiro's eyes widened when he heard that Karin's Shikai contained two instead of one. He couldn't remember any other paired zanpakutos than Jushiro Ukitake's and Shunsui Kyouraku's.

"Two zanpakutos?" Urahara nodded, releasing his hand from the shoulder.

"Hai. Let me say that they are polar opposites." Karin suddenly dashed forward and thrust her sword toward Urahara. Urahara held his zanpakuto up to block her attack, but he felt pulled. Urahara didn't show his surprise, but it did catch him off guard. Karin, then, used her sword that pushed Urahara's Benhime down and lifted herself off the ground. Toshiro didn't have time to block the attack because the attack was Karin's famous soccer roundhouse kick… straight to his head. His vision swirled around quickly and abruptly interrupted when he crashed into a pillar. He slumped to the dirt ground with a red mark on his cheek, head first.

Karin's focus was now on her _dear_ uncle who attacked her and pissed her off. She pulled her sword away from her uncle and tried to strike again, only to hit blade-to-blade. Urahara stared at her with serious dark eyes under the hat.

"I will give you a chance. If you awaken your zanpakuto, you will have to hit my hat off my head to pass this training. If not, you will die by my blade." Then, out of the ordinary, Karin just smirked at him. Urahara didn't know whether to be surprised or to be suspicious about her. He was a bit suspicious about what happened to her, but it wasn't enough to reach the suspicions about the Kazeru girl. Oh no… Karin's suspicion level was very far from reaching Heiwa's level.

"I'm not going to die…" Karin's strength increased as she pushed Urahara off balance. Later, she brought her sword behind her to block Toshiro's Hyourinmaru and said to Urahara before facing Toshiro.

"… because I'm not easy to kill!"

0000

Natsu was panting hard. They put up a good fight, and they were even better from Natsu's expectation. He already did a good number on the bald headed Shinigami and a few on the pretty boy Shinigami. However, he felt his strength wavering, even though the adrenaline pumped through his veins.

Yuzu wasn't in great shape now. The busty woman had already released her zanpakuto and avoided the quick light. The three lights were protecting Yuzu from the woman and already started the healing process. Natsu was about to strike again but stopped for a second to sense a flowing power from somewhere else.

"Nani?" said Natsu who was looking to his side with the feeling of a power. Ikkaku and Yumichika sensed the power and were looking at the certain spot from the distance.

"What is that reiatsu? Is that coming from Karin-chan?!" Yuzu shouted as she looked ahead of her. Rangiku looked behind from a distance, feeling the power from the Kurosaki girl.

Meanwhile… Heiwa was on the ground, feeling exhausted from accessing too much reiatsu on her defense. Yoruichi was also panting from exhaustion and was about to flash step again, but their senses caught an immense power that was beneath their feet.

"Could that be…?" Heiwa guessed in surprise. Who knew that Soccer Ace had that in her?

0000

Karin was knocked off from the edge and down to the ground that was twenty feet below. After attacking and defending against the two captain-level Shinigamis, Karin was dealing with heavy blows and cold attacks. Her black kimono was torn up, and her right sleeve was torn off to show a bloody arm. She, however, was thankful that she rather has a bloody arm because her fight against Toshiro almost cost her arm. She had to tear off the sleeve before the ice could freeze over. With cuts all over her arm and a deep stab on her left shoulder, Karin was definitely in critical condition. Her whole body felt that gravity hit her hard and created a crater below, making her spit out blood from her mouth.

Urahara and Toshiro appeared before her and stood there like nothing happened to them. Toshiro was still worried that the training might be too intense for her and was about to stop the training, but he hid it like he always does. Karin struggled to get up, but she was on her two feet and holding her sword with two hands.

"My, my. Aren't you a stubborn one?" Urahara asked in a bit of amusement. Karin glared at Urahara and hissed.

"Cut the crap, oji-san. One more time." Urahara tipped his hat and nodded. Toshiro frowned and put his sword up in defense.

"Gladly." Karin was about to run to the two Shinigamis, but the sudden headache occurred. The raven-haired girl stopped and clutched her head with her good hand. She hissed, and the two Shinigamis sensed her reiatsu spiking up.

"Hitsugaya-taichou," Toshiro glanced at Urahara to give him his attention, "we have to continue the training. Her zanpakutos must wake up during a fight. We must not use power on her but continue to strike her like normal swords." Urahara dashed forward with his weapon in front of him, and Toshiro followed his lead from behind.

Karin saw the upcoming swords in front of her, and she dodged and blocked the attacks with one sword while dealing with the headache.

_All right. Who the hell are you?! Why the hell can't you hear me?!_

_**But we can hear you!**_

Karin almost stumbled if it wasn't for Urahara's sword that almost beheaded her.

_**We were calling you, and you didn't hear us.**_ A stern woman's voice stated the falseness in anger. Karin wasn't happy and shouted in her mind while evading Toshiro's sword from cutting her in half.

_What the hell?! I could hear you, but you couldn't hear me!_

_**You must have hearing issues. I swear. We must have the worst master out of all the people we could have been born in.**_

_NANI?! Why I oughta-_

_Please. Don't fight in the middle of a battle. We'll help you see us._ A soft woman's voice offered help in kindness. Karin frowned and said.

_Where are you?_

Karin's vision was now up to the sky when she felt a fist colliding against her chin. She flew in the air for a bit until she landed on the ground with a thud on her back. She quickly lifted her feet and threw her whole body up back to standing before dodging Urahara's sword…

… or who wasn't Urahara at the moment.

She blinked and continued to dodge the attacks in confusion. Two questions were running through her head. One: Where the hell is Urahara and Toshiro? Two: Who…

…are the two girls, or twins, to be exact?

The two girls looked like they are twins, but their different colors are polar opposites. They have the same appearance and were chained together by one of their opposite wrists. They both have short hair and bangs that covered the first one's left eye and the other one's right eye. They were wearing a kimono appearance just like Karin, but they have another kimono, like Toshiro's resemblance of his status, that split into two like an overcoat. Their eyes were the same navy blue color, and they had a diamond mark on opposite cheeks.

They were definitely twins, but their colors were black and white. One girl had black hair that covered her right eye, a black kimono, and a white sleeveless kimono. The other girl had white hair that covered her left eye, a white kimono, and a black sleeveless kimono. The raven-haired girl had a shackle on her right wrist with the white-haired girl's left wrist. Their diamond marks were different colors: a black diamond on the raven-haired girl's left cheek and a white diamond, Karin's guess that it's a birthmark, on the white-haired girl's right cheek.

"Konbonwa, Karin!" The white-haired girl smiled cheerfully as she swung Toshiro's sword down, making Karin dodge it since she was dealing with the black-haired girl who has Urahara's sword. Karin couldn't speak because of the headache, but she thought to the girls if they could hear her.

_Yeah, yeah. Konbonwa. Now, tell me who are you two!_

"That's not going to happen." The black-haired girl swiped the sword close to Karin's chest, and Karin back stepped a bit further away from the black-haired girl.

_Why not?!_

"Do you honestly think that we are both here just to tell you our names?" The black-haired girl huffed and thrust the sword just to miss the head.

"It's true." The white-haired girl intervened and collide the sword against Karin's sword before pushing her back.

"I agree to what my nee-san said. We are not here to give away our names. You have to figure out our names and why do you fight."

_Why do I fight?_ Karin almost got her arm sliced off.

"Why do you fight?" the twins said in unison, "why do you fight? Is there a reason that you fight? Is it for fame that you want to be recognized as your own being? Or is it what you need to be strong enough to protect yourself and others? Is it for love, or is it for desire? Is it what you seek for, or is it to fight off what you fear?"

_Why do… I fight?_ _Why do I fight? Why do I fight? _Karin thought repetitively.

Karin recollected her memories to find a reason why she fights. Why was she fighting? Was there a meaning to these battles she was enduring? What's the connection? She remembered her whole family, her friends, the previous Hollow battles she experienced, and the responsibilities as a leader, and…

The twins pulled the swords back and were about to thrust through Karin's head. However, in a flash second, the twins were knocked back further and skidded on the hard ground. The two girls sat up to see Karin holding two swords with a chain connected on the ends. The colors of the swords were also polar opposites from each other.

One sword was pure white with the black hilt, and the other sword was black as the night with a white hilt. The two swords were similar in similar style to Ichigo and Isshin's hilt, so it's no surprise there.

Karin pointed the white sword toward the two girls and smiled with gratefulness.

"Arigato…" She held the two swords up in the air before she struck them down, naming her zanpakutos.

"… Yamihoshi, Akirakahoshi." The two girls smiled and held their sword up, disappearing from Karin's illusion and revealing the surprised Toshiro and Urahara. The sword sent out a dark reiatsu slash and a pure reiastu slash toward the now guarded men. Toshiro put his sword up to block against the white slash, and Urahara's sword collided against the black slash. The two slash burst into a force that pushed the two guys back, and Urahara's hat was knocked off from the blast. Everyone stood still from what happened. Karin was breathing hard through her burning lungs, and her muscles were stiff. Toshiro's breath was normal, but his heart was beating in anticipation. Then, Urahara smiled and nodded.

"You passed." Karin blinked until she smiled with her pearly white teeth and jumped in joy.

"YATTA! I did it!" She stopped and looked at her black sword with confusion.

"Nani?" Her facial expression turned from confusion into anger and embarrassment.

"What the hell, Yamihoshi?! I did not!" Karin looked at her white sword, and her facial expression changed into agreement.

"Hai. You tell her." Then, a vein popped out when she heard what the black sword said.

"You are so lucky that you don't have a physical body. If you did, I would have smacked you." Then, the two swords disappeared and Karin's normal sword appeared on her hand. She sheathed her sword back and walked back to the two men who just witness what was going on. She blushed and laughed nervously, feeling embarrassed.

"Ehehehe… those were my two zanpakutos, Yamihoshi and Akirakahoshi, I was talking to." Karin, then, stopped blushing and smiled gently.

"Arigato, Urahara-oji-san, Toshiro." Toshiro nodded, keeping his neutral expression.

"Now, now. Hitsugaya-taichou. You don't have to hide your smiles here. This is not Soul Society." Urahara scolded the captain who glared at the ex-captain.

"Yeah, Toshiro." Toshiro's eyes turned to the smiling Karin.

"You can smile here whenever you want. At least a small smile would do." Toshiro blinked and sighed. Then, unexpectedly, Toshiro Hitsugaya, _the_ captain of the tenth division, was ruffling Karin's hair… a bit hard and quick.

"Shut up, Kurosaki. You don't tell me what to do."

"H-hey! Knock it off! Yamero!" Urahara blinked and then smiled to see the cute little scene he was witnessing. Karin pushed Toshiro's hand off her head and glared at him, but his hand kept on landing on her head, ruffling it some more. She was still yelling at him, but Urahara saw a small smile coming from Toshiro.

_Just like the legend says._

"We missed Karin's training! I told you we should go behind the shop!" Karin stopped yelling and turned her focus to the guests who her uncle forgot to mention. Toshiro's smile faltered and scowled at the people, and he quickly withdrew his hand from Karin's head. The raven-haired girl gaped and cursed in her head.

_Shit. I'm screwed._

**Omake:**

Yoruichi and Heiwa were panting in exhaustion from defending and attacking each other. Heiwa was about to attack again, but she sensed five upcoming reiatsu.

"Shit." She cursed and stood up to defend herself. When the Shinigamis appeared, Heiwa almost lost her balance with her eyebrow twitching.

"Don't tell me that you lost." In front of Heiwa, Natsu rubbed his neck in embarrassment without his mask, and Yuzu bowed a lot to Heiwa, saying "Gomen nasai" repetitively. Rangiku, Ikkaku, and Yumichika had their arms crossed and glared at the Kazeru boy and the blue masked Vaizard.

"Hai. Sumimasen." Heiwa face-palmed, or mask-palmed, and groaned.

"Why do I have this reckless idiot as my brother?"


	18. Next Stop, Soul Society

**Me: …**

**C.T.E.: …**

**S.A.N.: … um…**

**Me and C.T.E.: …**

**S.A.N.: Are you guys… playing the staring contest… again?**

**Me: Yeah? ****So?**

**S.A.N.: (sigh) ****Animefreak**** doesn't own Bleach.**

**C.T.E.: Ha! You blinked!**

**Me: I did not!**

Chapter 18: Next Stop, Soul Society

"I-I-Ichi-nii?! Rukia-nee? What a pleasant surprise! I- I didn't know you were coming here." Karin stuttered in fake surprise, but inside her mind, she was panicking like she couldn't think what she was going to do next. There was no way that she could run or trick her brother, so she was basically stuck… for the moment.

Toshiro closed his eyes and prayed for Karin silently. He sympathized what Karin was going through since she was the one who was hiding from everyone. However, it was also partly her fault since she became a Shinigami without their permission.

The two were expecting an angry Ichigo and a surprised Rukia, but instead of one or both reactions, the soon-to-be-parents were smiling and were not so surprised.

"Relax, Karin. We knew that you were a Shinigami for a while." Ichigo smiled at the gaping girl and wide-eyed captain. Okay, this was definitely strange. Rukia was smiling toward the raven-haired girl like she also knew it well.

This… this was awkward! How could Ichigo and Rukia become so calm when Karin was actually a Shinigami without their knowledge? Toshiro wanted to ask many questions toward the Kurosaki couple, and Karin wanted to shout out about how they knew while they were living far away. There was no possible way that Ichigo and Rukia would know about Karin's power!

"I see you have brought Karin to the training grounds to gain her Shikai like my son went through." Karin and Toshiro looked up to the stairs that connected the training grounds and Urahara's shop. Karin almost lost her balance and did a double take.

Her father was walking down the stairs in his Shinigami form. Karin wished that something to happen outside of the shop, so she wouldn't take any more stress than she already have. Urahara bent down and grabbed his hat that Karin knocked off. He stood up straight and placed it on his head, tilting the striped hat.

"Hai. She does have you and Ichigo's spirit, and she's a rare one." Karin raised an eyebrow, questioning her uncle.

"What do you mean that I'm a rare one, oji-san?" Urahara smiled and made a surprised expression, either ignoring or stressing the poor Kurosaki girl.

"Oh! We have more guests!"

"Don't ignore me, clog head!" Karin shouted in both anger and fear.

Right after Karin called Urahara a clog head, two other Shinigamis appeared behind the Kurosaki father. Karin looked who were behind her father and felt her balance disappear on her legs like her energy was absorbed. Toshiro caught her by the waist just in time and was about ask if she was alright, but Karin wrapped her arm around Toshiro's neck and shouted in surprise as she pointed at the two.

"Densetsu-sensei?! Kazeru-oji-san?! What are you doing here?!" Toshiro's head shot up to hear the teacher's name and the twin's last name. Walking behind Isshin, a large man and the good looking teacher were wearing the black kimono like Isshin. The large man wore the sword behind his back, and Densetsu's sword was behind him and horizontal above his waist. Tsuyosa smiled and waved his hand to the Kurosaki girl.

"Karin-chan! It's nice to meet you, too!" Karin mentally face-palmed and wanted to find something that will end her own life. Probably, she could ask Yamihoshi and Akirakahoshi to- damn! They said that they aren't doing that because it would also mean that they die with her. There goes her plan.

"If you're done holding my sister, you could let go of her, _now_." Ichigo stated, and the last word had a malicious tone. Karin and Toshiro blushed and jumped away from each other. They recomposed their character and glared at the group: Karin's hell eyes stared at her family and family friends with Toshiro's icy glare. Everyone, except Densetsu, was feeling the chill in the air or the heat from the eyes. The teacher glanced somewhere else and announced the next arrivals.

"They're coming."

Five people appeared behind Karin and Toshiro, and the two Shinigamis turned around to see Rangiku, Yumichika, and Ikkaku with…

"You have got to be kidding me…" Karin moaned and stomped up to the two other Shinigamis. She glared at them with utmost anger at the Kazeru boy and her shy twin.

"Please, don't tell me that the genius is with you." Karin stated with an unbelievable facial expression, but Natsu shook his head.

"No. She's still battling with the masked woman above." Karin felt relieved and nodded.

"That's good to hear." Natsu looked who were the audience, and his eyes were wide when he spotted two certain people.

"Otou-san?! Densetsu-sensei?! What are you doing here?! How in the world did you become a Shinigami?!" The Kazeru father pointed to the three certain Shinigamis who are on his side.

"Densetsu, Isshin, Urahara, and I go way back in Soul Society. Isshin is already retired, and Densetsu and Urahara were exiled from Soul Society. I, however, asked the general captain of the Gotei 13 for a self-exile." Natsu blinked and said "oh" before he decided to shut his mouth. Karin looked at Natsu first, then Yuzu, and back again in question. Yuzu, knowing her sister for a long time, laughed nervously.

"Hai. We lost." Karin looked at Urahara who was holding the fan, again.

"So… what's this fighting all about?" Urahara smiled, making Karin feeling the need to punch him.

"Oh! This fight is just a test to see if you, four, are capable of being Shinigamis. If half of you, four, beat us, you all pass." Karin's eyebrow twitched and put her palm over her eyes. Everyone thought Karin was about to explode and rant a lot of things, but surprisingly, she didn't. However, they didn't know that Karin was chanting over and over again, not to beat Natsu into a bloody pulp or to hide the plush dolls away from Yuzu. She was definitely considering pulling a prank on Urahara in the near future.

"Wait… the boy I fought a few days ago. Why are you a Shinigami?" Toshiro asked in suspicion. It was strange to know that Karin stated that she didn't know that she was the twin bladed Shinigami, but this was very bizarre to see the boy again who is now a Shinigami. Natsu laughed nervously, but he answered anyway.

"Ehehehe… well… I sort of got nee-san mad but saying that she needed to do better in judo, and she found a glove somewhere in the attic. So-"

"She punched you, and your soul separated from your body, causing you to be a Shinigami." Yuzu finished it off with a smile, and Natsu sweat dropped.

"Hai. Basically, that's what happened." Everyone, except the white-haired captain, Karin, and Yuzu, sweat dropped to hear the older twin losing her cool over a compliment. Karin's hand slipped off from her eyes, and she questioned the two.

"Where's you're-"

"Right here." Rangiku interrupted when she pulled out a mask under her sleeves, making Karin drop her jaw in disbelief. Yumichika waved the red triangle marked mask on his hand with a smile on his face. Toshiro's eyes widened and looked at the boy and fraternal twin for similarities now and during the Hollow Invasion.

_I can't believe it. It's really them from the Hollow Invasion. What's really going on?_

Suddenly, Toshiro and Karin sensed an upcoming reiatsu from above and dashed to opposite directions. Right at the second, something crashed in the middle and created a crater in the middle. The two skidded on their feet and looked up to see what happened. When the dirt cleared, the masked woman was sitting up and coughing in the crater. Everyone's heads looked up to see the blue marked masked Vaizard who was panting in exhaustion.

"Yoruichi. That's enough." Urahara ordered sternly, and Yoruichi obliged. However, the blue masked Vaizard dived down straight to the defenseless woman.

"Heiwa! Enough!" Tsuyosa bellowed, but apparently, his daughter didn't hear him through the loud wind. When Heiwa was ready to slice the woman with the edges of her shields, Karin cursed and took her sword out.

"Cut down the enemies and save the love ones, Yamihoshi! Akirakahoshi!" Karin shouted, and the sword split into two. Karin dashed in between Yoruichi and Heiwa and held her twin swords up to block. Heiwa's shields were caught against the swords, and Heiwa was surprised and angered even more.

"What the hell are you doing, Karin?! Can't you see that Yuzu and Natsu are captured?!" Heiwa growled as she increased her strength against Karin. Karin glared and increased her own strength to match with hers.

"Calm down, Heiwa! All of this was just a test. Yuzu and Natsu are all right! You and I helped us pass the test!" Heiwa didn't say anything or increase the strength. Heiwa pulled her weapons away from Karin and observed Karin's Shikai. Karin let her guard down and held her two swords to her sides with relief. The Kazeru girl looked at the Shinigamis who were gathered around right in the rocky territory. She stared at her father the most, but she made no reaction whatsoever. Heiwa sighed and dismissed her mask, revealing her face without the glasses. Her shields reverted back into a sword on her right hand, and the brown-haired girl sheathed her zanpakuto back. She smirked at Karin, and Karin knew that smirk anywhere at any event. Heiwa was actually happy, and she was looking forward to…

"So, you ready to face me?" Karin blinked and grinned. Heiwa's rage cooled down back to normal, and she was back to her calm and cold self again. Heiwa is her own person in many ways, but she could be somewhat like Natsu. However, Heiwa knew what she was doing and will eliminate anyone with a judgment of her own. Her zanpakutos reverted back to a single sword, and Karin slipped them into her sheath.

"Yep. Bring it on anytime." The two girls turned their attention to their audience and gave an equal glare.

"No more joking around." Karin said with seriousness in her voice.

"Tell us what's going on before the next step." Heiwa finished it with the same voice she had, except that she meant it. Yuzu and Natsu looked at each other and nodded. The two ran to their sister's sides and faced the whole group, wanting to know what's going to happen. Kisuke Urahara nodded, happily obliging to their demands.

"I'll explain the situation. Everyone else would answer on their own if they want to." Karin, Toshiro, and their group were shocked to hear this. It was unusual to hear that Urahara was actually giving away information for once.

"However, I'll keep some secrets away from you." Everyone sweat dropped to hear this.

Maybe not…

"You see. Since Soul Society was looking for Karin and waited for two to three years, I and Yoruichi knew that it was time for Karin and the others' departures. The problem was about finding out who were the other three, so Yoruichi followed Karin in disguise." Yoruichi smiled and transformed into a black cat. The group was shocked to see her disguise as an animal and could hear Heiwa muttered somewhere like "There _was_ something strange about that cat nearby my house."

"How am _I_ the twin bladed Shinigami that Soul Society is looking for? Isn't there another person-"

"I'm not finished yet, Karin-chan. Wait until it's over." Urahara interrupted Karin as she started to ask questions. Karin crossed her arms, mumbling incoherently.

"As I was saying, since Yoruichi followed and reported about your daily 'activities,' we waited and observed your ways of fighting a battle. I wasn't impressed the first time when you all tried to take down a Menos by yourselves…" The four certain people winced, remembering how it turned out with the lack of teamwork and preparation.

"… and I was considering taking you, four, out of the team. However, I decided to wait and observe how you progressed. Throughout the battles and times of fighting, you all changed my mind about reconsidering your decisions."

Karin, Natsu, and Yuzu gaped at the smiling ex-captain in disbelief. Heiwa was stunned at what she heard, but she didn't show it. They couldn't believe that Urahara and Yoruichi were spying on them for their whole lives, and they didn't know about it. Either they suck at sensing reiatsu or they hid their reiatsu very well… probably it's the second latter because there was no way that those four could not sense one single Hollow from somewhere far.

"Now, my part is done. Karin could ask the question." Karin blinked and nodded.

"Hai. Now, I was saying. How am I the twin bladed Shinigami that Soul Society is looking for? Isn't there another person who has two blades?" Toshiro nodded in agreement.

"I was wondering about that." Karin continued.

"I mean, I wasn't there during the Hollow Invasion because the three Shinigamis couldn't be us since they appeared in the Hollow Invasion that Yuzu and I weren't involved or didn't meet Heiwa and Natsu yet." Urahara kept on smiling and shook his head.

"That… is what I can't tell you." Toshiro asked with a bit of anger. Why couldn't Urahara answer Karin's question?

"Why not? Don't we have a right to know these?" Then, the smile disappeared, meaning that this was serious.

"I rather not tell you because it's something no one should know. Only a few captain-level Shinigamis and a few selected vice-captains should know, privately. You, Hitsugaya-taichou, should know when you return to Soul Society with Karin. Karin-chan, however, shall not or will not know in any way." Toshiro didn't ask anymore, so he kept quiet. The raven-haired girl ranted about being denied of her answer, but her voice was now in muffles since Heiwa slapped her hand over Karin's mouth.

"Wuh thu huh ee dat or?!" Karin said through her hand, and the translation is "What the hell is that for?!" Heiwa showed no acknowledgement to her friend, but her sharp eyes were glared at the sandal hat man.

"Whatever happened in the Hollow Invasion, are you certain that Karin is actually what Soul Society is looking for?" Urahara nodded without saying anything, and Heiwa closed her eyes and continued.

"How much do you believe that Karin is the Shinigami? What proof or information do you have?" Urahara still smiled, and he shut his fan closed.

"Very good questions, Kazeru-san. I won't answer the first question, but I would give you one piece of information to you." The whole group had their ears open to hear what Urahara has to say. Urahara tilted his hat, and his left eye glinted under the shadow.

"A good _family _friend informed me a little about you." Karin, Natsu, Rangiku, and Ikkaku shouted in anger, saying that his answer wasn't helping. Toshiro didn't shout, but he just glared at the smiling Urahara. Only Yumichika and Yuzu face-palmed and still have their sanity. Heiwa didn't answer nor look at him.

No, her sight was somewhere else. She saw the orange-haired man looking down and didn't look back up. His wife put her hand on his arm, and she was talking to him while her eyes were watered up. The father just turned his head to the other side without saying a word. Her sight then turned back to the smiling Urahara and pretended to be not interested in arguing back. She would come back to the Kurosaki family later and focus on what her friends were whining about. After their retorts of shouting at the shop owner, they calmed down a bit… a _wee_ bit.

"So, when do we leave?" Karin asked Toshiro, wanting to deal with this quickly because there was no other way for them to get information out of the shop owner. Toshiro closed his eyes but answered her.

"I haven't send Yamamoto-taichou the message yet. It depends on him, so you have one day before Yamamoto-taichou replies back."

**Omake:**

"Well… let's go back to my house and party!" Karin stated while walking in front of the group. Natsu and Yuzu cheered, and Heiwa just nodded.

"Oy! May we come too?" Rangiku asked with hope of drinking sake.

"No, Matsumoto. We are not here to-"

"Of course." Toshiro's self control snapped and turned to Karin with a glare in his eyes, dropping the temperature to the snow level. Everyone felt the rapid cold and shivered badly. Karin, however, rolled her eyes and glared at the angered captain.

"Listen, you need to take a break once in a while. It's not good to be a workaholic captain because you'll burn out. I had to get brownie to stop studying so hard because she didn't take a break. Additionally, she had bags under her eyes, wrinkled clothes, messy ha-ITAI!" Karin held her head when Heiwa smacked her. Her head shot up and started to shout at the brown-haired girl.

"What the hell is that for?!"

"No one wants to know _my_ image when I'm studying overnight!" Her head was smacked again, but it was harder. Therefore, Karin almost lost her balance from kissing the floor.

Natsu and Yuzu grabbed Toshiro on the arms and backed off a bit when they saw a vein throbbing on Heiwa's forehead. Their walk turned into a sprint with the captain in their grasps when the veins were now visible on Karin's forehead. They stopped in front of Toshiro's group before the squabbling started with physical contact. However, the squabbling turned into a war ground since they heard Karin's voice loud enough to echo through the training grounds, along with Heiwa's voice. Additionally, Karin was chasing the escaping Heiwa around the training grounds.

"YOU!! COME HERE!!"

"MAKE ME!!"

Everyone decided to leave the girls alone and go to the Kurosaki residence before the girls would likely kill each other. Toshiro and Natsu volunteered to stay behind and bring the girls back after their squabbling is done… which it would take an hour or so.

**I'm starting to have a writer's block in my mind. I kept on changing what would happen in the future chapters, and I'm a bit frustrated. This story will be on hiatus for a while until I got everything cleared up.**


	19. Meeting, Greeting, and Shocking

**Me: … ****yay****! Writer's block is removed!**

**C.T.E.: … it took WAY too long to organize the story. Especially a request about the Yuichi Shibata character that made our rusty heads move.**

**Me: … yeah… it did. HOWEVER! This is still ****KarinxToshiro****. Toshiro will get jealous in this chapter and later chapters.**

**I don't own Bleach.**

Chapter 19: Meeting, Greeting, and Shocking

"Come on, Toshiro! We'll be late!"

"Be patient. We'll get there."

"Say that in front of four-eyes! Let's see if you like tasting mud."

It was usual like always. Karin and Toshiro were doing the arguing while Karin was doing the most arguing and the running. Some people stared at them strangely, and others muttered about acting like an old couple.

Before everyone departed from the party, Toshiro said that the General Captain sent him a message that they should bring Karin to Soul Society for the meeting. It was a good thing that it was in a Sunday, meaning that there was no school. Karin was ahead of the white-haired boy, and Toshiro muttered about impatience and "are Kurosakis always like this?"

Karin slowed down her pace as she walked normally. Toshiro noticed her lack of speed, so he picked up his own pace to reach her.

"Kurosaki?"

No response.

"… Karin-san?"

Still no response.

"... Karin?"

"I can hear you, you know." Karin finally responded. Toshiro nodded and walked beside her, but he was curious about her unusual attitude. They walked in silence as they turned to an empty path that leads to the candy shop.

"Ne… Toshiro?" Karin asked with an unsure voice.

"Hn."

"Do… do you still believe that I am the Shinigami that you are searching for, even though I never have fought the Hollow Invasion?" Toshiro looked ahead to think about the question before he shrugged with no clue.

"Who knows." Karin nodded, understanding that he either said that he doesn't know or a maybe. Unexpectedly, she tripped over something and yelped as her vision was looking downward and her body was falling to the concrete road. Almost instantly, Toshiro grabbed Karin's left arm and yanked her falling body to his chest.

Everything around them stood still as their thoughts were reeling many thoughts. Karin's brain went into shock and functioned what Karin was resting on. Her head was resting on his chest, or his chiseled chest, and her hands were holding on his lean arms. She couldn't decide whether to beat the crap out of him for being stronger than her or kick his shin. Either way, her heart was still beating crazy and her face red as a tomato.

Toshiro closed his eyes and resisted his urge from hugging her tightly. For a strong woman, he could smell the vanilla scent coming from her. His strong arms wrapped around her petite form, and he could feel the softness of her cheek on his chest and her fragile arms touching his arms. He was very careful not to hug the china doll or shred her pride because he knew that she would beat the crap out of him, shinigami or not.

They heard someone talking behind them and broke apart quickly. They turned around to see who was behind them and sighed in relief, seeing a woman and child walking by.

"So… should we go?" Karin asked to break the tension. Even though her voice was normal, her heart was beating fast, and the blood rushed up to her cheeks in embarrassment. Toshiro was the same, but he didn't show it nor face her. He just walked ahead, and Karin followed. The two didn't say anything until they reached to Urahara's candy shop where everyone, excluding Ichigo, Rukia, and Urahara, were waiting outside. Natsu turned around and shouted at the first sight of the white hair.

"Toshiro! Where were yo- oh. Oh ho! Weren't you making out with Karin?" Being like the idiot as he is, Natsu was down on the dirt ground with two feet on his head, courtesy of the two blushing teens. Jinta came out of the shop and called out for everyone to go inside now since the meeting was over.

0000

The whole meeting ended a minute ago, and everyone was ready to go. Toshiro and Karin were sitting next to each other, Yuzu was sitting between Karin and Heiwa, and Kazeru twins were last. Behind them were Rangiku, Yumichika, and Ikkaku, and Ichigo and Rukia were sitting in front of Karin. Urahara scanned the group in front of him and nodded.

"Before I start, I want to ask the Kazeru girl first." Everyone blinked and turned to the unfazed girl who didn't show any reaction. Taking her silence as an answer, Urahara grinned and asked.

"How much do you know about Shinigami?" Heiwa closed her eyes and answered.

"Much from my father."

"Not from what I heard from." Karin saw Heiwa's eyes widen slightly before glaring at the grinning Urahara.

"What do you mean?" He flicked his fan open and peeked under his hat.

"Let's just say that at 12 o' clock at midnight, you snuck into the attic and researched anything related to Shinigami and Hollows. Before you met Karin, you found an old album about your family and letters about the history of your family." Everyone could feel the rage aura from the girl, and Karin glanced at the angered girl in worry and caution. There were times that Heiwa would lash out. It was rarely experienced and seen, but her rage was dangerous.

"… and let me say that you have many more secrets that I don't know, will know, and already know." Everyone was surprised about Heiwa's knowledge about what she already knew. Her knowledge was impressive yet it expanded beyond their expectations. Many thought she may have the extensive knowledge that would help the information quarters on finding new discoveries, but to a few who knew, she had limited knowledge like any ordinary high school student. Heiwa stood up furiously and was about to attack him. However, Natsu arm-locked her and struggled to keep her on one spot. Karin helped him and held the other arm, and Yuzu summoned her Shikai to calm her temper. Toshiro and the others were prepared to restrain the girl, but Urahara stopped them.

"Don't. Let them handle this."

Karin and Natsu pulled Heiwa's arms from swinging, and Yuzu was trying to calm her by placing one of the lights on her forehead. Every second passed, the struggled lessened, and her eyes drooped a bit. The three sighed in relief as they released their hold. Heiwa sat back down and pinched the bridge of her nose. Karin, Yuzu, and Natsu were still standing and prepared to take Heiwa down if she starts to lash out again. Heiwa released her grip and let her hand land on her lap, but her glare looked like it would melt a hole on Urahara's forehead.

"My business isn't your concern, Kisuke-san." She sneered through gritting teeth, but Urahara ignored her mutter.

"So! Shall we start? This will be quick and painless." Urahara announced as he shut the fan. Everyone nodded and was ready to leave and let Jinta and Ururu to take care of the bodies. Urahara stood and lifted his cane in front of Karin first. Then, he hit Karin's forehead first and quickly Yuzu, Natsu, and Heiwa. The four were out of their bodies and crashed to the door opposite of them. The three shot up in anger and shouted him, especially Heiwa who lost her cool again.

"YOU SAID IT WAS PAINLESS!!" Urahara flapped his fan open mischievously and shooed the four out.

"I did, but I didn't say that your souls would be painless. Now, go and have a nice trip!" Karin and her group forgot their anger and sweat dropped. Toshiro sighed and got out of his body, taking the lead. Jinta and Ururu caught the motionless bodies and brought them to another room, but Rukia told her gigai to take care of the body since she is carrying her baby while holding up her husband's body.

0000

Ichigo looked behind him every five minutes to see the four behind him. The younger group was doing their own business after they asked a lot of questions about Soul Society. Karin and Toshiro were usually arguing as always, and Ichigo frowned as his gut feeling was telling him that arguing equals to close relationship. His eyes glanced to his other sister and their friends. Heiwa was emitting the huge raging and calm reiatsu around her to shut Natsu up from attacking Ikkaku. Yuzu did the face-palm while she was witnessing the argument between the respected tenth captain and the hard-headed twin in a fiery dual.

"Ichigo." The orange haired man faced his wife who gave him the concerned look.

"I know that you are worried but have faith in them. They are strong." Ichigo smiled and nodded; however, that was not the case.

"_Kurosaki-__taichou__Kurosaki-__fukutaichou__ Welcome, welcome. How may I help you?" __Kisuke__Urahara__ asked in delight to have his "favorite guinea pig" in his shop. __Yoruichi__ was already there behind __him,__ and only the four __Shingami__ would discuss about the following topic._

"_Stop with the formalities, __Urahara__. It's just __Ichigo__ or __Ichigo-taichou__." The shop owner chuckled and sat down on the cushion. __Ichigo__ and __Rukia__ sat across the former captain and started the meeting._

"_All right, Mr. Hat-and-Clogs. I want to know the reason how __Yuzu__ and Karin became __Shinigami__ without the chain of fate, along with their friends." __Ichigo__ stated in a stern voice. __Rukia__ knew that he shouldn't talk so harsh, but she agreed to what her husband said. She knew that four normal humans cannot become __Shinigami__ without the chain of fate severed, and it was unusual to find humans who can become __Shinigami__ by their own will._

_Urahara__ nodded and frowned, turning serious on this._

"_I am willingly to give this reason about their sudden powers, and I promise you no riddles." __Rukia__ and __Ichigo's__ ears were open to hear this._

"_Karin-__chan__ and __Yuzu-chan__ don't have the chain of fate connected to their bodies because their souls are different. It is very peculiar that a soul doesn't have the chain that connects to their reason to be here."_

"_Maybe… they decided that they want to go to Soul Society." __Ichigo__ guessed, but __Rukia__ shook her head in disagreement._

"_It's not that possible. All souls must have a chain connected to their hearts and must have a soul burial preformed on them." __Urahara__ nodded._

"_It's true. Karin and __Yuzu's__ souls, along with the __Kazeru__ twins, must have the chain of fate for the physical world. However, they didn't. They just have their powers without their chains broken or attached. Additionally, Karin's __reiatsu__ spiked up so suddenly when she heard her __zanpakutos__' voices, and her __reiatsu__ wasn't normal like your __reiatsus__ but large. I have a feeling that this may be her first, or second, adventure, and this large abnormal __reiatsu__ would be the key to saving the universe." __Ichigo__ groaned and slammed his head on the table, and __Rukia__ and __Urahara__ were looking at the fourteenth captain in annoyance. __Ichigo__… was still __**not**__ into the adventures and thinking why does the world torture him._

0000

"Wow…"

"So cool…"

"It's too bright."

"Quit your whining, Natsu."

The group has entered Seireitei, Soul Society where Soul Reapers and other souls are living. With much information in their heads about Soul Society (by Ichigo and Toshiro's explanation while walking through the gate), they entered the entrance of where Soul Reapers enter and exit the real world. Karin and Yuzu were running not far from the group and were doing sightseeing. Heiwa was busy smacking her brother's head to behave, and Natsu tried to stay normal but only blanched at the huge buildings more. The rest of the group was searching for a certain escort…

"ICHIGO KUROSAKI!!"

… and were not expecting him. Almost everyone groan, and some were looking around to find who said it since it's their first time stepping foot on the fortressed haven. When a shadow loomed over the Kurosaki girl's head, Karin looked up to see what was blocking the sun, and the sight she was seeing was someone flying over her… with a sword over his head.

"Shit!" Karin took her sword out and shouted, quickly.

"Cut down the enemies and save the love ones, Yamihoshi! Akirakahoshi!" Two swords split from the one sword, and Karin quickly grabbed them to bring them up to an X to block the collision in two seconds. She gritted her teeth to increase her strength and glared at the huge man with an eye patch.

"What the hell? You're not Ichigo!" The spiky black haired man yelled in surprise, and Karin shouted back in annoyance.

"The hell I'm not! The name's Karin Kurosaki, and Ichi-nii is right over there!" The huge man blinked and looked to the group, containing a pissed off Ichigo, a cold glaring Toshiro, the surprised new comers, and the not-so-surprised old friends. They suddenly heard someone else, but it was more like a… child's voice.

"Ken-chan! Ken-chan! Where are you?" The people looked at the man called "Ken-chan" who sheathed his sword. Karin's swords formed back into one, and she sheathed her sword, too.

"I'm over here." The large man said, and a little kid with pink short hair ran to the large man. The little girl jumped on his shoulder and stayed there like she was a little kitten.

"Who are you?" Karin asked in curiosity and stared at the small girl in disbelief. The young girl smiled and introduced herself.

"My name's Yachiru Kusajishi, and I'm the vice captain of the 11th division. This is Ken-chan, captain of the 11th division." Karin, Yuzu, and Natsu almost lost balance. They were thinking the same about how could a little girl like her reach to that rank in the 11th division. Karin and Yuzu gaped at the little girl and sputtered a lot of nonsense words, Heiwa was thinking how the world and dimensions are mysteries, and Natsu just pointed to the small kid.

"You? But… you're just a small fry." Suddenly, the Kazeru boy felt the wind rushing through his lungs as his sight was now up in the sky. He dared to look what was on his chest… to see a smiling Yachiru.

"You're Taro-chan, ne?" It was humorous for the girls to witness Natsu's humiliation and struggle under the cute Yachiru who purposely increased her weight. Natsu also called for help, but no one made a movement. It was either the latter: they didn't bother helping the Kazeru kid or they didn't want to deal with Yachiru bothering them with no end. Ignoring the cries for help, Karin introduced herself to the large man.

"The name's Karin Kurosaki, and don't confuse me with Ichi-nii. Yuzu Kurosaki is my twin, the one with light brown hair. The idiot over there is Natsu Kazeru, and this is Heiwa Kazeru, his older twin. But… you can call her Wa-chan." Karin felt two smacks on the head, but she grinned in amusement.

"Next time, I'll do the introduction, Rin-chan." Heiwa sneered. Kenpachi nodded and looked at Ichigo and later Karin.

"You are Kurosaki's sister, except that you make a better opponent." Karin rubbed her neck and smiled a bit to hear a compliment from the captain, but Ichigo was shouting in anger at the huge man. Some people (including the freed Natsu and the young Yachiru) watched the two men shouting and sheathing their swords out. Rukia sighed and knocked Ichigo upside the head to stop him while Kenpachi sheathed his sword again when Yachiru jumped on his shoulder.

"Ah. Ichigo, Shiro-chan, Rukia. Welcome back. I see that you brought them here." Toshiro frowned to hear the familiar voice and corrected the voice.

"It's Hitsugaya-taicho, Ukitake-taichou." Karin turned around to see another white haired man, but his hair was longer. She could tell that he is a captain of another division due to the white outfit, but she almost had a suspicion that this man is Toshiro's father.

"Ano… who are you? Are you Toshiro-nii's otousan?" Yuzu asked instead and with a bit of curiosity, repeating Karin's thoughts. The white haired man chuckled a bit, but he shook his head.

"No. I am Shiro-chan's friend. I apologize for not introducing myself. My name is Jushiro Ukitake, captain of the thirteenth division of the Gotei 14." Heiwa's eyebrows rose in surprise and stated in confusion.

"Gotei 14? I thought it was the Gotei 13." Jushiro nodded, understanding her confusion.

"It was previously Gotei 13. Because of Ichigo and his heroic actions, he was promoted to the new division Yamamoto-taicho appointed him to." Karin, Yuzu, Natsu, and Heiwa turned their heads to the uncomfortable Ichigo who fidgeted under their stares. Saving Ichigo from further fidgeting, Jushiro broke the concentrated stares and asked.

"Now. Shall we all go?" Everyone turned their attentions to Jushiro (much relief for Ichigo) and followed the thirteenth captain to the center of Soul Society where the meeting will start.

0000

Karin was furious. She was more furious than dealing with Heiwa's complaints when they first met each other and her attitude at their first greeting. She was pacing quickly and around to wait… _outside of the doors._

"Karin. Yamero." Heiwa sighed for the twentieth time, leaning against the wall. Karin stopped pacing and flipped her off while looking at the door with blazing eyes. Yuzu sighed as she also had to stand with her friends in front of the door. Natsu was playing with a kadema toy Heiwa brought it just in case Natsu complained about being bored… which he did for a while. It has been a while since the captain meeting started, and Karin was not happy to hear about not being involved in this meeting. At first was individual attendance and the deep voice for an introduction behind the doors. Later, there were slight shouts, then silence.

It's not fair. Karin, Yuzu, Heiwa, and Natsu were ordered to wait outside of the doors before one of the captains would call them in, and the discussion was tempting to be involved. The others just ditched the group to announce their arrival to the other divisions.

"So now what do we do since we are here?" Karin asked, stopping her pace. Heiwa gave her the "why are you asking me" look, and Karin gave her the "answer my question, dammit" look. The brunette pushed her glasses up and shook her head.

"Discuss about what we all need to do." Yuzu didn't understand what Heiwa was saying and asked the question.

"What do you mean?" Natsu suddenly stopped playing with the kadema (since the wooden ball hit his head multiple times) and walked beside his sister. Heiwa sighed and answered.

"Such as discussing about who is willingly staying here in Soul Society, who wants to stay in the real world, and anything to add for the matter." Almost instantly when Heiwa said "real world", Yuzu covered her mouth in surprised, and Karin and Natsu muttered with the feeling of dread.

"Oh shit… otou-san…"

"Now what are we going to do?" Yuzu whispered in a worried tone. Heiwa shook her head in disappointment and eyed everyone. In her head, her decision was already final. However, she didn't know who should stay and who should go, but…

"I don't know about you all, but I'm staying here. I have my own reasons, and it's my decision, not yours." She didn't let anyone have the chance to talk or ask! The three disagreed about her decision and saying that it was selfish of her to leave the real world like that. However, it is her reason, and it was final. No questions asked… at all.

"Now what? Nee-san already has decided, so… has anyone else decided?" Natsu rubbed his head in frustration. Karin and Yuzu glanced at each other with unsure eyes and back to the bookworm.

"You, Natsu, are not allowed to stay in Soul Society until summer break." Heiwa stated with an uncaring voice. Natsu, as usual, shouted in anger and confusion.

"What?! Why not?!" Heiwa glanced at her fuming brother and shook her head.

"You have a responsibility for being the heir, Natsu. If you and I decided to stay here in Soul Society, otousan would lose his position as the headmaster of the dojo. It would be better if you stayed in the real world and be homeschooled by otousan or someone else." Heiwa looked away and said no more. Natsu didn't say anything or retorted back to his sister. He stood there with wide eyes, shocked and surprised to hear something from Heiwa other than a scolding.

_You have at least some connection to the real world. I have no connection, except for Karin, Karin's family, you, and __otousan_

"Well… Wa-chan does have a point," Karin sighed and apologized to her friend, " Gomen, Natsu. It looks like you are staying in the real world." Natsu just nodded, not disagreeing for once. Karin turned her attention to her fraternal twin who was fidgeting on her sleeves. This wasn't new to Karin, but Yuzu was obviously uncomfortable about speaking her thoughts out.

"You know that you can say what you think, Yuzu." Yuzu glanced at her older sister and back to the eldest Kazeru twin.

"Ano… I-I just want to stay in the real world… b-because I'm worried about otousan's health and… I want to keep up my healing skills. I wished that you stay with me, but I also want you to study here because you'll make a great leader." Karin grinned and patted the blushing Yuzu's head.

"It's all right. Otousan could teach you about healing since he knows about us. How about this? Every summer break, you can come here to take the academy while we come over and watch over the real world, and in your holidays, you can come over and visit us." Yuzu smiled and nodded. It was a great ideal. Later, they heard a snicker and turned their heads to the laughing Heiwa and a ghost-face Natsu. Something was up.

"What are you laughing about, Brownie?" Karin asked. Heiwa pointed at her pale brother and mouthed "otousan." The two girls felt sorry for the guy who is going to stay in the real world. Tsuyosa's training must be difficult that involves more bruises and pain, and Natsu was going to experience it since he is a shinigami.

"Well… anything else we need to talk about?" Yuzu asked. In Karin's mind, something clicked, and the gears started to move. How could she forget about that?! Wasn't Heiwa supposed to give them something she was researching?

"Oy! Four-eyes! Did you finish translating the papers I gave you? You know, translating Vietnamese to Japanese." Natsu and Yuzu glanced between their older sisters in confusion. It was like they were talking each other in their own created languages, and it was only between them.

"What papers?" They asked. Heiwa slid her hand in her black kimono on her chest and pulled three pieces of papers out.

"Hai, hai. I finished some of the translations, and a few of them should help you in future battles." Heiwa gave one paper the surprised Karin, ecstatic Natsu, and the wondering Yuzu. The three read the paper and muttered what the paper said.

" Shunpo Zashu (Flash Step Slash). A basic attack that goes straight with shunpo. Yami Katana (Dark Blade). A basic slash that emits a dark power with very small reiatsu used up. Must have a dark sword. Akiraka Shunpo (Bright Flash Step). Sending a small amount of reiatsu to blind the opponent temporary. Later, slash the opponent from behind. Shunpo must be learned and slightly mastered and must have a pure sword. That's… too much to memorize!" Karin complained after reading the paper.

" Atsuihi (Hot Sun). With a little amount of reiatsu, the body increases in strength in various levels. However, a large amount of reiatsu would either tire the user or kill the user if the user misuses the power. Higaki (Fire Wall). Depending on the use of reiatsu, the user must slam his hand and send the reiatsu below him. If his opponent is close enough, the user must quickly throw his reiatsu up to form a wall to block attacks and burn the opponent in a short amount of time. That's it?" Natsu asked with a bit of disappointment. Heiwa gave him the look, telling him to deal with it.

"Chiisai Naoru (Small Cure). Cures any sickness with some reiatsu powers. Hayai Naosu (Quick Heal). Heals small wounds with little or no amount of reiatsu. Large amount of reiatsus must be acquired to heal a large wound. Arigato, Heiwa-chan." Yuzu bowed to the brunette politely and with gratitude.

"What about you, Neesan?" Natsu asked in curiosity. Heiwa sighed and shook her head.

"I only know one other than Mizuiro Kagami. Mizuhari (Water Needle) is the summoning of needles made of water from any water nearby. However, It requires more reiatsu than Mizuiro Kagami and must be near any liquid." Heiwa frowned in dissatisfaction when she could use it a few times and must have certain conditions to use the attack. Trying to break the unhappiness, Karin asked everyone in the group.

"So… is everyone all right with the conditions of who should stay and who should go?" Heiwa nodded without saying anything but stated, "I think the conversation is done behind the doors. Let's go."

"Don't worry about me, Karin-chan. You take care of yourself in Soul Society, and I'll take care of things in the real world." Yuzu reassured her. Natsu nodded and lightly punched Karin's shoulder with a grin.

"Yeah. We'll take care of the Hollows in the real world. You and Nee-san should stay and train for the next battles." Karin smiled and gave him thumbs up.

"Hai. Arigatou."

"Are you all ready? Yamamotou-taichou would like to speak to all of you." Everyone turned their attentions to Jushiro and nodded, ready to face the 1st division captain.

0000

Something felt strained in this room. No, it wasn't the reiatsu pressure. Mabye, it was her first time feeling this pressure running through her veins and muscles. The raven-haired girl swallowed the hard lump in her throat to calm herself from shaking. She was sweating a bit, and it was not from running a mile. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the pants a bit from the tension. She glanced at her friends only once to see what their conditions were while sitting on the center of the room.

Yuzu wasn't doing so well. She was the only person who was nervous in front of the captains of all fourteen divisions. She looked like she wanted to cry, but she couldn't because she wouldn't cry after their mother's death. Therefore, only her shoulders shake like a small earthquake. The woman who had two braids that framed her face sent out a small reiatsu that eased Yuzu.

Natsu, for once not being an idiot, was trying to not quiver under all of the captains' gazes. He and Heiwa were used to attending important meetings, but these are strangers and higher ranked shinigami to them, not acquaintances. Heiwa was dealing with her breathing and setting up an unaffected composure. Every time she inhales, her breathes were long and deep, trying to calm her from showing fear.

They heard some things about the 1st division captain, Yamamoto-Genryusai Shigekuni. They heard he was famous for many things, and he is considered to be the eldest and the most powerful shinigami captain in Soul Society. Like Natsu, he uses fire spells and has a temper, but comparing their level and Yamamoto's, they had a long way to go to beat someone like this. They heard his nickname from two different Shinigami: "Yamamoto-jii" from Ichigo and "Yamamoto-taichou" from Toshiro. He was sitting in front of group and staring like he was the judge of everything.

_I think he is._

Later, Karin quickly glanced to every captain sitting around them like they were passing down the judgment. First off was the woman with a stern face. The woman kind of resembled as a half-Karin and half-Heiwa. It was a creepy combination, and Karin somewhat wished that their children doesn't marry each other to make a half-Karin and half-Heiwa. It would be too confusing and chaotic. The woman who calmed Yuzu seems like a nice person, but Karin doubted that she would be nice to everyone. Like Heiwa hiding her fear, every facial mask would crack to reveal the true self. Across to her was a blond man with his hair covered his left eye. Next to him was a woman who had her hair held up into a bun. They were staring at Karin's group in disbelief, but they were staring at Heiwa the most. Was there something she missed?

She knew about Byakuya Kuchiki. Yeah, he is Rukia's older brother. Hearing from her sister-in-law, Byakuya finally accepted Ichigo and gave him his sister's hand in marriage. Karin thought how Byakuya could accept Ichigo when he despises her brother. Then… again, Rukia did say something happened around three years. She wondered why and how.

Karin almost gagged when she saw a man with a hat and wearing a pink captain robe. Something about him almost made her sending the "what the hell are you wearing" look. He seemed too lax and didn't even shake or sweat in the meeting, so he was a strange shinigami. Across him was an animal… shinigami captain. He seems to be like some kind of dog or fox, but his fur was tempting to touch his fluffy fur. Secretly, she has a thing for animals, especially dogs and puppies.

Next was the man with three scars and tattoos on his face. He looked calm and serious, but he was also surprised to see the group. He didn't even look at the three people in the group but one person wearing glasses. What's up with everyone being surprised to see four-eyes? She felt a little jealous that Heiwa already has a reputation in just a few minutes.

Zakari Kenpachi and Toshiro Hitsugaya were there, so she already knew them. However, the masked captain gave her the chills in her spine. Something about him creep her out, but he isn't the bad guy. Possibly, he does things in his division that involves what Heiwa usually does or something.

Finally, her brother, Ichigo Kurosaki, and Jushiro Ukitake were sitting across from each other, and there was a vacant seat next to Ichigo. She wondered what the empty seat was for.

"You all can calm down, young ones."

Like a weight lifting off their shoulders, they began to breathe normally. Karin was surprised to see how strong and strict he is for an old man, but somehow, he has a kind side in him, speaking slightly gentle for a group of mischief teenagers.

"You all know why you are all here, right?" All of them nodded in unison, and Heiwa spoke in somewhat a question and in mannerism from her family.

"Yamamoto-taichou, we all knew why we are here, but we have no connection to the Hollow Invasion in the real world. I am wondering how on Earth Karin would be the one you are searching for and the reason that Natsu, Yuzu, and I are involved. I do not doubt nor oppose Soul Society, but I would ask permission to know any information you can tell us. You do not have to respond if you think it is private." Karin and Natsu mentally gawked at the wording choice and the politeness from the Kazeru girl. It was somewhat amazing to hear this from her through cautious words and persuasion, even when Heiwa was going to take the rejection.

For the first time everyone heard from Yamamoto in the conversation room, he chuckled. He… laughed! The eldest man over the age of 2000 and strongest Shinigami in Seireitei was laughing! No one could decide whether to think or speak, and Karin just thought the old man has gone senile. Yamamoto stopped chuckling and smiled at the brown haired girl through closed eyes.

"You may have Tsuyosa-san's image, but you have Chisei's mannerism and curiosity." Everyone almost turned their heads to the Kazeru twins. No longer composing their images, Natsu opened his mouth in disbelief and Heiwa's eyes widened. Karin looked at all of the captains and frowned. Everyone had their eyes widen in surprise.

_How come everyone knows about Heiwa's __okaasan_

"Otousan did comment about it, too." Heiwa calmly stated like she didn't care. Yamamoto frowned and nodded.

"Very well. Since you politely asked without any force, I will tell you one thing that you do not know."

The group had their ears open and ready to take in any information from the eldest man. He spoke the information out… or something like an information.

"Every zanpakuto stays with its masters, no matter how many times if he or she dies." Karin blinked and thought about those words. If her zanpakutos stayed with her, does that mean that her incarnation was involved with the Hollow Invasion?

"Before you ask any questions, do you know your zanpakutos' names?" The group blinked and nodded, wondering what he is talking about.

"Show us." Heiwa, Natsu, and Yuzu were looking at each other, wondering who was going first. The raven-haired girl was ticked off since no one was standing up; therefore, she stood up, surprising everyone in the room. Taking her sword out, she held it in front of Yamamoto and summoned her zanpakuto.

"Cut down the enemies and save the love ones, Yamihoshi! Akirakahoshi!" First, the room turned pitch black, panicking everyone. Later, the light flashed in front of their eyes and temporary blinded them. About two seconds, the light vanished, and everyone dared to see what happened. Karin was still standing where she is, but the difference was the swords glowing in different lights: the black glowing sword attached to the white hilt and the white bright sword attached to the black hilt.

"Huh? This didn't happen last time." Karin examined her swords that were glowing in the room. If she looked around the room, everyone was memorized at the strange beauty of the two swords that are chained at the ends of their hilts.

"You may put away your zanpakutos, Karin." Yamamoto ordered. Her two swords formed into one, and Karin slid her sword back into her sheath and sat down. Heiwa stood up and took her sword and sheath together and off her waist. Everyone was interested to see why Heiwa took both out.

"Light up the way of the azure skies, Aohi." The sword and sheath glowed, flattened, and split into two on her arms. The light disappeared and revealed two shields: one has the sun and the other has the crescent moon.

"How come Aohi didn't glow but mine did?" Karin asked.

"How about learning about zanpakutos that react to the spirit particles in Soul Society?" Heiwa questioned back, silencing Karin who felt something mentally hitting her head. Heiwa's shields returned back to a sword and sheath. She sat down and glared at Karin for the sudden blindness. Natsu stood up and followed his sister's example.

"Let the blood shine in the night. Come, Akatsuki." The sword and sheath glowed red and formed into a sword like the other zanpakuto. When the glowing died, the blade was blood red. The hilt had an old bandage wrapped around, and the old bandage attached on the end landed like a snake on the floor. Karin shivered as she stared at the sword. The blade's color resembled like Natsu just had a killing spree and didn't clean his sword. Not only that, Natsu's uncontrollable reiatsu leaked out a lot, making everyone in the room nullifying his reiatsu with theirs. Natsu's sword returned to its original form, and he slipped it back to his waist.

Once Natsu sat down, Yuzu stood up and took out her sword instead.

"Yuzu? Aren't you-"

"Don't worry, Karin-nee. Hi, Tsuki, and Hoshi need spirit particles to form." On cue, the sword dissolved and formed into three separate lights. Her Shikai floated to Ukitake and circled around him, confusing him and the other captains. Karin face-palmed, Heiwa sighed, Natsu laughed sheepishly, and Yuzu blushed.

"G-Gomen nasai! My shikai usually goes straight to an injured person or sick person to heal instantly. Sometimes, their healing works. Other times, if the sickness or wound is too strong, they just try to comfort the patient as much as possible." Yuzu bowed deeply and apologized.

Jushiro felt strength coming back and his heart pumping stronger. It felt like the sickness and the cough leaving his tight chest. He relaxed as his breathing was normal and his vision was less strained. The lights left him and returned to Yuzu, getting scolded for leaving like that without her command.

"I… feel better." Jushiro said as he put his hand on his chest, not feeling an upcoming cough. Everyone was amazed to hear this from the thirteenth captain. He was no longer pale or shaking. He was moving like a normal person and having color on his face. Everyone turned to the group before them, examining the flustered Yuzu who was sitting down already with her sword back to the sheath, the squirming Natsu who felt the stares around him, the calm Heiwa who seem unfazed, and the protective Karin who dared anyone to criticize her friends about their zanpakutos. Just… who are they really?

"Any other questions?" Yamamoto asked, breaking the silent atmosphere to give the group a relief. Karin silently prayed that he would accept their request.

"Hai, I have, but it's not a question. It's more of a… request." Karin continued when Yamamoto didn't say anything.

"We would accept staying Soul Society, but we wanted to stay in Karakura town because we are worried about our friends defending Karakura town alone. There is a reason, but…"

_Dammit__! I don't even know how to explain __Natsu's__ and __Yuzu-chan's__ situation at home!_

Heiwa placed her hand on Karin's shoulder to tell her to let Heiwa explain and took over.

"We all have a connection to the real world, but apparently, only two of us have an important role and image in the real world. Karin and I have only some or little connection in the real world; however, Natsu and Yuzu are needed in the real world. Yuzu's reputation is the hard working, recommended, and best nurse in Karakura town, so she is only available for emergencies. Natsu is the heir of the Kazeru family in the real world, so he cannot stay here too long. If there is a chance, would Yuzu and Natsu attend the academy during their summer breaks and visit during their holidays?" Murmurs started to spread between the two captains, and Karin felt some holes burning through her. With a daring look, Karin glanced behind her to find who was glaring holes through her back and her friends' backs.

Karin gulped when she found out that the four captains were staring at her. Ichigo gave her the "why didn't you tell me" glare, Byakuya was surprised to hear that the Kazeru twins were related to a noble line, Unohana was astounded to hear about Yuzu's status in Karakura, and Toshiro was just staring at Karin. She didn't know whether to be embarrassed or uncomfortable, but she wished that the murmurs would stop.

"Enough, minna-san." The room went quiet, and all attentions focused on Yamamoto who was staring down the group in front of him. Yamamoto cleared his throat and answered.

"Very well. I will grant your request under one condition. I will send two teachers of three different techniques for the young ones. They will be tested each season before summer." Karin closed her eyes and bowed.

"Arigato gozaimas." Her friend followed her, bowing to the 1st division captain.

"This meeting should not be heard by our fellow shinigami or the public. Understood?"

Everyone nodded.

"Captains are to remain in their seats. You, four, will be escorted out and explore Seireitei if you wish. Do not cause any trouble." Before the group stood up, Karin glanced at Toshiro in question if he is all right with this. Toshiro closed his eyes and nodded.

0000

"Ah… finally! I can stretch out from that cramped room." Natsu stretched his shoulder muscles as the group walked down the hallway. Karin agreed as she also stretched her arms up in the air. Heiwa just kept walking with her arms crossed, not being distracted by the other shinigamis staring at them. Yuzu just sighed in relief and put her hand on her heart.

"It does seem scary when you are in a middle of conversation, but you'll get used to it. It happens to some others." The man with a bandana tied around his head stated with a smile. The woman with strawberry blond hair turned around and also added the information.

"Some were just asked about their health or well being. Other times, it's just witnesses of a crime occurred in the higher districts." Karin glanced between the two 3rd seats of the 13th division. After the meeting, those two, Kiyone Kotetsu and Sentaro Kotsubaki, were standing in front of the doors. They said that they are assigned to tour the group around Seireitei before the captain's meeting. Well… at first, the two were bickering about who should stay to tour the group. Later, Karin said that they didn't mind if Kiyone and Sentaro would tour them. It did stop them from further arguments, but the tour was going to be a slight disaster, according to Karin's guts.

"We're here!" The two pushed the doors open to reveal the clean buildings and streets.

"This is Seireitei! The highest ranked society in Soul Society. If you like, I could give you the tour around the place." Kiyone asked with a sweet voice. Sentaro was furious and pointed to himself.

"No. I will give you the tour. Kiyone would likely put you to sleep." Kiyone glared at the man beside her and shook her head.

"Don't listen to him. He doesn't have a great sense of direction and would likely lead you to nowhere." Eyes looked to the woman and back to the man like a ping pong match, and Heiwa sighed.

"I think it would be wise if you could give a tour for Natsu and Yuzu. They aren't going to stay here for long, so a tour around the place would benefit them."

It was decided. Karin and Heiwa would travel around on their own since they are going to stay there. Kiyone was going to tour Yuzu around, and Natsu was going with Sentaro. Everyone was going in different directions, and their ending of their tour or self-tour would be where the statue of Ichigo in the center of Seireitei.

They were informed that each statue resembled the heroes of the Winter War and Bount War. Each direction held different statues of the known heroes: Rukia, Renji, Orihime, Uryu, and Chad. Ichigo was the main captain who saved Seireitei twice from two wars.

The other information from Kiyone and Sentaro was the buildings in Seireitei. The large and wide campus and buildings was the academy where spirits would be trained to become Shinigamis. The tallest building held the criminals where they are either waiting for their execution or staying in there to redeem their crimes.

Karin was wandering around the place and examining each Shinigami or spirits. It looked like she was in the market district where many items were selling. Food was also distributed in small shops, and a few restaurants were around the place. The problem was the prices of each item, and it wasn't cheap.

She continued to wander around deeper in the district. The lower the district, the less expensive the items were. She didn't know that the deeper she was going, and she wound up in the lowest level of Soul Society. Karin began to realize that she was no longer walking on the rich soil and stepped into a uncivilized area. She looked up to see what town she was walking on.

"District 80."

She frowned and looked at the people around her. There were thugs and criminals from the real world. The town was dirty and unhealthy for a normal person to live here. Karin observed the people in the area. They looked like they were scared of her, but why are they scared of her? She turned around and thought it was time…

"Oof!"

"Itai!" Landing on her butt, Karin groaned as she rubbed her sore rear.

"What the hell?" She looked up to see a young man with messy brown hair. The young man scrambled up and bowed a lot.

"Gomen nasai! I didn't mean to bump into you! I'm just trying to find the man who stole my lunch." The raven-haired girl blinked and stared some more. He seemed… familiar.

"Wait… aren't you the cockatiel Ichi-nii saved?" The young man looked up and saw something about her.

"Hai. And… are you… Mister Ichigo's sister?" Karin smiled, stood up, and held her hand out.

"Nice to meet you. My name's Karin Kurosaki." The young man held her hand, getting pulled up to stand, and shook her hand.

"My name is Shibata Yuichi." They both released their hands and made a conversation.

"How are you doing?" Karin asked when she started walking back to the place. She was wondering if her friends were there, waiting for her and scolding her for taking too long.

"Ano… I'm fine. How are you doing? And are you already a Shinigami?" Yuichi asked in curiosity while he was following her. Karin looked at her outfit and laughed nervously. So that's why they were all afraid of her. She reduced her voice to a whisper to let him hear.

"Actually, I'm attending the academy. This outfit came when I was out of my body. I'm technically not dead." Yuichi stared at her and sadly sighed.

"Lucky you. I want to join the academy, but they won't let me in because I don't have any money." Karin felt sorry for the guy and wished that she could help some way. Then, an idea popped in her head, and Karin smiled. She grabbed his collar and half-dragged, half-ran the yelping young man.

"I have an idea! Just come with me!"

_I hope Toshiro or any captain could help._

0000

"Achoo!"

"Getting a cold, Shiro-chan?" Jushiro asked as he walked beside the young man.

"No, Ukitake-taichou. Someone is talking about me." Toshiro retorted back and thought about a certain someone.

_I think Karin is making rumors about me._

Unknown to him, the raven-haired girl sneezed and wondered if souls would have the cold.

"Are you sure that Kurosaki-san, the youngest sister, actually healed you, sickness and all? No fluke?" Toshiro asked in concern as they continued to walk out of the building.

After the meeting, Unohana requested Jushiro to follow her for a checkup. Toshiro was worried about his friend and followed the two captains to the 4th division. Surprisingly, the woman said that she couldn't find a single problem.

"Hai. Unohana-taichou said that she couldn't detect any virus or weak muscle in my body. My body is completely healed and healthy, although my hair color wouldn't change back." Jushiro said, remembering what the 4th division captain said. Toshiro sighed in relief to hear his friend getting stronger. However, he was also frustrated and upset what happened in the room.

"We should have done this a long time ago. If we all have known that Karin and her friends are-" Jushiro cut him off.

"Shiro-chan. I know, but we couldn't help it. It isn't our fault. It's no one's fault." Toshiro nodded and sighed.

"To think they have that kind of power and zanpakutos… they are important for future battles. Yamamoto-taichou did say that when he sensed the powers from their zanpakutos, there would be difficult paths for them." They continued to travel to the statue of Ichigo and saw the three people: Heiwa, Natsu, and Yuzu.

"Oy! Toshiro!" A vein popped on Toshiro's forehead, and he glared at the Kazeru boy. He was a delinquent boy who loves to fight every single fight, even the fights he is not even involved. He wondered how he was behaving, and the little solution might be his sister. Yuzu was already there, trying to calm Kiyone and Sentaro from the argument. There was one person missing…

"Where's Kurosaki?" Everyone stared at the white-haired young man in disbelief, and Toshiro felt his eyebrow twitch.

"I just want to know about her whereabouts. That's it." The group looked at each other and back to Toshiro.

"Ano… all of us went to separate ways on our own." Yuzu said. Everyone could feel the temperature drop a few degrees and the crowd started to shiver of the cold air. Like a miracle, a familiar voice shouted as the temperature returned to normal.

"Oy! Minna-san!" Turning their heads to the left, they saw the running and waving Karin and a young man who was dragged by the raven-haired girl. They were curious who was the boy behind her and why did Karin drag the boy here. Karin stopped in front of the whole group and panted for breath while the young man fell on the ground, landing on his rear. Toshiro glared at the young man beside Karin, and everyone, except Karin and the young man, was definitely feeling the chill. Catching her breath, Karin looked up and grinned.

"Konichiwa, Jushiro, Toshiro!"

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou for you." Toshiro retorted back, but Karin ignored him.

"Konichiwa, Karin-san. And… who's this?" Shibata Yaruichi stood up and bowed to the two captains in front of him.

"K-Konichiwa. My name is Yuichi Shibata. Ano… I'm a friend of Mister Ichigo and Mister Chad." Karin didn't hear anything else after Shibata stood up straight and said what Shibata wanted.

"Jushiro, Toshiro. I want to ask you if Yuichi-san would join the academy. He is my brother's friend, and it doesn't feel right that everyone fights and one person is left out." Toshiro was about to deny her permission, but Jushiro beat him to it.

"Of course. He would join the academy at the same day you and Heiwa-san are in. I'll ask both Kiyone and Sentaro to escort him to the thirteenth division, academy, and his home every day."

"Ukitake-taichou!" Toshiro hissed and glared at his friend. Jushiro shrugged and not even fazed about his glare. Karin whooped in joy and patted Shibata's head.

"See? You can join. Isn't that good news?" She felt two hands grabbing Karin's hand and lifting if off of his head. Yuichi shook her hand up and down with a smile on his face.

"Arigato, Karin-san!" Heiwa sighed as she wondered how she could deal with Karin to stop dragging strangers behind her. Natsu and Yuzu edged away from the fuming Toshiro who was currently dropping the atmosphere in a rapid speed. Jushiro glanced at both his friend and the Kurosaki girl, grinning at the humorous event. Things are starting to get interesting.

0000

Toshiro was walking behind the group, taking a glance at the raven-haired girl every minute or so. She was chatting to Yuzu about how their tour was and laughed once in a while to hear something that happened during Yuzu's tour. He was sick to the stomach and worried about her. He wanted to drag Karin somewhere else where no one would disturb them and hug her… cry for her… chanting over and over again to not die, not letting her go for just a second.

But he couldn't… he couldn't control her. Toshiro just have to watch her and support her.

The captain of the tenth division stared at the laughing girl in front of him, remembering about the meeting.

_Once the five captains left the group behind the doors, many other captains and Yamamoto were already sitting on their seats. In order, the captains separated to sit on their assigned seats. When __Ichigo__ sat next to an empty seat, everyone wondered why there was a vacant spot. It was weird. Are they going to have another captain?_

"_What's going on, Yamamoto-__taichou__? Why is there a seat next to Kurosaki-__taichou__?" Toshiro asked as they started the conclave. Yamamoto held his hand up, holding Toshiro's question._

"_I will answer your question later. Right now, we have more issues concerning with the Hollows." Everyone froze to hear something like this._

"_Is there another invasion, Yamamoto-__taichou__?" The 2nd captain, __Soifon__, asked in worry. Yamamoto shook his head._

"_No. Not yet. However, there is a powerful Hollow that everyone must be cautious than the Winter War and Hollow Invasion." Yamamoto took out a handful of papers from the folder in front of him._

"_Has anyone heard about a Diablo?" No one heard about it, and every person shook his and her head. Yamamoto sighed and nodded._

"_It seems that no one in here has heard about the Diablo. Then again, no one in Soul Society has ever heard about Diablo, except the exiled Takashi Densetsu." Toshiro's eyes widened and repeated what he said._

"_Densetsu-san?"__ Everyone looked at the young prodigy, surprised to hear Toshiro's familiarity to the exiled man._

"_You know him?" __Ichigo__ asked, and Toshiro nodded._

"_Hai__ He is the sensei in __Karakura__ town. I have no idea that he was a __Shinigami__ until he entered __Urahara__-san's shop." Yamamoto nodded, understanding the situation for every exiled __Shinigami__. It was a long time since Yamamoto has exiled some people, and a few managed to live in __Karakura__ town and being remembered as someone else. The others didn't quite make it when they stepped on the grounds of the real world. _

"_Then, I will start reading the report." Yamamoto took one of the old papers and began reading the report._

" ' _I have discovered a new type of Hollow, more powerful than a __Lorde__Vasto__ or three captains put together. This hollow is a rare type out of all hollows. It is astounding to hear such species, yet this new hollow is dangerous. She has completely formed into a human and removed her final piece of the shell. She has taken the full human form, but she still has the __hole__ showing through her chest. I have never heard Hollows taking full form of a human and walk on the grounds of the real world, being seen by humans. _

'_My team was assigned to investigate the strong __reiatsu__, and we did. We found her, but the cost of finding the cause was terrible. The hollow… no… monster we fought was too strong. The shudder chilled through my soul, and souls never feel the chill. __But… her eyes.__ She never showed any emotion but satisfaction, much expected. But… the brutal killing, the enjoyment slaughtering anything in her way, the blood spilled on the soil, the torment and torture… my team and I fought off the monster all we have. My comrades called out for reinforcements and were slain by the swords of the malicious hollow. More and more of my comrades have fallen to the hollow's feet. However, the hollow was getting weaker and weaker as we continued to fight her._

'_I found a solution to stop the berserker, but it would cost my powers. Saving my remaining comrades, I performed a spell from my special teacher, __Chisei__Mizuki__, and finally sealed the hollow away to sleep in __Hueco__Mundo__. As expected, I lost my strength to stand up or to fight again. I am also sure that I would no longer be staying in Soul __Soceity__, most likely to be exiled for using such power without the permit of Yamamoto-__taicho__. I do not know how long the seal will last, but it would be wise that everyone in Soul Society and the real world must know and be prepared for the next fight against this black-hearted Hollow. This hollow will be branded as a Diablo, in translation, 'devil.' '"_

_He ended the report and looked up to see many shocked faces. He was expecting the surprise and shock everyone has, and Yamamoto continued the discussion._

"_Indeed. This report from Densetsu-san is telling us that the 'devil' has now awoken, and the Diablo is biding her time to attack both dimensions. Kurosaki-__taichou__ reported this new type of hollow to me, and it is indeed stronger than the __Vasto__Lorde__ and us." Toshiro turned his attention to the orange-haired man and back to the general._

"_In other words, there will be another Hollow Invasion." Yamamoto said and took out an old scroll. The captains were focused on the scroll and wondered what the old scroll contains. Toshiro felt something in his stomach, churning and making him feel sick. Looking at it, he felt uncomfortable and sick. _

"_I would advise for all captains to keep this information quiet and not react too quickly. Before I would start the scroll, I have kept this information from others for a long time." Yamamoto glanced to every captain and ended to __Ichigo__ who nodded, signaling him to begin._

"_When I call your names, stand up. __Byakuya__Kuchiki__." The __Kuchiki__ heir stood up and didn't reaction to confusion like the others. Some of the captains began to murmur about the 6th captain and wondered if the man had something to do with this._

"_Ichigo__ Kurosaki." This time, the hero stood up, shocking everyone in the room. Toshiro just stared at the 14th captain in disbelief. What was the meaning of this? Finally, Yamamoto stood up and announced his confession._

"_For three years, Kurosaki-__taichou__Kuchiki-taichou__, former captain __Isshin__ Kurosaki, __Rukia-fukutaichou__, and I have kept this vital information a secret from all of you for the safety of the real world. We kept this a secret for the safety of all human kind and __shinigamis__ alike… and to protect Karin-san's life. Additionally, the Hollow War… is going to repeat itself." It was dead silent before many captains shouted in disbelief._

"_Unbelievable!"_

"_How is it going to repeat again?"_

"_If the three of you knew, then why didn't you tell us?!"_

_Everyone, even Toshiro, was shouting in different questions until Yamamoto used his __reiatsu__ to silence everyone. It wasn't the anger __reiatsu__, but it was the spiritual pressure Yamamoto was sending to cease the outbursts. He signaled the captains to sit down, and everyone obliged. Then, Yamamoto opened the scroll and began reading._

" '_For__ the past fifty years, I wouldn't experience coming back to this place. It has reminded me of my former home and the peacefulness to see civilization again. I remembered my family, friends, and comrades from the previous years before they died in honor. For my main purpose, I have been tracking the four main __Diablos__ who have slaughtered many of my friends for their own sport. I loathed the day they have killed my closest family member… their first victim. I still could remember the cries of my friends and the shatter of many hearts. Without his protection, the Hollows were already forming to attack __Karakura__. I tried to fight many Hollows as I can, but in the end of saving __Karakura__, I was the next victim._

'_For many years, I have witnessed the deaths of my friends through savage massacres. I honor their deaths and respect their lives. I tried my best to save my friends from dying or killing themselves and tell them that they are worth something. Even I have to smack some sense into them by myself. Every life is valuable, and one life is like a thousand lives. Not one soul out of a million is worthless through my eyes. If no one could understand this, no one could understand the importance of how is it like to save one soul from destruction. _

'_If it wasn't for my friends, I wouldn't have reached to who I am. For years, I have trained to get stronger. I struggled through the pain, and I saved many lives. I have faced the __Diablos__ in some areas, and my friends helped me through this. We have struggled to save many and from each other from outside and inside of Soul Society. I want to thank my __senseis__ and my friends for supporting me and slapping some sense into me. Today, I have gained the titles from others: a leader, a savior, an avenger, a survivor… an image of my brother. However, if anyone has known me for a long time, I am a hunter. I hunt down the __Diablos__… the traitors… for killing my friends… my family. I have used my __zanpakuto__, I killed them without remorse, and I lost myself to my goal._

'_I don't know how much time I have left. The poison has already spread through my body, ready to end my existence of who I am and what's left of me. The fourth division captain, __Retsu__Unohana__, said that she couldn't do anything about it because it was too late to remove the poison. The poison has already fused into my spirit particles, making my body impure already. My friends couldn't save me, and they regretted for not saving me from the Diablo's poison. Not even the three best healers could remove the poisonous liquid out of my strong body. Truthfully, I don't regret taking the poison from the Diablo's attack. If my friends took the poison for me, I would not forgive myself._

'_However, I need to keep on going. I need to end this Hollow Invasion that the __Diablos__ caused here. I would not let it happen even if I have to screw this up. I do not care if I take the blame for bending the rules or disturb the line. Ending the __Diablos__' lives is enough for me to rest in peace for eternity. No one should carry the same burden and weight, and I am the one to carry this by myself._

'_For those who know me before the deaths of the __Diablos__ and my departure, remember this: this is my own choice and mine's alone. Our futures are not predestined to die or to live. Our lives are our own, and no one, not you nor me, could decide anyone's life.'" Yamamoto ended the reading and looked up to see many shocked faces. This time, no one shouted or murmured about the report. Toshiro remembered the words over and over again. He felt like crying for some reason, but he couldn't do it. Something about this made it sound like… a history about one's life, a will for everyone to learn. Who wrote this powerful message?_

"_Ya__... Y… Yamamoto__-__taichou. __This will__… this scroll… who is that from?" __Soifon__ asked carefully, trying to be strong and resisting the urge to cry. __Ichigo__ and __Byakuya__ looked away from all of the questioning eyes and Yamamoto looked at the empty seat._

"_Minna__-san… __see__ the empty seat next to Kurosaki-__taichou__?" Toshiro and everyone looked at the vacant seat and nodded. For the first time from the 1st captain, Yamamoto answered their questions, grimly._

"_That seat belongs to the captain of the 15th division, Karin Kurosaki."_

**Whew… that was long to make up the lost time. Well, I did drop hints about the future chapters, but… that was my intent. From previous stories, many viewers were saying that the story was a little confusing, so I tried to make it less confusing.**


	20. Academy

**Me: Oh boy. I hope that no one is getting upset about this.**

**S.A.N.: Why?**

**C.T.E.: You know… when people hate OCs paired up to the original characters in Bleach… such as Natsu with Ururu and Heiwa with Shuuhei Hisagi…**

**S.A.N.: …oh.**

**Me: Yeah. If anyone has a problem about it, let me know.**

**I don't own Bleach. It belongs to Tite Kubo.**

Chapter 20: Academy

"So this is the inside of an academy." Yuichi stated as the three new students stepped in the large academy. It was large for a school that contains classes for all ages, and it was like they stepped into a school from the past. Many students were passing by, and some noticed the new students who are following the captain of the 9th division. Some murmured about their sudden appearance, and it already started the rumors as many curious students checked to see what they look like.

Before they entered the academy, Natsu and Yuzu were already escorted back to the real world. They both promised their sisters that they would visit as much as they can and study in the real world as ordinary students and Shinigami. Also, Heiwa told their younger siblings to tell the school that she and Karin are going to transfer to America to study with her family. Karin and Heiwa have gathered their belongings, especially Karin's soccer ball and Heiwa's unfinished research. Their fathers already told them that they would make a note for their teachers that they are going to transfer to America. It was a touching moment that their fathers are worried about them, but it didn't last for a second when they tried to hug their daughters. Isshin just made it worse when he announced that she and Toshiro are getting married in Soul Society, leading Isshin to have bruises on his face that would last for a long time.Since Heiwa knew America well, she would mainly tell the fake events.

The next problem was housing Karin and Heiwa, and one captain should keep watch over the girls. Shuuhei and Toshiro, along with the captains, discussed about where the girls should stay. They all knew that the dorms are full and occupied, so that option was out. Another option was staying in one of the divisions, but they have a knack for causing trouble and disturbances, even though they have the potential powers. Ichigo wanted the two girls to stay in his division, but Yamamoto denied his request, saying that they have been independent and should be treated like every Shinigami in Soul Society. Therefore, Toshiro volunteered to take the Kurosaki girl and the Kazeru girl in his division. He also placed them in Rangiku Matsumoto's room, making Rangiku squeal in delight and say that she would take care of them like they are her little sisters. Karin and Heiwa doubt that because it involves bringing Rangiku back from the sake house and cleaning up the room.

However, before they left the real world to Soul Society, her sister-in-law, Rukia, told Karin. She was told that Karin has the power to save Soul Society and humanity from an upcoming enemy who is stronger than Ichigo. Why did she tell Karin about this power? Was her power stronger than Ichigo's?

Right now, they are on a tour around the academy. Heiwa didn't say anything and observed the building without asking questions or commenting about its size. Karin just scratched her neck.

"It's still the same except that this building reverted back to the Edo Era or something." Heiwa sighed and shook her head from Karin's comment. Ignoring what Karin said, Heiwa somewhat asked.

"We both know what school and the academy is, but we have no idea about the studies in here or the length to study in the academy. We would ask for any information about this academy, Hisagi-taichou." Heiwa informed the ninth captain division while they were heading to the principal's office. Shuuhei nodded and explained.

"The academy is like the school in your world; however, the studies in here are different than your world. You are going to study about survival, four fighting techniques: hakuda, kido, hohou, and zanjutsu, and a bit of history about Soul Society." She felt a nudge on her arm and glanced to her side. Karin grinned and put her hands together, quietly asking her for something with a sweet smile. Heiwa scowled and shook her head in disagreement. Karin was just good on math and physical education, somewhat decent on the other subjects, but sucked on History related.

"Hell no, Crybaby. There's no way I would let you copy my homework on history." Karin glared at her, but she heard a voice beside her.

"Ano… Karin-san?" Yuichi asked the fuming girl who was in a middle of a glaring contest with the smart girl.

"Nani?" She responded. Her attention was away from the glaring girl and at an old woman. Ceasing her glare, Karin looked around quickly to see that they were already in the office and back to the old woman. The old woman looked like she was tired and wanted to just deal with this. Besides, there were bags under her eyes and a lot of white hairs trailing down her winkled face from the tight hair bun. The old woman sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose.

"Listen. As much you and I do not like to stall in the middle of the hallway, I am the principal in this school after Yamamoto-taichou retired. I have seen your records in my files, and you two did exceptionally well in the real world. However, I do not tolerate any misbehavior in this school, or the two of you will receive a detention in your first day in the academy." She later held her hand in front of Karin to receive something from Karin.

"Now, for the safety of our campus and the whole student body, I will have to confiscate and to seal your zanpakutos until you graduate or leave for the real world." Obeying to her commands, Karin and Heiwa took out their swords and gave them to the principal. They didn't like the principal already, but at least she did have some common sense about being done with this quickly… unlike their old principal who bored them to death. The principal turned around and left without saying a word.

"Shall we begin the tour around the place?" Shuuhei asked in a gentlemen manner. Karin nodded, but Heiwa blanked out. It was either getting used to the mannerism without commenting his false voice or something else.

The three students were following the man around the campus. They knew which floors held the grade class, but they also knew that they were placed in Room 3-C, making Heiwa mutter about unfairness. Shuuhei led them to the room they were in, and it was a little surprising. Everyone in the room was like their class in the real world. Many introduced themselves in a mutual manner, some of them grunted and acknowledge their presence, and a few… well… they were attached or attracted to the three. Shuuhei announced to the class that they have to keep moving, and the class groaned a little but said that they will see the three during or after lunch. If anyone noticed Shuuhei, he slightly spoke through gritting teeth and controlled his voice to prevent the harsh words toward the admirers.

A little longer around the place, Karin moped when Shuuhei told her that there were no sports activities after school. However, he did say that there was an empty field behind the school that wasn't been used. There were places like their old school had, but there were new installed rooms in the school such as kendo rooms and dojo rooms for classes.

"Oy! Shuuhei?" Karin asked with a bit of curiosity. Heiwa sighed and nudged Karin a bit.

"Baka. In Soul Society, you have to be formal. You can't just call them by their names like in the real world." Karin gave Heiwa a deadpanned glare before asking Shuuhei again.

"I'm getting bored, so would you lead us to one of the dojo classes for us to see?" This time, it wasn't a nudge. Heiwa fully smacked Karin upside on the head and snarled at her. Karin didn't mind the smacking-upside-the-head, but she maliciously glared at the Kazeru girl who smacked her head too hard. Yuichi was patting her back to give Karin somewhat comfort from the huge pain. Shuuhei shrugged and continued to walk to one of the dojo rooms.

"I don't mind. I'll show you one of the classes." Heiwa sighed in frustration and muttered about extending the tour time, and Shuuhei chuckled. Karin noticed something about the 9th division captain, and she had that protect-your-sister-or-female-friends-from-boys gut feeling.

He seemed to enjoy Heiwa's presence already.

0000

For their first entrance to observe the dojo, the 9th division captain and the new students stared at the heap of groaning students who were literally thrown out of the first dojo. Karin, Heiwa, and Yuichi glanced at the face-palmed captain who was muttering curses and back to the pile. Karin glanced at the students and the hole where it all started the damages. Not only the damage was done, there was a familiar voice in the dojo, scolding a student who is already on top of the pile.

"You're not going anywhere with that kind of fighting style if I was a Hollow, Mitsuki!" Karin's eyes widen and ran to the hole to see Ichigo's childhood friend.

"Tatsuki?" The woman stared at Karin and gaped. It was a long time since Karin actually saw the tomboy woman. She still had that messy hair and tomboyish face, but she had grown into a woman. She didn't wear like any ordinary shinigami wore.

Oh no. Her style of clothing had no sleeves, and her sword was actually belt-strapped around her waist.

"Karin-chan? Is that you?" Karin jumped through the hole and landed in front of Tatsuki. Not far behind, Heiwa and Yuichi jumped beside Karin, and the Kazeru girl was doing the scolding.

"Little Kurosaki! Don't ditch us behind when you don't know what's going on!" Karin made a face to the fuming Heiwa and pointed at Tatsuki.

"For your information, Wa-chan, this person is a friend of Ichi-nii. I know that voice anywhere from three years ago before she… died." Heiwa frowned and glanced at the teacher who is a friend of Karin. Heiwa asked… in a different language.

"_Who are you, the friend of Karin's brother?_" Karin's eyebrow twitched and glared at Heiwa.

"You just didn't speak in Vietnamese." Heiwa shrugged and smirked, finally annoyed Karin through changing the languages.

"In translation, who are you?" Tatsuki snickered and then held her hand out to Heiwa.

"The name's Tatsuki Arisawa. Karin-chan and I knew each other while I was in the real world. Nice to meet you." Heiwa glanced at the hand and shook it with hers.

"Heiwa Kazeru, Soccer Ace's friend and an information gatherer. The boy behind me is Yuichi Shibata who was rescued by Ichigo-san." Tatsuki and Heiwa released their grips, and the teacher frowned as she looked at the three new students.

"So why are you here, Karin-chan? You… died… right?" Karin grinned somewhat mischievously and somewhat proudly.

"Nah… this was my choice. I'm technically not dead. For your first question, I'm here to become a Shinigami." Tatsuki grinned and patted Karin's head.

"That's good news. I'm looking forward to teach you in hakuda. Now, I'm going back to teaching these wannabe tough guys if they were fighting a Hollow."

"Ah man… she did it again, didn't she?" They heard another voice from the hallway and rapid footsteps, and Shuuhei chuckled to hear that voice. Karin, Heiwa, and Yuichi looked at the hole and to the slightly flustered Tatsuki. Did something happen to Tatsuki?

Not too long to answer their questions, a man with tattoos around his face skidded on the wooden floor to see the damage. He had black tattoos on his face and neck, and his red hair was tied into a high ponytail, reminding Karin of a pineapple. He had the serious face that made him look like a bodyguard, but that was broken when he face-palmed and groaned. Weird.

"Tatsuki. Don't tell me that you did it again." Karin almost had a whip flash when she instantly gawked at the blushing teacher of the dojo room. No one would call her by her first name, and she wouldn't blush, not even a tinge of pink on her face. Unless…

"Tatsuki?" Karin asked in curiosity. However, Tatsuki didn't hear her and rubbed her neck in embarrassment.

"Hey, Renji. Gomen." The redhead shook his head and rubbed his temple, muttering about sake or something. Karin heard the bell rang outside and wondered if class was over already.

"Anyways, it's already noon, Tatsuki. We should get back before Ikkaku thrashes the 11th division." Tatsuki blushed even more when she realized that she could leave early and muttered.

"I-I knew that. You don't have to remind me." Tatsuki turned around and announced to everyone that lunch has started and dismissed everyone, but behind her back, Renji rolled his eyes and mutter, "Rrrriiiggghhhttt."

"Well… see ya tomorrow, Karin-chan." Tatsuki dashed and grabbed Renji by the arm in a flash, running with the yelling-in-protest Renji behind her. Karin, still gawking, stared at the hole while Yuichi was confused why Karin is gawking, and Heiwa pushed her glasses to the bridge of her nose.

"Is Tatsuki… and the redhead… are they?..." Karin stuttered in disbelief. Shuuhei nodded.

"Hai. They are, in your definition, 'dating'. I'm still surprised that Renji is still surviving after Ikkaku's rampage of 'dating Tatsuki-imouto without his permission'." Heiwa, suddenly catching interest about the ninth captain's description about their vocabulary, asked in curiosity.

"What do you call 'dating' in here?" Shuuhei blushed slightly and looked away from the curious Heiwa who reminded him of the curious Nasake.

"We call it, soul mating." No longer asking questions (due to the group's blushing), they exited the dojo and decided to end the tour. Shuuhei led them all back to the classroom, and he gave them each a rice ball. The three thanked him in confusion and thought it was unnecessary for him to give them food. Shuuhei just shrugged.

"It's lunch. Besides, sooner or later, you guys will be hungry." Heiwa frowned and took a look at the rice ball on her hand.

"Demo… we're not-" Three growls simultaneously growled from their stomachs, making all three blush in embarrassment.

"Point taken." Shuuhei chuckled and left the group in the hallway. The three shrugged and entered the classroom to eat their given food. After devouring their morsel, Karin thought of something mischievously and said,

"Hey, four-eyes."

"Nani?"

"Look above."

Eyes up.

**BAM!**

"ITAI!!! WHY THE HELL DID YOU DROP THE BOOK ON ME, LOUDMOUTH?!"

0000

Shuuhei sighed in relief as he heard the shriek that was not directly at him. He was currently walking out of the Academy and into the streets of Seireitei since he knew the school's design. It did take some time to get his mind to recall that Nasake is dead, and the human girl is Heiwa Kazeru, not Nasake Yamaka. However…

_The human, Heiwa, reminded me how Nasake was when she was here._

_0000_

"_What are you doing, Hisagi-__**kun**__?" The young boy shivered as he heard that malicious voice on the suffix. He knew that no one called him that unless he was in trouble. Shuuhei dared to glance whoever was behind him and wished that he didn't look back. Behind him, a brunette girl with long hair and glasses glared at him to explain before he would get killed in 0.05 seconds, even though they are already dead. His parents decided to adopt the girl who is their deceased friends' daughter after the parents' death, and the girl was much distant until Shuuhei decided to accompany her. At first, the girl was a wee bit taller than him and called him "Little Punk". Later, the young boy was taller than her, but he didn't say anything about her height. Probably, the girl kicked him in the shin when he stated how she got smaller one time. He glanced at the bottle he was holding and back to the calm girl who was glaring at him through her clear eyes._

"_I'm… uh… experimenting! Yeah. That's it. I'm just going to pour this on the flower next to me to see if the flower grows or dies!" The girl didn't belief him and still stared at the fidgeting boy. At the same time, the girl snatched the bottle out of his hand and pulled his ear, dragging him to the house._

"_Nice try, Hisagi. Oba-san and Oji-san told you that you are not allowed to drink sake anywhere until you are older. I'm going to return this to the shop you bought and tell the shop owner that you are not allowed to get sake." Knowing that the girl was shredding his reputation and the crowd giggling at the two young children, Shuuhei cried out in pain._

"_Itai! Gomen ne, Nasake-chan! I won't do it again! Now, stop pulling my ear!" He felt his ear pulled harder._

"_You know I hate being called 'Nasake-chan!' I'm not your girlfriend!"_

"_Who said that you're my girlfri-ITAI!"_

_---_

_Shuuhei stared at the box that landed in front of him and back up to the grown up Nasake. They were in the academy to become Shinigami for the sake of their parents. Shuuhei and Nasake entered at the same time, feeling that they have to do something to help Soul Society and the real world. Additionally, Shuuhei respected Nasake more and has matured, and Nasake was closer to her childhood friend but distant from others._

"_What's this?" Nasake glared at him._

"_Just shut up and take it. I'm not into this… holiday." The brunette young woman turned around and left behind the confused Shuuhei. Curious about why she gave him the box, Shuuhei opened the cover and stared at it in surprise._

_Chocolate._

_He closed it and smiled, silently thanking Nasake about reminding him White Day._

_---_

_Rapid footsteps ran cross the corridor of the 4th division. He didn't care if accidently bump into people or ran over them. He was in a hurry… a dead hurry. Shuuhei HIsagi was panting and sweating, and his heart was beating in fear and worry at the same time. Nasake graduated from the academy earlier than him and her friends because of her extensive knowledge and acing the classes. The teachers, who wanted to fail her, gave her a graduate test that she didn't know. Fortunately for her, she already knew the concepts from her research and projects, resulting to ace the final test. Therefore, the 12th division selected her for their research team; however, Nasake declined and entered the 9th division for negotiations that her parents were in…_

… _and her latest negotiating mission was a trap._

_Shuuhei slammed the door open and saw Unohana and Isane healing the wounded Nasake. His breath was caught to see numerous cuts and gashes all over her arms and legs. The deep wound that slowly bled was on her right shoulder. Unohana glared at the young man and formed her reiatsu to scare him away._

"_Exuse me. This is a private room. Visiting hours are not yet released, and-"_

"_Unohana-taichou." The woman looked at the pained Nasake, but she reassured her._

"_Let him in. He and I are childhood friends, and we promised that we will be there for each other." Unohana stared at the young woman before nodding._

"_All right, but if he starts to cause trouble, he must leave immediately." Nasake nodded._

"_I understand. Tatoo face! Get over here." Immediately, Shuuhei was beside Nasake, looking at the deep wound and down to her scratched legs. His hands held her uninjured hand and covered her hand._

"_Kuso. Did you have to get all this injuries for this mission, especially that?" Nasake looked at her shoulder before staring at Shuuhei with a smirk on her face._

"_Hisagi no baka. Don't worry about me. This wound is nothing compared to my experiences."_

_---_

"_No, no, NO! You, dunce! How could you write that demonic spells are sword fighting!"_

_Shuuhei winced as he heard Nasake's booming voice right beside him. He did enjoy Nasake's company, but when anything academic was involved around her, she has the passion for knowledge. Studying and researching were Nasake's passions, but teaching was a sign saying, "Welcome to hell." The man sighed in frustration while he was hearing Nasake's rants about not paying attention to the lectures in classes. He did study and listen to the boring lectures, but Shuuhei didn't know why he was failing. Was it because it was too hard for him or something else?_

_Shuuhei glanced to his side and wondered. He never knew why Nasake asked to tutor him, even though she forced herself to teach him and test him. Also, it was right before the testing to graduate from the academy. Wasn't she supposed to be helping her division instead of tutoring him?_

"_Are you even listening to me, Tatoo face?!"_

_Ah… the wonders of mischief._

_He smiled._

_He enjoyed the look on her face._

_---_

_Shuuhei was in bandages and laying on the futon in the 4th division. He limped his way back to the gates with the survivors. He was the senior in the academy for everyone's sake! He was supposed to watch over the students from the real Hollows and make sure they were safe. The students were supposed to fight against dummies not real ones._

_Dammit! He was the one who was supposed to die! Not the younger students!_

"_Shuuhei!" He turned his head around to see a panting Nasake._

"_Nasa-"_

_**POW!**_

"_Shuuhei-no-baka! I swear that if you and Renji-san die, I will personally bring you two back to life and kill you two myself." Shuuhei stared at the brown haired girl in disbelief. He thought she didn't care because of her personality, but she definitely cared about him and the others. Shuuhei gingerly touched his bruised cheek where the bandages were not covering._

"_Nasake…"_

"_I thought you died when you and those students were attacked by those Hollows!" Nasake quickly wiped away the fallen tears and glared at him._

"_Do you know how worried I was? If you fight the Hollows alone again, I'll make sure you have more than a bruised cheek." Shuuhei smiled and lightly punched Nasake's cheek._

"_I'll keep that in mind. Now, go back to the 9th division. Everyone might think that you are taking a break, and the Nasake genius doesn't take breaks." Nasake raised an eyebrow and smirked._

"_I asked Tousen-taichou a day off since you and Renji-san are injured, including the surviving newbies." The young man stared at Nasake in disbelief and later gawked at her. Then, he laughed and shook his head._

"_Don't tell me that you actually gave everyone a lecture and a punch." Nasake closed her eyes and shook her head._

"_I lecture, but I didn't punch them." Shuuhei stopped laughing and gawked a bit more than usual._

"_Then, why did you punch me?"_

_---_

_Shuuhei looked at Nasake in worry. She seemed calm as she was twirling her fingers around his bare chest, but he knew her better. Behind that calm façade, Nasake was scared like she knew something bad was going to happen._

_Shuuhei wondered why Nasake was scared and recollected his memories. He finally joined the 9th division, much to Nasake's relief and dismay. It took over half of a century for the childhood friends to get together, much to Tousen's advice and the whole division's unnecessary help. Nasake and Shuuhei were known as the quiet, calm, and serious couples, but they were fighting over the vice captain seat. Shuuhei's dream was to be a captain or vice captain, and Nasake's dream was the same. _

"_What's wrong, Nasake?" She looked up in surprise and sighed, leaning forward against his chest._

"_You always knew what's wrong with me." Nasake held the quilt on her chest and sat up. Shuuhei sat up and wrapped his arm around her bare waist._

"_Is there something you want to tell me?" Nasake stared into space for a bit until she shook her head._

"_It's something that would be unavoidable." Shuuhei took her hand to his and wrapped her hand._

"_Tell me." She hesitated for a bit before nodding._

"_If I died, what would you do?" Shuuhei closed his eyes and played with Nasake's hand. Her hand was a bit rough, but they were small and felt fragile. It was the first time that Nasake asked in a serious and unconcerned voice. It made her vulnerable to him and everyone else, and she always had that calm, uncaring face because she didn't want to show too much feelings. He opened his eyes and examined her face for a while. Right now, she was opening up to him and showed her uncertainty._

"_If you died…" His finger traced her palm lightly._

"… _I guess I would be drinking sake and think about running my zanpakuto through myself." He felt Nasake's hand stopped his fiddling and entwined her fingers with his._

"_Please tell me that you are joking." Shuuhei sadly smiled._

"_I wish I was." She tightened her grip._

"_Don't." She faced him fully with eyes shining by the moon's reflection._

"_Listen. If I die, don't grieve over me. I'll come back. I swear." She leaned forward and whispered against his lips._

"_Just hold on, Shuuhei. Just hold on a bit longer."_

_0000_

… and the 9th division captain did. After Nasake's death and Tousen's betrayal, he held onto hope a little longer, and Nasake was back.

0000

"Ah… School is over." Karin sighed in relaxation as she was walking down the halls by herself. After all, she needed some time away from the others and mostly from the hellish history books. She didn't understand any crap about the 2000 year old opening of the academy nor the recent history that her brother was involved.

_Gomen ne, Ichi-nii._

The 14th captain sneezed in the real world.

She stopped walking and looked around the hallway. It was kind of creepy that only a few people were in the hallway, and she thought who was supposed to pick her up.

_Crap. When is Rangiku-san coming to get us? She better not be in a sake house._

Karin knew that Heiwa was somewhere in the school that involves research, and Toshiro was still doing paperwork. She couldn't bother Toshiro because he is a captain, Yuichi had to go home right after school, and no one else was around in the academy…

… but she'll check on Heiwa for a bit. Besides, she was only the sole occupant the academy and the library. Remembering some turns and stairs and getting lost in the process, she finally found the large building. She entered in the barely empty place and found only a librarian reading a book.

"Sumimasen." The librarian looked up from reading her book and looked at the raven-haired girl.

"Have you seen a girl who has long brown hair and glasses?" The woman raised an eyebrow, making Karin sigh.

"She stacks a pile of books." The librarian's eyes widened, and she chuckled.

"Ah… that girl. It's about time she has a friend other than Hisagi-taichou. She would be in Section D." Karin just blinked and thanked her unsurely. She walked away from the librarian and just went straight to the fourth section. Karin frowned when she heard about Heiwa's description from the old woman, even though the librarian looked young.

Almost instantly, Karin found Heiwa reading a large book while her back was facing Karin. Karin grinned when she thought of how to make Heiwa get in trouble. She made sure that the floor wasn't creaking as she tip-toed toward the Kazeru girl. As she went closer and closer, she held her hands out and was about to reach her shoulders-

"Don't even think about it, Fruit Face."

_Kuso!_

Karin reluctantly grabbed the chair next to Heiwa and turned it backwards. The raven-haired girl sat on it and rested her chin on the head of the chair, scowling at the wary girl. Heiwa turned the page and continued reading the small words. Karin glanced at the pages once or twice to understand what were they, but she couldn't grasp the concept.

"What are you reading?" Heiwa took her glasses off and leaned back, but she answered Karin's question.

"Reading Densetsu no Tenchi, a longer version of those children's books." Karin peeked at the book to read some parts, and she muttered a sentence.

" 'There are ten angels of different stories, and one of the angels is the strongest but least known in Soul Society.' I thought Densetsu no Tenchi is just a story." Heiwa nodded.

"I do, too. But… I'm guessing that something big is going to happen, but I don't have enough information." Karin looked at the book and back to Heiwa with a smile on her face.

"May… I read the book?" Heiwa frowned. She didn't like it, especially if someone was taking a good book away from Heiwa.

"No."

"May I?"

"Hell no."

Right there, the girls were now tugging the book in an empty library and in front of the fuming librarian.

0000

Toshiro stared at the paper in front of him. His pen was above the signature line as his focus was lost into his thoughts. The captain of the 10th division sighed and placed his pen down, feeling the need to think.

_When did everything happen so quickly?_

He began to recall the meeting that involved the future Karin.

_Everyone was dead silent. No one would dare speak or comment about the 15th captain of the new division. The shock and news registered through their minds to take in the information. Toshiro understood how the Hollow Invasion and the Twin Bladed Shinigami was connected to Karin Kurosaki._

_The future Karin was the one saved everyone from death, and she was the ally who fought against the Diablos. They were there to protect everyone and killed the Diablos before anyone else died at their deadly hands. They also disappeared before anyone got to know the information about the Twin Bladed Shinigami._

_Now the question is… why did they come to their time and help?_

"_Yamamoto__-taichou, why did they come to our time and help us?" Kira repeated Toshiro's question. __Yamamoto__ sighed and eyed Ichigo Kurosaki who nodded. __Yamamoto__ turned his attention back to the audience and spoke with a bit of hesitation._

"_In their time, I assigned them to follow the Diablos that passed through this world by their own powers. The Diablo's objective was to go back into time to keep the time flowing or to destroy both the world and Soul Society. However, they needed many souls to create that power." Toshiro's eyes widened, and he asked._

"_How many do they need?" __Yamamoto__'s hand unconsciously touched the old scroll._

"_One… thousand."_

"_Karakura…" Everyone muttered. Toshiro couldn't believe it. Karin was able to protect Karakura in this time, but in their time…_

"_It must be hard for Karin." Toshiro's heart wretched under Unohana's words. He could imagine many failures Karin has to endure and form herself to a stone-hearted woman by the deaths of her family and friends. He could imagine Karin crying in her sleep as her memories replayed like a horror movie. The horrifying scene he could imagine is Karin dying and disappearing slowly as her last remaining self vanished from existence. God, he didn't want to see her like that._

"_During the Hollow Invasion, we were all occupied on fighting the Hollows back, but the Diablos were fighting back, causing every division to be pushed back. Karin and her comrades arrived to help us, but they couldn't give away their identities so easily because they believed that it would distort time. I have reports about Karin's friends, who are known as Vaizards, and their help on different areas, but the report about Karin Kurosaki didn't appear because she was helping in the northern part of Karakura." __Yamamoto__ turned his head to Ichigo who nodded, and Ichigo Kurosaki took over._

"_Yamamoto__, Byakuya, Rukia, otousan, and I didn't know about her until her mask broke in the middle of the battle. We were about to assist her in the battle, but she ordered us to help the other divisions, to let her fight against the Diablo, and to forget her face. However, otousan and I refused leave her and argued with her while fighting the Diablo. It took a while to convince her to let us fight, but she also said that she wouldn't let us die. I didn't know why and said that I'm not going to lose my life, but she was convinced. The battle took a while, but we managed to finish off the Diablo. I was about to ask Karin how did she become older or become a Shinigami, but she ran away before I could speak. Therefore, otousan and I followed her as she continued to pass through the forest. Karin began to lose speed as otousan and I increased our pace, but she suddenly collapsed to the ground, making us panicked for a second and checking her condition._

"_Her condition was not so very good. Her face was pale, and she had many wounds from the Diablo. She was still conscious, and she was able to stand on her own. However, she lost a huge amount of blood. Karin didn't run away because she couldn't run anymore and began telling us her stories. She said that I was supposed to die by the Diablos' hands, and Karakura was already wiped out. She, Yuzu, Heiwa-san, and Natsu-san was rescued by Rukia and Byakuya before their souls were taken away. The remaining Shinigami rescued some of the survivors to Soul Society as the rest were fused into the Diablo. The four trained to become Shinigami to avenge many deaths by the Diablo. Karin fought the leader and took the poison for Yuzu, and the poison, in their time, is known to erase her existence. The day before the Hollow Invasion was when the Diablos were planning and gathering different types of Hollows. _

"_Heiwa-san, Natsu-san, and Yuzu suddenly appeared with their masks on and thought that we were taking Karin back, but she stopped them and said that we were keeping this a secret. Later, Byakuya, __Yamamoto__, and Rukia appeared behind us, and they demanded an explanation about Karin's appearance. They didn't have much time left, so Karin gave __Yamamoto__ a scroll and told us some following directions. _

"_She said, 'If anyone wants to know about us, they would have to wait for a few years until we have our own powers. Do not tell anyone about our identities or our appearance, but you can tell them that they were helped by an unknown Shinigami who possesses twin blades and Vaizard friends.' I wanted __to say that she shouldn't have become a Shinigami, but Heiwa-san has the knack of seeing people clearly or knowing what they are thinking. Heiwa-san did smack me, and it was a good thing that she did." Shuuhei raised an eyebrow, catching interest of what the Kazeru girl did._

"_Naze?" Ichigo grinned._

"_She was defending her and scolding me, saying that I should be proud of her for what she is doing and saved everyone's asses." Shuuhei didn't say anything else, and Ichigo continued his story._

"_In the scroll, everything it said was exactly what Karin told us right before she disappeared through the gates of her own time. Karin… no… alternative future Karin said that she is one of many futures for Karin, and Karin is the one to decide her own."_

"_Demo… wouldn't the future Karin be the same Karin here?" Momo asked, but Ichigo shook his head._

"_No… future Karin says that the present Karin and she are two different people. The present Karin didn't have to experience the hardships or to witness everyone die before her eyes, but future Karin did for fifty years. The future Karin… was very different from Karin. Present Karin is her own person now, and she can choose her on her own." Toshiro stared at the 14th captain in slight surprise._

"_You're accepting this easily." Ichigo smiled a bit and chuckled._

"_I think it's a Kurosaki thing to trust each other." Ichigo sat back down, letting __Yamamoto__ take over._

"_I realized what their zanpakutos' powers are after observing each power. It seems that the zanpakutos have their own power that is different from ours. Natsu Kazeru is known for his fierce strength and competitive favor, despite his innocence. I was considering placing him in the 11th division, but from Heiwa's description, he has a reputation of causing trouble and needs to be disciplined. He holds Akatsuki, the Red Moon. Akatsuki is known to be the warrior from hell, but his zanpakuto was originated from mine._

"_Heiwa Kazeru is an academic student and intelligent, and she is a great choice for the 12th division. However, she is cautious around her surroundings and chooses defense over offense. Therefore, she is most likely to be placed in the 9th division. Her zanpakuto is Aohi, the Blue Son. Aohi is the elder sibling of Akatsuki because they are polar opposite. Her zanpakuto is the guardian from heaven, and he is known to be calm as the undisturbed water._

"_Yuzu Kurosaki has the ability to heal people and a supporter, yet she doesn't have confidence in herself. We witnessed her ability to heal miraculously and her zanpakutos' separation to three spirits. They were connected to the mind, body, and soul of youngest Kurosaki. She would be placed under Unohana-taichou's teachings, but she will be transferred to the 5th division for combat._

"_Finally, Karin Kurosaki. She is an interesting individual, but Karin's standards are similar to Ichigo. She has the power of both light and darkness, and it's ironic how her two zanpakutos could be twins yet being the yin yang of all the zanpakuto. I have not decided a division for her yet, but in the future before the next Hollow Invasion, she will be directing the new 15th division." __Yamamoto__ face went grim and opened his old eyes._

"_However, Karin Kurosaki is the main key for survival. Yamihoshi and Akirakashoshi has the power to control and travel through time, so her main priority will be speed and accuracy. I have a feeling that there is something more than just being the Twin-Bladed Shinigami." Kira blinked and asked._

"_How do you know this, __Yamamoto__-taichou?" __Yamamoto__ closed his eyes._

"_Their zanpakuto talked to me when they were summoned."_

"Taichou!" Toshiro sighed as he looked up to see his vice-captain smiling.

"What do you want?"

"Ooooohhh… I have an errand for Momo-chan, but I forgot to pick up Karin-chan and Heiwa-chan from the academy." Toshiro's eyebrow twitched.

_Not again…_

"Matsumoto…" Rangiku pretended that she didn't hear him.

"Could you pick them up for me? It would be a great."

"Matsumo-"

"Arigato gozaimas, taichou! Sayanora!" Rangiku left the infuriated captain as she ran through the halls and heard him screamed.

"MATSUMOTO!!" Toshiro sighed and felt the headache coming around. He wanted to fire the woman, but he couldn't. He looked at the clock and at the opened door. He frowned and stood up, doing Rangiku's abandoned errand.

**Omake:**

"That was your fault."

"Shut up!"

Toshiro blinked. The two girls were at each others' throats, and he couldn't dare speak a word. He was here to pick them up, and the first thing he saw was the bickering friends. What are they bickering about this time?

"Why am I dragged into your troubles every single time?!"

"How am I supposed to know?!"

"Know what?" Toshiro unconsciously asked, and the girls looked at him with blazing eyes. He sweat dropped and heard their explanation, wishing he should shut his mouth.

"We got detention because Loudmouth started trouble in the library and didn't know that we were in a public library."

"No one was in there!"

"I was with you in detention, so the rules in this academy are stricter than our old school!" Toshiro decided to intervene before the chaos would start.

"Should I take you girls back to Matsumoto's home?" They nodded, not going to stop glaring at each other.

"Hai. Please." They said in unison.

Another sweat drop.


	21. Thunderous Intruder

**Me: Ah! The tension! The pressure! The-**

**C.T.E.: WOULD YOU SHUT UP?! I'M TRYING TO READ THIS EPISODE!**

**Me: ****Dammit****! Give me that for the readers, psycho!**

**S.A.N.: ****…(****sigh)… so passionate for this chapter.**

**Me: I don't own Bleach. ONWARD!**

**C.T.E.: I SAID SHUT UP!!**

Chapter 21: Thunderous Intruder

"During the year 1690, what occurred in the 9th division?" The raven-haired girl asked as she tried to look for the answer in the textbook.

"The 9th division had a blind captain, Kaname Tousen, who believed that peace and justice are the sole solutions for Soul Society after he was chosen, despite his blindness." The brunette answered as she was writing the answers down on her third page.

"I-I knew that."

"Yeah, and I'm a psychologist who depicts every single event in your life."

"Very funny, Wa-chan."

It was a study class in their homeroom since the teacher was in a mission with his comrades in the real world. Karin was muttering nonsense and complaining why they had to do a packet for homework. Under her breath, she muttered, "I want to play soccer, but no. Freakin' Tatsuki-sensei just tossed me back to class."

Heiwa shook her head in amusement and thought how long did they play soccer against each other or with other students. Heiwa was just taking her time to write down the answers in a casual pace while she was answering Karin's simple questions just to frustrate her.

For the past few months or so, they were use to the lifestyle in Seireitei. Sometimes, they consider it an ordinary day if it involves pain, bruises, and exhaustion from the sadistic Tatsuki. On occasions or normal days, Rangiku would bring in something from the real world. Mostly, they received letters from their two younger siblings once in a while, and Natsu and Yuzu asked them how they are and if they like living there.

Natsu and Yuzu wrote about the new techniques they learned for hakuda, hohou, and zanjutsu against the 2nd captain, Soifon, and 7th captain, Captain Komamaru. They were quite surprised that Captain Komamaru was kept as a dog in Yuzu's house, and Karin was jealous on how cute and fluffy the animal is. Soifon was nowhere to be heard or seen, but Heiwa had the feeling that she was in Urahara's house. Only one letter took the cake and screech of confusion (mainly Karin) was that _the_ captain general, Yamamoto, the 11th captain, Kenpachi Zakari, and the 4th captian, Unohana, are currently training both on zanjutsu and kido. The older sisters never said a word to anyone why they shouted in the evening. On some days, Natsu and Yuzu would write in complaint about their fathers being worried for them and crying about missing their daughters. One letter that Karin and Heiwa laughed was when they read Ichigo's letter about Rukia's cravings and his torture from his wife. On other days, Rangiku would bring in girl clothes for them. Karin and Heiwa asked why did she bought skirts, tank tops, tight shirts, and bikinis in the middle of the winter, but Rangiku never answered their questions.

"Oy, Heiwa. Did you finish translating the papers?" Karin whispered as she started on her second paper. Heiwa sighed and answered her question.

"No. I wasn't able to translate one single paper because I had to do homework like you have to do. Also, there something from the Densetsu no Tenchi myth concerns me." Heiwa pondered as she removed herself from the packet.

"Nani?" Karin asked in curiosity.

"There were nine known angels in the myth book, but the last one is called Ikiru when I looked at the table of contents." Karin blinked to hear the tenth angel's name.

_"Life?"_

"I skipped a lot of pages to get to the end, but…" Heiwa hesitated for a bit, and Karin was anxious to hear the last angel.

"Well? Spit it out." Heiwa glanced at Karin and sighed in distress.

"…the whole section about Ikiru was ripped out from the book. I think someone is trying to hide the history of the last angel or… Ikiru is no longer one of the angels." Karin sighed in hopelessness as she began finding the next answer in the book. It sucked to find out what happened and later going back to square one. Karin was hoping to find anything about the tenth angel, but all she got was the name. When she turned to the next page, she glanced at one picture and later did a double take.

_What the hell?_

"Ne, Heiwa…"

"If it involves Kusajishi-fukutaichou's biography, she was found in District 79 where Zaraki-taichou found her." Karin's eye twitched, thinking that Heiwa definitely is half-psychic and half-uncaring.

"Arigato for answering half of my question, bookworm, but I'm serious! Check this out!" Karin turned the book upside down and showed Heiwa the picture. Heiwa's eyes widened and stared at the picture.

"Why the hell did they took a picture of me and put it in the history book?" Heiwa asked and pushed her glasses to observe the words under the picture.

" 'Nasake Yamaka is known to be the peacemaker in Seireitei and broke the record of making five-hundred peace contracts between opposing sides.' So… this is what the librarian saying." Karin slumped back on her chair as Heiwa questioned her friend.

"What do you mean? Elaborate." Karin glared at her with much annoyance.

"Bossy, aren't you?"

"Get to the point." Heiwa snarled, and Karin backed off.

"All right. All right. Cool off." Heiwa closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Karin felt safe when this meant that she was in control and explained.

"When I was trying to find you in the library, I asked her about you. The librarian said that you have me as a friend beside Shuuhei and directed me to where you studied. It has been bugging me for a while, but I just thought that it was just the librarian's imagination. What does that mean?" The silence between the girls gave them a feeling that something wasn't right, and Karin couldn't do anything because Heiwa was thinking deeply or figured out why her picture was there.

"Oy! Kazeru-san! Could you help us out a bit?" Heiwa's trance was broken, and she turned her attention to the other group of friends who waved to her. Heiwa glanced at Karin and stood up, obligating to their call. While the brunette was walking away, Karin frowned and looked at the picture in the book. Did something happen to the girl in the book? What was Nasake and Shuuhei's relation, and is Heiwa and Nasake the same person? Then again… they do look alike. She did see Heiwa and Shuuhei talking in the library sometimes when there are a few students in the room. Karin grinned when she witnessed Heiwa correcting the 9th captain about various concepts from the book or witnessed her blushing and playfully glaring at the grinning captain. She had a large amount of blackmail for both Shuuhei and Heiwa. Oh the humiliation. Karin thought about possibilities for shredding Shuuhei's reputation and making Heiwa's life a living hell.

However… she felt… sad… for some reason. She remembered the last two letters from their siblings in the real world. Jinta and Yuzu were finally together, and Natsu finally noticed Ururu over the past few months. Heiwa and Shuuhei were becoming friends by his unusual visits, and she didn't even mind his visits one bit. Karin's hand automatically ran through her bangs, and she sighed in distress. She was jealous of them. They all have someone to count on, and she didn't have anyone to count on.

But… what about Toshiro? Her thoughts focused on when Toshiro became so kind. When Rangiku doesn't show up to take them back, it is usually Toshiro who would pick them up from school and escort them to his division or her apartment. Karin would thank him time to time, or she would ditch Heiwa and drag Toshiro to play soccer with her. Toshiro didn't complain, but he did remind her about the homework and her unfinished work. Nevertheless, he still played with her on a one-on-one match against each other. She blinked and blushed. Now when Toshiro did get to her mind?

Not too long, her head began to hurt from thinking and asking too much in her head. She could feel something coming out of head, but the shikai incident was already over. Where is this headache coming from? Then, she felt something on her head, and her headache was gone. Karin looked up to see an unconcerned Heiwa who masked her concerned face. Karin grinned and rubbed her neck in embarrassment.

"Eh… gomen about that." Heiwa sighed, knowing what her friend was thinking, but she pretended not to care. She went back to her seat and continued her uncompleted homework. Karin was about to do the same when she saw something black from the corner of her sight. She turned her head to the window and saw the clouds gathering together.

"It was sunny a minute ago…" Karin muttered.

0000

"I have a bad feeling about this." Toshiro muttered as he stared at the clouds gathering in the sky. He should have heard something from the weather report and would bring an umbrella, but they said that it would be a clear sky. However, this weather was giving him a bad vibe. It wasn't natural; he felt reiatsu pouring through those clouds. Later, he felt a shiver down his spine and the hairs on his neck sticking straight. It wasn't the cold temperature because he likes the atmosphere. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the problem. Later, he suddenly opened his eyes in slight fear. Something bad was going to happen to…

"Kuso!" He dashed to the door and swung the door to see Rangiku about to knock the door.

"Taichou! There's an emergency! There's-"

"…a large amount of reiatsu coming out. I know. Listen, we have to find out who-" Another set of footsteps rushed to the front door where Rangiku and Toshiro were discussing.

"Hisagi-taichou? Abarai-fukutaichou?" Toshiro said in surprise. Shuuhei and Renji were panting in exhaustion, and their eyes and faces were showing terror. Toshiro knew that what they feared, but Rangiku knew Shuuhei's face right away.

"No time! The reiatsu is going straight to the academy, fast! We have to hurry! All squad members from every division are defending the academy, but I don't know how long they'll keep up." Shuuhei informed the 10th division's captain and vice captain. Toshiro cursed and ran through the hall to the outside door with Rangiku, Shuuhei, and Renji behind him.

"Taichou! Karin-chan and Heiwa-chan are still in the academy!" Rangiku said as they spotted a cluster of squad members around the academy. The lightning flashed and struck the squad members, either disintegrating them or burning them.

"That just makes things worse. Have the students evacuated yet?" Toshiro asked as he jumped on the roof to the next.

"The seniors have already evacuated, along with the freshmen. The sophomores are in the middle of evacuating, and the juniors have begun evacuating. The teachers, along with Tatsuki, are helping the students while protecting them from the lightning." Renji informed Toshiro, but Toshiro cursed, remembering one of the Diablo's specialty powers.

"Shit! Kurosaki and Kazeru haven't left yet. Keep your guard up." Shuuhei gritted his teeth as he followed the white-haired boy. He could remember Nasake's death all over again, but it is going to be here… in Seireitei.

_Don't die on me again. I'm not going to let you die this time._

0000

Everyone was startled to hear the sirens off in the school, and some gathered to the window to see a group of Shinigami surround the school. The class was talking nonstop about what was going on, and some said that something bad was going to happen to this school. Later, lightning struck the Shinigamis, making the girls scream in fear and the boys backing away from the window. Karin dropped her pen and felt her whole body shaking. She wrapped her arms around herself to keep herself from shaking. Something in her mind was making her scared, but what? She pushed all her fears behind her mind, and she became strong. But… what did she miss? Her breathing was labored; her eyes were looking around to find that source of fear; her body temperature dropped fast as she shivered; a bead of sweat ran down her face.

"Karin."

Karin looked beside her to see Heiwa concerned for her. Karin smiled and shook her head, releasing herself from her tight, shaky grip.

"I-I'm alright." Heiwa wasn't convinced.

"You're not. Look at yourself, Fruit Face. Your face is pale as a ghost." Heiwa turned her head to the dark sky, and the lightning flashed again. The Kazeru girl glanced back to the shaking Kurosaki girl and grabbed her arm.

"Let's go, Karin. I don't like this." Karin blankly nodded and got up from her seat to be half-following, half-dragged by the worried Heiwa. They were an inch away from the door until Yuichi slammed the door open. He was out of breath, and he held onto his knees to stay in balance.

"Shibata? What's going on?" Heiwa asked, still holding the blanked-out Karin up to stay in balance. Yuichi took a deep breath and later shouted, startling everyone.

"Minna-san! We got to get out of here, immediately!" Heiwa cursed and glanced at Karin, still blanked out from the incident a minute ago. She looked ahead and continued to run out of the hallway with the unconscious Karin and the frightened Yuichi behind. Around the corner, they saw the teachers directing them to the exit. Heiwa nodded and ran to the directions, but she glanced at Karin.

_Something must have happened to her._

0000

"My lady! I'm coming!" A loud, rumbling voice echoed through Soul Society as it fought away the oncoming Shinigami. His large pike swept against the group of Shinigami, killing three in an instant. His long black hair swayed violently and wild as he continued to strike the squad members down. His armor was impenetrable from the members' petty attempts that were trying to pierce, and his armored wrist band shot out sparks to paralyze the members. The large shoulder guard on his right shoulder was unharmed and shot out electricity to protect him from kido spells. Lightning flashed again, illuminating his golden eyes and darkening his tan skin. He wasn't running to the academy…

No… he was galloping to the school in full speed.

"Out of my way! Kaminari Hoku! (Thunder Strike)" Lightning shot at the cluster of Shinigami, and many fell from the sky to the ground. The half-man, half-horse was about to thrash toward the frightened group until an ice dragon suddenly wrapped itself around the centaur, surprising the centaur in place. The ice was forming from the hooves and up to the head of the centaur in a quick pace, immobilizing him in one place. Toshiro, Rangiku, Shuuhei, and Renji appeared with Ikkaku and Yumichika in front of all the squad members.

"Members of the 11th division, stay in place!" Ikkaku yelled at the men behind him as they nodded in agreement.

"9th division and 6th division, make sure all the students are out of the academy! This is a level 5 alert!" Shuuhei commanded as the rest of the squad members dashed to the academy.

"10th division squad members, help out the 4th division to find any survivors or injured Shinigami below! Matsumoto-fukutaichou will lead you." Toshiro ordered as many members flew down, and Rangiku followed them. Later, lightning struck at the ice, shattering the cold prison.

"Here he comes!" Toshiro held his zanpakuto as Shuuhei unsheathed his zanpakuto and Renji summoned the Shikai level.

"What business do you have here?" Toshiro asked as the last remaining ice was kicked off violently. The centaur growled at the young man and shouted.

"My name is Rekiuma. I'm here to retrieve her highness from your prison!" Toshiro's eyes widened when he heard the name.

_Rekiuma? __The Thunder Horse?__ Wasn't he supposed to be the guardian __of-_

"Get out of my way, mortal souls!" The white-haired captain sighed and glared as he held his sword up. Whatever he was after, he was becoming very violent, guardian or not. Renji, Shuuhei, Ikkaku, and Yumichika held their swords out and were ready for Toshiro's signal.

"Request denied. Bankai!"

0000

**BOOM!**

"EEEAAAAHHHH!!" Karin screamed as she fell to the ground. She held her head down from looking up and whimpered while her tears were pouring down her face.

"Shit, Karin." Heiwa fell to her knees and gripped onto Karin's shoulder. The other classmates and the rest of the class were running out, ignoring the fallen girl and the concerned friend. Yuichi stayed and was immediately beside Karin. Heiwa's eyes softened in concern when she could feel Karin's shoulder quaking under her grip and saw her tears dripping to the floor. The Kazeru girl looked outside and saw another lightning, but she also heard a horse outside of the academy.

"What was that?" Yuichi asked as he held Karin from the back. Heiwa bit her lip and tried to find out what was the connection between that neighing sound and reiatsu in the clouds. Is it a thunder horse?

"It's him." Karin whispered. Heiwa and Yuichi looked at the sobbing girl in surprise, hearing her being conscious. However, her conscious may be still lost, or she knew what was going on.

"Who, Karin? Who?" Heiwa asked, but Karin was still shaking and sobbing.

"He's here! He found me!" Karin's hands flew to Heiwa's arms, holding like it was the rope of security.

"Karin, calm down. Who is it?" Yuichi asked, trying to calm the hysterical girl, but Karin repeated over and over again.

"It's him! He found me! He found me in Soul Society. He's going to take me away! I don't want to leave! Please don't let him take me away!" Heiwa stared at the girl for a while without any thought how to calm her down.

"Move it." Another voice was heard behind Heiwa. Heiwa looked behind her and was shocked to see who it was. The brunette girl scooted away, but she didn't release her hold on Karin or leave her.

**SMACK!**

"KARIN KUROSAKI! GET A GRIP OF YOURSELF!" Karin looked up and saw Tatsuki in a stern voice. Heiwa and Yuichi were shocked to witness Ichigo's friend slap Karin across the face. The raven-haired girl gently touched the pain on her cheek and stared at her.

"Tatsuki?"

"If you want to stay, you have to fight your fears. You have to get over that fear of yours. I don't know what happened, but you are not going to let it go to your head. Otherwise, you won't win! You hear me?!" Tatsuki scolded and crossed her arms. Karin stared at the ticked off woman and absorbed her lecture in her head. It's true that she was scared of… whatever happened to her. But… she couldn't get it get to her and keep her behind because of that. She has chosen the path of a Shinigami, and her friends and family are counting on her. She has become like her brother, but she has her own way of protecting her friends. Karin stood up and wiped away her tears, smirking at everyone.

"Arigato for smacking some sense into me. I won't break down again." Tatsuki and Yuichi smiled, and Heiwa sighed, standing up. Later, Tatsuki frowned, feeling her inner foreboding alerting her. Something about this hall wasn't right. Tatsuki could hear something flying at their direction and pushed the three students away from her.

"Tatsuki-"

A dark figure crashed into Tatsuki, and she screamed by the forceful impact along with the other students. Karin, Heiwa, and Yuichi witnessed as they were falling to the ground out of harm's way. The woman flew to the other wall and crashed against the solid wall. With the sound of the thud and a groan, Tatsuki was unconscious and bleeding from her forehead. The other students who were involved fell unconscious and groaned in pain.

"TATSUKI!!" Karin screamed. The three quickly got off the ground and stood to see a large man with a body of a horse. They gasped to witness that the enemy was a centaur, and the Kazeru girl instantly pushed Karin and Yuichi back, putting her life on the line and staring at the centaur down. Karin was petrified when she saw the four hooves in front of them, and she tried to remember where and when she saw them. Yuichi was glancing around the place to find something.

"Give her to me, and no harm will befall on you." The large centaur bellowed and pointed to the frightened Karin. Heiwa glanced around to find anything to fight him, but she couldn't move her head, unable to let the centaur know what she is doing. They have to find a way to either fight him or run, or they will be sitting ducks in a greater risk.

0000

"No! The centaur just breached the Academy!" Toshiro flew down to the hole where the beast slammed through. They fought only a couple of minutes, but Rekiuma was fast and strong, smashing though their defense and breaking into the academy. Shuuhei, Renji, Ikkaku, and Yumichika followed behind to see what damage the centaur caused. There was no one in the classroom, and Toshiro almost sighed in relief. However, the centaur did smash through the walls of the academy in front of them.

"TATSUKI!!" A scream echoed through the academy, making the men's hearts stop.

"Kuso! Tatsuki!" Renji rushed passed his friends and to where the scream emitted. Ikkaku and Yumichika followed, worried about their little sister who reached to the 6th seat and beat a lot of senses into the pansies. Toshiro and Shuuhei followed as well, worrying about the two girls. The two captains reached to the huge hall and witnessed the fighting between an enraged Ikkaku and the centaur. Ikkaku looked pissed as hell, Yumichika was immediately treating Tatsuki's wounds, and Renji was trying to get all unconscious students to another room for safety. Tatsuki was already conscious, but she was weakened by the major impact.

"Hisagi-taichou! Hitsugaya-taichou! You need to go and protect Karin and her friends! That thing is trying to kidnap Karin!" Tatsuki yelled and later winced when she heard multiples of cracks on her ribs. Ikkaku was even more enraged when he knew how much damage his little sister has taken. Renji felt his blood boil when he heard that sickening crack from his girlfriend and yelled at his friend.

"Oy, Yumichika! Be careful over there!"

"Tatsu-chan! Don't move or speak!" Yumichika scolded. Renji panted in exhaustion when he was almost finished taking half of the wounded to a safer place. Other shinigamis have joined Renji on bring the injured students to the 4th division. Some of the members stayed outside for further orders, and some were in the academy, ready to take over for Ikkaku and protect the school.

"Don't worry about us! Go find them! We'll take care of him!" Renji yelled as he took his zanpakuto and took over for Ikkaku. They didn't hesistate; the two captains use shunpo to get to their destination quickly, hoping that they weren't too late.

0000

They didn't know where their legs were taking them. They don't know how far they ran or how fast they are. All they know is how to get far away from the fight and find safety. Heiwa was leading with a bokken on her hand. She knew that the lightning and the centaur gave trauma to Karin, and Karin was unable to lead since she has an unclear mind. Reluctantly, Yuichi went ahead to the other way for safety with the other classmates under Heiwa's command. Heiwa and Karin didn't want the other classmates to be in danger, so the two girls separated from the young boy. Heiwa glanced behind her to make sure that Karin was alright, sweating in both fear and tiredness despite her calm attitude.

"Oy, Soccer Ace! What's going on?! Why is there a freaking centaur attacking us?!" She shouted as she turned to the corner.

"… I can't remember what happened, but that centaur… all I know he wants me!" Karin panted and felt her hand grip tighter on Heiwa. Heiwa sighed and turned to the left.

"Don't worry. Hitsugaya-taichou, Hisagi-taichou, and everyone else are here to stop that mystical beast." Right after she said it, they immediately sensed two upcoming reiatsu and almost sighed in relief when they knew who was coming. Heiwa and Karin stopped and panted in exhaustion: Heiwa holding the wall and Karin down holding her own knees for support. They noticed many bokkens and books in front of them. They guessed that the seniors had to run and create a mess in the hallways.

"Kurosaki! Kazeru! Are you alright?" Toshiro appeared beside Karin who suddenly gripped Toshiro's sleeve. Shuuhei was already beside Heiwa, but she shoved his hand lightly, confusing him whether she refused his help or didn't know what she did.

"We're okay, but Karin is a little unstable." Everyone's eyes were set on the trembling Karin. Toshiro's chest tightened and hugged Karin, vowing to protect her from anything. They all sensed a large reiatsu coming to their direction, followed by many other reiatsu. Heiwa stumbled a bit, but she turned around to face where they were escaping. She held out the bokken in front of her and breathed out anything that was distracting her.

"Wh-what are you doing? You're not fit to fight against something that powerful." Shuuhei said as he recognized Heiwa's fighting stance. Shuuhei was about to pull Heiwa back, but she shouted.

"No!" Toshiro, Karin, and Shuuhei didn't move or say anything after her outburst, and Heiwa breathed out.

"No. I'm not going to run away. I won't leave my friends who I just met," said Heiwa when she turned her face fully to Shuuhei, "and I swear that I **will** protect everyone, even if I have to fight with a bokken on my hand." Shuuhei's eyes widened when he saw Heiwa's face the same as his beloved love. It was the same face when she grabbed a bokken nearby and fought on her last day. She died on that day, and the same girl promised him that she would not back down and not leave him to be in danger. He sighed and pointed his sword at the same direction Heiwa.

"Fine, but don't die on me."

"I'll fight, too." Karin said, surprising everyone and loosening her grip on Toshiro.

"I'm not too sure about your condition, Kurosaki." Toshiro stated coldly and pushed her behind him, but she held onto his arm with one hand, calming herself from shaking.

"I just need to fight it. The monster does scare me, but Tatsuki told me to fight it. I know that I'm scared, but I have to fight it to get over my fear. Just give me this chance." Karin almost pleaded, and Toshiro sighed in distress. He seemed to think this over before the mystical monster would come, and this monster was going to take her away from him. However, Karin needed to fight against the centaur to get over her fears, and she was the leader type yet stubborn. His icy wings spread, protecting Karin from any further harm.

"Fine. Grab a bokken or two, and don't get captured. Kazeru, get behind my wings if you want to defend Kurosaki." Heiwa nodded as she jumped back behind Toshiro and in front of Karin. Immediately, Karin found two abandoned bokkens behind her and held them beside her. Not so long, they expected the centaur to stop in front of them with a bloodied pike, slash marks on the body, and scratched armor.

"I'm here to take you back, my lady. Come. Let us return home." He said and held his hand out to Karin. The raven-haired girl shook her head.

"No. I'm not going anywhere because you hurt everyone. I don't even know you." The eyes of the centaur darkened.

"You… don't remember me, my lady?" Toshiro glared as he held his sword toward the half-man, half-horse.

"She told you. She doesn't remember nor wants to go with you. Leave, immediately." The centaur backed off a bit until his horse body stood up on his hind legs before slamming the forelegs down.

"Very well. I'll just take her by force if I must!" The centaur charged forward and swung his pike at the 9th captain. Shuuhei swung his zanpakuto at the upcoming pike, stalemating the weapons. The 10th captain flew forward and thrust his sword at the centaur's head; however, Rekiuma tilted his head to the left and let the sword miss. At the same time, lightning struck the two captains, injuring them but not backing them down. Toshiro was able to sustain little damage when the icy wings immediately defended him, and Shuuhei was able to jump away from the lightning and receive a spark on his leg. The centaur charged again, and his pike clashed against Toshiro's sword, sending electricity toward the 10th captain. Toshiro jumped out of the way and let the thunder strike the ground. Shuuhei charged at Rekiuma and managed to introduce his fist at the face. The centaur stumbled back, but he wasn't going to back down. With lightning and his war cry, he galloped straight to the 9th captain.

"Mizuiro Kagami!" A wall of water solidified in front of Shuuhei, making the centaur crash into the block of water. The wall dissolved and flow around the centaur, making him surprised and astounded. He also attacked the water by cutting the water into little droplets, but they were still standing.

"Y-You can manipulate water!" The water formed into something sharp around him as she glared.

"More than that. Mizuhari!" On her command, the needles flew straight at the centaur and injured the centaur. He shouted in pain and crashed against the wall, feeling the water leaving his skin. His eyes blazed, and he stood up from his fall. Another war cry emitted from his voice, and he dashed toward defending girl. Shuuhei was about to intercept the raging Rekiuma, but the centaur used his free hand and slammed Shuuhei with more power.

"Kaminari Hi! (Flash of Lightning)"

"Hisagi-taichou!" Heiwa cried as he slammed against the wall and down to the wooden floor.

"Sennen hyourou!" Pillars of ice shot up around the centaur and went close to him, trapping him in the ice coffin. Toshiro was about to stab through when two bolts of lightning struck the ice prison and the captain.

"Toshiro!" Karin screamed when she heard his painful cry. The lightning destroyed the ice, shattering it, and it also stunned Toshiro who was able to hold his sword that was stabbed on the ground. The girls didn't have time to counter his attack. The centaur was already in front of the girls, and Heiwa immediately reacted. She jumped up and swung the bokken across Rekiuma's face to slash his cheek, aware that the lightning will hit her.

"Gomen, minna." She whispered as the lightning struck her. In midair, the centaur slammed his fist at Heiwa's stomach, sending her across Karin's side.

"Heiwa!" She turned to see her land behind her, lifelessly. Her forehead was bleeding; her arm made a sickening crack; her uniform was torn on the back, showing the many woods and splinters sticking from her bleeding back. Karin was about to run to the unconscious girl, but the centaur grabbed her arm from moving.

"It's time to go, my lady." He pulled her arm, but she wouldn't budge. He tried again, but she still wouldn't move. It was like pulling a chain to drag a hundred ton weight, and he still couldn't pull her.

"My lady?" If he had known what Karin's mind was thinking, he would have known what kind of trauma Karin was experiencing. Karin's eyes widened and tears were leaking down her face. Her heart felt it stopped one second until she realized how she had her fear.

_0000_

_"I know that you are happy to receive your powers, but come on. Let's go home." Karin sighed when she was walking behind the joyful __Yuzu__. They were thirteen years old, and __Yuzu__ still acted childish when she gained her __Shinigami__ powers with the help of Heiwa and __Natsu__Natsu__ gave the two __bokkens__ for practice in their house and said that it is a gift; however, Heiwa told them to handle it carefully since it is considered a weapon. They were walking on the empty road, and __Yuzu__ was skipping like a little girl. The raven-haired girl sighed and placed her hand on __Yuzu's__ shoulder._

_"All right.__All right.__ You can stop the jumping around, __Yuzu__." The chestnut-haired girl smiled and held her two hands, jumping up and down._

_"But Karin-__chan__ I can help you, Heiwa-__chan__Natsu__-kun, __Jinta__-kun, and __Ururu-chan__ on fighting. I can't wait to help." Karin rolled her eyes and patted her fraternal __twin's__ head._

_"__Hai__Hai__ However, you are going to be trained under me. I'm your senior for now on since I have my powers. Is that clear?" __Yuzu__, still smiling, nodded and skipped ahead. They continued to walk down the road, but they felt the chill in the air and something hovering over their heads._

_"__Ano__… __Karin-__chan__ Was there going to be a storm today?" __Yuzu__ asked as she looked up. Karin looked up and frowned._

_"No. I don't think so-" Lightning instantly struck in front of them, creating a burnt spot on the ground._

_"Shit!" Karin jumped back and pushed __Yuzu__ behind her._

_"Karin-chan.__ I'm scared." __Yuzu__ whimpered as another lightning struck before them._

_"AAAAAHHHH!!!"__ Her twin screamed and clutched onto Karin's arm._

_"We have to get out of here! Run!" Karin yelled as the two turned around to the other side. However, another lightning struck on their direction, ceasing their run._

_"Karin-__chan__!"__Yuzu__ cried, and Karin pushed her behind, holding the __bokken__ in front of her. She surveyed the area, but she couldn't find a trace of __reiatsu__. Unless…_

_"__Yuzu__ This isn't a normal storm. Something's up there, so take out your __bokken__." __Yuzu__ obeyed and held the weapon before her, but she was trembling. Lightning struck all around them, and not one struck the twins in one place. It was bizarre, but it was obvious that something was coming._

_"My lady!"__ A large voice bellowed above them, and they looked at the clouds. Coming down from the dark clouds, a shadow of a man looked like his was riding a horse with a pike on his hand. When they saw him clearly, it wasn't a man riding the horse. The man was actually the horse himself. The centaur landed before the baffled twins, and the lightning stopped striking. He held out his hand to Karin with a smile on his face._

_"My lady.__ I have found you. Come. Your presence is needed." Karin blinked and frowned._

_"__Er__… I think you have the wrong… __er__… person to ask. I'm not who you think I am." The centaur shook his head._

_"Nonsense.__ You are who I am searching for, so you must come with me." The centaur was about to reach for Karin's arm, but __Yuzu__ put herself between his reaching hand and the surprised Karin._

_"No! Karin-__chan__ isn't going with you! She doesn't know you or wants to go!" The centaur glared at the young Kurosaki._

_"Foolish mortal.__ Do you not see what you are doing? Do you not know who you are dealing with?" Karin's face reddened in anger and exploded. She pushed her sister behind her and glared at the centaur with the utmost anger._

_"Hey! Don't call my little sister a fool, you dumbass!" The centaur blinked._

_"I beg your pardon?" Karin tossed __Yuzu__ her glove and __Yuzu__ knew what this meant._

_"Karin-__chan__?"__ Karin glared at her._

_"Do it." Without hesitation or resenting, she slipped the glove over her hand and pushed Karin forward, separating the girl from her body. __Yuzu__ caught her body and dragged it to the wall away from the fight. Karin brought her sword out and pointed at the surprised centaur._

_"Don't call __Yuzu__ a fool, you fool." Karin jumped and swung her sword down. The centaur brought his pike up and defended himself from the sharp sword. Karin jumped away from the mystical beast and charged at him again, clashing her sword against his pike._

_"What's the meaning of this? This isn't what you want, my lady?"He asked while blocking Karin's aggressive attacks. He was about to attack her right back until __Yuzu__ intercepted with her own __zanpakuto__. Karin was able to make one good slash, right at his __armor.The__ twins jumped back and to regroup since there are two against one. __Yuzu__ and Karin were wearing their __Shinigami__ uniforms and held their swords toward baffled centaur._

_"My lady?"__ He asked, but Karin shook her head._

_"I'm not who you think I am, but if you are going to take me away, you just have to fight me." The centaur didn't move and sighed._

_"I accept your challenge." The centaur was ready and dashed toward the two prepared twins. He struck his pike down, but the twins split up before it could cut one of their arms. Karin pushed her whole bodyweight toward the centaur and brought her sword down, only to slice air. She quickly turned her head around to see a pike coming to her direction, but her twin pushed the pike aside with her own sword, leaving Karin to escape from the centaur. They continued to fight him; neither side __was going to back down or lose. Karin and __Yuzu__ were only scratching the armor and dodging the pike and horse's __body,__ and the centaur was only swinging his pike and evading their swords._

_"Enough! Play time is over! __Kaminari __Hoku__!" He cried as multiple bolts of lightning struck the ground. They were separated, but Karin felt something hit her around. She screamed in pain as she fell to the ground. She heard __Yuzu__ screamed her name out and later the lightning struck her twin. Fear flashed in Karin's eyes as she quickly got off the ground, seeing __Yuzu__ struggling to get off the ground and the centaur closing the distance between him and her sister. Rain poured down, and Karin cursed, realizing that water conducts electricity. The only way to get out of the fight is to retreat back to their bodies and run far away from the centaur. She felt another wave of __reiatsu__ and ran quickly to her sister, not wanting her sister to die or herself to get fried. The bolts barely missed Karin, but she was suffering a large amount of damage. The raven-haired girl's heart beat faster when she saw the pike over his head._

_"NO!" She ran between __Yuzu__ and the pike, letting the attack cut her shoulder. She heard her sister screamed her name out and landed on the mud. She glanced at her sister who was crying and trying to reach her hand out for her. Karin was also crying, but she was crying in fear. She was afraid, and that mystical beast was going to take her away from her family and friends. She failed to stand strong against him, and she felt her __reiatsu__ diminishing. If only she was stronger and made a better choice, she and __Yuzu__ wouldn't fight against the monster. She could hear the hooves coming closer, and Karin reached out to her sister. She didn't want to go! The hand grabbed her on the collar and pulled her up and away from her sister._

_"__Yuzu__!"_

_0000_

Karin screamed, and immediately, Toshiro's sword slashed the armor, freezing the armor and shattering it. The centaur released Karin, and she collapsed to the ground, fainting from her memory. Rekiuma was about to charge against the furious Toshiro, but he jumped back, avoiding an upcoming sword from the large injury and managing to have a cut on his chest. The 9th captain glared at the centaur and pointed at the half-man, half-horse with his sword.

"I'll kill you," Shuuhei snarled when he was seeing red toward the centaur.

"I'll kill you for hurting the woman I love. She is everything to me, and you hurt her. You don't deserve to live." Toshiro dashed beside his comrade and warned him.

"Hisagi-taichou. Control yourself. Kazeru is fine, and don't lose your judgment." Toshiro looked at the unconscious Heiwa and winced, having the feeling that she knew what Shuuhei was thinking.

"She's not Nasake, Hisagi-taichou. She's Heiwa, her reincarnation." Shuuhei blinked and calmed down, rationalizing his thoughts.

"Gomen, Hitsugaya-taichou." Toshiro nodded and glared at the centaur.

"Stay away from Karin Kurosaki and Heiwa Kazeru, you bastard. If you even dare step closer to them, I'll be forced to kill you right in this very moment. Hisagi-taichou will assist me if you do." Rekiuma blinked and laughed.

"You fools!" He snarled at the two captains. Lightning shot down behind the raging centaur.

"I am Rekiuma. I am the bodyguard of her highness! It is my duty to take her back and place her where she belongs!" The centaur charged toward the two captains and was about to slam his pike through either the wings or the 9th captains body. However, a sudden impact struck the centaur and forced him to the ground in a flash.

Toshiro's eyes widened and Shuuhei gasped at the sight, witnessing the cause of the centaur's downfall. The woman with wings appeared in front of them, and she had a companion beside her. The companion was also a woman with wings, but the woman glowed bright blue, contrasting to the other's orange glow. Toshiro, the captain of the 10th division, was saved again by the woman before him.

"W-what are you doing? Are you not coming back?" Rekiuma asked as he stared at the two women in disbelief. The women didn't say anything but stare at the centaur like they were communicating telepathically. His muscles were no longer tense, and the lightning ceased to strike. The centaur finally relaxed and got to his four feet.

"All right. I will no longer come here nor force you to come. If you feel like going back, you're welcome any time." Rekiuma closed his eyes and bowed with his pike beside him.

"Sayanora." In a flash of lightning, the mystical centaur disappeared, and the sky cleared from the clouds' gathering. Toshiro sighed and relief until he remembered the raven-haired woman behind him.

"Karin!" He dashed beside the girl and held her close. He put his two fingers at her throat and finally sighed. She just fainted from the fear, and Toshiro reminded himself that he needed to watch over her during thunderstorms. The 10th captain glanced at the Kazeru girl and the 9th captain. Shuuhei was healing her injuries while talking to the girl about the centaur. Toshiro mentally shook his head, remembering it would take a long time for Shuuhei to convince himself that Nasake is dead. He turned his attention to the two women who were making a discussion and stood up.

"Oy, you two!" The women stopped what they were talking about and stared at the calm captain. Toshiro closed his eyes and reopened them.

"I, Toshiro Hitsugaya, thank you for your assistance on the behalf of Soul Society. For that, we give you our gratitude. Without your help, we could have lost many more comrades." Toshiro ended his speech and stared at the women. They mysteriously smiled, showing that they were happy and making his heart flutter, especially the radiant woman who saved him in the real world. They turned their backs to them and spread their wings. Toshiro thought they were about to leave, but when he heard a mystical tune, they were actually singing.

His mind blanked out and listened to the heavenly voices. They sounded sad yet powerful like a prayer, and it was like he was hearing music from real heaven. When he saw an orange feather, he thought it was some type of gift for him. However, once he tried to grab it, it disappeared… along with his wounds. It surprised him to no end and turned around to see what was going on. Shuuhei looked at his hands that were once injured and burned, and Heiwa's wounds disappeared with her bones reattached to where they once were and the wood removed from her back.

_Are they doing this?_

He heard the song ended and turned around, no longer seeing the two women. Toshiro ran to where they stood and tried to find any trace of their reiatsu. To his dismay, it also disappeared without leaving any spirit particles behind.

"Hitsugaya-taichou! Hisagi-taichou!" The two men saw their friends running toward them in relief. He saw that they had their uniforms torn, but there was no single wound.

"Status report." He demanded. Rangiku was the first one to report.

"Hai. All casualties are currently in Unohana-taichou's care, and the most of the students are safe."

"However, due to damages in the Academy, it would take about five days to rebuild the rooms and replace the books." Tatsuki said as she looked around the messy halls.

"What's the number of the casualties?" Shuuhei asked seriously as he held the unconscious Heiwa on his arms. Yumichika sighed, combing his hair.

"It's a miracle that the entire wounded are healed. It looked like feathers showing powerful reiatsu that healed all the injured." Toshiro nodded.

"I saw them." Rangiku raised an eyebrow.

"Saw who?" Toshiro looked up to the sky where the centaur disappeared into the clouds.

"Two winged women. One shines like the sun in the sky, and the other glowed like light under the water. I don't know their names or seen their faces clearly, but they are likely to appear anywhere when there is trouble. I'll report this for all the captains."

"Any other reports?" Shuuhei asked, and Renji reported.

"The unconscious are still unconscious and are under the 4th division's care, but the others who fought against the centaur…" Silence hung over them, and Toshiro sighed, knowing what's going on.

"It seems that the women couldn't revive the dead, no matter how hard they tried." Toshiro turned around and picked Karin's unconscious body on his arms.

"Taichou?" Rangiku asked, and Toshiro looked at the damage in front of him. His grip went tighter on Karin's arms, but he lessened his strength on her.

"Karin and Kazeru are unconscious; therefore, they are needed to be under Unohana-taichou's care. Hisagi-taichou and I will report to Yamamoto-taichou after they are safe." Toshiro glanced at Shuuhei who had the brunette girl on his arms.

"Let's go, Hisagi-taichou." In a blink of an eye, Toshiro and Shuuhei disappeared, leaving a surprised group behind them.

"Since when did taichou call Karin-chan, 'Karin?'" Rangiku asked out in the open.

**Omake:**

"Let me go!"

"No!"

"Natsu-kun! Don't go!"

"Kuso! Stop struggling!"

It was slightly humorous to witness the Kazeru boy struggling under the weight of two girls and one boy. Ever since "Yamamoto-sensei" ("Yamamoto-ojii" in Natsu's calling) received a report from Toshiro, "Unohana-sensei" and "Zakari-sensei" ("scar face" for Natsu) were immediately sent back to Soul Society for any casualties or any other dangers. Yamamoto instructed the two training Shinigami to stay in the real world, but Natsu rebelled and tried to go to Soul Society by himself.

"I said let me go!"

**"NO!" **His friends yelled back in response.

Yamamoto sighed and walked toward the struggling group.

"Release him. I'll deal with him by myself." Yuzu, Jinta, and Ururu stopped struggling and got off Natsu who quickly got up.

"Ah… much better. Arigato, Yamamoto-"

Tap.

"Zzzzzzzz…"

Blink, blink.

"Yamamoto-sensei? How hard did you tap your cane on his head when he has a stone head and never takes a nap?" Yuzu asked while Jinta pushed the sleeping Natsu by poking him on the forehead. Natsu fell backwards and hit his head on the ground, but he didn't wake up.

"Holy crap! He's out like a light bulb!" Jinta exclaimed. Hell, Natsu couldn't wake up by a rough beat-up or a foghorn (for Jinta's experiment). Yamamoto laughed and smiled.

"Ah… I haven't done that since Chisei told me how to knock Tsuyosa out." Yuzu, Jinta, and Ururu gawked at the eldest Shinigami. For a hardheaded student, Natsu and Heiwa's mother and Yamamoto knew how to put both their father and Natsu into sleeping babies.

**C.T.E.: ****O.o**

**S.A.N.: ****O.o**

**Me: Um... you guys are okay?**

**C.T.E.: I'm going to sleep.**

**S.A.N.: Do I hear the women singing ****Salva****Nos**** by Yuki ****Kajiura****? When did you rip that off?!**

**Me: Um... okay, I don't own that song, but come on! You have to admit it! It was an angelic song!**

**S.A.N.: Fine. I'm going to sleep as well.**

**Me: Oh come on! I need help on the next chapters before Christmas break! Guys! (Sigh) I don't know how long I would be out, but the next chapter will be on hold. Just give me until the vacation!**


	22. Maidens

**Me: Woot! I'm in vacation!**

**S.A.N.: Didn't you have to study for the finals, AND have to deal with our friend, Blue Mouse?**

**Me: Um…**

**C.T.E.: We ARE your halves, so WE have to suffer your brain damages and your pain.**

**Me: Oh shut up!**

**BlueMouse: Hug time!**

**Me: AAAAHHHHH! Hug S.A.N. or C.T.E. (scrams)**

**Two: Don't leave us behind! (****scram**

**BlueMouse: Huggie! (****chase**

**I don't own Bleach.**

Chapter 22: Maidens

It was quiet. Too quiet. She couldn't hear anything and had her eyes closed, and she was starting to wonder if she died in Soul Society or have been taken to the place that the centaur was talking about. She wouldn't dare open her eyes because…

…she was afraid to see the truth. She didn't want to know that her friends were killed or to know that she failed to fight back. The images of Toshiro being dead on the ground burned her mind, and the malicious grin from the centaur would become her very nightmare in her dreams.

"Karin Kurosaki! Open your eyes!" That voice sounded familiar.

"Akirakahoshi?"

"Stop with the tears, you big crybaby." Karin snapped her eyes open and looked around. She was amazed to find herself lying on a stone platform and stars surrounded her with rocky platforms floating in the spacious sky. The twinkling stars were bright enough to see, yet half of the stars were bright and the other stars were dim to see in the midnight space.

"Up here, Rin-chan." Dark navy eyes looked up and spotted her two zanpakutos, sitting on a higher platform. The lighter twin was swinging her legs like a child, while the darker twin looked bored and uninterested. Her two zanpakutos appeared there, but something about them was a bit off. Could Karin see through them?

"Where am I?" Akirakahoshi giggled and stood up, making Yamihoshi sigh and stand up with her. The two girls jumped from the high platform to the platform Karin was on. They landed at the same time and are like a mirror of each other: Yamihoshi crossed her arms and Akirakahoshi crossed her arms. However, their facial expression contrasted, and they were chained and hand cuffed on one wrist to show them that they are actually twins.

"You're in your mind, Karin-chan. You fainted a while ago, and we thought it would be best to bring you here." Akirakahoshi said.

"Therefore, we had to bring you to a somewhat consciousness, even though we are sealed in the confounded case." said Yamihoshi as she walked closer to the raven-haired girl.

"We need to discuss something a huge matter to you before you will wake up." Karin raised an eyebrow in confusion and wondered what they are discussing about. Out of nowhere, Karin saw a feather fluttering down from her sight and grabbed the light-weight object. She opened her hand and saw an orange glowing feather that felt soft and warm.

"A feather?" She looked above her, and her eyes widened.

"Who are you?"

0000

Heiwa's eyes scanned the words through the book of different languages while she was hearing the beating of the machine. Many thought she was pregnant since she was in the 4th division and reading a book, but she corrected them that she wasn't pregnant and just reading because she was getting bored. She frowned when she heard people whispering through the hallway, and she didn't like it. Many passing people got the message, and some thought she was actually pregnant from a certain captain. Her heart clenched as she tried to ignore another wave of gossip outside of the door. Gossiping was plain weak and doesn't have any facts. She and Hisagi-taichou are just good friends who understood each other, right?

_Then, why am I concerned over something like this weak conversation?_

She closed the book and placed it on the small table beside her, and the brown-haired woman rubbed her forehead in frustration. Why was everyone talking about Heiwa getting pregnant with Hisagi-taichou's child? That isn't right! She has dignity in herself and pride, and she isn't a whore or a slut. Those gossips are driving her to the edge of shikaiing everyone's life, and Heiwa used her will power to control and to calm herself before she could do anything drastic.

"Man… my head… ah… my body…"

Heiwa mentally thanked the raven-haired girl for saving her ass this time.

"About damn time, soccer ace. I was about to throw a pillow at you to wake you up." She only heard a groan and witnessed Karin pulling the pillow over her ears.

"Shut up, Brownie. I'm not in the mood today." Heiwa didn't make any more comments when she heard Karin's serious agony through her mouth. She laid back in silence and looked outside of the window to see the sunset sky. Since the thunder centaur disappeared, the day passed by like nothing happened to the sky.

_**Heiwa-sama.**_ Heiwa smiled as she heard that calm, deep voice.

_Ah… __Aohi.__ I'm glad to have your company around me._

_**Arigato, Heiwa-sama. Also, tell me what is on your mind. Karin-san's safety?****Your concerned thoughts for the future?****Hisagi-taichou's lover?**_ Heiwa had an urge to shut her zanpakuto's voice off, but she couldn't since he was a part of her. 

_Where did you think about that?_

**_When's it not?_** Heiwa sighed as she admitted herself to defeat, and she hated admitting how her zanpakuto is right. Every single time she was in distress or stressed out Aohi would come around through her head or in a spirit form. Aohi was just like her, except he was more intelligent on issues, mainly on her.

_Point taken._

**_Let me hear it. _**Heiwa closed her eyes and relaxed like she always does when she has to talk to Aohi.

_I have a feeling that something bigger is coming up just than that legendary thunder horse. Something… powerful… I think that Natsu, Yuzu, Karin, and I must be prepared to fight against anything. It's something we have to prove to reveal our true selves, but… I'm worried about their safety. I don't know what to do once we begin our training against this stronger force._

_**For you or for your friends? **_Heiwa didn't answer his question, and Aohi sighed. 

**_You don't have to prove that you aren't concerned over little things, Heiwa-sama. If it bothers you, you should defend yourself against anyone who doesn't recognize you as whom you are. Do you prefer everyone see you as the girl in the history books or you? Listen to Karin's advice for once._ **Heiwa smirked and wiped out a tear that was rolling down.

_Kuso, you sound like Karin._ Heiwa gripped on her sheets and opened her eyes.

_Aohi, am I actually Yamaka-san's reincarnation?_ He didn't answer her this time, and she thought he couldn't answer her that question because it was his personal choice. She guessed that every zanpakuto shouldn't tell their masters about their previous life, not even how curious they are. Heiwa looked up and tried to erase Shuuhei's smiling face, but she couldn't. She couldn't wipe out him out of her mind, and all she could do was to smile sadly.

_I should have known. _

"Ano…"

The girls' attentions were turned to the man in front of them. They couldn't help but drop their jaws at the sight of him like he came out of one of those storybooks. He had his black hair up to his chin, and his body was large and tall. They thought he was from a different division, but his eyes were kind and timid, revealing him as one of the 4th division members. They continued to stare at the man until he spoke up to save his comfort.

"Are you all right, girls?" The man asked, and the girls stopped their gawking. Karin was the one who answered with a question.

"We're all right, but what happened? Who are you?" Karin asked. She and Heiwa wanted to know what happened during their fight against the centaur after they fainted. The man smiled and stood by the door.

"My name is Hanataro, and I am your doctor for today. Well… after your fight against the centaur with Hitsugaya-taichou and Hisagi-taichou, those two brought you in while you two were unconscious. I'm surprised that the injured are no longer injured after a miracle. I mean, with that much injuries against that centaur, no one could survive with that much wounds. Out of my surprise, I'm shocked to know that you, two, fought against the centaur even though you two are just students." Karin and Heiwa glanced at each other and back at the tall man. It seemed that the story about them was already spreading like wild fire.

"I'll tell Unohana-taichou that you are awake. For the meantime, you two will be staying here for a couple of days. I would recommend you two to be more careful around training and playing against each other." With that said, Hanataro exited their room and to the hallway. They continued to stare at the door until Heiwa made a comment about Karin.

"So… what do you think about that Hanataro guy? Better than Toshiro?" Karin's blinked, and she counted to three to not blow up. She slowly turned her head to the smirking Kazeru girl and wished that she would yell at her if the 4th division wasn't a hospital.

0000

Toshiro, for the very first time, fidgeted on his heels in anticipation. It has been some time since they were in Unohana's office for a brief meeting, and Toshiro felt he needed to check up on Karin after she fainted in battle. After the two captains brought the two unconscious girls in the division, Retsu immediately ordered Hanataro to watch over them until they were awakened. After her order, Retsu asked for the two captains' presence in her office for a full report during their battle against the centaur. Everything they described about the battle was precise; even though Retsu asked about their feelings in the battle, they didn't want to remember how they felt in the battle.

Unohana sipped her tea calmly as she closed her eyes, thinking about the issues between the two captains. Toshiro and Karin were close friends since they were familiar to each in the real world and Karin's staying in Soul Society. Somewhere in her mind, she was thinking about what kind of relationship they will have in the future after the battle against the Diablo is over. Now, her mind was on the new captain of the 9th division, and she frowned slightly. She knew that Shuuhei was still not over his beloved's death, and the sight of Nasake's reincarnation getting hurt must have triggered his berserk side from his calm demeanor. The Kazeru girl and the Yamaka girl do resemble each other completely, but they have a different history in their lives: Nasake lived in Soul Society, and Heiwa lived in the human world.

Finally, she opened her eyes and put her tea down on her desk, beginning the discussion about their reports.

"So, your guess is that the two angelic women may be the legendary angels from the history books." The two captains nodded as they held their cups on their hands. Unohana continued the conversation when the two captains were still silent.

"I think it is now the time to think the possibilities of how and why the legendary angels appear in Soul Society. It would be best if we begin to think the advantages and disadvantages for a better future." Toshiro stared at the cup in front of him and absorbed the information the captain of the fourth division explained and the experienced battle against the strong centaur.

_"I am Rekiuma. I am the bodyguard of her highness! It is my duty to take her back and place her where she belongs!"_

Toshiro frowned when he remembered what Rekiuma said before the angels appeared to stop the fight. Karin doesn't remember who he is or why he wanted her to come with him, and the centaur stated that she was supposed to remember him. Meaning…

"That centaur… I remember a history that Rekiuma was a bodyguard who protected one of the legendary angels name Ikiru, which means 'Life.' I don't know what happened to Ikiru, but I remember that the angel appointed Rekiuma to find her when the time is right. There might be a possibility that Karin may be the next angel under Ikiru since the centaur was here to take Karin." Shuuhei stated his theory about the sudden appearance about the legendary Rekiuma.

"I agree to what Hisagi-taichou thinks, but in my guess, Karin may be Ikiru herself. The centaur did come here to find Ikiru, and the two angels did appear in front of the centaur. I'm guessing that the woman emitting an energetic reiatsu may be Karin and Ikiru." Toshiro said before he sipped his tea. Unohana tapped her chin in wonder.

"It may be possible. Rekiuma did say that he was there to take Ikiru back, mainly that he was there to take Karin from this world. She may be either the reincarnation of Ikiru or Ikiru herself. Therefore, Karin may have something more than just being the Twin-Bladed Shinigami. Additional to what we know and what kind of power Karin possesses, it may be a benefit for the next war against the Diablos. I heard that the angels are stronger than the captains and the Diablos." Later, a knock and a voice interrupted their discussion.

"Ano… Unohana-taichou?" A timid male voice called out the captain of the 4th division.

"Come in." The calm woman said, and the door slid open to reveal Hanataro. Toshiro blinked and stared at the young man who looked like he came from another division other than the 4th division if he has a bit more courage in his eyes. He bowed first to the captains and apologized.

"Sumimasen for interrupting." He stood up and looked at each captain.

"Karin Kurosaki and Heiwa Kazeru are awake. I think they are ready to have visits." Unohana nodded with a smile.

"Arigato, Hanataro. You may go." The man bowed again and left her office. Unohana closed her eyes and sipped her tea. The captains sat still in front of Unohana, trying to not dash out of her office and to check on the girls. When Unohana put her cup down after drinking the tea, she looked up with calm eyes and smiled.

"Why are you still sitting here? Those girls need you by their side. Go on."

_Finally…_

The two captains stood up and bowed to the 4th division captain, and later, they walked and almost ran out of the doors. Unohana smiled sadly as she stared at the cups in front of her. She wouldn't admit it, but the two certain captains need a lot of emotional support.

"Karin-san, Heiwa-san, please stay alive for them."

0000

"Oy! Toshiro!"

"Pipe down, Karin. This is a hospital, so don't yell."

"Arigato Kami-sama that you are around. I don't know how much longer I could take from hearing Fruit Face's rant about how bad the taste is from her food."

"Heh…"

"Oy. Hisagi-san, what are you laughing about?"

Things have gone from quiet to enjoyable or noisy in the room. When Toshiro and Shuuhei entered the room where they left the girls, Ichigo was already beside Karin about the news from her injuries and her fight against the centaur. Karin was trying to kick Ichigo's face like she did to their father; sadly, he was much stronger than her and could kick her ass in one strike. Heiwa, on the other hand, was reading a book and trying not to laugh at the Karin's horror face.

"Are you sure you are all right?" Ichigo asked his little sister with concern, and Karin sighed in annoyance.

"For the twelfth time, hai."

_Good grief! When will he ever stop?!_

**_The day that he will stop is they day you act like a crybaby._**

_I hate you, Yamihoshi._

_Ano… the taichos are talking._

"Karin…" Toshiro spoke her name, and the raven-haired girl responded.

"Hai?" The 10th captain stared at the innocent face with a lot of regret. He didn't want that face to be stained, but he wanted to know what happened to her to know for future references.

"What… happened between you and Rekiuma?" Karin tilted her head.

"Reki…uma?" The captains couldn't tell her who was Rekiuma because one) Ichigo hasn't heard about the legendary thunder centaur and 2) the captains hesitated from answering her question. Heiwa wanted to know too, but her answer to Karin's question was blunt and harsh due to her frustration to the awkward silence.

"They are talking about the thunder centaur, and-MMPH!" She didn't finish when Shuuhei covered her mouth from explaining the whole thing. Everyone saw Karin's shoulder stiffen and her hands tense on the sheets. She didn't look up to make eye contact but started her story.

"I guess… I guess it's time that I tell you what happened between me and the centaur." Karin took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, trying to contain her wavering voice.

"During the time when Ichi-nii was in college, I gained my powers when Yuzu accidentally pulled my soul out. Later, Heiwa and Natsu gained their powers when Natsu was forcefully pulled out and Heiwa demanded us to pull her soul out of her own body. After Heiwa and Natsu, Yuzu wanted to help us on fighting against the Hollows, but we were afraid for her. We hesitated for a while until Yuzu proved to us that she could help by gaining her shikai and beating us in our training." Karin made a ghostly smile, and Heiwa bit her lip and shivered, unfamiliar to the kind of smile Karin made.

"Right after Yuzu's training, she and I were walking down the road like we usually did. The weather was normal along with Yuzu's glees. It was like nothing happened right after her training, but I was wrong." Tears were streaming down her face, and Karin stuttered, trying to continue the story without pausing. She tried to wipe her tears away, but her tears couldn't stop.

"W-we began to notice the weather changing, and the high powered reiatsu shot from the sky, trapping us in one spot. Y-Yuzu and I were scared when R-Rekiuma showed up and tried to take me from the real world. We both fought against him to prevent him from kidnapping me, but w-we lost. I-I thought h-how worthless I am because I-I couldn't protect my own sister. I-I thought I wasn't going to see e-everyone again. I… I…" Karin stopped her story as she could no longer speak correctly and sobbed. The raven-haired girl felt horrible after she remembered how weak she was from fighting against the centaur. She thought she improved when she trained in the real world, but when she fought the centaur the second time, the centaur has already beaten her. The feeling was horrible to her when she couldn't even protect her friends and her sister.

"You are not worthless, Karin." Toshiro whispered in her ear as he wrapped his arms around the crying girl. The captain pulled the girl near him, so Karin placed her head against his shoulder to cry on and wrapped her arms around his neck. The white-haired man tightened his grip to give her a sense of security that his words are true, and he hoped that his message was worth it to prove his trust to her. Ichigo was already beside Karin, stroking her hair in comfort and already regretting for not being there for his sisters when they were attacked.

Heiwa's eyes softened to see the true Karin and the true Toshiro behind their stubborn selves. The Kazeru girl was happy to see that those two are closer than ever yet sad to know that Karin was moving on. Heiwa was jealous of Karin because she had someone beside her all the way, but she prayed and wished them a future together… even if Heiwa was left behind.

"Heiwa-san. Are you all right?" Her attention was to the captain of the 9th division, and she noticed his concerned face. Heiwa masked her sadness to her unconcerned self.

"Hai."

"Then… why is your hand shaking?" Heiwa was confused to hear this from Shuuhei, but when she looked at her palm, her hand was on his, gripping on his hand tightly. Heiwa controlled her emotions, and she looked forward, not making eye contact. She lessened her grip, and she slowly moved her hand off his hand.

"Gomen nasai, Hisagi-taichou. I have the habit of holding onto something tightly to think about the situation. That's all." Heiwa lied, and she knew that her lie was obvious to him. She wanted to cry also, but the Kazeru family rules are against crying. It took some time for Karin to calm down as she removed her head off his shoulder, and she wiped her remaining tears away.

"G-gomen nasai, minna-san. I hope I didn't make anyone worry about me from crying." There was a bit of silence until someone broke it.

"Don't worry about it, Karin. We are relieved that you feel better." Karin felt someone patting her and looked up to be surprised. Toshiro, the captain of the 10th division, was patting her head with a slight affection. She couldn't help it but smile at him. He was someone who she could put her trust into.

"Arigato."

0000

It has been two days since the incident in the Academy, and the school was still closed until the repairs have been made. It was also the day that Karin and Heiwa leaves the hospital with sore muscles around their body. They were standing outside with relieved faces as they felt the sweet freedom in the air…

"If you are going out, we're making sure that you are going with us."

…until they looked behind to see the two captains who destroyed their fantasy.

_WHAT THE (BLEEP)?! HOW THE (BLEEP) DOES THAT (BLEEP) KEEP ON APPEARING BEHIND ME?! (BLEEP) CAPTAIN OR NOT, HE NEEDS TO (BLEEP) STOP TREATING ME LIKE A KID!!_ Karin cursed as she continued to use the profanity in her head.

"I'm sure we are having the same thoughts." Heiwa stated to Karin as the brown-haired girl thought the same thing by using profanity a well-behaved Kazeru girl shouldn't use.

"Keep on moving. Let's not stand in front of the division." Shuuhei said as he pushed the protesting girls forward while Toshiro followed them.

For the rest of the day, they were just wandering around the small markets and opened shops. There were many interesting things that caught their interests that separated themselves from their gender. Karin noticed the extra weapons other than her zanpakuto and the usage of different parts of armor for protection, and Heiwa noticed the effects and the temporary effects of each medicine. The problem is…

"They are so expensive! It's like Soul Society increased the prices that people and Shinigami couldn't afford to pay." Karin stated as they passed each market to see the prices. Heiwa nodded in agreement and explained.

"I remembered a section from the history book that after the Winter War, the prices began to increase when Soul Society could only find a small amount of resources around their places. Therefore, they have to send many Shinigami around the world to get many types of food and necessities, but there was a problem that the book didn't mention about what was going on in Soul Society. It wasn't enough to decrease the prices because many resources were new to Soul Society." Toshiro and Shuuhei were stumped to hear this information from the Kazeru girl, and they didn't even know this until now.

"So… the marketers are just trying to be rich by raising the prices on each product." Toshiro said as he watched each prices in disgust.

"That is correct," said Heiwa.

"Can we do something about this?!" Karin screamed in frustration.

"We can't," Heiwa said, "We're just students to become unranked Shinigamis. Only a captain can bring this up in the meeting as a concern, but… they can't help it because they have a lot of paperwork."

"Kuso," Karin muttered.

"Gomen nasai, Karin," Heiwa apologized to her friend. Shuuhei took a glance at the overpriced product and back to the girls who were feeling down for the moment.

"I will talk to Yamamoto-taichou about this." The three people looked at the captain in surprise.

"**EH?!**"

"Are you sure you can handle this? You have two jobs as both a taichou of the 9th division and the president of the magazine. This may overwhelm you, you know." Heiwa asked with a slight concern, and Shuuhei smiled.

"Don't worry about me. I'm a talented Shinigami when I was a student before I entered the 9th division. I'm also capable of taking many tasks." Heiwa and Toshiro sighed, and Karin knew that sigh.

"Should we be worried?" Karin asked.

"Be worried." Toshiro answered.

"Hey!"

Shuuhei crossed his arms and frowned deeply when the girls giggled and Toshiro smirking. They continued to walk forward until they saw two different paths in front of them. Karin suddenly hung her arm around Heiwa's shoulder and whispered.

"Hey, Bookworm. You wanna lose them behind us." Heiwa raised an eyebrow.

"You do know that when we will get lost in here. This is a rather large place, Loudmouth." Karin glanced behind to see the captains giving them the "what-the-hell-are-you-planning" looks.

"How about this? Meet me near Inoue-san's statue, and make sure that no one is following you."

"What would happen if you are nowhere to be seen?" Karin grinned.

"Trust me. I will be around dusk." Heiwa thought about it and sighed, looking to her left.

"Fine. When do we leave?" Karin looked back and looked to the right path.

"On the count to three, we'll split and run."

Toshiro and Shuuhei couldn't hear what they were whispering when they reached to the middle of the road. Karin suddenly whispered to Heiwa like they were planning something. Toshiro and Shuuhei had the bad feeling and wondered what they were planning. They seemed to plotting something…

"THREE!"… and the girls dashed apart and blending in with the crowd.

"W-wait! Stop!" Shuuhei said as he ran after the Kazeru girl, being confused about why she was running away. Toshiro looked to the path where the Kurosaki girl was running and sighed in annoyance. He chanted in his head to not kill the girl and followed after her.

0000

"Ah… peace and quiet." Karin said as she walked down the road with her arms behind her head. She finally has the peace she wanted while walking down the path. There was no annoyance or escorting. It was just her on her walk. She glanced around to see people observing the products and buying, and she avoided much trouble by avoiding the people walking around. She looked around the stands and blanched at the prices of the greedy people. Every time she saw something interesting she reconsidered buying the items when she saw the prices. The raven-haired girl continued to walk down passed the shops until something caught her eyes that were in a low price. They were statues of angels and many mystical winged creatures. Each was not very pricey and just right for a gift. She also saw different poses and types of angels in each statue figure.

_They're so beautiful…_

However, three unique angel statues caught her attention. The three figures were in different color: light blue, dark blood red, and green, and they have no flowing clothes, no shaped nude, and no kind of pose they are on. The statues were just plain carved like they were carved out of wood if they weren't shining and heavy. The light blue statue was just sitting on a crystal rock that resembled as an ice to Karin, and his wings were stretched out with his spiky hair up.

_That statue just looked like Toshiro. I think I should buy this for him. Karin giggled when she continued to browse on the next two statues._

The other one had a very short hair that reminded Karin of her fraternal twin. She was standing on the ground, but the swirls around the statue looked like she can control the air around her. The last one was the dark red statue that almost looked like black statue. He was just sitting on a rock holding a sword on that stabbed through the ground and holding a skull on his other hand. She shivered at the sight of it, but it was interesting to see this on a pose.

_I think I should send these to Yuzu and otou-san. I think Yuzu would love the green statue, and otou-san… I wish him luck if there's any._

"Konichiwa. Would you like to buy something?" A voice said beside her, and Karin looked at the middle aged woman who looked normal and kind. She reminded her of someone…

"Ah… I like to how much are these each." Karin pointed to the three statues, and the woman smiled.

"Of course. That would be 20 each." Karin was disappointed when she only has 30 with her.

_Kuso. I could only buy one… how could I buy these? Karin thought when she planned out how to get them._

"Ano… what if I could work for you for an amount of time? Would that be all right with you to buy those three?" The woman pondered and looked at the girl from head to toe, trying to decide if she could trust her.

"Well…"

"Karin Kurosaki!" A familiar voice yelled out from behind the raven-haired girl.

"Shit!" Karin cursed and turned around to find Toshiro walking to her with an angered expression.

"I have been looking for you, Karin. Kurosaki-taichou was worried about you when you and Kazeru ran off unexpectedly. We have to go back." Karin glared back and crossed her arms.

"I'm not leaving. I just found a market that isn't pricey and very affordable to get an item. I want to buy just one of them. Come on!" They heard a gasp aside and turned their attention the woman who had her hands over her mouth.

"Are… are you related to Ichigo Kurosaki?" Karin blinked and nodded. What was up with this woman?

"Hai. I am Ichi-nii's sister." The woman began to have teary eyes and suddenly shook Karin's hand.

"I am very pleased to meet you, Karin-san! I want to thank your brother for sending my baby boy here to be safe from that Hollow. I also want to thank you for applying and saving my son when you are in the Academy. He talked about you and Heiwa-san during dinner, and he said that he wanted to go with you and Heiwa-san in missions and adventures." Karin and Toshiro were surprised and stared at the woman in disbelief. No wonder why the woman looked familiar! She had Yuichi's hair and eyes, and she was a kind mother. Karin laughed nervously, but Toshiro wasn't laughing at all. He was thinking about many ways for him to freeze the Shibata boy into a sculpture of ice. Suddenly, the woman took the three statues that Karin was talking about and put them in the bag.

"Here you go. They are gifts of my gratitude for helping Yuichi Shibata." Karin looked at the bag and back to the woman in surprise.

"Wait a minute. Is this all right for you? I would gladly pay you one statue and pay the rest later." Karin said, feeling guilty for taking these for free.

"It's fine. I'll pay for them."

"Demo…"

"I will pay for them." Karin looked behind her and almost jumped up a foot off the ground.

"Ichi-nii! Don't do that! You know how much I hate that!" Karin huffed and gave her brother an annoying glare.

"I can pay these by myself, Ichi-nii. I have been helping Yuzu and otou-san in the clinic, so it's no big deal. I'm old enough to work on my own." Ichigo shook his head and pulled her shoulder cloth up a bit.

"When you are in the Academy, you are stuck studying until you are in one of the divisions. Therefore, I'm paying because I said so." Toshiro smirked and patted the pouting Karin when Ichigo paid for Karin. The woman tried to refuse his payment, but Ichigo said that he's the one paying for Karin and something else. She noticed that Yuichi's mother put something in another bag for Ichigo and gave it to him, thanking him for saving her son. She wondered what gift Ichigo had.

"All right, Toshiro, Troublemaker. Let's go." Ichigo said as Karin ran after her brother and yelling at him that she doesn't cause that much trouble. Toshiro sighed and went behind Karin.

"Don't run, Karin. You're carrying statues on your arms." This time Karin was yelling at the white-haired captain about she wasn't a klutz.

0000

"Hey, Brown-"

"Shut up, Loudmouth!"

"Sheesh. I was just saying a hello." Karin said when she saw Heiwa irritated as hell, and by the look on Heiwa's face, Karin could imagine that any Hollows trying to fight this irritated girl would be running for the hills. She looked at the captain of the 9th division, and he, too, was irritated and not looking at Heiwa for once. She took two and two together and finally realized what they were doing in front of them.

"You, guys, are acting like an old couple." There. She finally said it and will regret it later. She expected something like a rude comment from the Kazeru girl.

"You wanna play one-to-one soccer?" Heiwa asked, and Karin grinned.

"Hai!" The girls were ahead of them again, and the men sighed in frustration. They wondered what is up with their love of playing soccer against each other and tried to guess many events that happened to them when Karin and Heiwa were in the real world. The only thought crossed their mind was the competition between them through verbal and physical insults.

They continued to walk away from the marketplace, and Karin was planning how to get through Heiwa's defensive with her offensive. However, it was shattered when she bumped into someone. She felt like falling on her rear when she lost balance until she felt strong arms around her waist. The raven-haired girl looked above her head and saw Toshiro's eyes.

"Arigato gozaimas." She said as she gained balance. She looked at the person she bumped into and was surprised to see two women wearing a white robe, a white mask, and a white hood. The only part of the women Karin could see was their eyes. Thankfully, Heiwa summoned her water to catch the woman in white robes and gently put her back to her feet.

"Gomen nasai. I wasn't looking." Karin blushed and apologized to the woman, bowing to her. She felt a hand on her head and looked up. The woman was patting her head and seemed to smile behind the mask.

"Stand up straight, little one. You are already forgiven, and it was just an accident." Obeying the strange woman, the Kurosaki girl stood up straight and stared at her. She looked familiar.

"A-arigato." The woman nodded and walked around the group with the other woman behind her.

"Who are they?" Heiwa asked with a bit of interest. She has never heard or seen them before other than souls, Hollows, humans, and Shinigami. Shuuhei began the explanation.

"Those women are known as the Maidens of Soul Society. I knew a little information about them until they first appeared in Soul Society after the Winter War. The King sent them here to help the injured and to give comfort to the souls who are in their last days living here. They are mostly women and appear here rarely, but they are considered another type of Shinigami."

"So… they have zanpakutos with them?" Karin asked, and Toshiro nodded.

"Any type of Shinigami must have a zanpakuto with them. However, the Maidens have a different type of zanpakuto. They have staves instead of swords and excel on kido more than Nanao-fukutaichou could remember."

"Oh." Heiwa and Karin said and finally dropped the topic. Ichigo looked up at the already darkened sky and muttered.

"It's getting dark. Let's go back." Karin grinned and followed the captains with Heiwa telling her to stop running like a little girl. If they have looked back, they would have seen the two Maidens staring at the group. The Maiden put her hand on her friend's shoulder in comfort when she saw her friend's eyes welling up.

"Let's go. She will be all right. Karin is stronger than you expected." The other woman nodded and walked ahead.

"Gomen nasai, Karin. I wished that somebody else would take the danger for you."

**Omake:**

"We're here." Ichigo stated when they reached to Matsumoto's apartment. Toshiro sighed and looked back…

"BROWNIE!! YOU ASS!!"

…to find Karin and Heiwa playing soccer against each other. Karin had a ball mark on her face, and Heiwa smirked when she accomplished giving pain to her. Rangiku opened the door and was wondering why all the three captains were standing in front of her door.

"Taichou? Ichigo-taichou? Hisagi-taichou?"

All the captains sighed in distress when the fire increased between the competitive girls and the vice captain tried to figure out why they were ignoring her.


	23. That early!

**Me: (bashing head on wall)**

**C.T.E.: … what's up with her?**

**S.A.N.: …well… (whispers)**

**C.T.E.: (pales) Shit. You serious? (grabs AF) DAMMIT!! DID YOU HAVE TO?!**

**Me: Hey! BlueMouse wanted to do the checking stories! Don't blame me! Besides, she has other chapters to check over!**

**C.T.E.: …good point.**

Chapter 23: That early?!

It was a good evening as the sun was setting. All the people were returning home from their hard work or studies at that time. Some of the people walked to certain bars to celebrate their hard, earned work, and others came home to spend time with their family. Students were sent home immediately or sent to their dorms for another attendance if any students are missing. It was peaceful for a couple of months after the mysterious incident against the centaur, and it seemed that nothing could break the peace…

"**NANI?!**"

Well… almost nothing.

Inside the main office of the 10th division, two girls and two captains were in there for a specific meeting that concerns about their academic studies. Karin and Heiwa, for the very first time, were freaked out by what Toshiro Hitsugaya and Ichigo Kurosaki said.

"I do not understand, Kurosaki-taichou. How could we participate in the exam that is beyond our comprehension? We are first year students who are not eligible to qualify in the exams unless certain conditions are met." The Kazeru girl pushed her glasses up in confusion. Karin nodded and agreed with her friend.

"Hai. Ichi-nii, Toshiro, what gives? We want to pass the school through the full six years and take the test with everything we got. I don't want the special treatment! I just want to finish the academy with to the fullest."

"You don't have time left." Ichigo murmured, but Heiwa heard what he said.

"Who doesn't have time left?" Heiwa asked, becoming suspicious of the sudden announcement. Toshiro jabbed his elbow against Ichigo's ribs and glared at him for his stupidity. The captain of the 14th division winced and rubbed his side where the pain was throbbing.

"Gomen. I was just talking to myself." Ichigo said, and Heiwa seemed to buy it. However, Heiwa wasn't stupid, and she let his excuse slide. Toshiro sighed in half distress and half relief, starting to answer Karin's question.

"It is true that the academy should take about six years to finish. However, you and Kazeru-san already have experienced most of the fighting and the survival knowledge. Later, the both of you have learned the three techniques properly and the history of Soul Society."

"What about the packets?" Karin asked, remembering about the stack of papers given to them. Toshiro smirked, giving Karin the bad feeling.

"Those packets are known for your homework for the whole six years, and you have to study your exam through those packets." Karin fell down backwards and shot up later, only to yell at the white-haired captain.

"Are you trying to give me brain damage, Toshiro?!" A vein popped on Toshiro's forehead as he glared at the Kurosaki girl.

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou. Show some respect to your elders."

"Respect is supposed to be earned, not received."

"Shut up, Fruity."

"Shorty!" Ichigo slammed his head on the desk and groaned to hear the argument between them, and Heiwa smirked to see the two irritated. It was a good thing that it was only in Toshiro's office because almost half of the division knew about Toshiro's relationship with Karin. It took some time for the two tempered Shinigamis to cool off, and Toshiro sat down with his arms crossed.

"Tomorrow, Yamato-taichou will tell the teachers about your absence that you are taking the exam early. I will give you the envelope to show proof that you are eligible to take the test." Toshiro held the brown envelope to Heiwa, and she took the envelope and opened it to see the papers. Later, Heiwa gave the papers to Karin to let her view the documents and asked the two captains.

"Are you sure that it is possible to give these documents to show the evidence that we, first year students, have the potential to pass the exam?" Toshiro didn't say anything, and Ichigo grinned like what Karin does when she was going to do something mischievous.

"We are sure. We know that you will pass this exam… with a little trouble." In a blink of an eye, Ichigo was already behind the girls and carried them over his shoulders.

"Ichi-nii!"

"W-Whoa!" Their squeaks made Ichigo laugh.

"Time for you to go home." In a split second, they all disappeared by Ichigo's shunpo with the girls' screams in surprise. Also, Karin was screaming for him to slow down because she was gripping on the papers. Meanwhile, Toshiro was pinching the bridge of his nose to calm himself down. He looked up to see a hole and the falling splinters that Ichigo "exited" from his office. He had to make a mental note about reminding Kurosaki-taichou to _use_ the door.

0000

It was in the middle of the night now, and people are sleeping in their futons or beds. All the shops are closed, and the houses are tight shut. Some night guards are guarding the whole Soul Society for their night shift, and a few are sleeping on the job. There were cases of sleepwalkers and loud snores, but it was quiet for many Shinigamis and souls. However, there are several cases that students are going to take the exam, and the anxiety was too much for them to wonder if they are really ready or not. Mainly, the two girls in the vice captain's apartment were not very sleepy and are talking to each other through whispers because Rangiku was sleeping heavily. Since Rangiku has extra futons, they were sleeping beside each other.

"Hey, Heiwa."

"Hm?"

"Do you think that we can pass the exam?" Karin asked with uncertainty. Heiwa sighed and forced herself to look Karin in the eye.

"Karin, I do think that we can pass the exam. The one thing I do not think is whether or not we are going to stay together as a team." Karin heard Heiwa's sadness and faced her.

"Hey, Heiwa. What's the matter?"

"Has it ever crossed your mind that once we graduate from the Academy, we may never see each other again? The teachers are going to place the graduates to separate divisions without the students' knowledge of whether or not they are going to stick together or be separate." Karin mentally berated herself for not thinking about that.

"Why do they have to do that?" Karin asked and slammed her face on the pillow. Heiwa shrugged and focus on the ceiling.

"I guess they want to know who is eligible for one or more divisions. There will be three choices for both of us, and we could only choose one division to enter." Heiwa shifted her body to her side to face Karin who stared at the ceiling.

"So, what division will you go to after you passed the exam?" Karin shifted her body to her side and smiled.

"I was thinking joining either the 14th division or the 10th division. I'm already familiar with Ichi-nii and Toshiro, so I'm hoping to get to their divisions as just me." Heiwa smiled and nodded.

"Glad to hear that."

"What about you? Are you going to join the 9th division?" Karin asked but shut her mouth when Heiwa's eyes were blank.

_Shit._

"Hey, Stick-in-the-mud? Oy! Snap out of it!" Karin whispered harshly, and Heiwa was focused again.

"Gomen nasai, Karin." Heiwa apologized, and Karin sighed. She knew what was in her mind, but Heiwa was there for Karin to save her ass multiple of times. It was Karin's turn to help out her friend from Heiwa's situation.

"What's in your mind?" The Kurosaki girl asked, and the Kazeru girl sighed.

"I think I'm qualified for the 9th division and the 12th division. I have the knowledge to help the 12th division on many certain topics, but I have the strategy to help the 9th division to get many Shinigamis out of dangerous situations." Karin knew it. Heiwa wanted to be in the 9th division, but the situation bothered Heiwa because she looked like the Yamaka girl instead of herself.

_There's gotta be a way to help everyone recognize us as just us._

"So, it's going to be a tough decision for you to enter, huh?" Heiwa nodded and looked at the time.

"Let's get some sleep, Karin. Tomorrow's going to be a long day." Karin nodded and closed her eyes to get some sleep. However, she had an idea.

"Hey, Heiwa?"

"What now?"

"I think I have an idea, but I need you to come with me to make this work." Interested of Karin's plan, Heiwa was attentive to hear this out.

"Well… spill it."

0000

Tomorrow was a hell day for the two girls, and they were not in a good mood. When Rangiku tried to say good morning to them, she immediately shut her mouth. Their faces were designed to say that they will murder someone if he is too cheery and happy. Karin was in a mood to get some sleep, and no one should keep her awake if they have a will. Heiwa was cranky and gulped her coffee like it was a sport drink, and Rangiku always muttered, "Why is that girl so difficult?"

The girls were in a rush after they succeeded using Karin's plan. They were actually using shunpo in town and trying to get use to the goddamn wind blowing in their faces. Karin had problems when she tried to turn around the corner or to not trip on the rooftops, while Heiwa was trying to get Karin to stop knocking her to the ground every single time Heiwa landed. They were not late or early to get to class…

… Oh no. They were going to be late in less than five minutes.

"Hurry up, Brownie! It's no wonder why you are defensive! You can't run fast!" Karin yelled as she used shunpo again after she gained her balance on the steep rooftop.

"Shut up, Loudmouth! Damn, you're obnoxious! It's better to know my territory rather than to charge recklessly!" Heiwa jumped off another rooftop until Karin bumped into her from behind.

"Soccer Ace! Watch where you are going!" Heiwa yelled as she gained her balance before shunpoing off.

"Sorry! My hair got into the way!" Karin yelled back, and Heiwa screamed in frustration before they reached to their destination for the exams. They landed in front of the screens and stared at them. The girls took a deep breath to calm down and pulled the screen aside. The students in the room were surprised to see two girls who are unfamiliar to them to enter the room. One student stood up from his seat and walked toward Karin and Heiwa.

"Excuse me," the student said, and the girls guessed that he was the class representative.

"May I see your documents for this exam?" Karin and Heiwa nodded and gave him the envelopes that Toshiro gave to them. The student was skimming on the papers and glanced at the girls sometimes. Karin glanced around the students who were whispering to each other about them. She felt nervous around them and realized that she became the center to attention. The raven-haired girl glanced at her fighting partner who seemed confident with this.

"You, girls, are cleared. Welcome to the exam." The older student said, and everyone gasped.

"Hey! I thought that you have to take six years in the Academy to take the exam! These first-year students shouldn't take the exam because they didn't learn the lessons for full six years!" A student shouted and glared at the girls. Karin seemed to lose her nervousness and converted it into anger. She fully glared back at the student who was now shocked to see her eyes.

"Hey! We have proof that we are capable to take the exam, and you still want us to sit back?! I don't think so!"

"That's enough!" Everyone stared at the teacher who entered the class with papers on her hand. Everyone gulped and recognized who was supervising the whole class, feeling the chill in the air already.

Tatsuki Arisawa.

"Everyone, sit down, especially you girls. Addition to anyone who said that these girls aren't qualified, I don't want to hear who should be here taking the test or not. I want to see the documents on my desk pronto, and it is more proof than it already is." The girls, not wanting to piss Tatsuki off, placed the two large envelopes on her desk and quickly went to the open seats in the corner. The students around them knew about the girls after they entered the academy; they only knew that Heiwa is the daughter of the former Shinigamis, Tsuyosa Kazeru and Chisei Mizuki, and Karin is the daughter of a former captain Shinigami, Isshin Kurosaki, and the sister of the captain of the 14th division, Ichigo Kurosaki. Karin and Heiwa didn't like the students in the testing room because they only saw them as a shadow of the previous known Shinigamis. It was a good thing that they are friends with the students in their grade level, and they knew them more than just titles.

"All right. Get ready to take a test because you are taking two parts of them." Heiwa and Karin blinked in confusion. Toshiro didn't mention this when they were taking the exam, so what's going on? The looks on every face in the room were doing the same and didn't know about the exam.

"I know that everyone doesn't know about the two part test, but because there is a drastic change, the test will be graded separately. The first part is the written test." Tatsuki took out the packet from the desk.

"Half of the overall points will be based on your knowledge in the classes of the whole six years. Each point in the test will be known next to the topic, five points for the short essay questions, and ten points for the essay." Tatsuki put the packet down and pointed to the door next to her.

"The next part is the fighting against your assigned teachers in this academy. Since we are preparing our students to become a Shinigami, we are expecting you to look at the board of who you are fighting against, warm up next, and finally fight us with everything you learn and experienced. Each hit you receive will be a deduction; each hit you give will be an addition. You are forbidden from injuring or fighting against your fellow students, or you will be disqualified. Is that clear?" Everyone nodded, gulping to hear her strict voice. Tatsuki nodded and passed the packets to each row.

"The passing points will depend on your written scores and fighting skills. We will both grade your tests and observe the sparring today. If you fail in this part of the test, you better pass in the other part, or you will be taking the academy all over again." When she finished passing out the papers, Tatsuki walked back to the desk and sat down.

"Now, begin."

0000

"Did you call us, Yamamoto-soutaichou?" A certain white haired prodigy asked as the captain of the 9th division and he stood in front of the 1st division captain's desk. In the middle of his paperwork, Toshiro found a hell butterfly in front of his desk. He heard the old man's voice, telling him that he and Shuuhei Hisagi must come to his office immediately. He thought it was an emergency such as a Diablo is found.

"I have reports about the activities of the Diablos," Yamamoto began.

"It seems that the Diablos are appearing rarely in few areas, and some of our soldiers have seen a Hollow that seemed to be human. They reported that it was a Lorde Vasto, but the 12th division said that their powers are beyond a Lorde Vasto." The two captains' eyes widened to hear this news.

"Are you going to send us to fight the Diablos?" Shuuhei asked with surprise in his voice, but Yamamoto shook his head in disagreement.

"I'm afraid that we know very little about our enemy, and it would be foolish to send out a search squad into an unknown area that a Diablo wouldn't show up or would kill the squad in that spot. Like what Densetsu said in his report, they are 'devils.'" Toshiro closed his eyes and exhaled longer in relief. The situation had both a positive and negative effect. The positive part of the situation was that Yamamoto wasn't going to send them to the living world where they weren't prepared for an incoming attack. The negative part had the appearance of the Diablos in certain areas, meaning that they are starting to appear in the living world.

"I believe that we must hasten Karin Kurosaki's power to the fullest. We have a limited amount of time to prepare for the worst, and the Diablos have already began to make their move. Even though they appear rarely, it is a sign that the living world is about to come to its end." Toshiro explained to the 1st division captain. Yamamoto closed his eyes and was in his thoughts. The silence hung around them like a heavy gravity until the old man broke it.

"Hitsugaya-taichou."

"Hai." Toshiro responded.

"Hisagi-taichou."

"Hai." Shuuhei responded.

"Tell me with your deepest thoughts. What would happen if a Diablo injects the poison that would kill an entire existence into Karin Kurosaki's body? What if the history repeats itself? Or the alternative, what would happen if the four children are killed before they would fight against the Diablos? What would you do?"

"Yamamoto-soutaichou, both the living world and Soul Society would end if they are killed." Shuuhei stated, but the elder shook his head.

"I'm not talking about the end of the living world and Soul Society. Remember this; Kurosaki saved her brother from certain death in the Hollow War. Time has alternated, and Kurosaki-taichou and all of the divisions would fight the Diablos without a second thought. These questions are regarding to both of you, Toshiro Hitsugaya and Shuuhei Hisagi." The two captains were stunned to hear that the questions were actually for them. Has Yamamoto noticed something else other than the situation the two dimensions are in?

"Yamamoto-soutaichou? Why are you asking us these questions?" Toshiro asked with concern and surprise. The elder sighed and stood up from his seat as he walked to look at the sky.

"Being responsible for my fellow soldiers and captains, I do notice what is going on in Soul Society. I am no longer ignorant because of Aizen's betrayal, but I am being less strict than I was after the Hollow War. I cannot control your lives, but I am here to hear your thoughts." He turned around to face the captain with opened eyes.

"Because I am telling you this, I have noticed about your attachment to the elder sisters, Karin Kurosaki and Heiwa Kazeru." The captain held their breaths and suddenly felt nervous under the elder's eyes.

"The two girls came over here early in the morning to ask for my presence. They said that before they took the exam in the academy, they wanted to be recognized as their own being, not by their relationship with their family. Kurosaki said that she wanted to be recognized as her own being and not as Kurosaki-taichou's sister, and Kazeru said the same as what Kurosaki stated. I continued to ask them for reasons, and I knew that they wanted a division to treat them like everyone else other than someone important."

"Toshiro Hitsugaya." The white-haired captain was first.

"I know about you and Kurosaki's encounter before the Winter War, and I have known about your partnership with the girl. However, over the months, you and Kurosaki have becoming closer as your partnership with her began to grow. I am telling you my questions because you are still a young leader. You may be a prodigy, but you must learn what you must do if your close friend or comrade was killed." Later, Yamamoto looked at the new 9th division captain as Shuuhei knew that it was his turn.

"Shuuhei Hisagi. I have already known about the relationship between you and your beloved childhood friend. I know that you still grieve over her death, and I also know that you want to start all over with Kazeru because she is the reincarnation. However, you must know that you must respect Kazeru's choices and actions… overall, her own existence. Kazeru has a new life, and Yamaka has already done her part." Yamamoto noticed that the captains didn't say anything else, and he walked back to his desk to sit down again. He folded his arms over his stomach and looked up. The captains were now in a deep thought and were questioning themselves. They now realized what their errors were and were trying to figure out an answer not for Yamamoto's expectation but for their own expectations.

"Now… answer me. What would you do?"

0000

Karin groaned as she slammed her head on the desk. Time was already up, and their answers on the packet were passed down across each other. She doesn't know if she passed or not, but she did terrible. She couldn't remember most of the answers from the homework packets, and her head began to hurt and to scramble when she reached the kido numbers. When the raven-haired girl passed her best friend's test to the other student, she already knew that Heiwa aced the test. Karin hoped that she would pass the fighting exam since she failed the written exam. Tatsuki collected the tests from one row to another until she reached to the last row.

"Stand up!" She ordered, and everyone stood up from their seats.

"Now you are all finished with the written test. Go to the door where your next exam will take place. When you reach to a training room, you must first look for your name and the teacher you will be facing on the board. Later, you must warm up and be ready to fight us in the same training room. Do not exchange teachers or surrender in the middle of the battle, and do not injure anyone in the training room. There will be a few teachers around to observe your actions and will catch you if you are fighting against your fellow classmates." The woman walked down the stairs and to the door, grasping the knob with her free hand.

"Get ready." Tatsuki twisted the knob and opened the door, revealing a stadium instead of a small training room. All the students, including Karin and Heiwa, had gasped, dropped their jaw, or had their eyes widened to see the size of the training room. It looked like a coliseum for the fighting events, and there were damages made already. There were dents and slashes on the ground and walls, and there were some burn marks on the floor from some spells.

"Don't mind the damages. They are all from the previous battles by your fellow classmates. Now, go in from the first row up to the last row." One row to another, the students walked down the aisle to the door of the training room, talking about how well they did on the test. Karin sighed and followed the other students as Heiwa followed Karin behind.

"I hate the written test."

"If that's going to help you, you better pass the fighting test. It's a good thing that the principal released our zanpakutos for passing the fighting test. Remember; one hit is a deduction of your overall points." Heiwa reminded her, and Karin scowled.

"That isn't helping, Genius."

When everyone was out of the room, Tatsuki slammed the door behind her. The next thing they heard was her cursing behind the door that was "Shit! I just placed them in alphabetical order!"

Cue the snickers.

After they finished laughing at their entertainment, the whole class walked to the board just as what Tatsuki said. It was a board that had the last names from the first to the last in three columns, and across their names, the teachers' names were randomly chosen in different places. Some students sighed in relief, others groaned in disappointment, and a few decided not to react.

Heiwa didn't react, but Karin did.

"Oh… crap…"

"I think you're dead." Heiwa commented.

"You think?"

The test was going to be difficult for Karin as the other students began to whisper to each other.

"I got Arisawa-sensei?"

"You're a goner, man."

"I heard that students who have her didn't pass because she's the strongest teacher in this Academy."

"Arigato Kami-sama. I didn't get Arisawa-sensei for the fighting test. I don't want to fail both the writing and the fighting test."

"I feel pity for those who have Arisawa-sensei. It would take a miracle to pass her test and the whole Academy test." Karin groaned, alerting Heiwa that she was definitely a goner. Heiwa sighed and dragged her best friend to the center of the training room to warm up with the other students.

"Come on. Let's warm up."

0000

The whole class was grunting and was exercising to get rid of the nervousness or the tight muscles from the test. Heiwa was calm and stretching her body to her left foot, but Karin was in a nervous wreck. Even though she was stretching out and her zanpakutos were trying to calm her, her mind was panicking about the possibilities of not passing the test.

_Kuso. I should have studied a lot. I should have relearned the words through flashcards. I should have-_

_**Shut up, Karin! The writing test is over. Who cares if you didn't pass? You have another chance **__**that **__**you are really good at, and that's fighting.**_

_If you have noticed earlier, we are fighting against Tatsuki! She's freaking strong, and she's one of my brother's friends. She took martial arts and could kick our asses!_

_**So? That doesn't mean that it would stop you from proving that you are yourself.**_

_Demo…_

_Karin. Listen to what Yami-nee is trying to tell you. You want to prove yourself that you are better than Ichigo, and the only way to prove that you don't need anyone's help is by defeating one of his friends. It doesn't matter if you cannot pass the test with knowledge. You can pass fair and square through fighting._

…

_You don't have to be smart to pass the test. Show Tatsuki that you can pass the test through your own fighting style._

…

"Karin. Oy! Snap out of it." Karin felt a light whack on her head as her deep thoughts were broken. The raven-haired girl looked up to see the scowling brunette and noticed that all the students are walking away.

"The teachers are already here, and the students are sitting aside for the test. We have to go." Karin looked around and nodded. Heiwa held her hand out, and Karin grabbed it to let Heiwa pull her up. The girls walked to the seats around the coliseum to observe the battle.

"May I have your attention, please?!" A teacher yelled in the center of the coliseum. Later, all of the other teachers appeared in a blink of an eye, surprising the other students. Tatsuki was already there with the other teachers, and Karin's stomach churned in nervousness. The teacher continued to speak in the center of the battlefield.

"When I call your name out, be present to face your opponent. You can use anything you have learned against your opponent. This is a fighting test. If you are knocked out or give up, you immediately fail this test. I want to see fighting skills, endurance, and your power on the test. You have at least five minutes to endure and battle your opponents. You have to either knock your opponent out or survive." The teacher held out a clipboard and looked at the first student.

"Mimiko Akito. Be present to fight against Yuki Yubara-sensei." As the first student walked down the stairs to begin her first fight, Karin was talking to her zanpakutos in her head.

_Hey, Yumi. Akiraka. Does this part of the exam allow shikai release?_

_**Hmm… from the announcer's rules, I don't think that there's a problem.**_

_You just love to fight one of her brother's friends, right?_

_**Shut up!**_

_How about shut up and see the fighting?_

"Time's up!" The judge said, and the fighting ceased. The girls saw the student's zanpakuto, and it was released to its shikai form. Karin felt a bit more confident when the rules definitely didn't rule out the release form. The announcer shouted another name, and the girls noticed that the guy was overconfident. Tatsuki was up front and seemed to be calm. When the fighting started, the girls winced to hear the major damages from the Arisawa girl as the student was getting beat up just by the sword.

_That's a fail right there._

_**Holy… that guy's out. Tatsuki doesn't give any mercy.**_

_I… think he underestimated the test by observing the other student._

_**You think?**_

The test continued as some of the students passed through releasing their shikai forms; others didn't pass because they faced Tatsuki or were beaten by other teachers. The test was now down to the letter "K" on the last name, and it was Heiwa's turn.

"Heiwa Kazeru." The brunette stood up and walked passed Karin and the other students. When she was on the battlefield, she was facing a large teacher who seemed to come from the 11th division. He was grinning down at Heiwa like she was going to be a piece of cake, but Heiwa ignored him and closed her eyes.

"Hajime!" The large man ran toward the girl as he summoned his shikai form: a pike with a black charm on the head. Heiwa was still in one place, seemed to ignore her surroundings.

"If you don't move, you'll never pass this test!" The large man shouted as he was closer to the Kazeru girl, and the tip of his large blade was closer to the girl. Heiwa snapped her eyes open and smirked.

"I just won." Suddenly, water shot up beneath her feet and engulfed her, solidifying as they formed a barrier. The pike collided against the water, surprising the teacher.

"Nani?!" Later, the blade cracked and shattered in front of everyone's eyes, making everyone gasped and awed in surprise. The teachers were murmuring about Heiwa and her sudden barrier that broke the zanpakuto into pieces. Karin gaped at Heiwa before she began to cheer for her best friend.

"Hell yeah! That was great, Heiwa!" The water dissolved and revealed Heiwa who smirked for the sudden compliment and looked at the crestfallen teacher. She had already summoned Aohi when the water protected her from the first attack and wavering around her to prevent the next attack. The students were whispering about the shields, not believing about what they saw or believing who she was.

"Time's up!" The announcer shouted, and the water became lifeless, falling to the ground like ordinary water. Heiwa just walked back to her seat with the shields still attached to her forearms.

"Karin Kurosaki." Karin inhaled deeply and exhaled, trying to calm her nerves. She stood up from her seat and walked by the students to get to the stairs. Heiwa and Karin saw each other and continued to walk forward. They passed each other but not without a short conversation.

"Beat Tatsuki-sensei. I know you can do this." Heiwa said, making Karin smile.

"You can count on it."

… and they separated their ways: Karin to her fighting test against the toughest teacher and Heiwa to observe the battle between the Twin-bladed Shinigami and the black belt degree fighter.

0000

"I still can't believe Heiwa-san could pass without fighting." Shuuhei gaped at the brunette when he watched the battle from the huge screen. Her shields, shown on screen, shattered the zanpakuto with just water. It was unbelievable to witness such power converted into defense just to finish the test without getting injured or fighting back. Yamamoto chuckled and opened his eyes to show them twinkling with pride.

"Heiwa Kazeru has Tsuyosa's power when she was born. Her best offense is to be defensive, but she still has to fight to defend herself." Toshiro noticed the 1st division captain's change in personality and was wondering why he seemed… lighter. Over the years, Toshiro wondered why the old man's attitude changed from a strict lawmaker to a gentle, wise man. It was nagging his mind forever, and he couldn't help but wonder what changed him.

"Yamamoto-soutaichou? Why have you become gentle than acting like a captain should be?" The old man looked not so surprised and saddened when that question came up.

"It's a very long story, Hitsugaya-taichou. I'll tell you when the time is right." His focus was now on the screen when Karin and Tatsuki were on the stage, ready to perform their fighting techniques.

"Right now, our main priority is to focus on the girls' experience to see if it was enough to let them pass." Toshiro mentally sighed and stared at the screen when Karin unsheathed her zanpakuto. He wondered about the future Karin and the battles she fought with the burden on her shoulders. Was the future Karin like the today's Karin when she was in battle? Was she very bitter when it comes to battles? What happened to everyone else in the alternative future, besides Ichigo who died in that event? Who could have killed her by injecting an incurable poison? He would have to watch over Karin to solve the problems later.

0000

"Hajime!" Karin flash-stepped to deliver the blow behind Tatsuki, but Tatsuki collided her zanpakuto against Karin's. It was a stalemate before the girls pushed each other away. With enough distance, Karin began to chant.

"Cut down the enemies and-"

"Too slow!" Karin didn't have the chance to dodge as she felt something jab against her chest. She felt that all her weight was pulled back and slammed against the wall, making the air in her lungs whooshed through. She fell on the ground and quickly pulled herself off the ground to see what happened. She almost lost balance when she saw Tatsuki's zanpakuto in its shikai form.

It was very different from the others like Heiwa's shields. Instead of a new formed sword, it was a gauntlet covering her forearms. It shone silver luster to protect her from cutting off her arms, and diamond shaped knuckles poked out to make a harder impact. The green gem on top of her two hands was smooth and shining like Tatsuki was storing her energy in those two gems.

"Surprised? Meet Gouken (Strong Fist). He's my zanpakuto and partner in crime." Tatsuki immediately charged and threw the punch at the girl. On instinct, Karin sidestepped from the incoming punch that collided against the wall, making a large crater from her attack. Karin separated herself away from Tatsuki and tried to chant. However, Tatsuki was already charging toward the unprepared Karin and threw the punch at her. Karin continued to dodge her attacks and tried to find a way to summon both Yamihoshi and Akirakahoshi without Tatsuki interrupting.

_Holy shit! How could I summon while Tatsuki is on a rampage?!_

_**Think, stupid! What do you notice about Tatsuki?!**_

_Well… she threw a heck of a punch! _Karin had a sudden cut on her cheek from Tatsuki's fierce jab, cursing for her carelessness. If that was an inch closer, it would break Karin's jaw in the process.

_And?_

_And… she's fast when she is charging._

_**Exactly! Now think about physics. If she could charge toward you, what would happen if she hits you?**_

_Then… I got it!_

"OOF!" Karin wheezed when Tatsuki's fist jabbed against Karin's stomach. Karin felt herself flying away from her opponent and chanted while she was in midair.

"Protect and slay, Yamihoshi and Akirakahoshi!" At the sudden moment, the whole room blacked out, causing everyone to panic a bit. Later, the center of the battlefield shone brightly, causing the people in the room to cover their eyes from the light. Tatsuki raised her two arms up from the light and took peek to see what happened to Karin. The light dimmed down, and there stood Karin with her two swords on her hands. The whole class began to murmur about her swords, not believing who she is. Tatsuki smirked and took her fighting pose.

"Are you ready?" Karin smirked back and took her fighting stance: her bright sword in front of her for defense and her dark sword pointing at Tatsuki for offense.

"Bring it!" The two girls charged at each other and threw the attacks at each other. Karin's dark sword collided with Tatsuki's armored arms as Tatsuki's fist clashed against Karin's bright sword. The students and teachers were awed that the stern swords were impenetrable from the impact of the smashing fists. The student and teacher were in equal levels, and they were giving everything they got toward each other.

Heiwa observed the battle and realized what Karin had just done.

_She just sacrificed her point to summon her zanpakutos, letting Tatsuki punch her on purpose._

_**She is risking herself of failing this test when she lost that point.**_

_True, Aohi. However, it is better to summon your zanpakuto than to keep yourself guarded._

_**Heh. True.**_

For half a minute, Karin and Tatsuki were exhausted from throwing their attacks against each other. Karin's arms were down from their original position, but she raised her swords up into defense. Tatsuki panted when she let her arms fall on her sides, and she was still standing from her weariness.

_**Hey, Karin! **_Yamihoshi shouted, and Karin responded.

_What… do you want? I'm trying to pass this test!_

_**You could just form us with your reiatsu into something different such as the soccer ball in the real world. **_Karin blinked and screamed in her head.

_Why didn't you tell me before?! Tell me now! _

"Gomen, Karin, but I'm going to end this test." Tatsuki began to charge forward, and Akirakahoshi felt Karin's fear coursing through her body.

_We'll tell you later. Form us into a soccer ball, now! It's your last chance._ Karin cursed as her newfound energy returned to her. It was an all or nothing chance, and she was going to risk the test. She pushed her reiatsu into her swords as they began to glow. She quickly brought them up and pointed her swords down to the ground. Then, she thrust her sword down to the ground, not knowing what she did. The ground blew up, stopping Tatsuki from charging as the dirt was flying through.

**BAM!**

No one shouted or felt the pain as one of them fell on the ground with the sound of a thud. Something bounced on the ground, and the scene of the battlefield cleared to reveal the winner. A hand held out toward the object, and the round metal object flew to her hand with a light thud.

"Time's up! Karin Kurosaki has automatically passed the fighting test!" Karin panted and looked down on the ground, getting the information in her head. She won. She won! She passed the fighting test! The students cheered with so much enthusiasm and applauded for the suspense she caused. Karin looked up with a wide grin and jumped up and down with joy and the metal soccer ball under her right arm.

"Yatta! I passed! I passed! I did it!"

Meanwhile, the other teachers lightly slapped the woman's face to wake her up, and Tatsuki slowly opened her eyes.

"Urgh… what happened? Man, my head hurts…" The female teacher smiled sadly and broke the news to her.

"You lost, Tatsuki-san. Kurosaki-san has automatically passed the test." Tatsuki was now aware that this was the first battle she lost and first saw Karin who was being chewed out by Heiwa for giving her a scare. Heiwa sighed frustratingly and dragged the grinning Karin, muttering about Karin being Ichigo in her own way. Tatsuki smiled to know that Karin found her way to pass the test without anyone's help or permission. She was proud of that girl.

0000

During the next ten days, Karin and Heiwa were congratulated for passing the exam by her fellow classmates. Since their shikais were still unstable, the teachers recommended the girls to leave their zanpakutos in their shikai form. Karin had a sword on both of her sides to draw one of them out, and Heiwa held her shields on her side from colliding against bystanders. They showed their zanpakutos to the class to see what their weapons were like, and they were awed by their early development of the shikai form. Some wanted to know how to get their own zanpakuto, and others wanted to know what was the fighting like when they fought in their shikai forms.

Yuichi was happy to know that the girls passed, but he was saddened to know that they were going to leave to the other divisions. The girls promised the boy that they will visit if they have time, and they told him that their siblings will be attending the academy later. With that promise, Yuichi smiled and said that he will be watching their siblings from harm. Rangiku was so happy that the girls passed that she brought them over to a sake house to celebrate; it was a good thing that the girls turned down the alcoholic beverages and brought the drunken woman back to her apartment afterwards. Toshiro and Karin played soccer against each other as they were talking about her test. The only time that Toshiro learned to keep his mouth shut is when he received a bruise on his cheek through stating her position in the exam to be in last place. Today, Karin and Heiwa received their results from the academy…

… but it wasn't what they hoped for.

"Kuso. We don't have even one division that would accept both of us." Karin cursed as she looked at the three choices in her letter. She knew that she could join Toshiro's division or Jushiro's division, and she doubted that she would join the 2nd division because she wasn't familiar to the female captain. Heiwa nodded and looked at the results of her choices. She had the 9th division on second place and the 12th division on first place. She also had the 8th division as her third choice, but she didn't have a thought about joining the division.

"It seems that we have to go our separate paths. We cannot go ask them to change our choices of division in such an instant, and we have to learn on our own." Karin frowned when she knew that Heiwa was right. They have to go their separate ways and become stronger without depending on each other. It was time to depend on other people for help instead of one.

"I… understand. I'll head to Toshiro's division. What about you?" Heiwa was silent for a moment until she slowly answered.

"I… will join the 9th division." Karin frowned. She didn't want Heiwa to get emotionally hurt because of the 9th captain's delusional view on her. She was like a sister and mother to her, and she was also her childhood friend.

"Are you all right with this?" Heiwa smiled and lightly knocked Karin's forehead with her knuckle.

"Baka, we're grown girls. You watch out yourself, and I will do the same. End of story." Karin grinned as she shoved the fist away from her forehead.

"I don't need to get my ass saved from you, bookworm. I'll save my own, and someday, you'll be thankful that I saved you." Heiwa smirked and dug into her bag.

"I don't expect you to save me nor do you have to expect me to save you. However, I will give you something to remember." She pulled out a necklace, but it wasn't an ordinary necklace. It was a ying yang necklace that had a string to hold onto. The ying was ivory like a blended pearl, and the yang was like a cursed black pearl.

"Your necklace… that's your okaa-san's necklace." Heiwa shook her head.

"Not anymore. Okaa-san had this necklace from her best friend before her best friend died. She gave it to me and verbally told me to give this necklace to a best friend you consider close to you. Now, I'm giving this necklace to you as a sign of a memory of our friendship and partnership." Heiwa placed the ying yang necklace on Karin's palm, and Karin didn't know how to thank her.

"Heiwa… I don't know what to say. Where should I put this?" Karin asked.

"Attach it to the chains of your shikai. That's all I want." Heiwa answered, and Karin grinned. She walked to her swords that were on her bed and tied the necklace on the middle of the chains securely. Her shikai zanpakuto… it was in a perfect form.

"Domo arigato gozaimas." Karin said

**Omake:**

"Busy! Busy! Busy! Busy!" A frantic captain was running around the room, worrying over things. Shuuhei turned around to his subordinates and asked.

"Has Matsumoto-fukutaichou turned in anything?" One of the subordinate shook his head.

"No, sir!" Shuuhei cursed, muttering what the hell was taking that woman so long. Rangiku suddenly appeared with an envelope on her hand

"Here are the photos that you requested." Shuuhei was happy and took the envelope from her hand, bowing to the woman.

"Arigato, Rangiku-san." The woman nodded and began to talk to him.

"Oh! Have you heard? Heiwa-chan and Karin-chan passed the exam and are on their way to go to the divisions." Shuuhei was surprised and wanted to know more.

"Really? They are first-year students, and they are going to the divisions already? Where are they going?" Rangiku smiled and answered.

"Karin-chan is coming to my division, and Heiwa-chan is going to your division. Now you don't have to be so lonely anymore!" Some photos were about Toshiro as he expected. However, he didn't expect the two girls to be in the stack of photos in different events. Shuuhei blushed and instead focused on the pictures.

"Who said I was-"

**SHWAH!**

"HIsagi-taicho! What's the matter with you?!"

All the division members were suddenly beside the captain as they saw blood coming down his nose. He seemed to pass out as he held a picture of Heiwa, wearing a white bikini with a white sunhat on her head.

**C.T.E.: Hey! BlueMouse sent an email for you.**

**Me: What does it say?**

**C.T.E.: … she says that she will burn your anime possessions if you don't finish another chapter.**

**Me: Oo CRAP!!!**


	24. Tenth Division

**Me****: …**

**S.A.N.: …**

**Me****: … C.T.E's not here yet.**

**S.A.N.: She is coming back from BlueMouse's house with the story.**

**(Hears sounds from the other side and C.T.E. using profanity mainly at BlueMouse for trying to hug her.)**

**SLAM!**

**Both: You're back!**

**C.T.E.: And I am not going back ****t****here!**

Chapter 24: Tenth Division

"Zzzz…"

"Wakey, wakey!" An annoying voice said with enthusiasm while a certain girl still slept under the covers in her new home.

"Zzzz…. Zzzz…"

"Karin-chan, rise and shine! Up, up!" The voice continued as Karin began to stir sleepily.

"Zzzz…"

"…That's it. Karin Kurosaki! Get up! That's an order!" The voice went stern and commanding as Karin shot up from her nightmare. Her eyes were half way open, and her bangs were messed up from her futon. She was in her white robe, and it hung loose that only to reveal her collarbone. She looked up to see Rangiku's smiling face and didn't have time to comprehend that it was morning until she felt something hot on her face.

"Itai! Hot, hot, hot!" Karin grabbed the burning towel from her face and pulled it down, glaring at the woman in front of her. Rangiku was laughing as she exited Karin's room. The raven-haired girl sighed and looked around the room, half barren when Heiwa moved out yesterday. The ceremony took place on the same day that Heiwa left to join the 9th division. They had a great time together during the ceremony, but today felt different when Heiwa was gone.

"Now I know what Heiwa meant when she said what college is like." She muttered as she tossed the quilt off her. Karin still went to do her daily routine in the bathroom: showering, brushing her teeth, combing her hair, and making sure that nothing is out of place. When she was finished, she turned around and stared at her new black kimono. It seemed that it was her same kimono in the real world when she and her friends were out of their bodies, but when she checked the inside of the cloth, there was a number patched on the inside, identifying as a member of the tenth division.

"I'm finally one of them…" She muttered as she grabbed the cloth and wore it. She walked out of the bathroom and examined herself, feeling refreshed by the new clothes she was wearing. Feeling slightly energized, she snatched her two zanpakutos and slid them on her waistcloth, securing them tightly from slipping. She walked out of her room and saw Rangiku cooking up something that smelled horrible. The bile was up to her throat until Karin swallowed in reluctance.

"Karin-chan! I made something very special for you!" Rangiku later poured the soup like substance in the two bowls and smiled.

"Enjoy!" Her stomach growled loudly as it demanded for food and anything to fill it up. Karin mentally sighed and went to eat whatever was in it.

_Well…__ I gotta bear it. I__t's better than nothing__. I wonder if Toshiro managed to survive Rangiku-san's cooking._

A certain white-haired captain sneezed and wondered who was talking about him right behind his back. One of his subordinates thought he caught a cold, but Toshiro waved him off, telling him that he is fine. He looked at the documents of the new and transfer members and skimmed the information about them. Their description looked like they are going to be normal Shinigamis, nothing special about them anyways. Some of the captains in the Gotei 13, even Toshiro, made comments on the bottom of their description about the new students in there, and they said what their strengths and what they are good at. Yamamoto also said that if Toshiro and Shuuhei received the girls' profile, they must immediately be silence and place the documents in a hidden place where no one should find out their purpose. When he turned to Karin's profile, he immediately read her description, wanting to know more about the soccer girl.

_Name: Karin Kurosaki_

_Age: 16_

_Birthday: May 6_

_Relatives: __Ichigo Kurosaki (brother and 14__th__ division captain), Rukia Kuchiki (sister-in-law), Isshin Kurosaki (father and former Shinigami)__, Yuzu (sister and Shinigami), Masaki Kurosaki (deceased mother__, unknown location)_

_Description: She is __a stubborn girl with a temper, and she seems to cause trouble when any of the supervisors are away from the class__, especially around Heiwa Kazeru who she has a close relation to__. Her homework and test scores are slightly above average, yet she doesn't listen to a single__ lecture in class. __Her swordsmanship is above average, and she seems to have the knowledge__ and spirit__ of being a leader. However, she does have weaknesses that sh__e needs to work over. She may have to go to the 4__th__ division to overcome her fears until she is strong__ enough__ to face it._

Toshiro scoffed at the teacher who wrote this. He or she was underestimating Karin and had no idea who she is or what she had been through. He knew that Tatsuki wouldn't write this criticism and recommended that Karin must go to the 4th division. She wouldn't stoop that low. When he looked at the comments below, he was surprised that four captains were able to reply to this.

_Karin is a strong girl and I know that she would overcome her fears. She does have a strong heart, and she may learn something while being in the 10__th__ division.__ –Jushiro Ukitake_

Toshiro raised an eyebrow and wondered what his friend meant. Pushing that comment in the back of his head, Toshiro continued to read the other comments.

_I would not recommend for Karin to come to the 4__th__ division just for talking. She would indeed come over for the 4__th__ division for a daily checkup, but it is her choice to decide what she must do. –Retsu Unohana_

Finally! Someone agreed to what Toshiro was thinking!

_I agree to whatever these comments__ said__. This kid is great! Screw sending her to the hospital!__ I say that she would be better if she faced her fears! –Kenpachi Zakari_

Toshiro sighed in distress, but he was a bit happy that Zakari knew what was best for Karin.

_Karin has a lot to learn if she is going to get into a division, but I think she would be all right. She is going to be a great Shinigami and leader, but I'm going to talk to her about__ her grades in the academy. –Ichigo Kurosaki_

Toshiro shook his head at Ichigo's overprotective attitude around Karin. He has already respected Karin's independence, but he never accepted Karin's behavior around the academy. The white-haired captain closed Karin's profile and put it in the drawer to keep it safe. When he was about to close it, a small paper fell into the drawer, stopping him from closing the drawers. He never noticed it before, and none of the paperwork was that small like a notepad. Toshiro picked up the small paper and read it.

_The ancient ones will be reborn,_

_And thus they shall save the living__ once more_

_They shall __travel in__ the __different__ quest__s_

_But they__ shall prevent the __one __ruin._

_Destruction and suffering__ will__ befall on both the body and spirit,_

_But they will not destroy the will._

_Light and Dark will act as one,_

_Fire and Ice will not harm__ one another_

_Wind, Earth, and Water will preserve,_

_And the cycle of existence will continue._

_However, o__ne by one, __the ancient ones__ shall fall,_

_And__two__ shall __die to save the fallen warriors._

"What does this mean?" Toshiro asked himself as he read the words over and over again. It sounded like a history, but it was more of a prophecy than just a historical writing. He looked around to see any names or written description about the owner's paper. There was no extra writing in front or in the back, and it seemed new. He figured out that someone left this on his desk or behind Karin's profile, but…

_Who could it be? I mean no one entered this office other than Matsumoto or __me__, and I know that Matsumoto couldn't write __those__ words __with__ wisdom.__ It must be from someone else, and these words are not from any information that I could recollect in my mind._

He folded the paper neatly and slipped it in his kimono. His mind was disturbed to reflect on the words of the paper. Something about the prophecy gave Toshiro a bad feeling and some familiarity.

_Those words are talking about the "ancient ones," but who are they? __What__ about the __"__destruction and __suffering" line? I must talk to Yamamoto-soutaichou about this paper__ after I take Karin and Matsumoto in my office_

He stood up and began walking out of his office. Toshiro knew that Matsumoto and Karin should be around the division, and he has to drag those two women into his office: Karin to apply in the division in full report and Rangiku to do paperwork, immediately.

0000

"Whoa…" Karin gaped as she saw what the inside of the division was. There were many Shinigami who were doing their paperwork as others were preparing to leave for the real world in another location. There were accidents such as one holding a large stack bumping into his comrade, but it seemed normal for the tenth division.

Well, sort of.

"Welcome to the Tenth Division, Karin-chan! This is where you will be working and staying, so I recommend that you would know your peers." Rangiku started to tell her as everyone stopped working to see their vice captain and a new member. One member saluted to Rangiku.

"Good to see you again, Matsumoto-fukutaichou!" Rangiku saluted back.

"The same to you." They ended their saluting, and the member spotted Karin beside her.

"Is she one of the newest recruits?" Rangiku nodded and patted her head which Karin shoved her hand off.

"Hai. She's going to be here, and she may need to have some company. I'm going out to buy more make-up, so don't let taichou know. Sayonara!" Rangiku waved and took off without letting Karin have a say in her situation. She sighed and looked at the person Rangiku was talking to until a crowd formed around Karin, asking many questions."

"What's your name?" One asked in curiosity.

"Karin."

"Are you related to Kurosaki-taichou?" Another asked, and Karin nodded.

"Hai. He's my onii-san." Karin was trying to answer everyone's question until they bombarded her with questions.

"What's your pastime?"

"How do you know Hitsugaya-taichou?"

"Why do you have two swords instead of one?"

"What is your relation to Hitsugaya-taichou?" Karin blushed slightly to hear that question, and many of her peers are now interested in their relationship. She backed away and put her hands up in defense.

"W-Wait a minute. I have no relations with that Midget than just being friends!" Everyone suddenly didn't ask any more questions, but they were definitely looked… frightened. Karin didn't know what they were scared of until a cough was heard behind her. She stiffened and slowly turned around to see teal eyes stared at her down.

"Ehehehe… konichiwa Hitsugaya-taichou! Ano…" Karin trailed off as Toshiro looked at his other subordinates.

"Where's Matsumoto-fukutaichou?" Many of them looked at each other until one dared to speak out.

"She's out." There was a pregnant silence, and Toshiro sighed in frustration.

"Fine. Karin Kurosaki, follow me to complete your application. If Matsumoto-fukutaichou is back, tell her that she must come to my office immediately." Toshiro turned around and walked away from the group. Karin sighed and turned around, bowing to everyone.

"Sayonara, minna-san." She stood up straight and ran after the tenth captain, telling him to wait up. Everyone snickered and witnessed a cute scene between the two stubborn shinigami.

0000

"This is so boring! May I go play soccer, Toshiro?"

"No. And it's Hitsugaya-taichou to you, Karin." Karin pouted as she looked down at the packet on her hand. It was almost like studying in the Academy all over again, and she never liked the papers. It was going to take her forever on this, and Karin was in her… what? Second page out of ten pages?

"Mother in heaven…"

"Stop praying, continue writing." Karin glared at the side of eyes at her captain and muttered.

"How do you even enjoy paperwork, Toshiro?" Toshiro answered her question.

"I do not enjoy the paperwork, Karin. I did this because it's my job, and the faster you finish the better you will get out of here." Karin huffed and turned the paper over to her third paper.

"At least bookworm doesn't like paperwork." Karin continued to write on but didn't see Toshiro roll his eyes.

"Actually, Kazeru-san finished her applications in ten minutes." The tapping of the pen stopped, and Karin dead-panned responded.

"Nani?" His interest piped up to hear Karin's response.

"HIsagi-taichou called me early to tell me that he was surprised that Kazeru-san finished her work in less than ten minutes. He never had seen someone working that fast on a boring assignment." Sooner, he didn't get a response from the Kurosaki girl. Instead, he found her writing furiously and going to the next paper quickly. Toshiro finally took this opportunity to do his own paperwork and tried to ignore the Kurosaki girl. However, he glanced at her once or twice with a bit of concern. He never has seen her focused on something menial, and she seemed angry over something minor. In less than five minutes, Karin dropped the packet in front of Toshiro, glaring at him with her arms crossed.

"Here's my application. If you need me, I'll be outside, Hitsugaya-taichou." She growled as she turned around and left the office, not caring if she was disrespectful or if other people wonder about her temper. The tenth captain was bewildered at her behavior and wondered what he said to make her angry. One person broke the silence as she poked her head out.

"Taichou! Konichiwa!" Toshiro recomposed himself and glared at his subordinate.

"Finally, you're here. Get back to work, Matsumoto." He was expecting her to make an excuse or a pitiful whine, but he didn't hear either of the latter. His focus looked up and saw Rangiku staring at him blankly, wondering why she wasn't acting like her usual self.

"What is it, Matsumoto?" The strawberry blond blinked and later twirled her locks.

"Ano… Taichou. How about a deal?" Toshiro was a bit concerned and surprised to hear this from Rangiku, who continued to slack off.

"What's the deal?" Rangiku looked at the door and back to her captain.

"How about I do the paperwork and you play with Karin-chan?" Toshiro was stunned to hear this from the lax and lazy lieutenant. He wondered if she was alright because Rangiku would not work on a single piece of paper.

"Are you all right, Matsumoto?" He saw her put up a fake smile and nodded.

"Hai. Don't worry about me, taichou." A pregnant silence hung in the office, and Toshiro knew that something happened.

"Is it about Gin, isn't it?" Rangiku stiffened and suddenly looked down. Toshiro knew her longer than anybody else, and he knew that her sudden change of attitude meant that she was visiting Gin in the tall tower. Nobody knew whether if Gin purposely betrayed Soul Society to know Aizen's purpose or he had a change of heart, but all he knew that Gin chose to go back to Soul Society after Aizen's downfall and was sentenced for ten-year probation in jail. For the last five years, Rangiku has constantly visited her childhood friend without anyone stopping her. Toshiro only knew about her visits because he was once looking for her in the least possible place, and he found her talking to Gin. Therefore, he decided to let Rangiku go on as he did the paperwork.

"G-Gomen nasai, taichou. You must be upset about me and about Gin, so… I'll-" Toshiro interrupted.

"Matsumoto."

"Hai?" Toshiro took a deep breath and exhaled the words out of his mouth.

"I won't stop you from visiting Gin, so I will let you continue visiting him." There was silence again until Rangiku glomped him into a hug.

"Oh taichou! Arigato gozaimas!" The woman was in tears as she was cutting off Toshiro's air supply.

"Get off, Matsumoto!" The woman released her grip on the teen, and he gasped for air. When he got his air back, he looked at his paperwork and back to Rangiku.

"Are you sure that you want to do the paperwork while I am away?" Rangiku nodded.

"Hai." Toshiro sighed and stood up.

"I'll be back in thirty minutes."

Meanwhile, Karin was kicking on the ball against the metal of the goal in anger. She was muttering about "Midget" and "Fricken' Heiwa" as she continued to bang the metal. The ball flew off her direction and rolled toward a pair of feet. Karin looked up and frowned as the white haired captain picked up the ball from the ground. His teal eyes looked up to see the dark navy eyes without any emotion like he used.

_Maybe he just here to tell me to go back to the division to get back to work._

Toshiro sighed and dropped the ball, holding it under his foot.

"You want to play?" Karin blinked in surprise before she smiled.

"Hai!"

0000

The next later days were boring for Karin. Karin continuously delivered papers to different areas, and she was exhausted at the end of the day. Heiwa sometimes come over to give paper work to the 10th division, and Karin asked about her division. The raven-haired girl was relieved that Heiwa was more comfortable in the division since the agreement was made. All the division accepted her as who she is, and the captain agreed to see her as his subordinate. In her boring days, she lost count how many times that the 11th division captain tried fighting her, how many times her brother asked her about how was her job in the 10th division, how many times Karin pulled a prank on her friend in the 9th division, and how many times Toshiro scolded her for her mischievous actions in the 9th division. She did her usual habits in the morning and after her job, and she thought that no special events were going to happen.

Well…

"Are you serious, Toshiro?!" She exclaimed when her eyes were wide in disbelief. Her heart fluttered to hear the news from him, and she was fidgeting in excitement. She longed to see her friends and family again when she was staying in Soul Society for a while. Toshiro nodded and held out a document file.

"You're first assignment will be with Matsumoto-fukutaichou on patrolling Karakura town for one week. There are signs of small Hollow activity in there, and it will be your first mission to make sure that these weak hollows are eliminated. I know that you can take care of yourself, but you need to learn how to fight with different teammates other than your friends." Karin scratched her head and asked.

"Why Rangiku? Isn't she strong enough to do this by herself?" Toshiro nodded.

"She is, but she is quite… incapable on finishing this assignment on her own." Karin raised an eyebrow, not believing what her boss said. Toshiro sighed and continued on.

"I'm assigning you with her because you know her quite well and may learn some things about fighting with your teammates. I usually mix new incomers with the stronger and more experienced peers, so you are basically still new in the division." Karin was about to rant about her being a newbie, but Toshiro cut her off.

"There will be a day that you will have a solo assignment, but for now on, deal with it. Dismissed." Karin glared at him before bowing to him and leaving his office. She basically semi-stomped out of his office and slid the door closed.

"Deal with it, my ass." She muttered as she crossed her arms and walked away. Karin was hoping to have a more risky assignment, but it seems that she has to start from scratch. She sighed and continued to walk back to her own office. She grasped the handle and slid it open. Her office was small, but she was okay with it. Papers were stacked neatly on the far corner of her small wooden desk, and pictures of her family and friends were placed on the walls to make the room a bit lively. Even though her office was bare, she was satisfied with what she had.

The raven-haired girl sat on the mat and opened the file, starting to read the contents in the papers… or whatever she could read.

"Assignment… knew that… Teammates… yeah, yeah… length in time… knew that too… place to stay… sweet! I get to live in my old home again!"

**Knock, knock**

Karin's focus was now on the door and wondered who it was.

"Come in." She said, and the door slid open. However, she didn't expect a glomp from the busty woman.

"Karin-chan! We have a mission together! Aren't you excited?!" Karin struggled to get away from her from suffocation.

"Rangiku! Get off me!" The woman released her and pouted, having her hopes shattered that Karin was somewhat the same as the captain.

"Aw… Karin-chan is mean to me." Karin sweat dropped and understood why Toshiro told her to watch over her. Rangiku has an issue of freeloading off of people, and she has a tendency of wasting a lot of money. Karin placed the document down and looked at the vice captain.

"Is it time, Rangiku?" The strawberry blond nodded.

"Hai! Taichou said that we should leave today. I'll be watching over you when we get to Karakura town." Karin sweat dropped again and looked at her in disbelief.

_Yeah right._

"Let's go pack our stuff." Karin stood up along with Rangiku. Karin walked to the door and held the handle. She instantly slid the door open, and the Kazeru girl stood there ready to knock the door.

"Heiwa?" The brunette looked surprised but later made a gentle smile.

"Gomen. Did I interrupt something important?" Karin shook her head.

"Nope. We were about to leave for a mission. How are you?" Heiwa smiled.

"I'm fine. I'm getting used to the 9th division, and it's quite nice." Karin nodded.

"That's good to hear. Is there something you want?" Heiwa nodded and held out a folder to Karin.

"Hai. I finished translating more papers, and I was about to give one to you and send the two others later. It seems that I overheard your conversation that you and Rangiku-san are leaving for a mission, and it would be easier for me to send the papers to Natsu and Yuzu if you delivered them." Karin sighed in somewhat of happiness and took the folder off her hands.

"At least you could just say please." Heiwa smirked and rolled her eyes.

"When do I ever say please?" Karin smiled back.

"Never." Heiwa nodded, and Karin bowed to her friend.

"It's good to see you again." Heiwa bowed back.

"Sayonara. Good luck to you." They both stood up straight, and Heiwa turned around, leaving the tenth division. Karin felt someone looking over her shoulder and looked to her right side without turning her head. Rangiku was looking at the folder in question and started to ask.

"What's in the folder?" Karin, wondering herself, opened the folder and explained to Rangiku.

"This? These are the translated papers I received from bookworm when she finished any papers. I haven't had any time to practice the new moves that I learned, and I guessed that Heiwa knew them earlier. The papers I gave to Heiwa were found in the attic when I had the urge to explore what was in the attic. I found them in an old shoebox, and Heiwa immediately knew that they were in her language when she read them. Yuzu and I knew that Natsu and Heiwa knew the language, so we left the papers to Heiwa. After finding them, Yuzu accidentally tripped over a cord that triggered the mountain of boxes to fall on us. It was a bit scary, but we all survived when otou-san found us trapped under the boxes."

She left out the part when Isshin tried to hug all four of them and the hole in the wall in the attic, and didn't want to remember the embarrassing incident when Isshin tried to find any bruises, cuts, or broken bones in her body. Rangiku examined the first paper and didn't comment on the first paper. Karin closed the folder and began walking away.

"Come on, Rangiku. Toshiro will throw a fit about us not packing up in time." Rangiku followed, but her mind wondered back to the first paper.

_I never heard about the first move. Are the papers that Karin found are the limited moves that a few Shinigami could master?_

0000

The white-haired captain couldn't focus on his work. It wasn't the first time he couldn't focus, but he couldn't get rid of the feeling that he should see Karin off. His fingers twitched when he tried to write on the paper, and his whole body froze when he tried to put the tip of the pen on the paper. Toshiro sighed and put his pen down. He couldn't get rid of the feeling and stood up.

_**Where are you going?**_ Hyourinmaru asked its master.

_I'm going out._

_**To see the young Kurosaki girl?**_ Toshiro didn't answer and opened the office door.

_**I can feel your feelin**__**gs and your concerns, but are you still clinging onto the news from the future Karin?**_ Toshiro didn't respond back, and the ice dragon knew his answer.

_**You act mature, but you are still young.****Your mind is like anyone else's mind, and you need to regard her advice. The future Karin is not Karin you see today.** **There is still hope to prevent the event from happening.**_ Toshiro stopped walking and later closed his eyes. Hyourinmaru was right. There is a way to save Karin from certain death and nonexistence. He thought if he was strong enough, there would be a way to save everyone from death's hand. However, his mind went back to the smiling Karin, and Toshiro opened his eyes. 

_Let me just see Karin off. Just this once._

Toshiro continued to walk away, wanting to see the girl go back to her own world. He continued walking out of his division and ignored his subordinates along the way. His mind was focusing on getting to the large gates if he wasn't too late.

"Karin-chan! Hurry up!"

That was Matsumoto's voice, and Toshiro knew that he was near. He decided to hide behind the pillar where he stopped and took a peek at what was going to happen. He was just in time to see the gates open, and Karin prepped up in excitement.

"Finally! I'm ready when you are!" Rangiku nodded and dashed forward.

"Let's go!" Karin followed behind the vice captain, having the rush flowing through her veins and disappearing into the bright light. When they went through the gates, the door started to close until the light was no longer viewable. Toshiro still stood where he was and felt a bit of the weight off his shoulders. Probably seeing Karin off to her first mission made him feel a little better.

0000

Isshin knew when his daughter was coming back. When he sensed that reiatsu, he immediately took out his candy dispenser and gulped one in his mouth, separating his soul from his body. He suddenly dashed out of the house, ignoring her other daughter's questionable shouts inside the house. He dashed; he leaped; he shunpoed all the way to Urahara's shop where Karin and Rangiku were standing.

"KARIN-CHAAAAN!"

**POW!**

**SMACK!**

**WHAM!**

He could only see black as he heard her daughter's heaving in annoyance and in anger. Isshin winced when he heard her shouting at him for his recklessness and leaving Yuzu in their house without an excuse. Rangiku was trying to calm the fuming girl, but she could feel the dread aura around the girl and backed off. A screen slid open to reveal Urahara grinning at the sight of his friend getting stomped by his own flesh and blood. Rangiku noticed that Urahara was behind them and greeted.

"Konichiwa, Urahara-san!" Rangiku bowed, and Urahara nodded. Karin ceased her antics against her father and turned to her uncle, ignoring her father who is on the ground.

"Urahara-jii! Gomen. Otou-san never learned about leaving without noting Yuzu, so I have to be the leader in our home." Urahara nodded and stepped aside.

"Matsumoto-san's gigai is ready." Rangiku thanked Urahara and went inside to get her gigai. Urahara looked at Karin and spoke with a serious tone.

"Karin, Inu is already in your body and has been taking of your body while you were gone, so I would recommend that you make use of Inu." Karin blinked and nodded with a slight surprise. She also went inside to find her body and Inu.

"Karin!" She suddenly felt her whole body gone heavy and her breath rushed out from her lungs. She groggily looked up to see her smiling self and glared.

"I don't know whether to say 'Hello' or to say 'Did you really have to do that?'"

0000

"Karin-chan!" The honey-haired girl waved and glomped her sister as she rushed into Urahara's shop.

"Yo! Karin!" The boy followed behind to meet up with his sister's friend.

"Yuzu! Natsu! What are you doing here?" Karin said as she was back into her body and with Inu clinging on her shoulder. Her sister and friend smiled and tackled her to the ground for a tickle attack.

"H-Hey!"

"Get her foot! I'll hold her down!"

"Y-Yuzu! Hahahahahaha! N-not there! That's too ticklish!" Urahara smiled as he saw the reunion between the three children. He could remember about Yuzu's questions and concerns about Karin and Natsu's occasional questions about his own sister. Those two girls couldn't admit that they missed their families because they're just too stubborn to express their soft-heartedness, but they truly missed them when they were away. As their introduction of their "welcome back" ended, Karin hugged her sister first and then gave Natsu a playful noogie.

"So, what brings you here, guys?" Karin asked as she continued to rub Natsu's head with her knuckles. Natsu grinned and escaped from her grip, rubbing his hair back to normal.

"Yuzu said that Isshin-san ran out of the clinic without noting her. She followed him and called me that there might be trouble around the town. I excused myself to go to the toilet, and… here I am." Karin stared at the younger Kazeru doubtfully.

"Did a thought ever cross your mind that Kazeru-san _is_ a shinigami?" Natsu stared blankly, and Karin shook her head. For the past months, he was still reckless idiot. Doing her usual bonking on the head for his idiocy, the raven-haired girl lightly punched him on the side on the head.

"Dumbass."

"Hey!" Karin ignored her friend and turned to her sister with a smile.

"Anything happening while I was gone, Yuzu?" Yuzu smiled back and swung her arm over her twin's neck, surprising Karin with her sudden action.

"Aside from the letters and hollow hunting, nothing special came up." Karin stood still and stared at her sister in bewilderment.

"Wha-Yuzu?" Yuzu smiled and removed her arm from her sister's neck.

"I couldn't resist acting like you." Karin gaped at her strange sister and began poking her cheek.

"Are you really Yuzu?" Natsu burst out laughing, and Yuzu blushed, whacking her sister from behind the head.

"You are that dumb?!" She screamed, and Karin winced at the volume _and_ the pain Yuzu was shooting at her.

"Okay! Okay! I was joking." Karin rubbed her head and smiled sheepishly at her angry sister. Natsu looked at the time and yelped, making the twins look at him in confusion.

"CRAP! Otou-san is going to kill me! Gomen! I have to go!" Karin realized that the Kazeru boy has to go, and she tried to call him back to give him something. However, Natsu ran out of the shop, disappearing from their sights. Karin stood still with her mouth opened and her hand out to reach the boy, and she began to swore profanity. Yuzu immediately covered Karin's mouth, hearing the muffling behind her palm.

"Karin-chan! Calm down! Calm down!" After several minutes of struggling, Karin finally calmed down and came to her senses. Karin, crossing her arms, sighed and apologized.

"Gomen nasai, Yuzu." Yuzu only nodded and asked.

"What's wrong this time?" Immediately, Karin took out a folder and held it out to Yuzu.

"I only came here to do a mission, and the folder is just a request that you and Natsu should learn about the new techniques that Heiwa found." Yuzu took the folder from her hand and opened it, looking what their moves are.

"Only for Yuzu. Sei Sengen (Holy Declaration): This reflects the attacks that are far range. It could also cause damage to the enemy if the user is close enough.

Only for Natsu. Furea Katana (Flare Blade): Summons fire power while fighting in a close range.

Only for Karin. Hikari Kyousou (Light Sprint): Increases the speed. Highly recommendable to practice constantly." Yuzu looked up, and Karin sighed.

"You have the good parts. I have to practice every single day just for a useless move." Yuzu shook her head, tearing a piece of the move from the paper and gave it to Karin.

"It may be useless, but someday, it would be useful in emergencies." Karin took the paper from her sister, and Yuzu pondered about something.

"You know… Heiwa-chan did say that she has mastered a new move." Karin's interest perked up and asked.

"What did the bookworm said?" Her twin rolled her eyes for the nickname Karin used but continued.

"She has Baburu Shirudo (Bubble Shield). She is allowed to form a defensive barrier around one of us to prevent any more damage for a while. She has most of the techniques that are defensive, but she is useful when there is more than one hollow." Karin sighed, reluctantly agreed to what Yuzu said. Even though those moves are useless, it is useful for the next attacks. Karin took the slip of paper into her possession and placed it in her pocket.

"Arigato, Yuzu." Yuzu nodded and turned around to leave.

"Anytime! Make sure that you come back home before supper with Matsumoto-san, alright?" Then, she disappeared to her father's side and carried him back to the clinic. Karin breathed out a sigh of relief before she had a bad feeling.

"Karin-chan! We're going back to your house, right? Right?"

"Get off, Rangiku!"

**Omake:**

Natsu sighed out in relief when he entered the dojo in his body. He knew that he has to leave Kon in the toliet for a while because Kon was still scared of tough guys, but Kon was complaining that he was bored and wanted "Heiwa-nee-san" back. Natsu stuffed him back in a shelf to shut him up before exiting the toilet. He felt a sense of dread when he entered the class, and he wished that his father…

"Natsu! One hundred pushups for being late!"

… wouldn't punish him for being in there for a long time. Dammit!


	25. Mission Ratings

**I am so sorry for not updating for a long time. I'm a senior, and the days are going to end so quickly that I'm going to be a college student. I have been studying and finishing homework to get into a college, and now I'm in a spiral for graduation, grades, and the finals in less than two weeks. Therefore, the updates would take a longer time or in hiatus, so please give me time.**

Chapter 25: Mission Ratings

"Okay, Karin-chan. Since this is your first time-"

"Three hundred and sixty-seventh time…" The raven-haired girl corrected.

"-hunting hollows, we'll start off with a few simple rules about this mission." Her supervisor started as she ignored the Karin's sulking behind the busty woman. It was the next day after they arrived to the real world. Yuzu was still busy keeping the clinic clean, and her dad was still an idiotic father when she came back. Natsu was still reckless, but at least, he noticed Ururu when she was around him.

Karin had this urge to sigh every single time that Rangiku was calling her a newbie. They were in their Shinigami form, and Inu was watching over Rangiku's gigai, which changed her personality to become lustful toward men around them. (Karin made a reminder to apologize to the small mod soul.) The teenager felt degraded and had her pride stripped away by this woman who is so called a lieutenant. If "Shiro-chan" didn't have to work every damn day, she would deal with him instead of dealing with the flamboyant woman. She was "attracting" attention yesterday by her huge "Valleys of the gods" when they were in their bodies for Kami-sama's sake!

"Rangiku. I know what the rules are, and I'm not going to follow them."

"But, Karin-chan…" The strawberry-blonde whined beside her, and Karin gave her a deadpanned glance.

"Do you follow the rules?"

"No, but-"

"Then, end of discussion." Later, she felt two huge plushy pillows behind her back and two hands…

"R-Rangiku! D-Don't touch there!" The flustered Karin struggled under Rangiku's grip and later broke away from her, backing a few feet away to widen the distance. The woman giggled, and Karin mentally thanked that they were not seen by human eyes.

"Aw… Karin has a B-cup."

"I didn't give you permission to measure my chest!" Karin flustered even more and began shouting at her; her face looked like she was dunked in red paint in both embarrassment and anger. Rangiku, still happy, shook her head in disbelief.

"Karin-chan, you and Heiwa-san are so much alike, except that Heiwa-san's were a bit bigger." Karin, still flustered, screamed, making Rangiku wince at the increased volume.

"BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN TOUCH ME!!" Rangiku laughed nervously as her little Karin glared at her with so much malice that her glare was almost like Ichigo's.

"Ehehe… w-well… I'll be going back to my gigai. Could you do watch over the town while I'm gone?" Karin slightly growled when Rangiku was planning to make her stay around the place by herself.

"Ran-" Too late. Flamboyant woman shunpoed away from the girl, leaving her in the middle of the streets. Karin sighed in frustration and looked around the place. It was crowded already, and Karin hated staying in a crowded place. It was dangerous for a Shinigami to stay where people are and would trigger a Hollow detection, so she decided to look over the place from above. Karin crouched down and jumped very high up to the roof of the building, mentally thanking the training back in the Academy. She landed down on her location and felt more comfortable around the area. It was empty and a few birds resided on roof, making her job easier. A slight breeze flew against her face and hair, and she relaxed for a few minutes. If she had free time and was in her gigai right now, she would have played soccer with Toshiro.

Karin blinked for a second and later shook her head violently. Where did that come from? She needed to concentrate on searching anything abnormal.

"Oy! Karin-chan!" Karin almost lost her balance and almost fell off the edge, but she managed to hold onto the ledge with her foot. Irritatingly, she turned around and glared at the next annoying person next to Rangiku…

"Yoruichi-san. I'm not in the mood right now." The dark woman laughed and ruffled the girl's hair, making her screech about messing her hair up.

"Anyways, it's time for your training." Her hand slipped away from Karin's head, and Karin stood a bit dumbfounded.

"I have to look over the town, Yoruichi-san. I don't have time to train." Yoruichi shook her head and made a conclusion.

"Matsumoto-san said that she'll watch over the town, and she lied about going back to her gigai." If Yoruichi had a camera, she would recorded the best scene that history would remember Karin gaping in disbelief for straight five minutes when she realized that one of her friends tricked her. Karin finally closed her mouth into a firm frown, turned around, cupped her hands around her mouth, and shouted.

"RANGIKU!!"

A busty woman sneezed after she made a soul burial on a soul.

0000

Karin was grumbling in the middle of the forest. Not only that Rangiku tricked her, Yoruichi had to rip her pride by throwing the Kurosaki girl over her shoulder, shunpoing while hearing the girl shriek, dropping her off in the middle of nowhere, and instructing her to practice her shunpo before taking off. Well, since she was left to do her own training, Karin decided to train on her powers. Her first disappointment was not being able to use Akiraka Shunpo or Shunpo Zashu because she has to master the shunpo which she is having trouble on focusing. She has already mastered the Yami Katana because she and Yamihoshi got along in strange reasons if they weren't arguing constantly, addition to the basic slash. Akirakahoshi, however, was still nervous about being useful, and Karin shouting at her to have some guts in her light zanpakuto didn't help.

"Okay. Since I can't use Akiraka Shunpo or Shunpo Zashu, I'll try Hikari Kyousou. That'll be easy." Karin stated as she used her reiatsu on her feet and dashed forward toward the trees, being prepared to avoid collision. Well, Karin thought it was a piece of cake…

**THUNK!**

"DAMMIT!!"

…only if she was on her normal speed.

In numerous of tries and losing count of how many times she tried to do many alternatives, the raven haired girl couldn't even master the simple technique on her own. She asked her zanpakutos for help, but they refused… well… Akirakahoshi reluctantly refused while Yamihoshi made a full blown refusal… to help the girl on the techniques. They said that she was supposed to learn on her own, and they would only help her if she was in battle, not on training. With much argument, mainly on both Karin and Yamihoshi, the master lost the fight as they cut off their talk and refused to speak to her, but that doesn't mean that they were watching her every move through her eyes.

Karin spent god-knows-how-long on the speedy technique, and she was failing… multiple times. Sweat poured down her temples as her pieces of her hair stick to her face. Karin could feel her black kimono weigh heavier than before and the prickle from slamming into boulders and trees around her body. She was sick and tired of failing over something so simple, and Karin screamed out in frustration before she could try again.

"DAMMIT ALL!! HOW THE HELL CAN I FREAKIN' GET THIS RIGHT?!"

"If you can control your reiatsu, you can get it right." Karin quickly turned around and scanned the area until she saw a woman standing on the small branch that looked like it was going to break anytime soon.

"Yoruichi-san!" She exclaimed as the woman disappeared and reappeared in front of the girl. Yoruichi walked pass the girl and began to explain her observation.

"Karin-chan. The reason you cannot master your techniques and shunpo is that you cannot control your reiatsu. It takes control on your reiatsu to learn many skills, and you could overcome mistakes."

"Then, tell me!" Yoruichi turned her head to meet up with Karin's determined eyes. Karin repeated her words, only it has more determination.

"Tell me how to control my reiatsu." Silence hung over their heads with hesitation and doubts verses determination and persistence. Yoruichi grinned a bit and later laughed hard, bringing Karin to the top of irritation.

"What's so funny?!" She seethed in anger while the older woman laughed. The violet-haired woman calmed down quickly and snickered instead.

"You're different from Ichigo, yet you are the same. Alright. I'll give you one hint." Karin felt hope and anxiety up when Yoruichi agreed to help Karin, even if it's for a while. Yoruichi later poked Karin on the forehead and grinned at her surprised expression.

"Use a small part of reiatsu under your feet, and get used to it for a while until you have enough focus." Later, Yoruichi left in a flash, leaving Karin alone again. However, the atmosphere was silent and peaceful, and people would expect Karin to shout curses at that sly woman when she wanted more hints. Instead, she sat on the ground and crossed her arms with a normal face. It would seem that she was looking at the distance, but she was actually thinking how to work out her reiatsu.

_Okay. If I use a very small part of reiatsu, I would have to get used to the speed until later._

Karin closed her eyes and concentrated in sending a small strand of reiatsu under her feet. Later she opened her eyes and dashed in speed. The scene beside her eyes were a blurrier than before, and the first object of avoiding was a medium size rock. Feeling confident, Karin leaped over the rock and landed on her feet without falling.

_I did it!_

**THUNK!**

"NOT AGAIN!" She fell on her face and scowled at the rock that tripped her. It was going to be a long practice for her.

0000

A flamboyant woman was humming happily as she roamed around the places in her shinigami form. Her gigai and Karin's body was behind her, and the irritated Inu (in Karin's body) was holding her gigai's wrist from going anywhere where men are. They were currently shopping, but it was easier for Rangiku to do both shopping and watching around the town in her shinigami form. Basically, Inu had to watch out for hollows and carry the bags with her.

"Rangiku-san?" Inu asked and stopped in the middle of the place.

"Nani?" The lieutenant asked as she stopped as well. She wondered about the small mod soul's question, but by the look on her face, Inu was actually aware of something.

"I smell a hollow." Inu said as Rangiku put her guard up. They sensed something out of place from the empty residence, and it was strange that a part of the residence is empty. No… that's not quite right. It was strange that there is a large reiatsu around them.

"Move!" Rangiku felt someone slam her away from behind and landed on the ground with her face first. Rangiku trembled and later shot up in anger when she knew that Inu ruined her make-up. She turned around and glared at the girl.

"What the heck, I-"

**Drip**

"INU!!" Inu sat on the ground with her hand over her shoulder where the wound was. The mod soul panted and paled with sweat on her face. Rangiku, ignoring the pain on her face, stood up and rushed to Inu.

"Inu?! Inu?! Daijoubou?!" She smiled to Rangiku but later glared at the responsible one.

"Kuso… Karin is going to kill me for giving her this injury."

"So boring." Rangiku felt cold and slowly turned to the person with an overwhelming reiatsu around her. Short messy red hair and her black cloak swayed with the wind as sharp, lifeless, green eyes laughed at them heartlessly.

"It seems that there's shinigami around the area. Additionally, Karin Kurosaki is around this area, but… she's not here." Rangiku was about to charge toward the hollow, but multiples of roars echoed around the town. Inu struggled to stand up, and Rangiku stepped back to protect them from any hollows. Cracks were heard around them, and the voids opened to reveal stronger Menos. They appeared to be lion and tiger like creatures with sharp teeth, and holes through their stomachs and necks and masks that covered their true identity revealed that they are indeed hollows.

"I won't be playing with you, kiddies, but my kitties do." Rangiku swapped her cell phone from Inu's hand and tried to call Seireitei. However, the screen was in static, making it unusable to make contact. Gritting her teeth in frustration and worry, Rangiku grabbed Inu's uninjured shoulder and whispered quietly.

"Inu. I want you to get out of here when I dash forward. Understand? If you see Isshin-san or the Kurosaki sisters, tell them that I need help." Inu nodded and grabbed Rangiku's gigai's wrist, readied herself to follow her command. In an instant, they both dashed to the opposite direction: one to safety, the other to battle. The red haired woman laughed and commanded her Menos.

"Kill them." Separate groups ran after the escapees and their enemy. Before the group was near Inu, Rangiku intercepted and summoned her shikai.

"Growl! Haineko!"

The ash slashed the Hollows, allowing Inu and her gigai to escape from danger. The woman frowned and growled at the woman who saved them.

"You just had to ruin my fun."

0000

Gravity fell hard on the girl, and the air became denser as she gasped for breaths. Karin knew the feeling when something was coming around, and she knew that hollows are nearby. The only difference about this feeling was that it was stronger from what she expected. Usually, she would feel something a little heavy and have her heart beat increased, but this took a hard fall upon the Kurosaki girl. Karin fell on her knees and tried to have her focus and breathing back to normal. For a couple of seconds, the feeling was lifted a bit, but it was still there, warning her that something happened.

"I sensed Hollows, but there are more of them than I expected." She muttered as she stood up straight and shunpoed toward the area where the battle was occurring.

_Be careful, Karin. Something is wrong where you are heading._

_**You better not die, stupid. You have only one life, and if you die, you are not going to be our wielder when you reincarnated.**_

_I am not going to die. Even if I have to fight alone, I will not die._

"Karin!"

"Karin-chan!" The raven-haired Shinigami stopped and turned her head to see Natsu and Yuzu running after her.

"Natsu! Yuzu! You guys came!" Karin exclaimed in happiness. The two already had their shikai out and ready to fight against the Hollows. Yuzu clutched her fists and smiled brightly as her three shikai releases were brighter in happiness.

"Inu told me what happened, and I came to help. Otou-san is already there to help Rangiku-san, so it's best that we fight together." Karin smiled at Yuzu and later saw the Kazeru boy standing there with his hands behind his head in surprise.

"You, too?" Natsu huffed and had his right arm up as his hand held down his bicep with a grin on his mouth.

"Of course! You think that I would ignore something important than running off to face danger?" Karin and Yuzu gave him a deadpan stare, knowing that he would still run to face Hollows. The brunette sweat dropped and wondered why they did not believe what he said. Karin refrained herself from staring at Natsu and just smiled at her friends for assisting her on the battle.

"Arigato, Yuzu. Natsu. Come on! Let's go!"

"Hai!" They said as they shunpoed toward the battlefield, and Karin took the lead. As they reached to the empty residence, Karin saw an upcoming object and yelled out.

"Duck!" The group fell down to the ground and held their heads from the oncoming object, and the object crashed on the floor behind them. Karin, Natsu, and Yuzu slowly looked behind them and were shocked that it was a Hollow before it dissolved.

"Crap. That was close." Karin released her breath in relief as they stood up to see what was left of the battlefield. There was her father and Rangiku fighting against the hoard of Hollows, and Rangiku didn't look too well. The lieutenant suddenly lost her balance and collapsed on the ground, unable to fight.

"Rangiku! Hold on!" Karin immediately held her on her arms as she tried not to cry in worry, and Yuzu immediately used her powers to heal her wounds with one of her shikai, one with Isshin to heal any wounds, and the other fighting off the Menos to prevent them from coming closer. Natsu was already fighting off the Hollows with Isshin, but he also was protecting the women by slashing any Hollows near the group. Rangiku was controlling her breathing, but the wounds on her body were making her wince.

"Gomen nasai, Karin." Karin shook her head and laid her down on the ground gently. The raven-haired girl looked up to see her twin's eyes.

"Take care of Rangiku." Yuzu nodded without any second thoughts.

"Hai." Karin stood up and turned around, taking her two swords out of their sheaths. The Hollows roared as they spotted their next prey and charged toward the group. Karin also dashed forward in her normal speed…

_Time to increase the pace._

…and later used her reiatsu on her feet. Karin avoided the swipe from above and jumped on the claw, dashing toward the mask and slashing the mask in half. The Hollow disappeared, but the next Hollow leap from above with its sharp teeth ready to crush the woman's body. Karin managed to dodge the mask by pushing her whole body above the leaping Menos with her reiatsu, and she thrust her dark sword through the neck down to the tail, killing it in the process. The next Hollow charged toward Karin in a rampage, and Karin brought her swords up to be ready for the next attack. However, she felt a sudden shock on her back as she fell on her knees, screaming in sudden pain. She thought she was dead when the Hollow was charging, but instead, she didn't hear a thud nearby. Instead, she looked up to see the Hollow backing off like it obeyed someone. There was a question in her mind: who?

"I'll play with you." That voice colder than Toshiro's glare sent her shivers up her spine. Karin felt her heart beating faster and the atmosphere colder than usual. Cold sweat poured down slowly as she turned her head around to see who attacked her. Lifeless eyes stared at her as the predatory smile began to freak her out. Her cold hand grabbed the girl's neck and brought her up to the air. Karin could still feel her breathing, but the grip from the woman was too much that Karin grabbed the fingers with one hand as her other hand still held onto the light sword.

"Karin-chan!"

"Dammit! Karin!" Her friends and father yelled out to the girl as they were fighting off the Menos in desperation to save her. The red-haired woman smiled maliciously and tossed her further from the battle. Karin felt her whole body colliding against the ground multiple times, and the final hit was her back skidding on the ground as the dark sword hit through the ground next to her. Karin gritted her teeth from yelling out in pain and slowly sat up. Karin looked up from her disheveled bangs to see the woman standing there with her arms crossed and many electrical spirits roaming in the air behind the woman. Karin grabbed her other sword and held it for balance because her legs are slightly paralyzed from the previous shock.

"I didn't know that you are scared Karin Kurosaki." The woman laughed as Karin bared her teeth toward the woman who seemed to laugh cruelly at people's pain and suffering. Karin was about to charged toward the woman until she heard her sister scream.

"Yuzu!" She screamed back and turned around to see many Menos charging toward the group. Isshin was busy slashing his way to assist Yuzu, but the Menos seemed to prevent him by intercepting his path and attacking the former captain. Natsu was busy slashing them and protecting Yuzu and Rangiku, but he couldn't intercept them all the time. Yuzu summoned her two other spirit familiars back to heal Rangiku quickly as Rangiku summoned her shikai to attack the other Hollows nearby. Karin was about to run toward the group, but many electrical spirits blocked her path by grouping together and sending sparks toward the girl, making Karin back away from the spirits.

"Gomen, Karin, but you are in my opponent. I can't let you go just yet." Karin clenched her swords and could feel them shaking in reaction to her anger. She turned around and gave her a deadly glare at the careless, heartless woman who seemed to smile at everyone's misfortune. Karin pointed Yamihoshi to the woman, and Yamihoshi and Akirakahoshi glowed with power.

"Let's fight." The woman smiled.

"I agree." The balls of electricity reacted to her emotion as they swarmed above their heads. Later, the spirits shot down toward Karin to hit her, but Karin managed to avoid them as they blew up on the ground on her path. Karin was close to the woman but was hit by the woman's fist. Karin skidded back, refraining herself from falling to her knees. Wiping off the tricking blood from her mouth, Karin readied herself once again to try and make a decent hit on the woman.

"What is your name?" The woman smirked, making the spirits glow brighter in anticipation.

"I'm Windy. It's nice to fight you, little Kurosaki." Karin managed to avoid many of the upcoming electrical spirits that shot down and exploded like bombs. Karin scowled and used her blades to slash one above her head, but the electricity shocked her and exploded above her. Smoke erupted around the girl as she hacked away the horrible fog, and Karin waved off the stench and dirty mist to have her vision and breathing clear. As her vision cleared, she had a sudden feeling that she should run. Karin immediately ran away from the oncoming spirits as they continuously fall on the ground, making explosions on her path. She couldn't hold it off forever, but she needed some time to find out how to get close to Windy without getting countered. Her friends were losing the battle as she was losing to Windy. Her head was swirling in exhaustion, and she was losing her focus, making her close to unconsciousness.

_Use Hikari Kyousou._

_Nani?_

_**Use the freaking Hikari Kyousou, stupid.**_

_Okay! Okay! Got it!_

Karin focused her reiatsu on her feet and made sure that she wasn't running into objects as she was avoiding the electrical spirits. Karin felt her speed increased and the wind resistance against her, making her confident that she could fight back.

_Akirakahoshi. Are you ready?_

_Ano! Ano! Hai!_

The lighter zanpakuto answered as Karin prepared herself to use Shunpo. The woman noticed that Karin was about to attack her and took her fighting stance with electricity sparking around her hands. Karin now focused a large amount of reiatsu on her feet and dashed forward with Akirakahoshi glowing brightly.

"Not gonna happen!" Windy charged forward and brought her fist back with much pent up energy. In a flash second, they crossed each other with their blinding attacks. The two opponents landed on the ground, standing still to wait for the outcome. One landed on her knee; the other landed on her knee as well. However, one winced in pain as she covered her wound.

"Dammit…" She muttered as she winced at the wound of her carelessness. The raven-haired Shinigami slowly and carefully stood up and turned around, smiling.

"I win." Windy glared at the girl and was about to try again, but something stopped her from attacking Karin. Windy still glared at the girl with pure hate, but she stood up without making the next attack.

"I'll be back, Karin Kurosaki. You and your friends better watch out because I'm not the only one who wants you dead." A dark void appeared behind her, and Windy stepped inside without looking back. The void closed and disappeared, erasing the woman's existence from the real world. Karin was about to go help her friends, but she didn't have any strength left. Her consciousness turned black before she could move a step further.

0000

The darkness was slowly lifting up from her head, and the raven-haired girl began to regain consciousness. She recognized that she was in a bed with her heart rate beating normally, and she mentally recognized that bandages were around her back, right arm, and head. As she regained her focus, Karin's eyes shot up wide as she woke up from her nap, remembering that her friends needed help. She also sat up too quickly, and the pain on her back stung her, making her fall back to the soft comforter in pain.

"Itai…" Karin moaned in pain as she tried to lift her right arm. Her right arm was immobilized, and Karin's guess would be that Windy shattered her stronger bone. Her legs were fine, but her back burned from the shock and impact Windy did. Karin was lucky that she survived against Windy, but the next time she better be prepared for the next opponents.

"Karin-chan! You're awake!" Karin glanced at her visitor and smiled in relief.

"Rangiku. Thank Kami-sama that you are fine. You scared the crap out of us." The woman sighed and placed the flowers in the vase next to her.

"I could say the same thing to you. You lost consciousness, and Kurosaki-san had to hack his way out to get to you before you were eaten by the Menos. Yuzu was able to heal most of your injuries; therefore, you only have a fracture on your bone, a light burn on your back, and a cut on your forehead." Karin winced as she could imagine her friends and family worried over her. She felt guilty if she died in the battle where her friends and family were fighting, especially her dad.

"Gomen nasai, Rangiku. That wouldn't happen again." Rangiku smiled and patted Karin's head affectionately.

"It's a good thing that you are safe and in one piece." Karin looked up and checked the time. It was in the afternoon, and Yuzu and Natsu must have already gone to school.

"How long was I out?" Karin asked, and Rangiku frowned.

"About a day. Yamamoto-taichou told us that he would have other Shinigami coming over to investigate the battle. He also said that we would have to stay in for a few days and make a report about the battle." Karin sighed in frustration and wanted to go back to sleep. She hated making reports because she wasn't good on explaining the sudden occurrences. Karin was about to go back to sleep, but she remembered what Windy told her.

"Rangiku. We have to be ready for the next battle. I don't know when, but Windy told me that there are more powerful people other than her." Rangiku blinked and pondered.

"The Diablo's name is Windy?" Karin nodded, but she was unsure about the "Diablo" Rangiku was speaking about.

"What's a Diablo?" Rangiku was surprised about Karin's lack of knowledge, but she understood what was going on. Karin never heard about the Diablos because she never knew about them in the history books in the Academy.

"Diablos are known to be the 'devils' and the strongest Hollow race. We do not know what kind of powers they possess, but the researchers knew that they are stronger than three Shinigami captains. If Windy said that there are more powerful Hollows than just her, then we better take extra precaution when we have to set out for another assignment." Karin nodded and felt tired of a sudden.

"I'll go back to sleep." She yawned as she shifted her body under the quilt, letting sleep consume her conscious.

0000

"Where the hell were you two thinking?! Fighting a Diablo by yourself?!" Rangiku could wince as she could hear the argument between the hot-headed unranked Shinigami and the tempered captain. They returned to Soul Society after Karin was fully healed, and when they reached to Toshiro's office, he ordered them to sit down and "discuss" the matter with him. Of course, it would involve disciplinary actions and arguments about their assignment that involved them with fighting Diablos without his consent. He already scolded Rangiku by telling Karin information about a Diablo, and now he was in a heated battle against the Kurosaki girl through verbal worlds, face to face across his desk while standing. This wasn't the first time he lost his cool, but this was one of the days that Rangiku desperately needed to take a drink.

"I didn't have a choice! That Diablo said that I was her opponent, and I didn't have any options but to fight her!" Karin yelled back in fury and tried to explain her situation in the battle. Toshiro, however, had his temper over his judgment.

"You could have jumped with your friends and fight against the Hollows, but instead, you fought a Diablo that is beyond your skills and power. You could have waited for them after they finished fighting against a hoard of Menos without staying in the real world longer!" Karin was oblivious about how much she was pushing Toshiro's temper and screamed out.

"They were fighting Menos, a _lot_ of Menos! That Diablo _commanded_ them to attack them while she fought me without letting me have a chance to help them! I knew that I was risking my life against her, but I'd be damned if I get myself killed and let the Diablo killing off the rest!" Toshiro and Karin didn't say anymore as deathly silence hung over their heads. Rangiku desperately wanted to break the tension, but she didn't have any words to say as the tension in the office was dangerously high. Toshiro immediately sat down and took out his pen, writing something down calmly. However, Rangiku knew that he was going to…

"I am suspending you, Karin and Matsumoto, from taking any new assignments for the next three months."

… prohibit them from attending new missions. Karin was about to scream at Toshiro, but Rangiku quickly slapped her hand over the girl's mouth.

"We understand, taichou." She bowed and forcefully made Karin bow down to him as she dragged the muffling girl away from the office. The lieutenant closed the door with her foot and immediately let Karin yell at her.

"What the hell was that for, Rangiku?!" Rangiku sighed and smacked Karin's head somewhat hard and seriously. Karin was stunned by her actions and stared at her in disbelief. No one would smack her seriously unless it involves an important message from the said person.

"You cannot raise your voice against taichou. You are an unranked Shinigami, and he has every right to remove you from his division to the disciplinary board. Even though what you said was right and true, you cannot argue against someone higher than you, understand?" Karin scowled and hung her head in defeat.

"I… I understand." Rangiku smiled in relief but was later surprised when Karin stomped her foot down.

"Now I have to wait for three months to get the next mission! I'm gonna go insane if I have to wait that long!" Rangiku thought that Karin's angry face was just too cute and just laughed. Karin stared at her in surprise and later anger, and she growled.

"What's so funny?" The woman quickly lowered her laughter into snickers and patted Karin's back that was already healed.

"Ah… don't worry, Karin-chan. Taichou's just worried about you and is relieved that you are safe." Rangiku walked ahead, and Karin, confused about her words, trailed after her.

"I don't understand. Being suspended for the next three months doesn't mean that Toshiro's worried about us, right?" Rangiku rolled her eyes, knowing that Karin's mind capacity was equal to Ichigo's mind.

"You'll know in time."

"Tell me!"

**Omake:**

"… and that's what happened." Rangiku sipped her sake after telling the event between Karin and Toshiro's argument. Tatsuki gaped at Rangiku, not believing what she heard about Karin's stupidity, and Renji was stunned that he dropped an octopus ball back into the plate. Kira was surprised that Karin had the guts to argue against a captain, and Shuuhei whistled in amazement that she had the guts to fight against the Diablo.

"Karin's not going to go anywhere with that kind of attitude if she keeps that up." Tatsuki stated as she plucked two octopus balls from Renji's plate, making him yell that those were his.

"But you guys gotta admit that she fought against a Diablo and _survived_." Shuuhei reminded as he drank his sake. Rangiku nodded, and Kira looked around.

"Hisagi-san? Where's Kazeru-san?" Shuuhei shrugged and smiled.

"As long as she doesn't find me and drag me back, I'm fine with that." The sounds around Shuuhei stopped suddenly, and he saw his friends edging away from him.

"Oy, what's wrong? Is someone behind me?" They never answered, but the sound of a tapping foot gave the only hint that someone was actually behind him. Shuuhei was about to give this person an annoyed glare, but he dropped the look immediately after he saw the person's face.

"Ano… Heiwa! How long have you been standing there?" The only sounds in the sake house were his nervous laughter and her tapping foot.


	26. Natsu's Problem Part 1

**I'm sorry guys. I'm not sure how long I haven't continued the story, but I knew that it was too long to hold it. Although I graduated from high school, I have to go to summer school because I need to get into a university in the fall. Therefore, this story will be in a temporary hiatus or in a long term hiatus.**

Chapter 26: Natsu's Problem Part 1

It has been three months since Karin's last mission and random surprises in the real world. The rest of the days would involve Karin running around carrying the paperwork to the veteran's office, hanging out with Toshiro, training a few new techniques that were translated by Heiwa, or playing soccer against other Shinigami with Toshiro.

During the last three months, Toshiro and Karin hung around with each other more often inside his office for tea or anything what the busy captain needs. Karin didn't mind, but she was still pissed about suspension Toshiro put her in. Rukia's baby was growing in her womb along with her cravings in the real world as Ichigo bought almost all the food products around his college for his wife's stomach, fearing that he would receive the harsh blows from the woman or a hysteric wife that people would look down on him. Heiwa basically scolded Karin about not being careful around her surroundings after she was suspended under Toshiro's order, and she would watch over her like a hawk if Karin decided to do something stupid. The only time that Heiwa wouldn't watch over the Kurosaki girl was when she had to deliver mail about new translated techniques to the real world for Natsu and Yuzu. Speacking of Yuzu, Jinta had trouble hiding from Isshin and Ichigo because he was dating Yuzu, and Yuzu and Rukia had to save Jinta from immediate death by knocking the men out. Rangiku was present in the division almost every day, and Toshiro seemed to mind her strange behavior. Karin asked Rangiku if she wanted to tell her any problems, but the lieutenant said that Karin doesn't have to worry about her. Therefore, Natsu was the only person who hasn't changed one bit, not like he would change anyways.

"Ah… I can finally get mission tomorrow." Karin sighed in relief as she stretched her arms while hanging out with Shibata and Heiwa. Heiwa rolled her eyes and proceeded reading her mystery book.

"You better be careful this time, idiot. You'll never know when the next strange appearance would happen if you lose your focus." Karin glared at her and huffed.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be careful. Don't worry. I've been training over these past three weeks, and I'm improving my speed." Yuichi looked at the two girls in front of him and sighed. Oh how he envied them for passing the exam and beating one of the toughest teachers in the Academy. He wished that he would pass with flying colors like Heiwa or be stronger like Karin.

"You guys are so lucky that you graduated from the Academy. You two must be smart and strong to pass the exams in less than a year." Karin hesitantly glanced at Heiwa in distress and was being careful around her.

After they graduated, the two girls heard horrible rumors in school through Yuichi. The students were accusing the two girls for passing the Academy because they have access to some captains to get into the divisions easily. They said that anyone who is friends with Karin or Heiwa would have the better treatment and graduate easily without taking the exam. Karin beat the crap out of anybody who would talk bad about friends or her brother, who was part of the rumor. Heiwa would often stop Karin from hurting anyone and explained that the rumors would worsen if they took any action. However, Heiwa couldn't take any crap from anyone talking behind their backs.

"Shibata-san. If you were thinking that we graduated just because we have relations to the 14th captain and the former captains, you are incorrect. We passed the academy through our own strength and power. Keep your false admiration to yourself." Karin stopped and stomped her foot on the ground, glaring at her friend using those cold words. Karin was angry at her, and she knew that Heiwa had no right to say that toward their friends. It wasn't their fault that they were more powerful than everyone in their class. They needed something to protect themselves against Hollows in their world.

"Yuichi didn't mean that, Einstein! He really meant it, and he is our friend!" The young man held his hands up in defense and shook his head quickly.

"I-I didn't mean that way, Heiwa-san! I-I admire you, girls, because you are really brave to go take the exams and pass in your first year. I…" Heiwa snapped at him.

"You what?" Yuichi hung his head in defeat and quietly answered.

"I just wish that I was like you." Heiwa just stared at the boy with expressionless eyes, thinking if she should accept his answer. Karin's mouth was shut tight in anger and determination, wanted her to accept his words. Yuichi was still looking down and felt that the silence was the answer that Heiwa didn't accept what he said.

"Don't." His head was up in surprise as Heiwa still stared at the boy. Karin was also surprised and wondered why her answer would be just a calm word instead of a seething sentence. Heiwa looked at Karin and back to Yuichi.

"Don't wish that you just want to be like us. You do not know how much we struggled to pass that Academy. You have your own power to pass the Academy like anyone else, and don't follow the same path we are going. I doubt that you would survive without any knowledge about the suffering and struggles we've gone through." Karin and Yuichi gaped at the genius, not believing what she just said. Heiwa noticed their gawking expressions and lightly blushed. She quickly turned around and walked ahead of them.

"Don't even dare think that I care. Seeing you sad and confused over a simple thing irks me." Heiwa stated, going back to her cool, calm self. The two shook their head away from their disbelief and continued to walk behind her, wondering if she really meant to say those words. However, their thoughts were cut off short by someone running toward their direction.

"Karin-san! Heiwa-san!" The person tripped over his feet and fell on the ground, and the girls immediately noticed the person. They ran toward to the man to check if he was alright.

"Daijoubou, Hanataro?" Karin asked, crouching down next to fallen man. Heiwa was standing behind the girl and wondered why Hanataro was running to their direction. However, she had a gut feeling that she wasn't going to like this. Hanataro looked up and smiled sheepishly.

"Gomen nasai, Karin. I'm fine, but Yamamoto-taichou needs you, two, to go to his office for an important mission. Hitsugaya-taichou and Hisagi-taichou are already there." Karin nodded and helped him up. She released him and looked at Yuichi.

"Yuichi. Go with Hanataro. Bookworm and I are going to meet up with Toshiro and Hisagi-san." Yuichi nodded.

"I understand." Karin smiled at the boy and turned around. Before they shunpo to the first division, Heiwa stated a statement that annoyed Karin.

"I hope you don't trip."

"Shut it, Brownie."

0000

Toshiro wasn't expecting this to happen. Yamamoto, the 1st division captain and the strongest Shinigami in Seireitei, was calling for two captains to attend this meeting with two ordinary Shinigamis in his own office. It wasn't common for the captain to call two captains in the office, but it was rare that he wanted two captains and two unranked Shinigamis. He didn't want two lieutenants to take this mission with the captains this time, and it was unlikely for Yamamoto to do this.

"Taichou?" Rangiku asked as the hell butterfly flew off from his finger. Toshiro stood up from his seat and was going to walk out of his office.

"I have to attend a meeting in Yamamoto-taichou's office. Make sure that you finished the paper work, and don't slack off." He closed his eyes and expected Rangiku to glomp him like she always does.

"Hai, Taichou. Be careful." However, she just stayed there, actually doing paperwork. Concerned about her unusual behavior, Toshiro turned his head to his lieutenant in worry and concern.

"Is everything going all right, Matsumoto?" Rangiku seemed to hesitate for a bit until she brought him a bright smile.

"I was just remembering the incident about how you went missing and made all of us worry." Toshiro seemed to stiffen when he remembered how his former friend attacked him because he was able to rise up to the captain rank instead of his former friend. Toshiro's eyes seemed to sadden for a flash second until it was replaced by emotionless eyes.

"It's in the past, Matsumoto. These happen unexpectedly." Toshiro stated and walked away, ending the conversation. Matsumoto sighed and stared at the window.

"I hope it is."

_"Ah… Ran-chan! How are ya doin' these days?"_

_Rangiku bit her lip when she was staring at the person behind those bars. She could still remember how well he was, but he was now labeled as a dangerous and unstable man who no one could trust. He was able to help out the others in the war against Aizen, but he was unable to clear his name from the wanted list. Therefore, he was imprisoned for betrayal for ten years._

_Gin was still smiling like a fox, but it wasn't a malicious and sinister smile that hinted danger anymore. He was showing a natural smile. He was wearing a white kimono and sitting in the middle of a circle with markings around him to suppress his reiatsu. It wasn't easy for everyone to make a barrier, but he made no resistance. He still sat there, unable to move; however, he didn't made a complaint. It took Rangiku a long time to visit her old friend and to accept his sudden change, and she was able to face the truth to forgive him and his deeds._

_"I'm fine, Gin. I have rough encounters with the outside world and Taichou, but I'm fine." She forced a smile, trying to not look sad. Gin just nodded._

_"Ah… that's good tah hear. How's Kurosaki's sister and the Kazeru girl? I heard that they're a handful for the two divisions." Rangiku let out a soft smile. She knew that Gin would never plan out to use the girls, and he learned his lesson after Rangiku slapped him for hurting her friends, Kira and Momo, and for hurting her with tears and all._

_"They're good and safe. Heiwa is still a little rough on the edges after Karin was suspended by Taichou, but they're fine." Gin chuckled softly and looked at the window that showed the day was ending._

_"Kurosaki and his sister are very persistent, aren't they?" Rangiku frowned and defended Karin._

_"Karin is different, Gin. She came here on her own will." Gin's smile turned into a frown, and he opened his red eyes._

_"Gomen nasai, Ran-chan." Rangiku blinked._

_"For what?"_

_"For… betrayin' your friends, for betrayin' Seireitei, for… betrayin' ya the most." Her heart softened when she heard those words. Gin was still her friend, even if he betrayed them to keep her safe. She sighed and smiled softly._

_"It's in the past. You are already forgiven, Gin." They heard footsteps coming to their direction, and Rangiku stood up._

_"I think that's my queue to leave. I'll see you later, Gin." Gin nodded._

_"See ya later, Ran-chan."_

0000

Inside the 1st division office, it was deadly silent between the occupants in the room. Oh no. It wasn't Yamamoto who was bringing this silence to make this a serious meeting, but it was still dreadful. Everyone in the room wondered how in the world one person got into a mess and made it involved around them so suddenly, and everyone wondered if anyone has a say in this.

"You reckless, idiotic, brainless, sad excuse of a brother!"

Yep. One's mad at the boy who cringed under the heavy glare and seething anger of his sibling. He was sitting down with his head down in embarrassment and regret of taking his sibling and their comrades in his involvement. His sister was furious through her ignited eyes filled with fury and her teeth snarling at him like a guard dog. Her arms were still crossed, but her grip on her sleeve tightened as she imagined her brother's throat around her hand. Her captain glanced at the enraged girl and placed his hand on her shoulder, signaling her to calm down. The girl calmed down somewhat and lessened her temper, but the anger never left her eyes. Beside his sister, two annoyed friends glared at him with annoyance and disapproval of his stupid decision. They weren't angry, but they were annoyed that he should have talked to them earlier. However, all of their eyes had a glint of surprise about his sudden appearance and announcement.

"Gomen nasai, Heiwa." He bowed very deeply to his sister, taking responsibility of anything he did without his sister's approval. Heiwa sighed and closed her eyes, feeling irritated and not wanting to deal with his stupidity.

"Natsu, I'm not very happy about your and otou-san's decision without my approval. You and I are close to the age of being responsible adults, yet you still haven't changed your reckless behavior. You must learn the responsibility on your own, Natsu, and I cannot help you learn and organize for you. Additionally, you have weighed this responsibility on yourself and me without confronting me about this, and you also involved our comrades to this silly party which doesn't involve them." Natsu flinched under his sister's wise words, understanding that she was beyond pissed and prayed that he wished to blend under the floor under his sister's flaring gaze.

"Gomen nasai, Heiwa. I or otou-san didn't have a choice but to go along. If we didn't, he would say that you would have to marry him. You would be even madder if you knew that you would marry him and we have refused this invitation. With the party and the number of people who are going, otou-san said that he and I aren't enough to watch out for Hollows. We need more help than we thought." Natsu apologized again, and Heiwa sighed in distress. The Kazeru girl wasn't mad anymore, but she was still upset about the "invitation" to go to a party.

"What's done is done. Right now, the dilemma of this situation is making the party a mission since there are hollows out there and just a few Shinigamis to patrol the area." Natsu sighed, felt relief flowing through his veins that she is forgiving him this once, and has the strength to stand up. Everyone was still a little tight, but now it was okay. On the other hand, no one noticed that Shuuhei was fuming about this forced action against his subordinate. He would have to plan out a scheme that would make this person suffer for forcing young women to come to his party. Heiwa looked at Yamamoto and nodded, letting him announce their next mission.

"Natsu Kazeru, son of Tsuyosa Kazeru, has asked for Heiwa Kazeru's presence in the Real World in America. Due to sudden circumstances, Heiwa Kazeru will immediately leave Seireitei on this mission with her brother. The conditions are as followed: Shuuhei Hisagi-taichou will accompany her to their celebration, and Toshiro Hitsugaya-taichou and Karin Kurosaki will accompany her if any Hollows appear under Heiwa's request. Two more Shinigamis are already assigned with this mission and will meet you at the Sekai Gate today. It shall be a one day assignment, and report to me anything abnormal. " Natsu raised his hand.

"Oy, Yama-jii. I forgot to tell them about their gigais." The two captains couldn't contain their surprise by dropping their jaws in disbelief about the boy's rudeness as the two girls face-palmed their faces with a sigh. Yamamoto seemed a bit irritated through his calm face and commanded.

"Go." Natsu nodded, not aware that he was going to be in big trouble.

"Urahara-san already has the two gigais ready for both Toshiro and the tattoo dude," Shuuhei muttered about "I can't believe that he is her brother", "but Karin and Heiwa's bodies are in my house. I would tell the two others to know about this." Everyone sweat dropped, and Yamamoto semi-coughed and semi-glared at the Kazeru boy.

"Dismissed."

"Oy, Yama-jii! Can I take a break after this mission?"

"Iie."

"Kuso."

"Watch your tongue, mister!"

"Gomen nasai, Heiwa!"

0000

"Ah… I'm finally back!"

"Don't get carried away, Karin. I'm still keeping tabs on you."

"When will you get over the suspension? I'm not getting in trouble again."

"You don't get in trouble; you attract trouble."

"Nani?!"

Urahara chuckled while watching the white-haired captain and the raven-haired Kurosaki argued over something so menial as the rest of the group sighed behind them. It has been a while since the two certain Shinigamis were making a ruckus. The outside world has been quiet for a long time, and without the Kurosaki college student and the future Kurosaki heroine, life has been dull without their loud mouths.

"Ah! You're impossible!" Karin huffed and turned to the group. Someone snickered and called out.

"Can I call you, Menace, instead?" Karin glared at the genius and flipped her off. It was just as Yamamoto said. Toshiro, Heiwa, Shuuhei, and Karin were in the outside world to help out Natsu and Tsuyosa on a mission. He did say that two other Shinigamis were going with them, but they didn't expect two certain people.

"I thought you were going to teach the new recruits, Tatsuki?" The young woman smiled a bit.

"That is true, but senseis, like me, do have to take missions like every other Shinigamis. Missions come first until further orders."

"Then why do I have to be here?" Tatsuki glared at the person beside her.

"I told you before, Renji. Take this mission or baby-sit Yuichi under Zakari-taichou's request, and I know how Yuichi cause chaos in Seireitei." The red-head, pineapple Shinigami crossed his arms and turned his head away, trying to look like he didn't care in front of the group, but Tatsuki knew that he was actually pouting.

"Heiwa-chan!!" Heiwa immediately paled when she knew that voice. A large person ran down the stairs and was running in top speed, creating a trail of dust behind him. With his large, bushy beard and messy hair, some of the people would mistaken that he is a bear. Karin just sniggered and yelled out.

"Good luck, Wa-chan!" The Kazeru girl glared at her friend before slamming the person with the back of her fist. The large man flew away and struck against a rock, face first. The group, except Karin, Natsu, and Urahara, were shocked and winced to witness the power of Heiwa's strength against one of the renowned Shinigamis with just one slam.

"That is for not telling me, otou-san no baka." She muttered and walked away, going upstairs to preserve some of her dignity and leaving her father under the rubble. Everyone sweat dropped, not knowing what to say… except Karin.

"Ano… so who's going to get Tsuyo-ji out?" Natsu ruffled the back of his head and walked up to his father.

"Oy! Otou-san! You're supposed to bring the girls home!" Natsu shouted at the pile of rubble. Later, the Kazeru boy saw nothing but darkness and felt pain on his face and the back of his head. Natsu knew that his father must have shoved him down… hard. He didn't have to slam him that hard like his sister. At least she was more merciful than his bear of a father.

"Get off me, baka!" Natsu shouted as he kicked his father in the stomach. His father flew up in the air and later somersaulted as he landed on his feet, crouching down.

"You're getting soft, boy! Never let your guard down when your enemy is down." His father retorted back until Natsu smashed his fist straight to his large face. A vein throbbed on his head, and the Akatsuki wielder snarled at him.

"You don't have to pass the pain back to me!" This time, the whole group sweat dropped as they stared at the scene before them.

"Why does it feel like they are repeating the same scene with Ichigo and his otou-san?" Tatsuki questioned out loud, making everyone question the same thing. The 9th division captain looked where Heiwa left and was a bit worried about her. Shuuhei was about to follow her to make sure she is okay, but someone held him back with a hand on his shoulder. He turned his head to look at Renji with questioning eyes.

"Whoa, Hisagi-san! You can't leave here, yet. You need your gigai first if we need to blend in." Tatsuki rolled her eyes, muttering that "some" of the members are going to stick out like a sore thumb. Renji ignored her comment and nodded to Urahara, signaling that they were ready. The shopkeeper clapped his hands, getting everyone's attention.

"Well now! It's time to have the men prepare for the party. Gomen nasai, ladies, but you all need to leave with Tsuyosa-san to the Kazeru residence." Tatsuki and Karin nodded and walked out behind Tsuyosa. Once they were gone, Urahara turned to the four men.

"Men, just follow Natsu upstairs to get your gigai. Your gigais are already prepared for the party."

0000

"Why the hell am I wearing a dress? It's just a party!" Karin blanched at the sight of the dress.

Since Heiwa had to kick her own father out of her room due to girls' privacy, they had to have time to get dressed and put up last decorations by Ururu's help. They were preparing themselves to fight Hollows that would pop up anytime and their minds to deal with groping hands and oncoming men.

"Be thankful that you have comrades who provide you the stuff you need because Yuzu is not here to make you wear a pink, frilly dress." Tatsuki stated as she lightly added lipstick to her lips.

Karin mentally agreed to her former teacher and stared at the choice of dress. The black dress had two fishnet straps that hold up the dress as the skirts were in a few layers that stopped the middle of her leg bone. It was simple and comfortable, not too frilly, not too tight. Sure the dress is nice and okay to Karin's taste, but she still loathed all kinds of dresses and skirts that just make perverted men want to make their moves.

"Hai, Tatsuki, demo… why a dress? Why couldn't Yuzu just attend the party instead of me?" Tatsuki shrugged as she slipped on her black dress shoes that had an opening for her toes.

Her dress was a simple black dress that hugged her body. The black thin straps crossed behind her back as it reached down to her knees. Karin's first thought that men would try to get their hands on Tatsuki if they first glance at her body, but Tatsuki stated that she would pulverize anyone who dared try to touch her. Heiwa muttered under her breath, "Except Abarai-fukutaichou of course."

"A-ano, Karin-san. It's a formal party, and Natsu-kun and Kazeru-san needs everyone to wear properly. Also, Yuzu-chan has an medical emergency in Kurosaki-san's clinic, so she couldn't go. Jinta-kun can't go because he has homework to do." Ururu stated as she tied her two pigtails into two white buns on top of her head that resembled panda ears.

Her dress was a pink dress that Natsu gave her for a birthday present since he always forgot everyone's birthday. The pink dress had a pink flower on the right thin strap, and it reached to her knees as it was only for young girls. The missing part was her shoes, and Tatsuki and Karin had to search in Heiwa's closet, much to Heiwa's yelling and Ururu's stuttering. Karin finally found a pair of flat, white dress shoes, and they decided that it will do. Heiwa blankly glanced at the timid girl and asked. Since she had put contacts on before she dressed herself, Heiwa didn't need the glasses for the time being.

"Are you talking about me or about my otou-san, Ururu?"

"A-ano… you?" The genius sighed.

"Just call me, Heiwa, and help me zip this dress up. I can't reach the damn zipper."

"H-hai, Heiwa!" Ururu walked to Heiwa's back and zipped it up by her request.

Since Heiwa's hair was tied up to a bun with white flowers attached to the bobby pins, her simple dress fitted perfectly and leaving her shoulders bare. The baby blue silk curved her upper body as the other half flowed down to her ankles. Her white gloves reached to her elbows as a white silk scarf covered her neck. The final touch was the white dress heels by Ururu's choice.

"Are we done yet?" Karin asked as everyone was dressed up. Ururu and Tatsuki seemed to stare at the two girl with focused, questioning eyes until Ururu whispered to Tatsuki's ear that only she could listen.

"Ano… what are you planning?" Karin asked as she felt that something dreadful was going to happen to them. Heiwa eyed at the two with suspicion, feeling a bad vibe from them. Tatsuki grinned and began chanting silently. Heiwa and Karin's eyes widened, knowing what they were up to.

"Oh shi-"

0000

"It's weird to be in this gigai that is already prepared." The 9th division captain stated as he tugged the navy blue tie a bit down to breath a bit. Urahara did say that he prepared their gigais in his shop, but they didn't expect that their gigais were already in tuxedos and a few changes. Shuuhei had no signs of his scars or the tattoo on his face. His bandage was no where in sight on his face, making his face normal like nothing else happened. Natsu nodded as he glanced at the mirror as he winced at the hairstyle. His hair was combed nicely and made his hair look like he was already nine years old. Addition to the humiliation, Urahara gave him a bowtie!

"I know how you feel." Man, Natsu felt humiliated by his hairstyle. Why couldn't he get something better like Toshiro's hairstyle? Look at him! He had his spiked up hair slicked back like he was a mysterious, handsome, rich dude with all the fame and glory. Toshiro glanced at the irritated boy and smirked. Natsu glared at him and went back to his mental sulk. Cocky bastard.

"Oy, Urahara-san! Do you have anything that doesn't involve a ribbon for my hair?" A flustered, enraged Renji stomped as he gripped to a ribbon on his hand. There were no signs of tattoos or a glimpse of a marking on his body and face, making him normal. Urahara somewhat snickered and just shook his head.

"Gomen, Abarai-san! Since you don't want your hair cut, I had to add a new style for your hair that some men do when they have their hair long." Renji growled and walked away from the grinning former captain. Natsu sighed as he felt relief. At least, he's not the only one feeling embarrassed. Speaking of embarrassed…

"Oy, Toshiro! Are you trying to impress Karin?" Toshiro side-glanced and stated calmly.

"If you don't shut up, I'll summon Hyourinmaru." Natsu rolled his eyes.

"I still can melt you with Akatsuki."

"How about bankai?"

"Kuso." Shuuhei chuckled.

"Hitsugaya-taichou got you, kid." They heard a clap from the door and looked where the shopkeeper stood.

"Minna, Kazeru-san's coming here with the girls. I suggest that all of you should wait downstairs." Urahara said, getting everyone's attention. Natsu and Toshiro glanced at each other, thinking that they will be finishing this later. Before the men were going to take a step, Urahara held his hand up.

"Ah… could you all hold on a bit?" They wondered what Urahara was thinking. Urahara took out four boxes of roses: three white roses and one red rose. Natsu sweat dropped, wondering why do they need roses for. However, three other men blushed when they knew what he was planning.

"Ano… Urahara-san? Why do we need flowers for? Is it some kind of device to find Hollows near by?" Toshiro wanted to shove his zanpakuto through the Kazeru boy. He couldn't believe the stupidity level of this kid. Was this kid dropped on the head as a baby, or is his head very thick?

"Kazeru, those roses-"

"Of course they are!" Toshiro almost fell down to the floor and glared at Urahara for interrupting. Urahara continued to smile, taking the boy's thick head as his advantage.

"These roses are no ordinary roses. These roses are made out of reiatsu that would detect Hollows that are around the area. If they sent out a strong scent, that means that they are close by." Natsu seemed to get the point, but the men knew better, sending a "Yeah, right. You're just using that to get us to wear that" to Urahara. Natsu took the boxes and grinned.

"Arigato, Urahara-san!" The shopkeeper grinned.

"Now, off you go. Shoo."

**Omake:**

"So… when's the party over, Tsuyo-ji?!" Karin asked loudly in the wind as they were transported over the town, riding a very large shield. It was the same design like Heiwa's moon shield, but the mythril shield had silver rims on the edges.

"I would say until midnight. It doesn't take that long." The large man stated as he sat cross legged on his shield.

"You mean it would take more than an hour, baka."

"You're so cruel, Wa-chan." Heiwa rolled her eyes at her father's antics and just stared ahead.

"Come on, Heiwa. Don't be angry." Tatsuki chided, but Heiwa was still looking ahead.

"I'm still not talking to any of you." Ururu sighed, knowing it would take at least a day for Heiwa to talk to them. Ururu just put on a light makeup for Karin and Heiwa, and they're still angry about the part of wearing makeup. Well, at least Heiwa didn't make so much ruckus as much as Karin who was screaming bloody murder in the house.

"Tsuyo-ji! Duck!"

"What are you talking about, Rin-chan? There are no airplanes around here." Tsuyosa stated, but Karin was pointing ahead.

"No, really! Duck!" The girls seemed to get the message and covered their heads. However, the large man's face slammed against a bill and a fluff of feathers. The girls seemed to wince to hear a bone breaking and a lot of squawkings.


	27. Natsu's Problem Part 2

**Me: … BlueMouse!!**

**CTE: Oh boy. Here we go again.**

**SAN: What? What happened?**

**CTE: BlueMouse didn't appear in karate, and now AF is having a fit about her not appearing.**

**SAN: ...oh.**

**CTE: (sigh) I'm gonna go sleep.**

**SAN: Um... there are some parts that you might need to tell them, CTE.**

**CTE: Urgh... fine. Readers, there will be parts in this story that will make you roll your eyes or choke on your own puke-**

**SAN: CTE!!**

**CTE: Fine! Or choke. Additionally, AF apologizes to those who are currently sitting at the edge of the seat for not updating so long. She is still going to college and having a crap full of homework. Please, bear with it until you get through the stories. Now can I go to sleep?**

**SAN: CTE...**

**CTE: What?**

Chapter 27: Natsu's Problem Part 2

"Gentlemen! Your dates... have arrived." Urahara bowed to the men as the women entered his shop in dresses. The girls didn't say anything, but the stubborn ones could only glare at the former captain's comment, thinking about many ways how to trap him and then castrate him with a meat grinder. While the girls were glaring at Urahara, the boys, except Natsu, were noticing how their dates were… exotic. Toshiro Hitsugaya was one of them.

The brave, unemotional, intellectual prodigy didn't realize that his eyes widened a bit. He was too busy focusing at the tomboyish Kurosaki girl transform into a woman by wearing something formal that she would loathe by now. He thought she would be a comrade and friend to save the future. She was the key to the survival of the worlds and the powerful captain of the 15th division. She is known as the present Karin Kurosaki who will save everyone's future. He was looking forward to see her progress on becoming a stronger and skillful Shinigami. However, his gigai's heart was pounding from the chest, and the sounds were echoing through his ear. His once tan face had a crimson blush, and his hands were becoming wet as his knees were shaking. This wasn't the result he was expecting.

"Ururu-san!" Toshiro's daze was broken when the Kazeru boy bumped his shoulder and ran up to the blushing girl. He glared at the rudeness and tried to control himself from beating up Natsu.

_He's a part of this mission. No need to beat up the client._

"Toshiro?" His name was called out informally and was about to snap at someone until whatever he was about to say was caught by his throat. Karin was looking up closely with a curious face and an naïve eyes. He could feel his face burning. God... why does she have to look at him so casually in... that dress?

"What's that rose for?" She asked, pointing at the white rose in the clear box. There were times that Toshiro wished that he wasn't in this gigai and bankai the shop owner's ass. Toshiro wanted to say that Urahara just wanted the "gentlemen" to give the roses to the ladies, but thinking about his "explanation", Toshiro made the story up.

"This rose is a Hollow detector. Urahara-san said that he has sealed our powers in our gigais to prevent unnecessary Hollows to sense it, and the only way to sense Hollows is through this rose. If the rose starts to have a strong odor, it means that a Hollow is nearby." Karin blinked and smiled.

"Oh, okay. That's useful of Urahara-ji."

_Arigatou gozaimasu, Kami-sama. _Toshiro thought as he tied the rose around Karin's wrist.

"Are we ready to go?" Heiwa called out as her rose was tied around her wrist, courtesy of Shuuhei. Everyone nodded in agreement, and Heiwa closed her eyes.

"That's good. By the way, men, prepare yourself when you are riding on otousan's zanpakuto, Kyousei Kabe (Great Wall)." The guys wondered why the girls, including Natsu, paled and shuddered.

0000

A huge warp hole appeared somewhere away from the public's eyes and somewhere on the street. There weren't any cars, but they weren't far from the party. It was dark as gem-like stars twinkled in the sky. The moon shined its beam to the waving waters as the sounds of water crashing echoed around, letting the members and guests of the party know that they are near the ocean. Out of the dimension, a large shield flew through the dark void and landed on the pavement. The group was used to traveling through dimension from Seireitei and the real world. However, this experience made them all shaky and gripping onto the edges.

"Otou-san. Next time, bring seat belts on this thing." Natsu breathed out as he got off the large shield and helped Ururu off the shield. Ururu squeaked when she felt arms holding up on her waist and picked her up. When Natsu placed her down on her feet, her face was beet red, making Natsu panicked and asked her if she is all right. Heiwa rolled her eyes and thought that her brother is very slow. When sharp eyes looked at Karin, she couldn't help but taunt.

"Hey, Soccer Ace. Are you frightened already?" Heiwa smirked, and Karin glared as she gripped onto the rim with her two hands.

"At least I'm not the one feeling queasy while riding on Tsuyo-ji's shield, Brownie." The genius glared back and tried to stand up. However, her two legs failed to keep her standing and made her land back on her rear. Shuuhei shook his head in disbelief and amusement, stood up, and walked where she was. Shuuhei held out his hand, offering assistance to the fallen girl. The Aohi wielder blinked and held onto his hand, accept his help to keep herself balanced. She noticed that her father was glaring at the 9th division captain, immediately making Shuuhei sweat a bit. Her response to her father's rudeness was a shoe to the head.

"What was that for, Heiwa-chan?!" Her father whined as he rubbed his forehead. She glared, making her own father shrink down in fear.

"That is for going too fast. You never do that when people are onboard your shield. Especially when we are wearing something formal, baka." Tsuyosa cried as Heiwa got off the shield, not wanting to deal with his antics. Shuuhei sweat dropped and wondered how is this father and that brother related to her. He was somewhat glad that he didn't die at an early age.

"Put me down this instant, Renji!" Everyone turned their head, and they, excluding Heiwa, Toshiro, and Shuuhei, dropped their jaws in surprise. The mighty, strict, ass-kicking Tatsuki, the only and strongest female member of the 11th division, was carried over by the 6th division lieutenant's shoulders like a sack of potatoes. She kicked, screeched, threatened, and pounded him, but the man just whistled happily as he went on ahead of the group. Once they were gone, everyone sweat dropped.

"I'll never know how in the world they got together." Natsu stated, and everyone nodded. Toshiro shook his head in disbelief and glanced at the trembling Kurosaki who is muttering every curse incoherently.

"You can let go of the shield now." Toshiro said and watched Karin squeaked, removing her hands from the edge as if it was on a stove. He just shook his head and stood up. The 10th division captain jumped off the shield and held his hand to the pouting Karin.

"Come on." The Kurosaki girl sighed and held on to his hand as he pulled her up to her own feet. She was still shaky and instantly latched herself around his neck. Toshiro couldn't help but blush at their closeness, not knowing what else he could do in this situation. Karin moved a bit away from Toshiro and laughed nervously.

"Gomen. I couldn't keep myself up from falling." Toshiro looked to the side, anywhere but Karin. He couldn't decided on whether to feel relieved that his pride was saved or disappointed that Karin didn't really mean that.

"Whatever." Karin had a questioning look on her face and placed her hand on his forehead, wondering why his cheeks were red. Maybe he was sick?

"L-Let's go." Toshiro stated and walked ahead. Karin crossed her arms and scowled.

"What's his problem?" Ururu pondered and tilted her head.

"Maybe he has a high temperature?" Karin turned to Ururu and frowned.

"You mean he's sick? He was fine before." Heiwa sighed and gave her friend a deadpan glare.

"Do you notice anything from him? How he acts around you; how his face turns red; how his body temperature rises?" Karin tilted her head, still having the questioning look on her face.

"Does that mean he's sick?" Heiwa shook her head in disbelief.

"Never mind. Let's just go." Heiwa walked ahead as Karin followed her from behind.

"Tell me!" Natsu sighed and went ahead with Ururu behind him, making sure that they do not rip the dresses up. Shuuhei was about to go until a large hand landed on his shoulder and gripped it so tight that his shoulder began to hurt. He didn't know that gigais could feel pain in the real world and winced at the pressure. Shuuhei looked behind him and glared at the person, but instantly, he regretted glaring at that one person who is protective of his daughter dating a boy.

"Listen here, boy. You can say that you are a taichou and could immediately send many Shinigamis here for threatening a taichou, but I am older and wiser, not to mention stronger, than you. If my daughter is harmed in any way or even a slightest wince of pain I see through her eyes, you, the 9th division taichou, will wish that you weren't ever born." Shuuhei felt a little afraid of the former Shinigami. The father does have a point that he was once a Shinigami and can break his bones in one second; however, when he remembered how Heiwa was injured and unconscious after the previous battle, he felt determination and strength inside him. Shuuhei suddenly felt confident and unafraid of Tsuyosa's glare.

"You don't have to worry, Tsuyosa-san. Heiwa-san is stronger than she looks and can take care of herself. I make sure that Heiwa-san will be safe from harm." Tsuyosa was surprised about how serious this man was and how much bravery he stood up against the father. Did something happen between them that made the 9th division captain protective?

"Otou-san!" Tsuyosa immediately released his grip on the 9th division captain as Heiwa was coming to his direction with menace in her eyes.

"Don't worry, Wa-chan! Hisagi-san and I are talking like men should." Heiwa rolled her eyes and latched to her father's ears, dragging him as Tsuyosa pleaded his only daughter to let go of his ear.

"Your company awaits you, baka. We need your presence at the (beep)ing gates to confirm that you and the rest of us are here for the (beep)ing party. If Natsu wasn't with them, they might have suspicion that they are crashing the damn party for that son of a…"

"Wah! Wa-chan! Was Natsu teaching you foul languages? I'll double his training for teaching you bad manners!" The grip tightened, and he winced at her strength. Shuuhei wasn't kidding about her improvement in the Spirit World. The only part he left out was her anger.

"You _will_ stop this nonsense and get your ass to that stupid gate! I am losing my patience and my time if you would stop whining and go there to gain access." Shuuhei sighed and walked behind the two Kazeru family members. Sometimes, he pondered how temperamental Heiwa and Nasake both were.

0000

The front yard was huge and had a bountiful of flowers in one row as another different species were placed next to the row. The trees were lined up to separate the front yard and back yard together, and the lights glimmered in the backyard to where the party was extended. There was a swimming pool size fountain had an angel statue holding a bowl up as a stream of water poured into the body of water. Lights illuminated the white building as the party was starting inside, and people were arriving to the mansion either on foot or in limousines, wearing formal dresses. The women wore glimmering jewelry and fur coats around themselves as men wore different kinds of tuxedoes. Children and teenagers entered the place wearing the formal dress that they chose, and servants and security provided service and protection from incoming thieves and uninvited guests. As a large group, everyone, except Toshiro, Natsu, Heiwa, and Tsuyosa, gawked at the sight of the mansion. However, it wasn't a mansion like Heiwa was explaining to them. Oh no.

"IT'S A FREAKIN' CASTLE, STUPID BROWNIE!!" Karin screeched at the top of her lungs right at Heiwa's ear, making her ear slightly ring for the moment. It was true. The building they were witnessing wasn't an ordinary mansion that had a lot of rooms from one set on top of another. It was actually looking like those kinds of castles Karin saw in Disney when she was forced to watch it with her twin sister. The building was white with angel statues on the rooftops and looked so holy that Hollows couldn't enter the area. Too bad that it wasn't blessed with holy water to prevent or paralyze Hollows. Heiwa sighed as she blandly looked at Karin.

"So?"

"You told me it's a mansion." Karin hissed at the Kazeru girl. Heiwa glared at Karin as if she was pushing the limits of her control, and everyone could almost feel the anger increased tenfold from the genius. Karin, too, was surprised by her serious and anger from the calm Heiwa.

"I don't have time for this nonsense. Let's get over this quickly. Those Hollows would appear any minute as we speak." Some were confused about her actions and choice of words as they watch her walk away. Tsuyosa panicked, following his tempered daughter to make sure she is safe.

"Heiwa-chan! Don't walk that quickly! You'll trip!" You could hear a growl from a few feet away.

"I'm fine, otou-san..." Karin rubbed her neck, wondering why her friend was pissed off.

"Ano... what's up with Einstein?" Natsu sighed and smiled sheepishly to the group.

"You remember about Heiwa being angry when it comes to parties in Yamamoto-jii's office?" Karin nodded, and Natsu took a little longer explanation than he should say.

"Every time Heiwa is 'invited' to such parties, there would be guests and suitors in those parties for Heiwa, not to mention a large number of Hollows around these parties. These kinds of parties would have a family event that would include Heiwa trying to be wooed and a celebration of one of our family members. Each time a suitor would come to her, she would immediately shoot them down until we get home. Hollows would appear from the weaker ones to the stronger ones, and Heiwa and I would be the ones fighting them: depletion of reiatsu and injuries. Later, she would be pissed for two or three days until she calmed down." Ururu covered her mouth with her two hands.

"It must be horrible for Heiwa-chan..." Natsu sighed.

"Tell me about it. It keeps on going for almost two years, and with her brains and stubbornness,"

"Not to mention beating you for her independence." Natsu glared a "thank you _EVER_ so much" look at the white haired captain and continued.

"...Every guy would want her. Otou-san and I tried to get Heiwa out of the situations, but Heiwa would get angry and said that she could take care of herself. However, that was the problem. If anyone would call me or otou-san to their presence, we have to go, and Heiwa would be flocked by suitors as they..." Natsu could shudder as he could feel disgust rising to the throat, letting everyone know how bad it was.

Karin felt anger surging in her veins, knowing how bad her family is, but she never realized that her family, except her father, brother, and a few cousins that Heiwa would tell her about, wanted to get rid of her. She also knew that the 9th division captain is raging behind them, and Karin blurted out the words in her mind with confidence.

"Then, let's protect her." Everyone looked at her with a mild surprise, and Karin grinned. Natsu was unsure about the plan and responded with hesitance.

"I'm not sure if that's a good idea, Karin." She glared at him as if he was defying her plan.

"It's a good idea. Since we are here, we should take turns being with her. If any of them is going to be near her, one of us who is closer to Heiwa would get her out of those situation until the Hollows appear." Toshiro could feel pride welling up in him, but his reasoning took over, making Toshiro take the lead.

"It seems that Karin has a good plan for a subordinate," Karin seemed to take in the pride until Toshiro mentioned the subordinate thing.

"NANI?!" She made a face and glared at Toshiro. Everyone sighed in distress as they wonder if Heiwa was actually rubbing off on Karin, and Toshiro continued.

"As I was saying... Karin has made a plan already. Until the Hollows appear, everyone will act natural and _don't cause a scene_." He emphasized the last four words because he knew that _some_ of them would make a scene. He glance at four certain people who were already in the Real World: Karin ranting about she is not getting into trouble for the last time; the others turned their heads to the other side like they didn't do anything wrong. If they were in a cramped room instead of an open air, they could have smelled the rose's scent under their noses with something else.

0000

"Ah... Brother! How are you?" A man with black hair that was slicked back and wearing a black tuxedo greeted his brother-in-law with a handshake. Tsuyosa forced a smile and shook back, thanking for the greeting. A woman next to the man had her black hair put up with a diamond barrette and wore a red dress that had no straps. She wore heavy makeup that normal people would twitch at the sight of the horrendous face. The woman smiled at the Kazeru father and made her statement.

"It's very good that you came here, and I apologize for the sudden invitation. It must be a long trip from Japan just to get here in America." The woman spoke in English, revealing that she was not familiar with any other language. When she spotted the group, she immediately recognized the twins.

"Oh my. Natsu, you look adorable in that bow tie. It reminds me of when you were five years old." Natsu blushed like a can of paint dunked him in red color, and his friends and comrades tried to either suppress their laughter behind the crooked smile or stop the uncontrollable twitch on their frowns. However, they failed to contain it as the uncontrollable ones sputtered a bit and the stubborn ones coughed out their laughter behind their hands. Quickly regaining their composure for a second, they acted normal, trying to avoid Natsu from their line of vision. The woman turned to the Kazeru girl and faked her gasp at her sight.

"And Heiwa! You look gorgeous!" Heiwa restraint herself from rolling her eyes and bowed to the woman.

"Thank you, auntie."

"And... who are your... acquaintances? It must be _really_ tiring for you to ask people to come here in _such_ a short notice." The woman made a fake smile and tapped her chin. Every Shinigami and non-Shinigami suppressed the urge to do something disrespectful. For God's sake, they could hear the sarcasm behind those words! Heiwa forced a smile and introduced them to her.

"These are my friends, auntie. They were glad to give me company while we arrived here." If anyone could see sparks flying between the genius and shank, they could see it now.

"Ah... I see." The woman eyed every single one of them like she was plotting something behind their backs.

"You know, Heiwa. You must meet my friend's son over there with the other group. He is a handsome little devil and talented on playing ten different kinds of amazing instruments. He might be your type for your date." The group from the other side was a bunch of boys who were the same age as Karin and Heiwa. Toshiro and Shuuhei eyed them carefully as a few of the boys looked at Karin and Heiwa like they were a piece of meat, dangling in front of a pack of famished wolves. Yeah... they are devils all right. Heiwa just smiled and closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry, auntie." Heiwa grabbed a hand in a group and pulled a surprised person out.

"This is Shuuhei Hisagi, and he is my date." Now this time, everyone was somewhat shocked, not to mention silently sputtering in disbelief, about Heiwa's statement. For Karin, Natsu, Tatsuki, and Ururu, they never knew that Heiwa had a bold side in her as her father was crying, trying to be convinced that she was just joking. The others thought if the captain already made moves on her, forgetting every rational thought that the possibilities of Heiwa being Nasake. On queue, the woman frowned in slight defeat and acted disappointed.

"Oh... I'm sorry. Do my ears deceive me? You said that they are your friends, so he must be your friend." Heiwa smiled back, suppressing her anger.

"Yes. I did say that, but you never said anything if one of them is my date. Therefore, I brought him over." The woman frowned and continued.

"Oh... so what type of man is he? All that I could know that he is a part of a mafia and leader of the gang you invited with you." Heiwa smiled so sweetly that it was scary enough to drive her best friends away by a ten-mile radius (which they were currently struggling with their inner turmoil to run), plotting the final blow to send her away for good.

"Shuuhei is the son of a captain in the military, auntie. My friends, you speak of, are captains and lieutenants of the navy and airborne headquarters in Japan. They may not look like it, but they are strong leaders and respectful people in Japan. If I were you, I would hold my tongue from commenting someone who looks so lowly to have a greater status." A few heads turned ears to the discussion of the higher status of her friends and could see the aunt getting shot down by Heiwa's smart mouth. The woman pursued her lips shut, knowing to insult a greater status in the military would be tarnishing the reputation of the family. She bid farewell so bitterly sweet that she would not speak to her again.

"Ah... I apologize Captain Shuuhei. It was rude of me to address you in such a disrespectful way. Please take care of _Lady_ Heiwa for us. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be on my way to talk with my sisters." As the woman turned around and walked away with some of her pride, the whole group was silent after the battle between two women in verbal language. Heiwa sighed in relief and apologized to her captain, pinching the bridge of her nose to calm herself down.

"Gomen nasai, Hisagi-taichou, for bringing you into this mess about you being my date. I will take full responsibility for my actions." Shuuhei didn't mind about being the Kazeru girl's date and wanted to tell her that it's all right, but it was sort of awkward and involves a consequence for making a decision without the captain's approval. Natsu, braver than Karin because Heiwa's his sister, walked up to the Aohi wielder and asked.

"Ano... you okay, Heiwa-nee?" Immediately, Heiwa turned around with a happy smile that gave everyone a bad feeling from the girl. If she were smiling that much, that would mean that she overcame her family member's persistence or that she would bite off anyone's head for asking such a question.

"I'm _fine_. In fact, I am _absolutely_ ecstatic that I _resisted_ my temptations to _introduce_ my wrath to her _beautiful_ face." That meant, "End the discussion right now, Natsu, or be my first victim." Therefore, Natsu laughed nervously and sweat a bit. Everyone wondered, despite the situation they were in right now, how in the world Karin managed to snicker under Heiwa and Natsu's glares toward the Kurosaki girl.

0000

"Act natural, huh?"

"Shove it, Karin." The girl grinned as she poked fun at the captain. Since it was his words that said that everyone must be normal, he was flustered, feeling like he was eating his own words.

"I know you did say to act natural, but I didn't know that you can't dance." Toshiro glared at Karin's mischievous grin. Karin knew that when you make fun of Toshiro by shoving his own logic into his face, it was kind of hilarious to see Toshiro fluster about something that what he said going against him.

"You do know that when we come back, I will put you to suspension for a few more months. You don't want that to happen, do you?" This time, Karin glared at the captain. They were currently in the middle of the dance floor, dancing (or Karin's case, stepping) on each other's toes where many couples were scared of dancing in the middle. A heck lot of events and interesting scenes occurred when they were inside the house, and it was just getting started much to Toshiro's horror and Karin's amusement. Renji and Tatsuki were getting too tight as Tatsuki's gripped or clawed into Renji's shoulders; Heiwa and Shuuhei danced with grace as Shuuhei was glaring at some men and Heiwa asked him why in the world was he gripping her waist so tight; and Ururu continued to faint in the middle or after the dance when Natsu danced with her or asked her to dance. Those were times when Heiwa would have to come over there and revive Ururu, relieving everybody and smacking Natsu on the head against Toshiro's orders.

"Stop being an asshole, Toshiro. Lighten up." Karin hissed, almost stepping on his toes. Toshiro smirked and placed his own forehead against Karin's, and Karin was confused as hell and was blushing at the moment.

"I know." Karin's mind was spinning with many questions. What the hell was Toshiro doing? Doesn't he know that there are people around them? Oh shoot! Some people are beginning to coo at them, and Karin wanted to punch Toshiro, against all logics that he was a captain and she was his subordinate. Oh god… that just sounded wrong. Why the hell is her arms not moving? Dammit! Move, you stupid arms! Move-

"Oh hell, not again!" A few of the couples, including Toshiro and Karin, stopped dancing as Ururu fainted again. Half relieved and half disappointed, Karin sighed and looked around to find Heiwa. Now where is she? Ah ha! There she is-

"Ano... Toshiro? I'm gonna have to get Heiwa out." Toshiro was unsure, but looking at Karin's eyes filling with worry and fear, he nodded.

"Go." Karin smiled and hugged Toshiro, surprising him.

"Arigato! You're the best!" Then, she ran to Heiwa, determined to save Heiwa from something. Toshiro was standing there, feeling light-headed and... happy.

0000

"Hey. Make a move on her."

"Yeah, buddy. Out of all the girls, she is a rare one."

"I know. With that temper and that smart mouth of hers, only you can tame her... in bed." A young man with short blond hair slicked back and blue eyes smirked at his friends' comments on the young woman in the blue dress. The young woman was alone, leaning against the pillar with her arms crossed firmly. She was looking around the crowd, being careful about something. She was a real beauty in his eyes, and he smoothed his hair back and made a long statement.

"Such a beauty. It's a shame that her temper and her sharp tongue matches to a shrew that is magnificently perfect for a wife. I guess I will have to tame the roaring lioness into a sweet kitten." He was, therefore, known as the son of a company that sold billions of delightful jewelries and accessories to women in the United Kingdoms. So many girls swoon at the sight of him and his sweetness that all of them wanted to be his wife. Taller than Heiwa about six inches, pale skin that would reflect the moonlight, and the charming smile of his, no one, not even the girl, could resist his charm and beauty. He boldly walked toward the young woman in graceful strides. When he took one step into the five feet radius, someone called out her name and spoke Japanese.

"Heiwa! Natsu just kissed Ururu on the cheek, and she fainted! I need you to help me get Ururu to wake up!" The raven-haired girl ran toward her and grabbed Heiwa's arm, dragging her from her standing place. Heiwa was slightly surprised by the boldness and carelessness of the Kurosaki girl, but that's not what surprised her.

Almost everyone in the group was calling out her name or getting her involved that it was going to the point of something ridiculous. Karin would call out her name on such ridiculous terms that would involve Heiwa smacking Natsu for doing something stupid every single time or asking if she or Toshiro were right over some argument. Ururu would call for her assistance about helping Natsu getting rid of his fangirls which surprisingly was the truth about Natsu avoiding the horde of girls after him, and Heiwa would have to tell the girls to back off because 1) Natsu's her brother and 2) they better back off because she is not in a good mood to deal with his problems. The poor brother of hers was giving her a headache about him getting into trouble just as the same as Karin's level. Sometimes, Heiwa had to go between both Renji and Tatsuki when they are arguing out loud over something menial as they were getting the attention of the public. Even her own captain was trying to get her attention to get both Karin and Toshiro apart from throwing themselves at each other's throat.

"Hey, Ururu! Are you okay?" Alas, they reached to the destination of Ururu who is currently unconscious on Natsu's arms. Natsu seemed to panic about Ururu fainting, but when Heiwa was there, he was currently panicking a lot to get Ururu to wake up.

"Natsu. Stop your babbling right now before I will have to punch you right here." That seemed to shut him up for a bit as Heiwa lightly tapped Ururu with her palm. The guests around them wondered if the girl would wake up by Heiwa's tapping, but Karin and Natsu could see a slight reiatsu flowing from her hand to Ururu bit by bit like trying to get the pulse working. Slowly, Ururu started to wake up from her unconscious state and groggily sat up from Natsu's arms.

"Ano... what happened?" Heiwa and Karin took Ururu's arms and pulled her to stand up. Karin sighed in relief and stated that she was worried about her condition to Ururu while Heiwa hissed and glared at her brother how stood up in fear.

"One more issue out of you and then I may consider punching the daylights out of you." She turned around and walked away from Natsu and the girls. Natsu sighed and rubbed his neck.

"Heiwa's getting stressed." Karin looked at her childhood friend in question and asked.

"Are you sure? She seems fine to me." Natsu shook his head and frowned.

"She looks like she's fine, but I can tell that she's not enjoying herself like when okaa-san died. It's a deeper situation. You and Heiwa may be friends and know each other through thick and thin, but I know Heiwa from the start." Natsu looked up to face Karin through the eyes.

"I'm not smart as Heiwa, but that doesn't mean that I'm cutting off my fun in this world. There will be a time that you and Heiwa may be just friends. You can't look out for Heiwa too long, and neither can she. You and she are going to need your own life in the future." She blinked and thought about it for a slight second. It was true what Natsu said. Both girls living in Seireitei were no longer contacting each other like they used to in the Academy and were drifting apart. It was sort of sad when she realized that they weren't there for each other, but that didn't mean that they shouldn't lose what they had together. Karin, determined to cool the tempered Kazeru girl, ran after her, ignoring Natsu's and Ururu's confused cry of knowing where was she going.

"Heiwa!" The Kazeru girl was still walking away, pissing off Karin more than making her confused.

"Dammit, Heiwa!" Still, there was no answer, but Karin tried harder.

"Heiwa! Answer me!" This time the Kazeru girl slowed down for Karin to catch up to her. Karin was about to ask her what was wrong, but Heiwa cut off by her command.

"Follow me to the balcony. We need to talk." Karin, confused by her statement, nodded with her gut being unsure.

"Hai?" As the girls were out of the party and outside where the moon and stars flashed their light, Heiwa stopped on the ledge as Karin stood behind her in the middle. They stood there for a few minutes, making Karin fidget in the middle until Hewa turned around to speak with Karin face to face.

"What the hell is going on, Karin?" Karin scratched her head, trying to fake her way out of this mess.

"What do you-"

"I'm not going to fall for that kind of excuse. I _know_ what's going on, and it's pissing me off, Karin. Just tell me what are you planning right behind my back." The Kurosaki girl knew that she was caught, but Karin made an annoyed face and explained, hiding her defeat.

"Fine. Natsu told us about those damn pervs in the parties, and every one of us volunteered to get you out from predators' sight. Happy now?" Heiwa rolled her eyes.

"_Ecstatic_." Heiwa sighed and rubbed her temples, trying to calm herself down.

"I appreciate you and our comrade's concern, but I can take care of myself. I've been dealing with this for the past few years and have been putting up egoistic and arrogant men." Karin blinked and crossed her arms, surprisingly not ranting but thinking deeply. Heiwa was the one who was defending all the time and planning out strategies to take out a horde of Hollows. She has been taking care of her family after her mother's death and gained her independence from her family by defeating her own brother.

However, there was something wrong about Heiwa's statement.

"You're tired." Heiwa stared at Karin in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Even though you talk about being independent and dealing with this and that, you are losing a lot of energy from controlling your emotions and protecting us behind your shields. It's not just your body, but your mind is going to wear out. I never seen you relax or taking things easy, and you're overworking yourself." Heiwa scoffed.

"Don't be foolish, Karin. If I let my guard down for one second, I could have let a peril danger pass through me without my knowledge." Karin was to the point of being upset and grabbed Heiwa by the shoulders.

"Don't you get it, stupid brownie? You are too careful of what is going on, and you never enjoy things like a normal person does. On times when I was delivering paperwork in your division, I see you working yourself to the limit, even at breaks and at night. You have to relax and enjoy parties with friends like us, Heiwa. Just don't stand alone to not enjoy yourself." Karin released her and clutched her fists tightly.

"Natsu is truly worried about you, even though he doesn't realize that because he is slow. We all are, not just me. Just because you are a defensive type who could protect one of us doesn't mean that you can protect all of us. Some of us need to fight in order to protect everyone." There was no word from Heiwa when she was listening to Karin, and Karin hoped that Heiwa would understand. Heiwa closed her eyes and turned around to face the scenery in front of her. The moon and stars illuminated the ocean in front of her, and the sounds of the crash were all it needed to calm her down. The chilly breeze blew against Karin's skin, making her shiver a bit, but Heiwa was not shivering, not like she was ever going to shake. The sound of chuckling from the Kazeru girl was all it mattered to break the silence.

"You have grown, Karin." Heiwa stated, and Karin blinked in confusion.

"Nani?" Heiwa turned around and smiled slightly.

"You may be immature sometimes," resulted into a "Hey!"

"... but you have grown. That's for sure." Karin scowled and crossed her arms, looking away from Heiwa's smirk. Karin supposed that it was a good thing that Heiwa understood, but it didn't last long.

"Uh… what's that smell?" Karin asked as she covered her nose and glanced at the Kazeru girl who was twitching in annoyance. Even though they were both outside for fresh air, something smelt strong and disturbing. Heiwa was unable to withstand the smell and was now covering her own nose.

"It smells like perfume mixed with blood or something else…"

Then, it clicked. They already knew that something about this wasn't a fluke. Something that smelt exotic had something that smelt horrible mixed together. Whatever it was, Urahara was totally right about the roses.

"Excuse me, young ladies." The girls turned around to see two men, wearing white suits with a black tie. One had long blond hair that was tied to a low ponytail like Renji's, but it was silkier and softer. He almost looked like an older Toshiro if it had not been the blond hair instead of white and the smile on his face. The other one looked like Natsu with the messy brown hair, but the difference about him was that he had dull blue eyes and a paler skin. Karin knew that no man would wear white unless they could only find that kind of suit, and something was... off about those two.

"May we dance with you?" Heiwa scowled and glared at them, unconsciously walked passed Karin to be in front of her.

"I'm _sorry_. Unfortunately, we have dates with us, and it would be rude for you to leave your dates behind while you danced with other people. It's against the rules around here." The brunette felt something wet and sharp against her throat and froze on the spot with surprise and… fear. Karin was about to run to help, but the brunette appeared in front of her, grabbing her wrist. She winced by the pain and the heat from his hand.

"We don't go by the rules, Shinigami." The male brunette stated as he stared at the girl. Karin's world stopped moving by the words from the man's mouth, and she forgot the burning pain. How did they know that they were Shinigami? Who the hell are they? Knowing that the girls were surprised, the blond-haired man chuckled and continued.

"Like what my friend said, we break rules." The man took Heiwa's hand and held it up for him to examine. Smirking at the glaring girls, the blond-haired man stroked her knuckles softly. Heiwa tensed under his touch as if he was contaminated with toxin.

"We both are very different from where we came from. We were born in a different way and served under a single monarchy. We have different traditions from what you, _people_, call it 'shenanigans.' Instead of being saved, we were condemned by the gods themselves to live in a horrid world."

In a matter of seconds, he quickly swiped away Heiwa's rose and crushed it, leaving the petals to fly away. His friend did the same thing to Karin's rose, and the girls were too stunned to react because they were still standing in one place. Their shock turned into anger towards the men for destroying the roses.

"Teme. Toshiro gave me that rose." Karin growled and pulled her wrist free from his grasp. She threw a punch at him, but the brunette man quickly grabbed her wrist again and stared her down. Heiwa clenched her other fist tightly and glared at the man who destroyed her gift, unable to move from her position.

"You sound like you were created by the devil himself." The man laughed and released her hand.

"Oh! So intelligent! So cold! So right!" He calmed down and smirked.

"Yet so wrong." The water blade retracted from Heiwa's throat, relieving Heiwa that only a very small cut was there. Still, she had to be more cautious as these men have twisted minds and was able to let a small amount of blood to slowly trickle down her neck. The brunette man released Karin's wrist and disappeared beside the blond-haired man's side before Karin could attack him.

"We are another species from what your Shinigami kind called Hollows," the man continued, "we are placed into different sections: Menos, Arrancars, Guillians, and Vasto Lorde. We are the condemned species that the gods have rejected us from salvation. However, there is a difference between the second rank, Vasto Lorde, and the first rank of all the Hollow species." In a matter of seconds, he ripped his tie down and immediately removed the buttons to reveal a hole in the middle of his chest.

"Diablos, the most powerful Hollows throughout the knowledge of the Shinigami, must remove their final piece to gain ultimate power. We _are_ the devils you speak of." The girls were stumped in shock as the information in their heads were processing. The blond-haired man smirked at their shocked expressions and turned around.

"Now, bring your Shinigami friends to the rooftop. We will dance to the death up there and will see who will win the dancing contest. _All_ Shinigami, including you two, must attend, or all of these humans will perish." With that said and done, they disappeared in a blink of an eye. The girls were now feeling the tension of the atmosphere where the Diablos have left it. They were supposed to detect weaker Hollows to defend the party. Instead, the worse circumstance has made this mission more intense than usual.

"Karin…" Karin snapped out of her shock and looked at the Kazeru girl who was currently healing the wound on her neck.

"Hai?" Heiwa removed her hand from her now-healed neck and walked ahead.

"We must warn and assemble everyone to battle." Karin took a deep breath and exhaled, feeling tense at first and later relaxed, as she will be experiencing another deadly battle. She just hoped that it wouldn't be just like the encounter with Windy.

**Omake:**

"Oy! Toshiro!"

"Karin. Where the hell have you been? I've been trying to find you. And where's your rose?" Karin shook her head and grabbed Toshiro's arm.

"No time. Heiwa has already gotten everyone to the rooftop to battle the Diablos!" Toshiro was shocked to hear this report and nodded.

"Show me the way." Karin nodded and ran toward the hall with Toshiro behind her.

"By the way… why were you looking for me?" Karin asked out of curiosity. Toshiro immediately paled and muttered.

"Freaking girls… mob… evil." Karin didn't ask anymore because she knew whatever's in this party would always have the perverts and floozies.


	28. Dance of Death

**Me: Thank you for the long wait. I have not updating for a while because of college. Sorry for the inconvenience, and now I'm gonna sulk.**

**Don't own Bleach, so going to sulk more.**

Chapter 28: Dance of Death

"Ah... the audience have arrived." The blond-haired Diablo said, as the group jumped onto the roof with their weapons out.

It wasn't long for them to reach to the rooftop as they were invited to fight against the two Diablos. With Ururu watching over their gigais inside the building and Tsuyosa putting up a reiatsu shield in the mansion, they were able to pass through walls and floors. For the girls, they were relieved that the makeup was no longer on their faces as they were in their Shinigami forms and their casual looks. Heiwa was able to heal her neck, but the unnoticeable mark was there. Karin hid her wrist that had a slight burn, so she would have to wrap the chains around both of her wrist for hiding the burn and holding her swords at the same time. With two captains from the Gotei 13, one lieutenant from the 6th division, a seated officer in the 11th division, and three unseated Shinigamis, this battle was going to be one of their intense battles since the Winter War. Toshiro already summoned his shikai with the others following his example. It wasn't necessary for them to summon their second form as they were just eliminating Hollows, but with the Diablo situation on high alert, they were going to fight them with their second form. If the battle's getting too critical, Toshiro and Renji would have to use Bankai to wait to more reinforcements.

"I was expecting more Shinigami in the party." The blond-haired Diablo stated. They looked up in the sky where the moon is shining brightly. The Diablos were wearing the same clothing, but the blond-haired Diablo was wearing black and the brunette Diablo was wearing white. They had their swords, still sheathed, and those swords were going to either be revealed or not. Karin glared and was about to make a come back, but Toshiro beat her.

"Unfortunately, we are protecting these humans, so only one of us stayed behind." The blond haired Diablo smirked.

"How about an introduction?" The blond haired Diablo held out his hands and bowed like a gentleman would do.

"My name is Tsunami, and this is my comrade, Flare. We welcome you to play a little game with us." He spun around and held his hands out to the sky where the moon is and to the ground where the team was standing.

"This game is going to be fun because you get to split up into two groups. One group will be dancing with Flare on the roof, and the other group will be dancing me in the sky. If one group finishes dancing, you have to stay out from helping the other group, or we'll have to actually kill you for breaking the rules. You can use your weapons for this game, and I hope you put up a best show." Tsunami disappeared and reappeared higher in the sky, and Flare slowly descended down to the ground.

"It seems that we may have to split up in two groups to fight two Diablos." Toshiro stated. He wondered why the Diablo separated instead of sticking together. In the Winter War, the Vasto Lorde stuck together along with their subordinates. This was very new especially separating that would spell instant defeat. Karin's growl brought his mind out of his ponders.

"I call the guy in black. Just looking at him just pisses me off, and I'm gonna beat the crap out of him." Toshiro glanced at the Kurosaki girl and ordered.

"Calm down, Karin." Heiwa pushed her glasses up and looked up.

"Then, I will fight Tsunami. I'll make sure that he doesn't have that amusement tone." Shuuhei glanced at Heiwa and was surprised to hear her answer. She looked like she was ready to fight, but in her eyes, her cautious eyes turned into rage. He thought Heiwa would go with Karin since they both are best friends, but this was the first time that Heiwa would decide on her own and would not help Karin fight. Shuuhei held his hand out to prevent her from advancing forward.

"Heiwa, we need your defense here to prevent the Diablo from attacking the mansion if something goes wrong." Heiwa bit her lip and tried to reason her captain.

"Hisagi-taichou. Please grant my permission. Let me fight against the Diablo in the sky. My otou-san is capable on defending the area down here." Shuuhei shook his head in anger and worry. She was just like Nasake.

"Iie. Let us, higher ranked Shinigami, deal with the Diablo up there." Heiwa was reluctant to let go of this desire, but the Aohi wielder pushed her desires back with much resistance. However, the resistance came into a halt.

"Hey, Shuuhei!" Everyone looked at the idiotic, reckless boy, and Natsu lifted his zanpakuto in the air and let Akatsuki rest on his shoulder.

"I'll take Heiwa's place on fighting the dude that looks like me. Let her fight against blonde up there." Shuuhei frowned, not liking how the boy taking this battle in a lax way. Natsu sighed in distress and rubbed his neck with his other hand.

"It's not like I want to fight the Hollow..."

"Diablo." Heiwa corrected him, but Natsu ignored it.

"... but I think you should let her fight the other one. You may be 'dating' her, but that doesn't mean that you should not trust her on doing this by herself." Karin nodded, agreeing to what Natsu said.

"He's right! Heiwa trusts us that we would be all right on our own, so you should too. We're ready to fight against all odds." Shuuhei stared at the two unseated Shinigami and glanced at the Aohi wielder, seeing how Heiwa's eyes shined in happiness and trust toward her brother and friend. If the three were okay on making it on their own, then he should do the same.

"Heiwa."

"Hai?" Shuuhei smiled at her and nodded.

"Permission granted. You may fight the Diablo." Heiwa was surprised at first, but her smile curved on her face, making her feel happy.

"Roger." Toshiro sighed and commanded.

"We've wasted too much time. Natsu, Karin, Renji, you're with me against the Diablo on ground. Heiwa, Tatsuki, go with Hisagi-taichou against the other above. Split up."

"Hai!" Heiwa, Shuuhei, and Tatsuki disappeared to fight against the Diablo in white clothes, as the remaining Shinigami were preparing themselves against the other in black clothes. The Natsu look-alike stared at the group and crossed his arms.

"Are you ready?" The Diablo said, and Natsu powered up his sword, and the blade was glowing.

"You bet! We're gonna kick your blackie ass to next year." Karin twirled her two swords and grabbed them at the same time, both facing the Diablo.

"I've been dying to make sure that you won't lift another finger on what's my stuff, jackass." Toshiro sighed.

"I will never understand what you are angry about, but just don't get yourself killed." Renji nodded in agreement.

"I agree with Hitsugaya-taichou. Ichigo and your otou-san would have our hides if we bring your body back to them." As everyone was preparing their zanpakutos, the Diablo, Flare, sighed and took out his sword from behind.

"First form, Blindaje del Fuego. (Fire Shield)." The sword melted from his hand, and the hot, melting blade wrapped around his hand and suddenly hardened to form a small shield. The hilt of the blade transferred itself from the palm of his hand down to the middle of his arm, and the metal shield protected his arm without burning him. He held his covered arm before him and stated.

"Come." Natsu growled…

"Gladly!" …and charged straight to the Diablo. Toshiro shouted at Natsu.

"Kazeru! Don't!"

"Hope you like this sword shoved down your throat." He jumped and prepared to stab him, until the shield began to glow and flare out fire, covering the Diablo from sight around him. Natsu's instinct took over and powered up his own sword.

"Atsuihi!" His glowing sword clashed against the fiery shield, as sparks flew out between two flaming weapons. He continued attacking the ball of fire and sent out small bits of reiatsu like he did when he fought Toshiro. No less than fifteen seconds, the Kazeru boy was feeling his reiatsu draining quickly and immediately withdrew back to the group. However, when he was away from the shield, flames shot out and aimed right at Natsu's chest. Reacting to the attack, Natsu put his sword in front of him and blocked the fire, but when he was away from the fire, the boy couldn't maintain his balance and collapsed on his knees while holding his sword like a staff. The flames of the shield died out, revealing an unharmed Flare, and the Diablo smiled calmly.

"Is that all?" Karin frowned and called out.

"Natsu! Are you all right?" Natsu panted and stood up, but his knees were trembling in exhaustion.

"I'm... fine. Just... drained. Give me five." Renji appeared before the boy, holding Zabimaru on his shoulder.

"Take a break. I'll deal with this." The redhead swing his sword down as the blades grew in length, and Flare activated his shield, making the sword clash against the flames like a whip against a boulder. The white haired genius observed the tired boy with intense thinking. Natsu looked like he was out running a marathon, and his dangerous reiatsu dwindled down to a nonlethal feeling. He glanced at the large fireball and sensed that the shield was taking Renji's reiatsu by each strike. Toshiro strategized a plan and called out to the girl.

"Karin." The raven-haired girl glanced at Toshiro before he continued.

"I need your speed. Something about his shield is making everyone tired, and I have a hypothesis. After Renji is done, try hitting him once but move away quickly with shunpo." Karin glared at him and muttered.

"So now I'm a lab rat? Thanks a bunch, jerk." Toshiro shook his head.

"Just go, but don't attack him too much." Renji stopped swinging his sword, but when his zanpakuto returned to him, the 6th division lieutenant panted and was on his hands and knees. Toshiro was right beside the exhausted Shinigami, and Renji swore.

"Kuso! What the hell is that ability? I feel like I ran nonstop while using shunpo and using kido on Ichigo." Toshiro glanced at Karin and mouthed, "Go." Karin took immediate action and charged straight at the ball of fire. Her black sword hit against the dome, but she quickly removed her sword and shunpoed away before the fire hit her. She reappeared beside Toshiro but fell on the ground from imbalance.

"Itai..." Toshiro's eyebrow rose at the girl.

"You're already tired?" Karin glared at him and stood up without a hint of tiredness.

"I tripped over because I'm still not used to shunpo." Natsu and Renji dropped their jaws and shouted, standing up straight and making Karin's hair fly by their loud voices.

"NANI?" Natsu yelled out.

"We've been attacking his shield, and you managed to have more energy than us? What the hell is going on?" Karin had to clean out her ear and make sure that she doesn't go deaf. Fighting the Diablo with the lack of knowledge is bad, but being deaf while they are fighting against the Diablo is even worse. Toshiro sighed and knew what was going on.

"Shut up and listen to what I say." They all had their mouths shut and had their ears open to what the prodigy boy has to say. Toshiro looked at the flaming shield and pointed out some facts.

"His shield seems to absorb our attacks and our reiatsu on contact, and he can counter by firing flames. However, if we were quick enough to strike him once and move out of the way, we wouldn't be tired and still have energy. I have a plan, but you all need to take immediate action." The flames burned out, and the Diablo appeared.

"Renji!" Toshiro shouted, "You have the advantage of long range attacks. Hit him!"

"All right!" Renji swung his zanpakuto down, and Flare stated.

"You're plan is futile." He activated his fiery shield again, and the flames surrounded him. Renji's sword clashed against the ball of fire, and the redhead called back his sword.

"Kazeru! Strike him quickly with a large amount of reiatsu!" Toshiro shouted out.

"You don't have to tell me about it!" Natsu charged forward and lifted the tip of the sword straight at the shield. With a loud war cry and increasing his reiatsu, Natsu managed to stab through the shield and withdraw in time to avoid the shooting flames. When he was away from the shield, the defense went down to reveal an injured Diablo holding his shoulder. It worked.

"Karin!" Toshiro shouted.

"Gotcha!" She disappeared and later reappeared in front of the Diablo with a smirk that matches to her brother's.

"Eat this!" Karin thrust her dark katana straight at the Diablo's heart, but Flare blocked it with his own shield. In a moment that her blade clashed, Karin flash-stepped.

"Shunpo Zashu!" A flash appeared behind Flare, and he immediately was knocked down with a cut on his back. Karin reappeared and skidded against the ground away from the Diablo and from the group. Toshiro took his chance and twirled his crescent blade, ready to freeze the Diablo. Since he knew that ice didn't stand a chance against fire, he would have to attack from far away, and he better make it quick. He threw the chain straight at the Diablo and successfully wrapped him around. In a quick instant with a flow of reiatsu, the Diablo was frozen into a block of ice, immobile to any movement whatsoever. Toshiro pulled his crescent blade back, and Karin reappeared next to him with a scowl on her face.

"That's it?" Toshiro could hear the disbelief, and he knew that she has already experienced strong pressures coming from Diablos. She was no fool.

"Be careful. Something's not right here." Natsu sighed in sarcasm.

"Great." The ice was starting to melt, and the melting water turned into vapor. The vapor fogged the Diablo, hiding him from the Shinigami sight and surrounding the Shinigami to prevent them from seeing.

"I can't see anything." Renji stated and accidentally bumped into Karin.

"Itai! Renji-san!"

"I don't like this fog." Toshiro stated, and Natsu held his sword out.

"Me too." Suddenly, the pressure hit the group in one shot, sending them flying away from the Diablo. They all crashed on the ground and groaned slightly. Realizing the trouble they were in, all Shinigami immediately stood up to hear a chant from the mist.

"Infierno de Aumento! (Raising Hell)" A large rumble on the ground was making them nervous until they all felt something hot under their feet. Toshiro's instinct screamed to tell him to run.

"Move!" His command sent everyone out of the way before a pillar of fire erupted where they stood. Natsu and Karin had their mouths open at the close call; Renji's eyes widened about how fast that Diablo could send fire under their feet; Toshiro eyed the Flare in caution. The Diablo smirked and muttered out another spell.

"Llover de fuego. (Raining Fire)" Clouds gathered above their heads, and a flash of red appeared in the dark clouds. In an instant, the cloud was shooting out fireballs at the same time and was heading straight were everyone was standing.

"Get away! Make sure you don't stop!" The 10th division captain shouted, and everyone was running before the fire would hit the targets. Natsu was running normally while cursing outloud, and he would get blown away from a close-call hit before sprinting away from the next set. Renji was running around while swinging his sword to hit the other fireballs from hitting Toshiro, Karin, and Natsu, but he could only save them for a little while before he would get either hit or run again. Karin was using shunpo to move out of the way by each fireball, but she was losing reiatsu fast. Toshiro was appearing and disappearing in each place, trying to get close to the Diablo and to end this fight. However, Flare sensed him nearby and smirked.

"Hi-" Toshiro's eyes widened.

"-gaki." A large wall of fire shot up from his side and engulfed Toshiro into flames.

"Toshiro!" Karin shouted and heard Toshiro's scream of pain. The captain moved away from the flames and reappeared far from the group. He lost balance and fell down, unable to stand tall and strong. She could see that he was in bad shape as his battle clothes were burned. What was worse that she could see his left side of the face pink, his chest red-pink with a dash of brown, and his arms charcoaled black. Karin was about to go over there and help him get away from the incoming fireballs, but she saw something moved from the corner of her eye. She turned her head to the source and felt a hand gripping around her throat.

"Karin!" Toshiro shouted when the Diablo held her up by the throat, and Karin dropped her swords to use her hands to try wrenching herself free. She was feeling her neck burning by his hand, and she was trying to free her neck by her hands. However, her hands were getting burned as well. Toshiro stood up but collapsed in an instant. He cursed his weakness against fire and glared at the Diablo. He was badly burned and had no strength left to stand up against the fire-wielding Hollow. Karin was getting burned, and the favors seemed to turn against them.

"Hold on, Karin!" Another voice shouted, and Toshiro swore.

"Kazeru! Stand down!" Natsu stopped running and stood in one place, looking at Toshiro's commanding eyes. The Kazeru was surprised that he also shown a small concern to him, and the boy stepped back, watching from the distance.

"It seems that your taichou knows what exactly is going on." Flare smirked at the struggling Karin. Karin could only glare at him, but since she was trying to break free from the grip, she could only grimace.

"Shut up." She croaked out, and Flare had that twinkle in his dead eyes that indicates that his victim was giving up. He began laughing maniacally.

"How pitiful. It would be enjoyable to see your family and friend's misery after I kill you. Not even the ice boy and water girl could protect you from this event." Flare's shield reverted back into a sword, and he was prepared to stab Karin through the heart.

"Any last words before I kill you?" Karin glanced behind the Diablo and grinned.

"Three things… one, you won't kill me because I'm not easy to kill, and two) don't underestimate my friends." Flare raised an eyebrow.

"And what's three?" Karin grinned.

"Three) you suck." Glaring at the girl in anger, Flare was about to stab through the girl's heart until a stronger force slammed him away. He was forced to release Karin and crashed onto the ground. Karin's eyes widened when she saw who saved her.

"Tsuyosa-ji!" Natsu knew whom she was talking about and shouted in surprise.

"Otou-san? What the hell are you doing here?" The muscular man glared at his son.

"I noticed that the pressure was getting stronger, so I decided to interfere. I also noticed that you guys were about to lose when that Hollow had Karin-chan around the neck." The uncle turned to the Diablo and glared at the him.

"Are you finished yet?" Flare sat up and wiped the black blood off from his mouth before spitting out the remaining blood.

"It appears so." Fire suddenly engulfed his entire body and burned out.

"It seems that he escaped like the other Diablo, Tsunami." Tsuyosa looked up and grinned.

"Heiwa-chan! You're finished already?" A sudden force dropped on the Kazeru father, and he was squashed flat with his face on the ground. Heiwa, irritated as hell, was sitting on her shield. She glared at her father and stated.

"May I need to remind you that you do not interfere the battle between the Hollows and us?"

"Demo…" Her father whined, and Heiwa jumped off her father, ignoring her dad and walked to Karin and her group. Shuuhei and Tatsuki appeared behind Heiwa and followed her to regroup. Toshiro stepped up and faced Shuuhei in a serious tone.

"Report." Shuuhei sighed.

"We won, but the Diablo disappeared on us. There was minimal to none damage due to Heiwa's barrier, and we're in good condition. You?" Toshiro sighed.

"We were about to lose if it hadn't been for Tsuyosa saving us from death. Our damages are not critical, but we need medical assistance." Everyone knew Toshiro's obvious burns on his body, and they wondered if he was going to hate fire even more. Two girls glanced at Natsu and wondered if Toshiro could even stand a chance against him on a duel again. Depending on the burns, it seems that the Diablo was definitely stronger than the water Diablo and capable of burning the 10th division captain. Heiwa looked at her father and frowned.

"Otou-san. Do you know how to take care of burns?" Tsuyosa nodded.

"Hai. I do know, but it's not the best like Unohana-taichou's skill. Naze?" Heiwa didn't say anything but eyed two Shinigami having trouble staying still.

"Hitsugaya-taichou. Are there any members in need of medical treatment? He will treat the burns, but you may have to see the 4th division to get rid of those marks." Toshiro nodded and looked at Karin and Renji. He may be the worst on burns, but seeing Karin's burn on the neck and on the wrists that were now revealed, it made the 10th division captain feel weak.

"Hai. Karin, Renji, do you have any objections for medical treatment?" Karin and Renji glanced at each other for the moment before shaking their heads. Toshiro sighed in relief and sat down.

"Good. Prepare the medical treatment." Heiwa nodded and looked at Karin and Renji.

"Karin, Renji-san. Sit behind Hitsugaya-taichou. It will only take for a few seconds." Renji obeyed and sat behind the captain for the treatment. Karin wasn't going to argue against Heiwa because she had a burn on her wrist and on her neck, and she sat behind Toshiro. Tsuyosa walked toward the group and held his hands out. His hands began to glow blue and emitted reiatsu around the group.

This reiatsu was calm and soothing. The burns and intense pain were going away, but the pain was still lingering. This medical treatment wasn't the best like the 4th division's medical treatment, but it healed her burns down to a minimum. Moving her wrist where the first burn was, she noticed the burn was disappearing and left a mark on her wrist. Her neck was healed and left the hand mark, and Karin felt relieved that she was finally rid of those burns. However, she was worried about her best friend and brother's best friend and glanced at Toshiro and Renji.

Renji was calming down and felt a little better from those fiery attacks. His tattoos were coming back from those burns, and his back looked like he just got back up from resting instead of coming back with those burns. Toshiro looked like he was calming down a lot, and seeing him calming down made her feel more relieved. The burns were disappearing slowly, and the horrible burn on his hand was disappearing, returning his hand back to health. With the three members healed, Tsuyosa ceased his reiatsu from flowing and immediately panted.

"Otou-san?" Heiwa asked, as she saw her father sitting down. Everybody noticed something was wrong with him and got worried. His hands had a tight grip on his knees, and he was panting harder than before. Toshiro and Karin knew what the Kazeru twins were thinking. They were worried about their father and were surprised that a healing technique made him weaker. Tsuyosa looked up and gave them a reassuring smile.

"It's nothing… I haven't trained myself for a long time, so you'll see me like this sometimes." Toshiro frowned.

"Are you still able to fight?" Tsuyosa nodded and stood up.

"Hai. Without using any kidou or too much fighting, I'm still able to defend." The white-haired captain sighed in relief and closed his eyes.

"That's good to hear." Karin sighed mentally.

_Thank goodness._

However, their relief was broken by five seconds. Everyone felt a sudden pressure around him or her, and they all knew that they were back… with reinforcements.

"Kuso! I thought we had them!" Natsu shouted out and held his sword in front. Toshiro, Renji, and Karin stood up and held their zanpakuto. Everyone was holding his ground from succumbing to the intense pressure. The pressure suddenly stopped, and the Diablos appeared in the sky.

"It seems that we have to go," said Tsunami with a grin.

"It was fun to play with you, but our time with you Shinigami are done. Instead of leaving you with nothing," roars were heard around the mansion, and Tsunami laughed.

"We decided to bring out Hollows." Flare finished and disappeared along with the other Diablo. Without a warning, all of the Hollows jumped out of their hiding places. They were all in different shapes and sizes, and they all had the same menacing eyes behind the masks. Many were ordinary Hollows; some were Menos; a few were imperfect Arrancars. They had all different powers, and they jumped straight for the mansion and Shinigami.

"Kazeru-san! Make a barrier!" Toshiro shouted, and Heiwa frowned.

"I don't know who you are talking to, but all right. Otou-san…" Tsuyosa nodded.

"Hai. Kyuukyoku Benso! (Ultimate Defense)"

"Mizuiro Kagami!"

A crystal barrier formed over the mansion before it camouflaged with the water covering the shield. The Hollows slammed against the shield and wondered how to get in. They tried to use their claws, mouth, swords, and everything they have to get in; the monsters also tried to use cero to blast their way in. Heiwa and Tsuyosa held their hands up to hold the shield and focused sending reiatsu to prevent the shields from shattering.

"Go, and make sure these Hollows are eliminated. Otou-san and I will hold up the shield. After this, we'll go back to that party." Heiwa said. Karin nodded and looked at Toshiro.

"Let's go." Toshiro smirked back and ran ahead with Karin following behind him. Renji and Tatsuki took the other way and were eager to smash Hollows after winning and losing against the Diablos. Natsu grinned and took off in another direction, and Shuuhei sighed as he was left to deal with the ones that were near the barrier.

Time slowed down for everybody… until it fast forward when Karin slashed a Hollow.

_Slash_

"I got one!"

_GRAAAAAAHHHHHH!_

"Karin! Watch your back!"

_Slash_

"That was a close one. Arigato, Toshiro!"

"It's Hitsugaya-taichou!"

"Whatever!"

_Boom_

"Oy, Tatsuki! Watch where you throw that punch!"

"That was your fault for not watching your back!"

"How can it be my fault when we are in a middle of 'Who can kill the most Hollows?' game?"

" 'cause you didn't look!"

_Slash_

"Ha! That's 10 to 9! Now, who says that who didn't look?"

"Move it, Renji! That Arrancar's mine!"

_Boom_

"YAAAAHOOOO! This is fun!"

"Baka! Watch out!"

"Holy crap!"

_Whish_

_Crack_

"Are you trying to kill me, Toshiro?"

"Maybe, Kazeru."

_Slash, Slash_

"How are you two holding up?"

"I'm fine, Hisagi-taichou. You?"

"I'm still warming up."

_Slash, Slash_

"Hmph. I could do better than he does."

"Otousan."

"Hai, Heiwa-chan?"

"Shut up."

Five minutes later…

_Slash_

"I think that's the last of them." Karin stated and wiped the sweat on her forehead. There were a lot, and with the pent up frustration and anger, the group was exhausted. Plus, five minutes were a long five minutes just by cleaning up the Hollow infestation. Tsuyosa and Heiwa were out of breath, and the 9th division captain was holding Heiwa up with what strength was left. Renji and Tatsuki were arguing who had the most Hollow exterminations in this battle, and Natsu just flopped on the ground, too exhausted to beat another Hollow out of its misery. Toshiro was holding his stance weakly, and Karin just fell to her knees. Looking up, Karin watched the full moon go red and frowned. She had a bad feeling about this, and she would probably blame Heiwa for rubbing herself off on the Kurosaki girl. Nonetheless, Karin can't help but feel that this wasn't the last of them, and they yet had to see who was pulling the strings behind this battle.

"Oi! Kurosaki! We're going, Fruit Face!"

But that time will come later. She has a stick-in-the-ass friend who needs some beating before they return to their gigais.

0000

After some time with throwing their energy at the Hollows and killing them, they all went back to the party for some relaxation. Heiwa was calm once again, and Natsu was no longer getting the heat from her. He also wasn't worried about her too much because Shuuhei was with her, but the Kazeru boy felt a small dislike toward the captain. Renji and Tatsuki were still arguing about who won their contest of eliminating the most Hollows, so Toshiro had to give them the icy dragon glare to shut up about it. Karin noticed that Ururu didn't look at the two hotheaded couple, and the melancholy girl would blush every time she would look at one of them. Tsuyosa would chat with the other adults as usual, but when Shuuhei and the Kazeru father would make eye contact, the father would glare while the date would sweat a little, wondering what was eating him.

Sitting at the tables, Karin was staring into space. It was strange for the girl to space off without knowing what is going on. However, it was a party, so the normal people would brush her off. Her friends would look where she is and wondered if she was talking to her zanpakuto. However, a different thought was drifting in her mind.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Karin jumped a little and looked to her side. Toshiro was sitting next to her with his arm supporting his head. He was watching the couples dance on the floor with the music on, and he looked attentive to watch people do their things. Karin was staring at him for some reason, but she couldn't point out what. Her date finally looked at her smirked, and Karin rolled her eyes.

"Where did you get those human quotes? Internet?" She asked back, and Toshiro shrugged.

"I hear it all the time in your school when one classmate would be thinking deeply. Back to reality, what were you really thinking?" Karin frowned and stared at the couples. Two certain couples caught her eyes, and it made her heart dropped a little.

"I was just thinking about all of our futures." She smiled sadly, and Toshiro looked at the direction she was looking. Her two best friends, Natsu and Heiwa, were enjoying themselves with their dates. Heiwa and Shuuhei were dancing gracefully on the floor, as other couples watched them in awe. Natsu was still grinning like an idiot, and Ururu was hiding her embarrassed face on his shoulder.

She realized that she was losing her friends to others, and the thought of losing them was painful. They were once so close for almost six years, and now they were leaving her behind. Yuzu was hanging out with Jinta more often, and Ichigo and Rukia were expecting their own baby. Her father didn't marry any other woman and held onto her mother longer than any other dad. Time was running out for the close bond Karin had with all of her friends, and the bond seemed to be eroding.

"You were wondering what the future would hold for you?" Toshiro asked, and Karin nodded. The white-haired captain sighed and stood up, making Karin look at him in wonder.

"I would say that stop thinking about the future. It's going to make your head hurt." Karin scowled and was about to make a comeback, but Toshiro held his hand up to her.

"I wasn't finished." The Kurosaki girl closed her mouth and reluctantly listened to his little speech.

"Nobody knows what the future will hold, not even the Shinigami knows when you die or how you would live. However, you have the power to shape your own future. Think about the past experiences you encountered: your gain and awaken power within you, your first fight against more powerful entities other than Shinigami and Hollows, your success, your failures… what have you learned from them? You can think about the future later, but right now, think about the present. You have learned and experienced challenges in the past, and now you must use that to make a future." Karin was shocked. He was right. Who knows? Ichigo may have to kill any boy if he had a baby girl, or his son would be trying to wrestle him for food. Natsu would be the most reasonable guy, and Heiwa would have a fit of trying to figure Karin out. Yuzu would grow a backbone and probably would fry her dad if he would make one stupid mistake in the house. All of her friends may have drifting apart into different paths for the future, but they still have a bond together that would not be broken. She could worry about the future later, but now… she would make something happen today.

"You're right." Karin stood up and genuinely smiled at Toshiro.

"I'm worried over nothing. Who knows what could happen in the future?" Toshiro nodded.

"That's right. Who knows what could happen? However…" Toshiro's hand held out for Karin, and the white-haired captain spoke in confidence.

"… there's one thing that we all know what is going to happen in the future." Karin was confused and tilted her head, wondering what he was thinking and what is the hand for.

"What's that?" She asked, and Toshiro smiled.

"_**We're**_ going to win against the Diablo and make sure that everyone survives this battle. We are the one who could make our future." Karin grinned, feeling happy from hearing his words.

"That's right. We're not going to lose." She took his hand, and they both walked to the dance floor for the final dance. It didn't matter where they are heading in the future, but only one thing mattered for all of them. They were going to survive and make sure that these Diablos would be destroyed.

**Omake:**

"Taichou! Karin-chan! You look so _cute_ together!" Rangiku smothered both Toshiro and Karin, and the two Shinigami gasped for air. After the party mission and submitting both reports to Yamamoto about the Diablos' appearance, three of the couples brought in souvenirs from the real world, but they weren't ordinary souvenirs.

"Matsumoto! Get off me! And that thing is meaningless in here!" Toshiro yelled at her and tried to get away from her hug.

"Yeah, Rangiku!" Karin broke free from her grasp.

"It's just a trophy award. It doesn't mean anything." Karin stated at the lieutenant an obvious fact, but Rangiku didn't seem to be persuaded enough.

"Then, why does it say 'The Special Couple Award belongs to _**Toshiro Hitsugaya**_ and _**Karin Kurosaki**_?" She pointed at the trophy on the shelf where Toshiro's books were, and it gleamed gold with gems around its body. Toshiro rolled his eyes and gave her an answer.

"That was a contest that nobody, including the Kazeru twins, didn't know about. It must have happen when we were fighting those Diablos." Karin supported his reasons by pointing out other awards.

"Natsu and Ururu won the Cute Couple Award because of their faces. Heiwa and Shuuhei won the Graceful Couple Award because of their dance. Natsu and Ururu aren't officially dating because Natsu is dense equal to Ichi-nii. Heiwa and Shuuhei were just dating because Heiwa was 'required' to have a date, so that didn't count." Rangiku was confused and asked.

"Then, why did Tatsuki-chan and Renji won the 'King and Queen' titles in the dance?" Karin and Toshiro looked at each other and frowned.

"That's one mystery that we are trying to find out." Toshiro answered.


End file.

Bleach, Adventure, Romance