To Me (1/?)
Title: To Me
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Hitsugaya/Karin
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set five years after the very beginning of the current manga arc, but before Ichigo gets involved with Xcution (ie, his powers never came back). Mentions the most recent Hitsugaya & Karin-centric anime episode.
Warnings (if applicable): None
Summary: His love life was written by a retarded goldfish.
Authors Notes: Another fic for azardarkstar, who gave me the prompt “his life was written by a retarded goldfish.” I just wanted to do something a little shippy for at least one of the fics. I apologize it's taken me so long to finish this. I had three major projects and then finals are next week, but after that, three weeks free to write before summer semester! Yay!
---
He had come to the realization that his life was written by a retarded goldfish. Or at the very least, that his love life had. He was surrounded by so many people older than him, and so few people his own age, that he didn't really get to interact with people who even resembled his own age.
Except when he was in the world of the living. And that's because Karin Kurosaki was there and she would not leave him alone when he was there.
The first time, with the soccer match...well, he'd done it because she was Kurosaki's sister, and if he had to admit it to himself, soccer was kind of fun. The other people she hung out with were boring and juvenile and he didn't like them very much. But she was tolerable. Maybe even okay. And then the Winter War happened and his thoughts were with keeping Aizen away from Karakura Town and then later getting revenge for what he'd made him do to Hinamori and then there was all the training he put himself through to get stronger, get faster, get better, and he forgot. He forgot about the times he'd looked at her, talked to her, and focused on his own side of things, of Seirieiti and the Gotei 13 and being a captain.
The second time with Granny Haru was different. She was older, not much, but enough, and a new kind of maturity had settled on her. He still didn't get why she followed him, but at least she had befriended Granny Haru and he felt better about leaving again. But it hadn't been that big of a deal for him to drop in and leave again. She was Kurosaki's sister...if he came back in ten, twenty, even thirty years she'd still be there, her usual self. Maybe married, maybe with kids, maybe not, but she'd be there and...who knew. But it had only been a few days that time, and when he had left again he lost track of how long he had been gone from the world of the living. There was no point; he was needed in Soul Society, and that was that.
So when Matsumoto walked in with a serious look on her face and planted her hands on his desk and leaned over and waited without her usual energetic speech, he took immediate notice. “Yes?” he asked.
“There's been a message from Urahara-san,” she said quietly. “Even though Ichigo-san has lost his powers, he is asking for our help in an urgent matter. I just heard from Lieutenant Ise about it, and everyone else will know by the end of the day.”
Hitsugaya set down his pen slowly, careful not to let his irritation that she wasn't getting to the point show. “What was the message?”
“His sister Karin has died, of pneumonia, and he wishes for us to try and find her, make sure she got here okay.”
He froze. She had always seemed so strong, so vibrant, so full of life, and she had died from an infection that could be treated with medicine? Her father was a doctor! How could she die of pneumonia? After the initial shock wore off, though, he stood. “Take any available members of our squad and let them join in the search.”
“That's just it, Captain. Captain Commander hasn't authorized a search yet. I don't think he thinks it's important enough.”
“Well, I do,” he said before he thought about it. Her eyes widened slightly and she stood up, looking at him intently. “She was nice to me when I was in the world of the living. And if she had such high spiritual pressure there, surely she will have it here. She needs to be found before she starves to death.” He moved away from the desk. “Take our squad and start in District 1. If Kurosaki was smart after the Winter War he told his sisters about Soul Society. So she may have been told to look for something.”
“Yes, Captain,” she said, straightening up before looking at him. “She's important to you?”
He thought for a moment. “Not important, but I suppose I owe her for her kindness. She shouldn't have to wander there by herself, alone, not if I can help it.”
She smiled at him, a warm smile. “Then we will do everything we can to find her. I'll even see if I can get some people from other squads.”
“Thank you, Matsumoto.” She bowed slightly and left the office, leaving him to his thoughts. He tried to get back to his paperwork but found that his thoughts would not cease. He had stopped counting how long it had been since he thought of the living world. Unlike his lieutenant it was not something that fascinated him. He had gone to do his job and that was that. He didn't feel the need to stay there or go back often. But now he truly wondered how long it had been since he had last seen her. When he counted it out in his head, he realized it had been five years. That would have made her...eighteen, maybe? Probably.
He went to the mirror that Matsumoto had put in their office and took a good look. He no longer appeared twelve. More like sixteen these days, maybe a little older. Captain Unohana said to expect a few more growth spurts as his spiritual pressure stabilized and settled, but she had assured him he would not look like a child forever. He hadn't asked her for that part but was glad she had told him anyway. So at the very least when they found her (and he was going to make very certain it was when, not if) he would not appear to be the little kid she'd always assumed him to be.
He went back to his paperwork and tried again but quickly gave up. It bugged him a lot that she was dead, and he didn't quite get why. If anyone would be able to help him figure it out it would be Hinamori, who had matured herself and moved on from everything that had happened five years prior. But...for now, he knew he would get restless if he didn't join the search. So he left the office, hoping they found her quickly. Then maybe he could get back to the paperwork that was still continuing to pile up after all these years.
Author: Ragna (afteriwake)
Pairing: Hitsugaya/Karin
Rating: PG
Spoilers (if applicable): Set five years after the very beginning of the current manga arc, but before Ichigo gets involved with Xcution (ie, his powers never came back). Mentions the most recent Hitsugaya & Karin-centric anime episode.
Warnings (if applicable): None
Summary: His love life was written by a retarded goldfish.
Authors Notes: Another fic for azardarkstar, who gave me the prompt “his life was written by a retarded goldfish.” I just wanted to do something a little shippy for at least one of the fics. I apologize it's taken me so long to finish this. I had three major projects and then finals are next week, but after that, three weeks free to write before summer semester! Yay!
---
He had come to the realization that his life was written by a retarded goldfish. Or at the very least, that his love life had. He was surrounded by so many people older than him, and so few people his own age, that he didn't really get to interact with people who even resembled his own age.
Except when he was in the world of the living. And that's because Karin Kurosaki was there and she would not leave him alone when he was there.
The first time, with the soccer match...well, he'd done it because she was Kurosaki's sister, and if he had to admit it to himself, soccer was kind of fun. The other people she hung out with were boring and juvenile and he didn't like them very much. But she was tolerable. Maybe even okay. And then the Winter War happened and his thoughts were with keeping Aizen away from Karakura Town and then later getting revenge for what he'd made him do to Hinamori and then there was all the training he put himself through to get stronger, get faster, get better, and he forgot. He forgot about the times he'd looked at her, talked to her, and focused on his own side of things, of Seirieiti and the Gotei 13 and being a captain.
The second time with Granny Haru was different. She was older, not much, but enough, and a new kind of maturity had settled on her. He still didn't get why she followed him, but at least she had befriended Granny Haru and he felt better about leaving again. But it hadn't been that big of a deal for him to drop in and leave again. She was Kurosaki's sister...if he came back in ten, twenty, even thirty years she'd still be there, her usual self. Maybe married, maybe with kids, maybe not, but she'd be there and...who knew. But it had only been a few days that time, and when he had left again he lost track of how long he had been gone from the world of the living. There was no point; he was needed in Soul Society, and that was that.
So when Matsumoto walked in with a serious look on her face and planted her hands on his desk and leaned over and waited without her usual energetic speech, he took immediate notice. “Yes?” he asked.
“There's been a message from Urahara-san,” she said quietly. “Even though Ichigo-san has lost his powers, he is asking for our help in an urgent matter. I just heard from Lieutenant Ise about it, and everyone else will know by the end of the day.”
Hitsugaya set down his pen slowly, careful not to let his irritation that she wasn't getting to the point show. “What was the message?”
“His sister Karin has died, of pneumonia, and he wishes for us to try and find her, make sure she got here okay.”
He froze. She had always seemed so strong, so vibrant, so full of life, and she had died from an infection that could be treated with medicine? Her father was a doctor! How could she die of pneumonia? After the initial shock wore off, though, he stood. “Take any available members of our squad and let them join in the search.”
“That's just it, Captain. Captain Commander hasn't authorized a search yet. I don't think he thinks it's important enough.”
“Well, I do,” he said before he thought about it. Her eyes widened slightly and she stood up, looking at him intently. “She was nice to me when I was in the world of the living. And if she had such high spiritual pressure there, surely she will have it here. She needs to be found before she starves to death.” He moved away from the desk. “Take our squad and start in District 1. If Kurosaki was smart after the Winter War he told his sisters about Soul Society. So she may have been told to look for something.”
“Yes, Captain,” she said, straightening up before looking at him. “She's important to you?”
He thought for a moment. “Not important, but I suppose I owe her for her kindness. She shouldn't have to wander there by herself, alone, not if I can help it.”
She smiled at him, a warm smile. “Then we will do everything we can to find her. I'll even see if I can get some people from other squads.”
“Thank you, Matsumoto.” She bowed slightly and left the office, leaving him to his thoughts. He tried to get back to his paperwork but found that his thoughts would not cease. He had stopped counting how long it had been since he thought of the living world. Unlike his lieutenant it was not something that fascinated him. He had gone to do his job and that was that. He didn't feel the need to stay there or go back often. But now he truly wondered how long it had been since he had last seen her. When he counted it out in his head, he realized it had been five years. That would have made her...eighteen, maybe? Probably.
He went to the mirror that Matsumoto had put in their office and took a good look. He no longer appeared twelve. More like sixteen these days, maybe a little older. Captain Unohana said to expect a few more growth spurts as his spiritual pressure stabilized and settled, but she had assured him he would not look like a child forever. He hadn't asked her for that part but was glad she had told him anyway. So at the very least when they found her (and he was going to make very certain it was when, not if) he would not appear to be the little kid she'd always assumed him to be.
He went back to his paperwork and tried again but quickly gave up. It bugged him a lot that she was dead, and he didn't quite get why. If anyone would be able to help him figure it out it would be Hinamori, who had matured herself and moved on from everything that had happened five years prior. But...for now, he knew he would get restless if he didn't join the search. So he left the office, hoping they found her quickly. Then maybe he could get back to the paperwork that was still continuing to pile up after all these years.