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As penance for not updating in a while, here's a double update!

She is so small in sleep, as if rest makes her lack that fiery, sassy attitude that he claims to hate but loves so much. Her skin has paled to a dull gray color and her long hair looks greasy. Small signs from chapped lips keep in time with the machines beeping quietly are the only signs she's alive. The stillness is eerie; she's always been a creature of movement. Her zanpaktou reflects that.

He doesn't know how long he waits beside her bed.

A muffled moan signals her return to consciousness and immediately he stands. Dark eyelashes flutter as her eyes adjust to the sunlight streaming in from the window. She wrinkles her nose in discomfort.

"Karin?" he murmurs softly. Her head turns and blue eyes meet his green ones. He smiles softly, the way he does only for her.

She says, "Hey," back, throat raspy from disuse. The hand not held by his rubs her eyes. "How long was I out?"

"About a week," he tells her, stroking his thumb across the back of her palm. "Unohana performed medical kido on the spot, but you had lost a lot of blood and some of your internal organs were damaged, so the Fourth put you in a coma to prevent movement jostling them."

"Yikes," she mutters, attempting to sit up. Her eyebrows crease as she feels something amiss. Not even glancing at him, she pulls her hand from his and parts her white hospital robe to her stomach. When she breathes again, it is shakily.

A long scar stretches from just under her left ribs to her right hipbone. It is only days old, but because of their accelerated healing, looks like weeks. The skin is smooth to her touch and is a pale link color, but she guesses it will eventually darken.

"Do you remember?" he asks, voice hard.

She traces the scar once more, then closes her robe. "Wonderweiss," she answers furiously, "He nearly killed me."

"Yes." He takes her hand once more. "That's what triggered your bankai."

Momentarily, her anger dissipates, replaced by wonder. "I achieved bankai?"

He nods. "It bought you just enough time for us to arrive."

"Did you see it?" she asks eagerly.

"No," he answers grimly, "By the time we got there he had wounded you and it deactivated." She sighs, disappointed that the most magnificent transformation a shinigami could achieve had not done more to help. His eyebrows furrow in irritation. "Karin, you almost died."

She glares at him. "Are you trying to make me feel weak?" she demands, "I know I did, and it pisses me off that even bankai wasn't enough to save my own damn life."

"You know how powerful Wonderweiss is!" he argues without really knowing why, "Why didn't you run from someone would could take on the soutaichou?"

"I tried,Toushirou," she snaps in exasperation, "He caught me. Repeatedly."

The captain sighs, re-threading their fingers. "I thought you were dead," he whispers brokenly, "When we got there, your reiatsu was barely there and—and there was so much blood I didn't see how—" he breaks off.

Any anger left dims from her eyes. "I knew you would come for me," she says simply.

They are silent for a moment, each in their own thoughts. Eventually he touches the fabric covering her new scar and murmurs, "You are still beautiful." Green eyes hold blue in sincerity.

Dry lips quick up, even as pale lids close. Unbidden, her face is overtaken by a yawn. He smiles and presses a kiss to her forehead. "I'll be here when you wake up," he promises.

"Toushirou?" she asks sleepily, "Thank you."

He squeezes her hand in answer.

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