Watching Karin

By fate they met in Karakura Town. He helped win a soccer match due to her stubbornness. Luck allowed him to save her life. Now Hitsugaya can't get Kurosaki Karin off his mind. So he watches over her, unfortunately he isn't the only one watching.

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach, I don't. I also do not make money from writing fan fiction.

Warning for extremely disturbing content well worthy of the mature rating this story has earned more than once.

Epilogue

Karin and Toshiro walked hand in hand. He pointed out things to her that she should have already known. They were stopped by several friendly faces, none of whom the poor girl could place.

"You think I will ever remember any of it," She looked at him shyly. It had taken a week of talking before she would even allow him to hold her hand. He missed the contact.

"I don't know, Captain Unohana said you might never remember," He looked into her eyes. She was pouting that is one thing that would never leave her. She had the ability to melt his heart. The only thing stopping him from kissing her right than was his awareness of her discomfort. She broke his grip on her hand. She walked ahead blushing three shades darker.

"I am glad I have you to help me, Toshiro," She turned and walked backwards. Her necklace glinted in the sunlight. She seemed to not even notice it around her neck anymore it was an appendage like an arm or a leg. Toshiro smiled like he never smiled for anybody else. His face softened. She saw tears forming in his eyes, "Please don't cry for me, I don't like it." She frowned. Looking very childish he wiped his tears on his arm. This made her laugh, "You look like a little boy right now." For that comment any other person would have been reprimanded by this "little boy." Someday she would no longer be able to get away with it either, but today he laughed.

"If you say so," He reached for her hand. She snatched it away and turned away from him.

"I like you, Toshiro, but I feel really uncomfortable with this right now," She looked so sad.

"It's OK, I understand," He caught up with her and they resumed their walk. His hand felt empty, "Where would you like to go today."

"I don't care just walking is nice. I like the fresh air."

"OK," He looked at her sideways. She was touching her pendant nervously. Suddenly she turned and kissed him. It was just a small peck but her warmth radiated through his whole body. hbe blushed and smiled all the more, "What was that for?"

"I don't know? This necklace you gave it to me, didn't you?" She looked a little confused then she grinned and laced her fingers in his, "I think we are going to be ok."

Well I hope you liked the story

Bonus preview!

I can't promise this will come quickly...I have so many projects in the air at the moment, but anyway this is the comming sequeal.

Afterlife With You

Chapter 1: Reacquainting

Karin woke after everything happened. She had no memories of her past life. She only knew what her new friends told her, but she was getting better...

"Do you know who you are?" The girl blinked in confusion as a bright light was shined into her eyes. The doctor gave her some information, "You are a shinigami, and your name is Kurosaki Karin."

She cleared her throat, "That sounds familiar." Her voice was harsh she licked her chapped lips.

"Karin!" A familiar voice spoke. For some reason this one made her heart speed up, "It's me do you remember me?" She craned her neck weakly to saw a boy about her age wearing a black kimono. His hair was snowy white and he looked upon her through brilliant cerulean eyes. She shook her head. He took on a crestfallen aura. For some reason that really hurt her.

"S-sorry," She frowned. Then she looked from the doctor, a blond man sporting glasses, back to the white haired boy that seemed so familiar, "Could I have some water?" She strained to be heard, but both seemed to have understood her. The white haired one brought a cup with ice cold water to her. She smiled and drank the whole thing in one go, "Thank-you..." She strained her face trying to come up with a name.

"Please call me Toshiro," Karin smiled but did not fail to see the shocked expression on the doctor's face. She shrugged it off and smiled, "Thanks Toshiro."

He smiled warmly at her. Then he turned to the blond doctor. His gaze turned cold and stoic as he spoke quietly with the man. The doctor shook his head. Toshiro turned and smiled weakly, "Karin you will have to stay here a little longer, but as soon as you are able to leave I promise I will come get you. I think you have another visitor," He turned and left. A taller man passed him both glared at each other in an unusual break in character for both stoic man and boy. The tall dark haired man seemed to put off an aura of royalty. He looked down at the girl lying in the hospital bed.

"Karin," She looked at them man she felt a pleasant warmth in her chest. Not like with the boy before, but something tender and familiar, "How are you feeling?"

"Um-I'm sorry sir...confused. I feel like we have met before," Karin seemed to be racking her brain. The man's face did not give away his hurt, but his eyes did unfortunately. It wrenched the girl's heart.

"I am Kuchiki Byakuya," He let a small smile trace his lips before it fell, "Please call me Byakuya."

She smiled at him brightly, "Thank you Byakuya." His eyes warmed up to her.

He took her hand gently, "When you are well you will be staying with myself and my sister Kuchiki Rukia."

"You seem familiar, and that name Rukia... Do I know her?"

"Yes, you do...Or you did before your accident," The man almost seemed to fumble on his words, they came out not quite silk like as they normally would have, "You were hurt very badly and you have lost all of your memories."

"Oh," She sounded softly, "It's like something is trying to reach me. It-it's just like on the tip of my tongue."

"Yes, we all hope you recover, but you must not expect all or even some of your memories to come back. The doctors told us that they might not," The man explained patiently.

"Are you my brother? You said you have a sister," She looked thoughtful, not straining like before just calmly in meditation, "Somehow that feels correct to me."

The man smiled briefly, "No we are not related, but I would like it if you became part of my family. If you would want to be adopted into my clan."

"I will have to think on it," She put her other hand on his as he squeezed hers lightly; "About that boy...Toshiro...what is he to me?" A brief flash of anger crossed the man's eyes but he squelched it.

"He...was your friend."

"Was?" Karin tried to sit up suddenly, "He seemed pretty friendly to me."

"I am sorry, but I cannot say in good conscious that he deserves to be your friend," He spoke coldly, adding in his own mind, 'After everything he put you through.'

"Oh," her voice shook with an unknown sorrow.

"Please do not worry," The man removed his hand from her small chapped hand. He caressed her cheek, "Please do not worry Karin." Karin felt exhausted she fell back to her awaiting pillow. The man waited with her until she slept.

Toshiro growled in annoyance, 'Why must Kuchiki-taicho interfere? There were many things I regretted that happened between Karin and myself, but our relationship was not one of those!' The young captain shunpoed to his office. He walked in to see his second snoozing behind a stack of paper work. He picked up a rather large book of receipts and carried it over to her desk. He then slammed it down with a large thwack on her desk scattering loose files and knocking her half empty bottle of sake over ruining what little work she had managed to complete.

"Huh?" She mewled excitedly as she looked around for her attacker, "Oh! Good Morning Captain!"

"It's 2:47 in the afternoon, but I wouldn't expect you to know that!" He hissed at her in a more hostile voice than was usual.

"My, my, aren't you grumpy today. So what'd you get up on the wrong side of the bed?" She chirped ignorantly, "Oh, now wazza matter lil' captain?" She intentionally lisped.

"Karin has woken up," He ground out.

"So is she angry with you or something. I thought you would be happy now that she is back among the, ahem, living," She offered a sickeningly sweet smile only a half drunk lush could muster.

"She doesn't remember me," he frowned.

Rangiku sobered up hearing the upsetting news, "Oh, I'm sorry Captain. Is...is there anything I can do?"

"I really do not see what can be done, except getting her to notice me again. Kuchiki-taicho is already trying to convince her that I am a negative influence...I am pretty sure. Now that she is deceased there isn't much stopping him from adopting her like he did with Rukia. She is powerful I am sure the Kuchiki clan would accept her..."

"And the problem would be?" Rangiku intoned.

The problem would be that he would have his thumb on her. I would not be able to be with her like before. You remember what it was like before. Surly you haven killed enough brain cells yet to have trouble remembering."

She rolled her eyes, "I think you are not being fair. The captain is only looking out for her best interest-"

"And I am not in her best interest?" He shouted. His eyes glazed over a bit, "I didn't mean for her to get so hurt."

"Captain? You know more than half the things that happened would have occurred weather you were there or not. Fact is you saved her more times than I can count. She loved you than. I don't see why she could not come to love you again."

"Oh, I must be in trouble when you are the voice of reason in a conversation." He bit out.

Rangiku blew a raspberry at him, "You're welcome! Now get this thing off my desk so I can clean up my paper—work!" She glared at him holding up a sopping wet paper that had soaked up some of the sake that she only now noticed was running across her desk and into the floor, "Captain! How could you? It took me half the night to complete this!"

"Two forms?" He raised a quizzical eyebrow.

"Um well that and I—um did you change your hair? I like it?" She turned away from to start cleaning giving him a very inappropriate view of her derrière. He shielded his eyes and went to his own desk to finish his paper work for the day.