Chapter Text
July. It was snowing. It settled unpleasantly on his eyelashes.
It was cold.
Toshiro was cold. The kind of cold he had only experienced a couple times in his life. This cold is not like a feverish shiver, not even close to soul-chilling fear. It doesn't scare, it doesn't hurt. It just slowly stiffens the body until the last drop of warmth drains from the open veins. It's a cold that can't be compared to anything. It cannot be confused with anything. It cannot be avoided. And it's impossible to escape it either.
Toshiro was cold, and he knew why. The cold gradually spread through his body as the remnants of life-giving warmth bubbled up his throat, flowed rapidly from his stomach, trickled down his sides, soaked his clothes, and stained the snow red. And he wasn't sad, wasn't scared. There was nothing at all. Only a small spark of relief was warming in his chest, but that too was about to leave him, and there would be nothing left at all. And nothing would bother him anymore, nothing would occupy his tired thoughts. Nothing.
Except...
— ...promised...
Through the ringing in his ears he could hear her.
Karin .
— You promised...
His Karin was crying. Reaching out to him, hugging him, stroking his cheeks and crying .
— You promised me! — her voice broke into a scream, and his heart skipped a beat in pain.
No, it couldn't be like this. He did promise her. He can't leave now, he has no right. How dare he deceive her? No, no, no, no, it is not allowed, it is not allowed...
But how cold it was after all. He didn't like this cold. It was sticky and dragging, omnipresent and yet nowhere in particular to be tormented. And the ground beneath him was already warm from his blood, the snow around him had melted, and the grass beneath him was showing again, though it was probably red now, too. Toshiro's warmth was sinking into the ground and pulling him with it, and it was just unbearably hard to resist.
But Karin's hands were warm too. Her palms pressed against the wound on his stomach, trying to stop the life draining out of him, warming his spine between his shoulder blades as she held him in her lap. Her tears burned his cheeks, her cries burned his lungs, as if he were the one tearing them up with his screams, not she tearing hers up.
Karin was warmth incarnate, she was heat, fire, sunshine. She was light, she was his, and Toshiro reached for her like a moth to a lamp, rejecting the tempting but now obviously false invitation of the warm earth that kept trying to pull him back to the place from which he would never return.
No, he couldn't leave, not now, not ever! Not when Karin, his Karin, his warm and bright Karin is fading from grief right before his eyes. Because of him.
Can he be so cruel to her? He had promised, hadn't he?
His icy palm rested on her tear-wet cheek. He wanted to speak, to whisper, to beg her not to cry, because it hurt too much to see her like this.
The cold didn't hurt. The laceration didn't hurt. Nothing in the world could hurt him as much as her tears.
And he was the cause of those tears. Again.
Again .
Toshiro opened his mouth, blood immediately flowing from his lips, but he paid no attention. He inhaled, whistling for words.
And he couldn't say anything.
***
Toshiro jerked awake, breathing heavily. He lay still with his heart pounding in his chest for a few seconds, trying to draw a line between the dream that had just ended and the reality that had begun. He blinked hard, shaking the stickiness from his eyelids and clearing his vision and consciousness.
What was this dream? What was it about?
Whatever it meant, Toshiro shivered, still feeling the eerily true sucking emptiness in his stomach and the tingling cold in his fingers. Karin's crying face still floated before his eyes, and his heart still unpleasantly pinched at the memory of it.
In the dream, he was dying in her arms and she was crying over it, not even realizing that her tears were killing him even more.
He buried his face in his pillow and tried to push thoughts of the unpleasant dream away. His head was cracking. Lately, he often felt as if someone was very insistently trying to drill through his skull and whip his brain. Feeling worse than ever after sleeping, Toshiro looked around with one disgruntled eye while the other was covered by his pillowcase.
The room was flooded with light. It must have been around noon by now, judging by the bright blue sky through the window.
Hitsugaya rolled over onto his back, wiping face with hands and shielding eyes from the sun, and grimaced at the unpleasant stickiness all over his body.
Hot and stuffy and sweaty. Stupid summer. And Kurosaki's air conditioning doesn't help a damn thing.
— Good morning, sleeping beauty.
Speaking of which.
— Why is it that I keep hearing you talk about how you have a strict sleep schedule, but when you come to my place, you're always napping until lunchtime? — a sarcastic but favorite voice came from the hallway.
Toshiro preferred not to tell her that he was not sleeping well at all, because of his increased travel between worlds and the fact that he was working so hard for extra time with her.
He should have. The constant transition from one world to another was taking an increasing toll on him. He could already feel his nervous system beginning to be depleted by sleep deprivation and overwork. He was doing work for days on end, but the amount of work was not decreasing, as if it were the other way around, it was only getting more and more, and he found himself once again sinking into the maelstrom of workaholism and sleep deprivation from which he was struggling to get out.
Hitsugaya kept telling himself that it was no big deal, that he could handle it because Karin was worth it, but he wanted to sleep longer, his head ached more often, and he wanted to see less and less people.
It annoyed Toshiro how much he was tired of this schedule in just a year, considering he'd lived even worse for decades before that. Annoyed and bewildered. Where was this weakness coming from? The nervousness? His job was currently as loyal as it could be, and he was still plowing himself to the bone.
Perhaps it was just this period and he just had to endure, but it was becoming impossibly difficult to endure. Every time he parted from Karin it was harder and harder, letting her out of his arms was unbearable, and not being able to touch her at any time until the next weekend was torture.
Instead of voicing it, he just gave her an eloquent look and sat up in bed, pulling himself out of the duvet and grunting at how much he hated the heat.
— Grumbling like an old man, — Karin laughed, ignoring his obviously bad mood, because waking up in a bad mood was on Toshiro's default settings.
— I'm not an old man, — Hitsugaya muttered, still relaxing slightly.
— The sexiest old man in the world, if that sounded better.
— It sounded even worse.
She laughed ringingly, and the sound of her laughter almost pushed her sorrowful crying out of his mind. Almost.
Apparently something in the expression on his face told Karin that something was wrong.
— Is everything okay? — she crouched down on the other end of the bed, looking at Hitsugaya carefully.
— Yeah, it's just..., — he stammered, unsure if he wanted to discuss it. It's just a dream, after all. An unpleasant one, yes, but one that clearly has nothing to do with reality. Toshiro probably just overworked himself the other day, and that's his subconscious telling him to rest. Or maybe he's overworked and his inflamed brain has lost the ability to adequately process the day's information, so he's dreaming about something like this. Either way, there's no reason to worry. Still... — just a bad dream, — he said at last. — Never mind.
Kurosaki studied him with her gaze for another long moment, clearly realizing he was lying, but she nodded nonetheless, indicating that there would be no more questions, and Toshiro was grateful for that.
She crawled over to his side and pecked his cheek, immediately getting a smile in return.
— Are you going to have breakfast or are you going to shower first?
— Shower. Preferably with ice.
— My bathtub doesn't have that function, so you'll have to organize it yourself. Go on, I'll put the kettle on.
— Haven't you had breakfast yet? I thought you'd be awake.
— I've got another breakfast in me, don't worry.
— Oh, right, I forgot who I was talking to, — Toshiro grinned, happy to hear her laughing again.
He stood up and went to the bathroom, finally putting his thoughts about the strange dream to rest.
Hitsugaya pulled out a towel and his change of clothes from the closet, which had already taken up residence in Kurosaki's place almost a year into their relationship. It was nice to find a piece of himself in her home, as if it was his home too. The top shelf had finally become “his”, there were mugs that only he drank from, a second toothbrush and shaving foam were permanently added to the sink. And that made him feel warmer.
Even though he wasn't at her house as often as he'd like, it was more often than once every few months like before. Still, with Kyoraku becoming captain-commander, the schedule of shinigami, especially captains, had become more relaxed, with fewer days in the week and more days off. And it's amazing how much productivity has increased. So Hitsugaya had the opportunity to visit the World of the Living almost every week. And he would definitely do so, if it weren't for all sorts of force majeure, mostly in the form of his restless lieutenant. But he had no nerves to be angry at Rangiku anymore, and it was of little use, as years of experience had shown. And while other measures to force her to work more often than three times a year were being worked out, he had to tolerate Karin's separation from him a little more than necessary.
And even his infrequent visits were enough to make Kurosaki's apartment feel like a house inhabited by two people instead of one.
Toshiro wished that his own house in the Soul Society, with two floors and a courtyard, would also someday be inhabited by this obnoxious and beloved woman.
Water poured from the shower, and he froze with the toothbrush in his mouth.
Once again, he went back to thinking about moving in with Karin. Permanently. To become not just a Sunday boyfriend who came into her life, God willing, once a week, but a real partner, someone she would live with, share a household with, someone she would... want to start a family with.
There was a flutter of excitement in her chest as Hitsugaya tried on the role of husband for the umpteenth time. Sometimes (not necessarily, of course, it was up to her, but she'd like to, sometime in the future...) — the role of a father. The most important thing was to be with her.
But Toshiro was in no hurry to do so. She was only twenty-four, and he was emotionally a little older, or maybe even younger — figuring out his own age in human years was still difficult. But in the long run... he dreamed of a family with Karin and there was nothing he could do about it.
And it all came down to one problem — there was no way Toshiro could dare to ask her to move in with him. Because where does he live? The Soul Society. What's that, exactly? Another world. A world of the dead. Sure, Karin is already dead too, and he still shivers at the thought, but she has a gigai with which she can exist in Gensei for at least another half-century, if not more, like her father. New acquaintances, a career, her family would be waiting for her here... Hitsugaya simply couldn't offer her to trade all that for him alone.
And he couldn't leave Seireitei himself. He couldn't leave his squad. Once again, it came down to a choice between feeling and duty.
Sometimes he simply hated his job, the Gotei, Seireitei, and the entire Soul Society combined. Hated it and loved it too much.
Toshiro heard Karin yell that breakfast was ready and turned off the water.
He would be sure to talk to her about it. But later. For now, he would enjoy another morning in the company of the person closest to his heart and not think about anything else. Everything else would have to wait.
So later.
***
“Later” didn't come in a week nor in two weeks. Not in a month.
Summer was winding down to August, and fall was already breathing the first cold evening winds, still weak and refreshing, but soon strong enough to tear off leaves and make people wrap themselves in warmer clothes.
And Toshiro still hadn't talked to Karin.
Because in August, everyone suddenly decided it was time to take a vacation, there was more paperwork to do and no people to fill it. As a result, the end of the summer he sat at his desk, bent in three legs over the columns of reports, bonuses, vacation pay, sick leave, and again reports ...
A month and a half they did not see each other.
Whereas before he'd missed her and counted the days until the weekend and their reunion, now Toshiro didn't just miss her, he needed her. And he couldn't take it anymore.
Tonight. He would be fine with any answer she gave him, even rejection, but he needed to at least make a move, to bring up the subject, because he couldn't get enough of what he had now.
That's where he'd planned to start, going up to her floor and opening the door with his copy of the keys, but he hadn't considered one thing — if he was a love-starved sailor, she was overflowing with that very love that she could only pour out on one person, and as long as that person wasn't around, she languished, boiled, and when he finally came, exploded.
Just as Hitsugaya stepped over the threshold and closed the door, a whirlwind of uninhibited passion named Kurosaki Karin swept over him and dragged him into the hallway, greedily sinking her lips into his surprised mouth, running her palms down his instantly tense back. But Toshiro wasn't used to it. He picked up her pace in a moment, his head immediately empty and free of thoughts as soon as Karin's lips touched his. What was he thinking about in there? What did he want to talk about? It all quickly became so unimportant, so secondary, that he almost laughed.
Hitsugaya suppressed a smile in a kiss and pushed Karin against the wall, traveling his hands along the familiar routes on her body. She sighed sweetly under his pressure and ran her hands through his hair, pulling him to her, and he was blown away. Toshiro kissed her more aggressively, harder, digging his fingers into her thighs, pressing her into him. Kurosaki immediately rubbed herself against him in response, and he could feel her throbbing through his clothes.
She needed him as much as he needed her, and that fact was completely changing his brain chemistry, tugging at his lower abdomen with a pleasurable nougat, sending electric arrows through his aroused nerves.
Toshiro moved one hand to the hot spot between her thighs, lightly touching the already damp fabric of her underwear with his fingers.
— I texted that I was coming less than an hour ago, have you been waiting that hard for me all this time? — he whispered hotly in her ear, teasingly touching her ear with his tongue and kissing and biting her lobe.
— Why, can you tell? — she smiled, obviously knowing the answer, and tilted her head to the side, covering her eyes contentedly.
— Oh no, absolutely not, — he pressed a little harder, caressing her, reveling in the tremors that swept over her, — I would never have guessed, — Hitsugaya said wryly, attacking her mouth again greedily.
A couple of circular motions, and Karin finally honored him with a quiet whimper. A little more stroking and pressing on his part, and a few more ringing sighs and impatient fidgeting on hers, and they threatened not to make it to the bed. Then she pulled back a little and ran her palms over his arms, magically calming them both down for a moment.
— Hi, by the way, — Kurosaki stretched her lips in a smile and looked up at him from under her lashes, looking up at him very seductively.
— Hi. You think this is a good time to say hello? And that our actions weren't enough of a greeting?
— No, we have to say hello out loud, you and I are decent people, — she grinned, and his heart jumped at him.
— Oh yes, we are very decent. Especially you, — she laughed after he said that.
— Well, since I'm the most decent, I can't leave someone else out, — familiar demons danced in her eyes, and goosebumps were already running down Hitsugaya's back.
And for good reason.
— Hi, — Karin said innocently when she suddenly squeezed the bulge in his pants, not hard but quite tangibly, causing him to suck in air sharply with his nose and bury his face in her neck. Her throat twitched with laughter, and Toshiro viciously growled some curses, sounding slurred as he sank his lips and teeth into her skin, gnawing a breath out of her. He pushed his hips into her hand, pressing the back of her palm sharply against his own, still resting between her thighs, and forcing them both into a shuddering moan.
Hitsugaya had already reached for her lips, but Karin yelped, twisted, and pulled away from him slightly. The displeasure didn't have time to roll off his tongue, lodged somewhere at the root as Kurosaki brought his hand up and kissed his fingertips weightlessly, teasingly, barely perceptibly, slightly sticky from her lingerie. Something flipped in the bottom of his stomach and with a kind of almost frightening force recoiled in his groin.
Did she even know what she was doing to him?
A devilish smile blossomed on her pink lips, and he realized she knew everything perfectly well.
Toshiro clenched his jaw and quickly pulled off his leather jacket, not taking his eyes off her magnetic ones as she herself wandered her gaze appraisingly and hungrily over his body. It was a Herculean effort for him to resist pouncing on her right there.
Kurosaki, however, following her restless nature, didn't hold back at all and as soon as his boots were left in the genkan, she clung to him and dragged him into the room, kissing him on the way.
One of them hit the couch, the other nearly bumped into the carpet, but the bed was finally reached and any boundaries were erased completely. Everything mingled, bodies intertwined and became a hot and moaning lump, his calloused palms clutching her smooth wrists, her soft roundness against his hard muscles, her saucy buttocks against his assertive thighs.
Greedy, hot, hard.
Inhale, exhale, in, out, thrusts, the headboard banging against the wall, the neighbors will complain, but they don't care, they're busy, who cares about those neighbors anyway.
Loud, fast, aggressive.
Inhale, exhale, in, out, thrusts, more, more, wet, intense, maybe too much, feeling over the edge, to tears, shuddering, sighing, moaning, screaming.
It's been a long time since they've had one of these.
Arms wouldn't hold, legs cramped, skin burning, and it felt good, good, so good.
Toshiro piled on top of her exhaustedly, at once happily sinking into Karin's warm and sweaty embrace. Tiredly, he turned his head in her direction, wiped a tear from the corner of her eye with his thumb, placed his palm on her hot cheek. Their gazes met, heavy breathing stirred.
The cozy silence was broken by Hitsugaya.
— How did we manage to act human when we were reunited after seven years of separation, but after only a month and a half, we'd gotten our corks knocked out like that?
She laughed harshly.
— Well, it's probably because we weren't in a relationship then and we didn't have anything to miss. And now we know what we've been missing for a month and a half, — Kurosaki raised her index finger in exclamation, indicating that it was an incredibly long and painful period of time, and she didn't know how they hadn't lost their minds.
Toshiro suppressed a chuckle at her shoulder.
— Do you think we should be more restrained?
— What? No, absolutely not! Why? I'm only twenty-four, you're... what's your age... twenty-five to twenty-six?
— Sort of.
— Here we go. We're young and active, it's like second puberty, our hormones are running wild. At our age, it's normal to have a lot of sex. People our age who are in relationships don't even get out of bed. What about us? Once a week. Bullshit.
— Once a week and it's not a sure thing, — he corrected her.
— Exactly! It's not a sure thing! I'm practically a nun with this much sex!
Toshiro choked on his laughter, putting “Karin” and “nun” in the same sentence. Antonyms.
— What are you laughing at? This is very serious! — she laughingly slapped him on the shoulder softly.
Laughing back, Hitsugaya raised himself up on his elbows a bit and looked at her.
— About that. I wanted to...
— About what “about that”? — Kurosaki immediately interrupted him. — You wanted what? Me in a nun's outfit?
— What? No! — he did his best to express his indignation to the fullest. — And you listen first, and then ask leading questions, not the other way around!
— All right, all right. What did you want?
Toshiro drew in air to speak, but the words stuck in his throat. He bowed his head with a sigh and shook it, chastising himself.
— This isn't how I imagined it.
— What's the matter? Is it something important?
— Well, sort of, yeah, I'm about to say something serious, I just... I can't quite get my head around it. I don't know where to start. Give me a couple of seconds... minutes..., — Hitsugaya hid his face in her neck with a frustrated sigh, — now, wait, I'll remember how to think and talk adequately.
— Oh, right, you're glitching after an orgasm, how could I forget, — Karin grinned.
— Shut up, — he pinched her shoulder and received an explosion of giggles in response.
Toshiro rolled onto his back and sat up, running his eyes around the room and looking anywhere but at Karin.
— Anyway... what do you... well, um... how do you feel about the idea of starting to live together? — he finally squeezed out. Catching Karin's questioning look and anticipating her question, Toshiro said, -I mean living together permanently. Just like that. Together. Living. — He hesitated to clarify the already clear sentence, because for once he couldn't read anything on Karin's face, and he didn't know if she was happy or not. He swallowed. — So?
Kurosaki blinked, apparently also still reeling from their stormy greeting that had ended a couple minutes ago.
— Are you suggesting I move in with you? To the Soul Society?
— Yes, — Toshiro exhaled and spoke faster before he chickened out. — If you don't mind, of course, I was just suggesting, I think you'd like it there, I have a house...
— You have a house! — she jumped up on the spot and sat up sharply, pulling herself close to him. Her shaggy hair swept over her shoulders and chest, covering the hickeys in a very successful way.
— Yeah, didn't I tell you?
— I don't remember. So you have a house?
— Well, not a palace, of course, but yes, a house, two stories, a covered veranda and a yard, — she kept bringing her face closer to his with every word, and he had to look away. Toshiro didn't know why he had started listing all this, as if he was trying to sell her his house. Though, in a way he was. Just in case, he added: — I also have a pond.
— You have a pond?! — she exclaimed with even greater surprise, as if this was the most important thing of all. — Are there any fish in it? — Kurosaki asked, nuzzling her nose into his.
— No, but there will be if you want, — Toshiro mumbled, afraid to blink.
— No, I don't want to, I was just asking, — she pulled away as if she'd lost interest in the topic, and Hitsugaya didn't know if he could exhale or not.
— So... what do you end up thinking about this? You don't have to answer now, but you should at least just think about it, I'm not forcing...
— Oh yeah, sure, great idea. I thought you'd be hanging around my apartment for the rest of your life.
His jaw dropped.
— Wait, so you've been waiting all this time for me to ask you to move in with me?
— Kinda.
— So you're okay with moving in with me?
— Well, if I've been waiting for that offer, I guess yes, I am.
— But what about your family? Your friends, your job? You're willing to give all that up so easily?
— I wish I had something to worry about, — she shrugged. — Ichigo has done so much for your Soul Society that he and his family should be considered VIPs by now. I've been living apart from them for a long time now, and I see them even less often than I see you. And I will have the opportunity to see them, as well as they can visit me. I don't have any close friends here anymore, and I can find a job in the Soul Society as well, — Karin finally looked at Hitsugaya and saw the indescribable shock on his face.
It turned out that everything had been so easy all this time.
— Don't tell me you procrastinated for so long because you were worried and feeling selfish because of thoughts like “I don't want her to sacrifice everything for me”.
He eloquently averted his gaze.
— Oh, Toshiro, — she said softly, stroking his cheek, — you can be such a worrier sometimes, a real alarmist, honestly.
— Yeah, I do, — he grinned awkwardly. — So you're in?
— Yes.
— Good. And one more thing, — he took her palm in his and was about to say, ”I love you," but something stopped him. Wrong time, wrong place. It seemed sacrilegious, almost a sin to say such strong and pure words while sitting in each other's sweaty and hot embrace. So Toshiro simply squeezed her hand and traced small, reverent kisses down her arm to her elbow.
Karin instantly blushed, a sweet giggle stretching her beautiful lips.
They looked at each other in silence and smiled for a while longer before Toshiro's smile took on a naughty tinge.
— So where were you and I? — his gaze lowered to her bare breasts, which he had been having great difficulty ignoring during the conversation.
Karin followed his gaze and smirked.
— Didn't you say we should be more restrained? — she arched an eyebrow mockingly.
— Did I say that? I don't remember. I didn't.
— You did, five minutes ago.
— No, I'm sure five minutes ago I was describing my house as if I wanted to sell it to you.
— That was three minutes ago! You're terrible with timing, you know that? And I was speaking figuratively, don't cling to words.
— And you use words that I won't cling to.
She gave him a murderous look. His mocking smile only grew wider, his face threatening to crack.
— Are you pissing me off on purpose right now?
— Of course I am. What, you're allowed and I'm not? Besides, you're very..., — he stroked his gaze over her curves again, his thoughts already going further, — energetic when you're mad.
— Oh, I'll show you how energetic I am, — she threatened with a grin, climbing on top of him.
— Oh, please be kind, — Toshiro stretched out, smiling smugly.
He tossed half of her hair back behind her back, stroking her neck, and surveyed the view Karin was proudly showing him with delight. They had been in such a hurry before that he hadn't been able to admire her properly, and now he wanted to make up for it.
The evening was just beginning.
***
— Are you sure?
Karin rolled her eyes and looked at Toshiro irritably after he asked her that for the hundredth time.
— More than sure, — she tried to answer with a calm tone, because she understood Hitsugaya's anxiety and didn't want to make him even more nervous.
He chewed his lip, but didn't say anything else.
They stood in front of the open gate between worlds and prepared to go to the Soul Society. Karin had wanted to visit his home in advance before she started packing for the move, and for some reason unclear to her, Toshiro was nervous. Apparently, he was afraid that she wouldn't like his house and that she would change her mind about moving in with him. Kurosaki didn't even consider that option, because she knew her man well and was sure that she would be greeted by a perfectly clean and tidy house with as few things as possible, as if no one lived there. She was ready for it and, to be honest, she was already rubbing her hands together in anticipation of organizing his place. To bring something of herself into his world, to be a part of his world.
So his worry seemed funny and cute to her. Though he had been nervous a lot lately, they both put it down to his headaches. Karin was worried, but Toshiro had a bad habit of keeping silent until the critical moment, and even under torture he wouldn't talk about his problems. All Kurosaki had to do was wait for him to trust her as much as she trusted him. Even if deep down she feared it would never happen.
Karin covered her eyes, warding off unpleasant thoughts, and stepped into Senkaimon with Toshiro.
Seireitei greeted her with a warm breeze and the almost disconcerting realization that she was in the other world. It was very strange to realize that she was where she should have been almost two years ago.
The gatekeepers bowed deeply to them, Hitsugaya in particular, greeting them. Toshiro limited himself to a nod of his head, and something in that gesture, in his almost indistinguishable but very weighty change of gaze, in his posture, made Karin feel sharply the difference between the reverent lover she saw and the stern captain who was nicknamed “Ice” not only because of his appearance and zampakto.
But she didn't see Hitsugaya like that for long — almost immediately he took her hand and led her through a maze of winding streets, quickly transforming back into the gentle and excited Toshiro.
— Do all the captains live in houses?
— No, many live in barracks with the rest of the shinigami. It's more convenient than living on your own, because you're always close to your squad and can quickly resolve an emergency. But some, like me or Kuchiki, live in private homes. Byakuya because he's an aristocrat, me because..., — he thought for a moment, — it just happened. At some point, I decided that the barracks was... tight for me. Too many people around you, above you, below you. I wanted some privacy and quiet. Especially at night, when some officer would bring a woman into his room, — Toshiro grumbled.
— Could you really hear everything?
— Every rustle. So, yes, barracks are comfortable, but privacy is not to be dreamed of. So I moved out.
— Just like that? — she couldn't believe he just decided to buy a house one day and bought it.
— I'm a captain. My lifestyle is pretty low-spending, so on top of a decent paycheck, I have money saved up quickly. So yeah, I just went out and bought a house on a normal day.
— That's fantastic, — was all Karin said.
And that was the end of the conversation.
They rounded a corner, came to a street of private houses, and stopped at one that Kurosaki liked at first sight, even though the fence blocked most of the view.
She looked around while Toshiro opened the gate, and then her gaze fell on a cute black cat right in the middle of the road. Completely black, except for the huge white spots around its eyes.
Karin was about to point it out to Hitsugaya, but when she turned around, the cat had gone somewhere. Kurosaki looked for her for a moment, but then shrugged and walked inside the courtyard behind Toshiro.
After the fence was a house almost immediately, looking rather futuristic for a traditional Soul Society, it looked more like private homes in a modern city. A path of uneven tile imitating stones led up to the steps of the entrance on the side of the house, flanked by neatly trimmed bushes closer to the fence.
As Karin had expected, everything inside was furnished in a minimalistic way, the walls were neutral colors, so that the eye, though not strained, couldn't latch onto anything. Straight up the stairs led to the second floor, with a restroom underneath. To the right of the hallway was the living room, to the left was the kitchen, and both rooms faced east because of the side of the house, and Karin could already imagine the pleasure of breakfast in the sunlight. Karin walked through the first floor and stopped in the living room. Panoramic sliding windows led out onto the veranda and garden.
Toshiro hadn't lied — on the other side of the property, a path did lead to a small pond with small lanterns dotted around it.
On the second floor were three living rooms and a bathroom with another separate toilet. The presence of two toilets made Kurosaki especially happy. But looking at the size of the house, she couldn't help but wonder.
— You were alone when you bought this house, weren't you?
— Mhm.
— Then why did you get such a big one? It's huge for one person.
— I don't know. I just liked it the best. And it's more up to European standards, so it's got heating. And most of the rooms are sunny.
— I thought you didn't like the heat, — Karin snorted.
— I do. But that doesn't apply to the sun, — he looked at her, his gaze softening. — I love the sun.
Kurosaki felt a slight warmth on her cheeks, as if his phrase was directed specifically at her. It probably was, and it made her smile.
— Well, lucky for you, I prefer well-lit rooms, too.
— So what did you end up thinking?
— About your house? I think I like it. I can already see a spot for a gazebo in that corner of the yard over there. And the heating with two bathrooms definitely got me.
— Toilets? — he raised an eyebrow.
— You never know what might happen, and you might not make it to the other floor.
He laughed and put his arm around her shoulders.
— So, is the house approved? — he asked, clutching her.
— Approved. But there's not a lot of color. Get ready for pillows and couch covers in thermonuclear colors.
— I think I can live with that, — Toshiro smiled. — So, when's the move?
— Next week. We have until the end of summer to get it done.
— Okay. Do you want me to take you home, or... do you want to sleep here? — he offered a little hesitantly.
Karin smiled.
— Prepare a second blanket. I'm staying.