╭Temporarily Here╮

Chapter 23

Toshiro's P.O.V

"So I am not the only one being influenced here." I mumbled and immediately regretted it.

Did she hear me?

The small pause she took before responding felt too short. It gave me another second to question what had gotten over me to say such suggestive things out loud.

"What?" She asked.

I cleared my throat, deciding that changing the subject was the best option.

"So what was it that you wanted to speak about?"

What was I saying?

I have been 'slipping up' a lot these days and it is a mystery to me why. Is it because of the stress? I have been feeling overwhelmed and tired - the main reason being Rangiku and her loud mouth. I have to keep denying rumors from bypassing Soul Reapers that I do not personally know! The Head Captain called me about this rumor and I was spacing out too.

"Oh, right!" Karin said, as if she had just realized she had something to say.

I was both displeased and relieved. I had no desire to answer that question. In truth, explaining was not the problem, but making the effort to do so for something unnecessary was. Simply put, the few times I met Karin, I learned insignificant habits from the living world. Specifically, I used phrases she had explained to me years ago.

I would not dare let anyone know that I learned these expressions from her. It would only add to the embarassing memories of her calling me 'an old man'.

"I wanted to tell you that--" she paused, ruffling her hair from behind, "um, how do I put this? It's hard to describe."

I arched an eyebrow, my interest peeked. It seemed that she was serious about wanting to tell me something. I had to admit I had my doubts; she always dragged me into something I originally had no intention of doing. I simply thought this was the same, but I was clearly mistaken.

"My senses... feel weird - weirder than feeling reistu. Yet," she looked down with furrowed eyebrows, "it's similar to feeling that-- maybe it is reistu I'm feeling, but..."

She turned her head, so we were looking at each other eye-to-eye. She looked unsure, an eyebrow raising as she tried to express herself.

"... different...?"

I myself was puzzled and I was certain she was too. Our eyes stayed on each others, but she must have noticed my face distort.

"Different?" I repeated again.

Finally, she broke eye contact, while she sucked in a breathe. A small part of me wanted her to look me in the eyes again - why was that!? Perhaps, I preferred speaking to her that way and it told me that she was addressing me...?

Rangiku often said she liked it when her friend's attention was on her. I thought she was merely obsessed with attention. I may be able to understand what she meant.

Are we friends, albeit? Have I been under the illusion we were after spending time with her like before?

Was my thoughts and notions easily swayed like this? I think not.

"I don't know." Karin hummed.

"Oh!" She smiled and quickly turned her body fully to face me. I felt a strange satisfaction when our eyes met again. "For example, right now, I can see you as you are."

She leaned closer, making me lean away from her. Her eyes were squinted as if she was trying to find something.

"What are you--"

"But when I concentrate on only you, I can see it. It spiked just now when I took a closer look at you, so I can guess you were surprised. Now it's curling back in, but still moving around irregularly. You're trying to figure out what I'm saying, right?" She said, while straightening herself.

"What exactly is 'it'?" I asked.

"Your reistu," she answered more confidently.

It could be the only logical explanation for what she was experiencing, so she must have made her mind up. However, we had to be certain. Conclusions could not be jumped to.

"Are you sure?" I asked again.

She nodded briefly. "What else could it be? This cold feeling surrounding you. And the graceful one around Rukia's brother that reminds me of Sakura Blossom trees. Everyone has it and some are weaker than others. Yours is really overflowing like Kuchiki's."

I processed what this new yet familiar information meant. Was she saying she could feel more than the amount of reistu and its intensity? She could feel something more. She could feel its nature - the emotions it brings.

As expected, her awareness was much more advanced than others, but this was rare. However, if I recall, she was not identified as a Soul Reaper. She was a human like Inoue.

Wait, she is human - someone who was influenced by both her brother and I.

"What do you think?" She asked me, bringing me out of my thoughts. "You were thinking really hard there."

It was me who made eye contact with her this time.

"It could be that you awakened your ability - in the same away, Kurosaki--"

"Which one?"

"--Ichigo Kurosaki's friends awakened special abilities."

Karin blinked in bewilderment. "Like how Orihime is able to heal wounds? And Chad has this weird arm transformation thing?"

"Yes, exactly," I said, "It could be possible that this is your ability. Though it is a rather odd ability to have."

"Glad to hear I'm the abnormal one here," she sarcastically remarked.

However, her sarcasm only lasted for a brief moment; she sighed in, what I could tell, defeat. "It's cool, but I don't know how to feel about this. People are easy enough to read, but now it's so much clearer. Emotions can't be hidden from me now? It's like reading minds and invading their privacy."

I listened to her intently, hanging onto her every word. There was a few times when I saw her look this distressed. Something about that expression kept my lips sealed tight.

She is right. It is a burdensome ability to have.

"Is there a way to block it out completely?" She asked.

Staring at her felt as if I was taking too much of something; I had to force myself to look away.

What's wrong with you all of a sudden?

"Thankfully, there is. It's the same concept as hiding your presence and controlling your ability," I said, mentally gathering some control over my concentration, "You mentioned that you need to focus on someone to feel all their emotions in detail?"

She hummed in response instead of answering verbally.

She does whatever she pleases, as always. I sighed in irritation.

"If I'm not focusing I can feel hints of the driving emotion that person is feeling, you know," she explained before I could say anything. "It's only been a day or so that I had this ability, but I kept experimenting to understand what was going on."

I nodded briefly. "Good job."

I did not expect a jab to my ribs, so I was left dumbfounded when Karin smiled at me.

"Did I just hear you compliment me, Toshiro."

After recovering, I scowled and raised an eyebrow. "What happened to calling me 'Captain Hitsuguya'?"

"Come on, I was just teasing then!" Her smile grew into a grin. "Besides, we're having lunch together--"

She raised the food she had barely taken a bite from. "That should be enough, right? Why would I call a friend so formally when we're hanging out?"

Again, I was left speechless.

Friends?