Until My Dying Breath 6

Summary: Hunted by Seireitei for a crime that broke all conduct codes,
Toushirou and Karin must fight to keep themselves alive and hidden to protect
their daughter and all she stands for.

Hello my lovely readers! Didn't have to wait as long this time, though I do deserve to be scolded for making you wait this long. At least it wasn't a cliff hanger last time! Though, hopefully the next chapter won't be too far behind this one because it's already half written. But I do have two mammoth essays for uni to finish first, so consider yourselves lucky for this update! Haha I hope you don't murder me for the end of this chapter.

Enjoy!

KKTH

Chapter 6

KKTH

The mood around the three adults had been tense at best. Mika had been very quiet, observing everything around her with very little input. It didn’t worry Karin as much as it did Toushirou, who didn’t want to involve her in any long term plan making. Karin understood where he was coming from, yet couldn’t seem to want to have any lack of trust with her. It was a point Mika knew of but ignored. Yuuki was still wary of Mika, not wanting to be left alone with her at all. The small girl could sense something distrusting about her yet had no idea how to put it into words.

They hadn’t come across anything like the presence they felt the first night they were there. Mika was almost completely sure who it was, yet would give no answers as to who it was. Karin was sure it was someone important to Mika, yet could not work out whom. Toushirou was forced to promise to not use any sort of violence on her. He grudgingly agreed, if only to appease her.

Mika, however, wanted to tell them. She so dearly did, knowing the presence was a danger, yet she would always find her throat closing up whenever she tried. Annoyed with herself, she did the only thing she could to help and that was by lending the majority of her powers to keeping the wards strong enough to keep any and all outsiders where they belonged: outside the barrier. It frightened her more than she was willing to let on.

“You know, don’t you,” a small voice came from beside her.

Opening an eye, she saw the stern look on the small face of her cousin. Yuuki saw much more than she let on, Mika had noticed. It was a trait Karin had in spades, and Toushirou had made his career out of it. It was only natural that Yuuki would inherit the trait. Right now, however, it was annoying as bat shit.

“What would you know, little cousin?” Mika asked lazily, closing her eye.

“I know that you know who is out there.”

She felt the girl scramble up next to her and felt her soft weight settle on her stomach. Opening both eyes to glare at her, she was most annoyed with the girl. “You know nothing but this protective life your parents have given you.”

“I know you’re hurt where we can’t see,” Yuuki answered, placing both hands on her cheeks. “You hurt, because a bad man did it. You got away, and now he wants you back.”

Mika recoiled, not knowing how the girl did it but knew she hit the nail on the head. Yuuki watched her passively, not knowing how she knew what she just said. Yuuki knew that this particular member of their family was hurt more than anyone knew. She didn’t know how, she didn’t know why, but someone had to find out. Laying down on Mika, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall asleep.

“Yuuki?” Mika asked after awhile, shaking the little girl slightly. “H—hey wake up. I’m not a pillow to sleep on.”

Sighing, she looked down at the sleeping child knowing that she wouldn’t be getting up any time soon. This child confused her more than anyone she had ever known. Resting her arms around the small body, she closed her eyes and went back to sleep. That was how Karin found them, cuddled up together and fast asleep on the couch. Karin merely smiled and covered them with a blanket.

“Changed her mind, did she?”

Karin turned to see Toushirou standing against the wall, clearly unimpressed with the turn of events. He knew Yuuki would see something within Mika eventually, but he was banking on it being a lot further down the track. Yuuki getting close to Mika was the last thing he wanted to happen, for when she left Yuuki would mourn her loss. Mika would be the first person to leave her, and he knew it wouldn’t go down well.

“You knew she would,” Karin reminded him, pulling him away from the wall.

“Hmph,” was his reply, allowing himself to be pulled away.

Karin squeezed his hand gently before grabbing Fuyu Kasai from against the wall. Slinging her over her shoulder, Karin turned to Toushirou, who looked at her with an amused expression. “You think you can beat me, Karin?”

Laughing, she shrugged him off. “Maybe not, but it’ll make you less grumpy.”

Grumbling slightly, Toushirou materialised Hyourinmaru and carried the zanpakutou outside. He could tell Hyourinmaru was less than pleased with him, yet he knew the reasons well enough to know why there hadn’t been any training. Fuyu Kasai was in the same state of restlessness. She was a warrior and as such needed to be ‘exercised’ more often than most.

“Come on, lover. Fuyu Kasai may just beat you this time,” Karin taunted, drawing her sword.

“Unlikely, my lovely. Hyourinmaru is just as eager as Fuyu Kasai,” Toushirou retorted, preparing for the onslaught he knew Karin would unleash on him.

She did not disappoint, the attack being far stronger than Toushirou was anticipating. Fuyu Kasai was eager for battle, it seemed. They went at each other quickly, neither giving in nor going easy. They trained to keep themselves alive. Their swords clashed and the heat stepped up the longer they fought. Shikai, however, was generally not allowed and considering the presence that they had felt ruled it completely off the table. The longer they fought, the more determined Toushirou was to win. His earlier confidence had been shattered with the intensity and determination of the attacks Karin was giving out.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Karin demanded, swinging her zanpakutou at him from behind.

Toushirou immediately slung his own behind him to block that attack before spinning and slicing upwards towards her.

“If you think that, you’re sadly mistaken,” Toushirou snarled back, knocking her zanpakutou out the way and tackling Karin to the ground.

Caught completely unawares, Karin lost her balance and allowed herself to fall backwards, Toushirou falling on top of her. Panting, she rested her head on the ground. She didn’t notice Toushirou pushing both zanpakutou out the way, nor did she take heed to how he was sliding up her. She only noticed when he stole her breath with a thorough kiss, leaving her stunned and very happy. His forearms rested on each side of her ears, his hands firmly grasping the hair on her head as he ravished her right there in the front yard. Her hands weren’t idle, one firmly entwined in his hair with the other resting on his lower back. Breaking away, she gasped for breath as he moved towards her neck, kissing and biting his way down her neck and up the other side.

“This isn’t... a good idea!” she gasped, wriggling slightly as he latched onto a particularly sensitive spot. He growled in response, pressing himself firmly into Karin to ensure she knew exactly what he thought of her comment. “Someone might see!”

“We’re surrounded by wards and barriers,” he said into her neck. “With three high reiatsu powering them. We’re safe for now.”

Whimpering, Karin surrendered and gave herself over to the man she loved and adored.

KKTH

Sometime later found Mika stroking the back of Yuuki. The girl was having a nightmare about something and her parents were training outside, leaving Mika to tend to the girl. She knew nightmares all too well, knowing how badly one could be affected by them. Memories coming back to haunt you in the most hideous fashion; playing out your deepest darkest fears right before your eyes in a prison you could only escape by waking up. The terror always lurked just under the surface, just waiting to reach up and drag you back down into the darkness to torture you some more. Her nightmares were truly the most frightening aspects of her life, always frightened to sleep for fear she would be faced with the monsters of her past.

“Mama...” Yuuki whimpered, burrowing her head deeper into Mika’s shoulder.

She hushed the girl soothingly, wanting to calm her down before she had a chance to wake up screaming. It seemed to work, Yuuki settling back down into an untroubled sleep. Relieved, she could tell Karin and Toushirou had stopped training awhile ago. She had a firm idea as to what they were now doing, in the front yard no less, and was less than inclined to stand up and have a full view. Scrunching her nose up, she cast her mind back to before she was an experiment. She wondered what her friends were doing. How they were dealing with her ‘death’, if they merely accepted it as fact or if they searched for answers. She hoped for their sake they just accepted it. Mika knew any whoever, if anyone, went searching would be long dead by now. Her captor would have made sure none knew she was alive and kicking.

Her time spent with Kurotsuchi was a walk in the park compared to the monster who had her after.

KKTH

The apprentice watched the intruder probe the barrier for any weakness. He was sorely tempted to go down and dispose of the threat he posed to their charge but knew he would be flayed for doing so. Increasing the barriers surrounding them was the only thing they could do. He knew they would hold, yet the presence irritated him beyond belief.

“Master, why does he persist even though there are no weaknesses?” the apprentice demanded.

“That, young one, is a question you would have to ask him,” the master replied, watching the boiling pot with a careful eye. “He is on a mission to bring back the renegade. We cannot allow him access to any of them.”

Sighing impatiently, he cast his gaze to the sleeping duo. He watched how, even though she was an outsider, Mika protected their charge even in sleep. It was an unconscious action, he knew, yet made him feel slightly better that she had another protector for a short time. The burden the young parents had was immense beyond what they thought.

“Young one, do not fret so. They are safe. Soon, however, there will be complications and decisions must be made,” the master said gravely, stirring the mixture gently.

“You cannot be serious. He is a vital part of Yuuki’s destiny!” the apprentice argued.

“He can be replaced.”

“Destinies cannot simply be replaced, master.” Glaring at his master, he made a promise to himself to save the young boy. No matter what his master proclaimed, if it were anyone else Yuuki would have serious troubles ahead of her.

KKTH

Moving silently, he continued to watch the house. He knew the renegade was in there, protected by the traitors. He could not find a weak spot or any way to penetrate the ridiculously high level wards. No one, save a certified Kidou Master, could possibly handle such a high level ward for such a long period of time. It was obvious to him that it was the female traitor who started this. He could see movement within the house, only shadows yet something was happening. Something had upset them enough to be wandering around at this time of the morning. Amusement was evident in his eyes. He would find a way to get inside. It was only a matter of time.

Because really; how long could a single human keep up the reiatsu to keep such wards powered?

KKTH

It was time to move on. Toushirou was adamant about the fact. They had only been at the house for just over a week, but he felt uneasy. It was one of the rare times Mika had spoken up. She agreed, going as far to say they should have left the night they felt the presence. For once, Toushirou had listened to what Mika was saying and ordered them all to pack their things. Yuuki, not wanting to leave, pitched a royal temper tantrum that left everyone with ringing ears and frayed nerves. Even Karin, the one who had endless amounts of patience for her, told her to get a move on or else. Yuuki had sensed this was not the time to push her mother’s patience and ran into her room, slamming the door as she did.

“She didn’t get that temper from you,” Mika had noted offhandedly.

Both Karin and Toushirou ignored her, too distracted by purging the house of their presence. It was second nature to do this now. The first, and only, time they didn’t remove their presence they had been chased down for weeks. Luckily, Yuuki hadn’t been born then so it was much easier to put themselves in danger in order to avoid detection. Since Yuuki had been born, they’d taken a lot less risks. This was one risk they could not afford to take. Anyone could sense their daughter if they knew what they were looking for. A combined reiatsu smell of both Karin and Toushirou would immediately give away there was a child involved. It would make them more determined to get to them and take Yuuki away, forcing them to cooperate. It was the one thing they debated about when they first found out Karin was pregnant. Was it smart to have a child in their situation? Could they handle the added stress a child would bring them on top of their already high stress levels?

But it didn’t matter anymore. Yuuki was here to stay forever. Take a child away from its mother and you can guarantee there would be hell to pay; especially with Karin as the mother.

Karin went in search of Yuuki, only to find her hiding in the closet. It seemed her momentary outburst of rebellion had brought back fears they would leave her behind again. Neither of them knew where Yuuki got the idea they would ever leave her behind from. They would rather die protecting Yuuki than abandon her. The idea was simply unfathomable.

“Come on, lovely. We’re leaving now,” Karin said softly, holding her hand out to the small girl.

Piercing green eyes stared at her for a moment before she climbed out the closet and into her mother’s secure arms. Yuuki knew they had to leave to keep safe, but she didn’t like the feel of outside. It scared her, like it was going to get them and take her away. Pressing her face into Karin’s neck, she closed her eyes as her mother brought the hood up over her telltale hair and covering the majority of her face. Holding a hand to the back of her head, Karin motioned to Toushirou that they were ready. Looking over to Mika, she watched her as she stared out the window. She was still as water, barely moving.

“Mika?” Karin asked softly.

Mika didn’t seem to hear her, eyes transfixed on something beyond the barrier.

“Mika, we’re leaving,” Karin said a little louder. “Let’s go.”

Shaking her head slowly, she let the curtain drop back into place. Turning to her cousin, Karin could see her eyes blazing blood red.

“He knows we’re here. He knows I am here... and he will kill you all to get to me,” Mika said, her voice eerily calm.

Toushirou’s eyes immediately narrowed, moving to place a protective arm around Karin. Hyourinmaru rested in his hand, ready to defend against any threat.

“Who is ‘he’?” Toushirou demanded, hand flexing around the handle.

“He has no conscience, his sole duty was to ensure my capture and prevent my escape. Kurotsuchi has nothing on the evil that spawned him,” Mika said, eyes unfocused as she remembered.

“Mika! Who is he?” Toushirou snapped; concerned more with who the threat was at this very moment than her past.

Mika focused her gaze on Toushirou, eyes full of sadness and regret.

“He is my son.”