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Echo Ch.2: Everytime We Touch

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Echo

Chapter 2:

Every Time We Touch

Matsumoto raised her glass, ice cubes clinking, and downed it in one. Slowly, she tilted her head towards her smaller, dark haired companion, lips quirking up slightly. "Karin…"

The smaller woman glanced up gradually, gazing into Matsumoto's large, blue eyes, filled with an emotion she found herself beginning to understand. "Mmmm?"

"Do you," Matsumoto slurred, swirling the last few droplets of her drink, "know what it feels like when a perfect fairytale burns? Goes up in a puff of smoke?"

Turning, Karin blinked away the exhaustion, suddenly so utterly worn out, so tired of everything.

"I do..." she muttered bleakly. "It's funny, though. I've always thought it was dumb, can you believe it? I've always thought those sobbing girls were idiots…" She shut her eyes, bringing a hand to support her temple. "And no one's in any position to judge, especially not me." She brought her glass to her lips, gulping down the liquid, the feeling of it burning her throat; and she felt somewhat better, somewhat more whole, if only temporarily. "It's funny how many things I was wrong about, now that I think about it…misjudgments, misconceptions, mistrust…I've never felt more wrong in my life." She chuckled darkly, brushing away imaginary dirt on her angelic white dress. "I feel like…I just aged a century…"

"Karin." Matsumoto said quietly. "You're young; too young for all of this-" She closed her eyes. "—I could have done something."

"You've done more than enough for me, Rangiku-san," said Karin gently, "For one, you saved me back there. Without you, I would've suffocated, or been trampled on…" She received a small, genuine smile this time.

They lapsed into a long, comfortable silence this time, sometimes interrupted by the occasional clanking of glasses and mindless chatter around them at the bar.

"Do you know why I like to drink, Karin-chan?"

The younger girl looked up at this. "Why?"

The strawberry blonde haired woman smiled, a bitter expression, and at that moment she looked a lot older than her years.

"Because every time I drink, I find myself forgetting one more thing." She gulped down the strong, burning liquid, relishing the feeling. "Alcohol is a miraculous thing, no?"

"Ah…" Karin's lips quirked, and her eyebrows furrowed slightly. "What do you still remember?"

A pause.

Matsumoto shifted until she was leaning back against the bar stool, and she was silent for a long moment.

"I remember…"

Karin studied her face intently.

"I remember…he was always there for me. Always saving me. Always taking my burden. Always taking the blows for me…" A silver droplet flowed down Matsumoto's face, and she quickly wiped it away. "This time, he's saved me again. And now he's gone." She croaked, voice cracking. "And I couldn't do anything about it, just like another bystander…once again…" Her voice broke.

And Karin couldn't stop the flow of tears down her face. What could she say? What could she do for her Rangiku-san?

"Rangiku-san…"

Matsumoto glanced up slowly, gaze steady and unblinking. "And you know what, Karin-chan?" She paused. "Some things…you can never forget. No matter how much you drink." She raised her glass. "Cheers."

Karin swallowed down the gigantic lump in her throat, watching her drinking companion cope; in her own way, and not quite knowing what to say. The busty woman stood up suddenly, carefully straightening her raven black dress, which featured straight tubes of silk that ended in two inches of of ribbon fringe.

It was a gift from him.

"I'm singing the next song, I believe," Matsumoto said quietly. After one last half broken, half healing smile to Karin, she began towards the center of the dance floor, a chocolate martini in one hand.

Karin turned around, leaning on the polished counter, and just sat.

Matsumoto's situation was 10 times worse. Simply because- she and Ichimaru were meant to be. And even so, they were cheated out of the happy ending that was supposed to be theirs. She sipped at Matsumoto's discarded scotch, coughing at its burn.

But as for herself…

A soft, sweet piano melody began to play, and Matsumoto's normally syrupy voice resonated through the club.

"I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me

I still feel your touch in my dreams

Forgive me my weakness but I don't know why

Without you it's hard to survive—"

This song…

A little part of Karin was confused. Why did Matsumoto pick such a happy, hopeful song-? It couldn't be...

"Cuz every time we touch,

I get this feeling

And every time we kiss,

I swear I can fly

Can't you feel my heart beat fast,

I want this to last-

Need you by my side-


Your arms are my castle your heart is my sky

They wipe away tears that I cry

The good and the bad times we've been through them all

You make me rise when I fall-"

Karin blinked, biting her lip.

Her Rangiku-san still hoped, still had faith, no matter how little there was left. It was still there...inside...

And then a though struck her like a tornado.

Why shouldn't Matsumoto have hope? Karin bit her lip harder. Matsumoto's fears were not confirmed...In fact, her situation was so utterly different from hers...Yet it still felt practically the same...

Because Matsumoto couldn't be sure.

Despite herself, Karin brightened slightly. Matsumoto just might get that happy ending that she'd been drinking herself to forget...Please, please oh please let Matsumoto figure everything out...and live happily ever after...If it was anyone who deserved a happy ending, it was Matsumoto.

Listening to the song, something changed within Karin.

For the first time in a long time, she felt...a little less broken. Maybe it was just the rounds of drinks that were a little too strong; maybe it was the yearning, yet optimistic music; and maybe it was the look in Matsumoto's eyes as she sang.

But Karin finally decided to move on. To let go, to forget. In the end, she was still strong-

"Karin."

She froze. No, it couldn't be...

"Karin..."

She turned around slowly, and looked up into a pair of familiar, blue-green irises. Her own face was chalky from too many late nights, but he looked ready for a press conference. His silver hair was crisply cut, and of course, with his tie charmingly askew, top few buttons undone. For the first time in her life, she blanked out. It was as if she were disconnected from her body, her mind, and her heart, floating to the other side of the room, and watching herself struggle with too many different emotions...

Did he come back to dig further into her wounds?

"We need to talk, Karin."

The glass in her hand slipped, and smashed into a billion glittering pieces on the polished marble floor. It was funny -Karin had envisioned the time they would meet again, many times. She always pictured herself too pained, too broken to do anything. She had even decided to move on. But now...looking at him...

She was tired.

And she found her voice.

"There's nothing to say...Hitsugaya-" She kneeled, carefully pushing sharp pieces of stray glass into a neat pile. Surprising herself once again, her voice was even. "-san." She said flatly, watching herself struggle, watching herself trying to decide whether to cry, beg, or run.

A professionally manicured hand snatched her wrist, the grip so familiar, so forbidden, so yearned for, she didn't immediately jerk her hand away.

"Karin..." A less cynical person would believe honest pain tightened the corner of his mouth. "Listen, Karin...It's all over now. I ended it all with Hinamori, and we can be together now-"

A fury began to burn inside her, and she was almost too angry for words. "You sound sincere. You look sincere. But I don't buy a single fucking word."

And she surprised herself, again. But she had a feeling that the reason she wasn't sobbing her eyes out at that very moment was because she was too mad to think.

He wanted to break her heart all over again.

"Just listen, Karin. " He jammed his hands into his pants pockets. "Sereitei's already mine, what other motives could I have?"

White, hot rage coursed through her veins, bringing to life a fury that has been buried inside her ever since the moment she realized that everything was a lie, that nothing was real. And it blocked out all the months of hurt, tears, and helplessness. "Let's begin with your image. You, the mighty Histugaya Toshiro, new CEO of Sereitei, Entertainment, has always been seen as the gorgeous, generous, prodigy. When it gets out that the wonderful Hitsugaya-taicho married the Kurosaki girl, then ditched her for beautiful, glitzy supermodel Momo Hinamori, after he had a hand in her inheritance-"

"It wouldn't matter."

"-all hell will break loose."

"It wouldn't matter."

"And why is that?"she challenged, so mad that everything else felt numb.

"Because I quit."

Karin stared.

"Karin, Sereitei and Naikkomeddo were everything I had ever worked for. Being the head of the Entertainment business was everything I thought I had ever wanted." He paused, teal eyes piercing her own. "And then I met you...It might sound somewhat strange, coming from me, but...You changed me. And you flipped my world upside down in the process."

She continued to gape at him, too stunned for words. It was everything he had ever worked for...

...and he threw it all away.

A hope began to spread in her chest...too quickly...

"And I don't want anything, Karin...but you..." A genuine smile touched upon his lips.

She believed him. Because...

"Every time we touch, I get this feeling

And every time we kiss,

I swear, I could fly

Can't you hear my heart beat fast,

I want this to last,

Need you by my side..."

...and she had hoped.

He stepped closer, holding out his arms. And she couldn't feel anything -no more pain, disbelief, anger- but the joy spreading through her, starting from her toes to a tingling in her fingers. She inhaled, and smiled through her tears.

"Every time we touch, I feel the static,

And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky

Can't you hear my heart beat slow, I can't let you go

Want you in my life-"

She took the last few steps, and threw her arms around his neck, and he grabbed her fiercely. She squeezed her eyes shut, too shocked, too happy to say anything.


"Your arms are my castle

Your heart is my sky

They wipe away tears that I cry

The good and the bad times

We've been through them all

You make me rise,

when I fall-"

And it felt right.
This is chapter 2 of Echo, a two-shot that I wrote that is currently on fanfiction. I hope you enjoyed! ^^
PLEASE READ CHAPTER 1 BEFORE YOU READ THIS!

Also, this is an entry for the HitsukarinFC's weekly prompt; music.
© 2011 - 2024 chocomarshmallow
Comments6
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RoroHetalia's avatar
Love it!So many emotions...and its so beauthiful,great job here !