INTRODUCTION

So this is my first fanfic uploaded on this site (I'm a new member). If you like my writing, then that's awesome; if you don't, then it would be greatly appreciated if you did NOT bash me. Rather, constructive criticism given with a mature and positive attitude is encouraged.

A little background info: This takes place partway through the time skip. I'm not entirely sure if all my facts are correct—I did some background research on the Japanese school curriculum but I may still have some continuity errors. If so, please KINDLY inform me of them, but only if you double check the facts yourself as well. I don't have much patience for people who go around blabbing things without doing a background check, and if I were to take the wrong advice and apply it to my work then that would make me triple the idiot (because the person who pointed out my mistake and proceeded to give me more wrong information would be double the idiot).

All Japanese honorifics and titles (ie taicho, -san/kun/chan, etc) and Bleach-specific terminology (ie gigai, reishi, reiatsu, etc) have been transferred to this fanfic but I have refrained from using actual Japanese in the dialogue—I also have little patience for people who write fanfics and milk every single Japanese word they picked up from watching the anime (ahou, baka, urusai, etc). I've seen some people who have even had the nerve to tell people NOT to correct their Japanese, which is the stupidest thing I've ever heard because if you won't accept people's advice then it defeats the purpose of posting fanfiction online. But that rant is for another day. If you're unclear about the terminology, check out Bleach Wiki. It's a wonderful place.

This particular fanfic sort of focuses on Hitsugaya and Karin's relationship as a "looks-like-friendship-but-wait-what's-all-these-little-hints-they're-dropping-how-do-you-explain-that" kind of thing. In other words, I tried to address it as though it were another filler episode in the Bleach series, like the soccer episode and the plus-boy-with-tragic-story-and-wish-for-snowfall episode. I feel uncomfortable doing anything too romantic because I don't want to undermine and distort the original characters too much (although, believe me, I'm a major shipper of HitsuKarin or whatever they're called). I personally believe that anything concretely romantic should be left to people who have a vast and thorough knowledge of the Bleach universe and its characters, so that they can properly create an effective romance between two characters without any fatal changes to their personality—in other words, either die-hard Bleach fans with decent writing skills or Tite Kubo himself. But of course that's just me, many people have no problems with that and I respect their opinion.

NOTE: I do in fact realize that Hitsugaya rarely/never recites the incantation when performing Kidō, but my logic on the matter was that because he was still in his Gigai he needed the extra punch to the spell. Or something.

So there you have it. Thanks for taking the time to read this and also for your consideration should you choose to continue reading and critique my work. Don't take my message the wrong way, I just wanted to make sure I sift out all the idiots before they started looking for the comments box. Any advice you may have me on my work, I will welcome with open arms, so long as they follow the guidelines I listed above. Anyways, hope you guys like it!