A/N: Though I like HitsuKarin, I also like diversity. There isn't much of that, so this is to help with the Karin/Other people pairings numbers. The first ever Jinta/Karin fic! Please enjoi!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

0—Face down—0

She tossed and turned in her bed, her eyes scrunched shut tightly, hoping for sleep to come soon. She couldn't help but feel that this was going to be the death of her. This was his fault. She scowled. If he hadn't somehow managed to charm his way into her life, none of this would be happening! If only he hadn't showed her that side of himself!

Hanakari…She groaned, clutching at the thin fabric that was stationed over her breasts. Why did it have to be him? Why? It was no secret; Jinta was in love with her sister, Yuzu. There was never to be anything beyond the friendship that they had developed over the many years of hollow hunting together while Ichigo was off being squad five's new taicho.

They were no longer the children that they once were when they met each other. She smirked. She used to be so much taller than him, almost a complete foot. However, when they turned thirteen, he seemingly sprang a few feet up in a matter of nights, and now, three years later, he was taller than life. She barely came up to his shoulders despite being tall for a girl herself. He'd tease her mercilessly for it.

They also grew their hair out, though it was much more noticeable on her. When left out of her usual messy buns, it reached her lower back, its ebony hue always seemingly shining. His hair grew out and out of that unusual style that he thought was 'cool' and now, even she'd admit, had an amazing hair style. It was longer than Ichigo's yet it still managed to spike every which way (think of Axel from Kingdom Hearts).

They still liked their respective sports though. She was still passionate about soccer while he was insanely obsessed with baseball, using their skills to kill hollows, which she'd admit was getting easier as they grew older. They have gotten so good that they both didn't even need to accompany each other when slaying those heartless creatures.

Karin twitched once again. She was going to stop hanging out with him. She had to. Though she liked him, he was her friend first and foremost. She'd let him be happy and confess to Yuzu when the time came. She wouldn't interfere. She had more pride than that.

0—Break—0

"Kurosaki, what the hell is your problem?" Jinta's voice, which was once high pitch and irritating, was now deep and sexy in Karin's opinion. He climbed onto the roof of her house, where she had came earlier as soon as she watched him enter the house with Yuzu. She had invited him over for dinner it seemed. "You didn't even give me a little 'hello Jinta, how's it goin'. Is something bothering you?"

"…" Her coal eyes flicked away from his form begrudgingly. She convinced herself that she wasn't going to interfere, but that didn't mean that she intended to watch them slowly grow closer to one another! "Iie." She responded gruffly, turning on her side so that her back was to him.

"Hmph. I was just being a good friend trying to check up on you and you act like this? You're lame."

She ignored the sting that came with the word 'friend' and snorted at the weak name calling. "Lame? Heh, dobe. What are you, ten?"

"Heh, heh. Not at all. I just wanted to see what was wrong. Evidently it couldn't have been that bad if you're laughing at that sad attempt. I hadn't even started with the 'your otou' jokes." He chuckled and sat back, his eyes glued on the horizon where the sun was slowly setting.

"Hmph. Go ahead. I wouldn't have been offended." She rolled her eyes. "That man hasn't aged one day since Ichi-nii left."

"…You still miss him, ne?"

She rolled back so that she would face him, misjudging how close he had sat next to her; her head smacked into his hard bicep, startling her. She ignored the frantic dance of her heart, and scowled up at the teen. "Of course I do! He's my aniki! Why wouldn't I miss him?"

The redhead's eyes focused on her face briefly before sliding away. "Just a question. I thought that maybe that was what was bothering you."

He's still on about that? She thought with wonder before sliding away as unnoticeably as she could. "Don't bother worrying yourself over that." She sighed, her eyes flicking over to the sky that was a mix between orange and azure. "There's nothing that you can do to help it." Nothing that I can do for it either. She felt like frowning but managed to keep her face neutral. "You should be heading back in. I'm sure that Yuzu-chan is waiting for you."

Jinta cocked his head to the side in obvious confusion. "Didn't you notice that Yuzu-chan left an hour ago?"

She lifted a thin brow. "Really? Where did she go?"

He leaned back so that he was lying next to her. "She's out on a date."

"Eh?" She sat up so fast that she grew a little dizzy. Ignoring the feeling, she studied him briefly. "I'm so sorry Jinta. I didn't know that she-."

"What are you apologizing for?" His eyes slid shut. "I gave up on her a long time ago."

Eh? "R-Really?" She cursed herself for allowing her voice to stutter like that—she wasn't desperate or anything.

"Hai." One eye opened and slid up her form to land on her face before he released a groan. "What is it with you Kurosaki's? Are all of you this dense?" His tanned hand reached up and brushed her hair that had fallen from the ponytail out of her face. "I thought that I was being obvious here too."

She felt her face heat up. Could he possibly mean that..? "What are you talking about, Jinta?"

He sighed, silence stretching for several moments before he met her gaze. "I like you Karin."

"Since when?"

"Hm…"He held up fingers as if counting. "Four years." He finally answered.

Her eyes bugged. "Four years?" They had met when they were ten, and now they were sixteen. So he's liked her since they were twelve? All too soon, the mood was dampened by her sudden anger. She's been pushing him away for nothing? "Why didn't you tell me sooner, you baka?"

"What, and end all of our fun?" He asked sarcastically. "I'm not an idiot. You didn't start liking me until the beginning of this year. If I had told you any sooner, you wouldn't have believed me."

"…" He did have a point. There was no way she would've believed him if he had told her even last year. He was Hanakari Jinta, her rival. The thought of him loving her would've been ludicrous. She probably would've laughed, thinking that he was joking around as usual, and he knew it.

"…So what do you plan on doing now, Karin?" Jinta's voice broke through the silence. He himself wasn't sure how she'd react, even if she did like him back. However, she seemed to be taking it quite calmly…

"…"

"Karin?" He turned, only to gasp in surprise as she was suddenly up next to him, her onyx eyes flashing mysteriously.

"I'm not that experienced when it comes to letting people know my emotions and stuff," she said, meeting his gaze. "But I have to say it out loud for it to feel real, Jinta."

He watched curiously as she took a deep breath, obviously steeling herself up. He wouldn't rush her. Hell, he wouldn't even force her to say the words as long as she just accepted them from him.

"Jinta, I…I love-."

"MY DEAR KARIN-CHAN, SO THIS IS WHERE YOU'VE BEEN HIDING?" Isshin suddenly appeared above them, his arms outstretched towards the female with tears cascading down his cheeks. "COME AND GIVE YOUR TOU-SAN A BIG OLD-?"

"GEH? You damn old man!" She leapt up into the air and slammed the man with an axe kick. "We were having a moment and everything, and you had to ruin it!"

Jinta watched the exchange with a blank look on his face, already quite used to this common occurrence in the Kurosaki family. Hm…Just when she was about to say it too…oh well. He smirked, one hand resting under his chin as he watched the one-sided fight between the two family members. I waited four years to hear it, what's a few more minutes?

"GET OUT OF HERE YOU DAMN OLD MAN!"

A sweat drop appears on the back of his head. I hope she's not going to start doing that to me…

0—Face down/End—0

A/N: SO this sounded better in my head now that I'm reading it over…Oh well, thanks for reading! I hope that this inspires people to write Karin/Other people fics as well!