Disclaimer! I do not own Bleach or any other copyrighted material.

Prologue

There was an air of peace surrounding the young pair as they leaned against the guardrail, their gazes set on the orange-pink horizon.

However, there was a tinge of dread leaking through such serenity, emanating from the ivory haired counterpart, and it had the young girl worried.

She knew where his train of thought had ventured, what was causing the nearly permanent crease of his brow and the gleam of anxiety in his eyes; she had demanded information long before, been persistent until either he or her brother confessed, and now, with such knowledge, consciousness of what was truly going on, she was at a loss of what to do, what to say.

She felt inferior in that capacity, and it angered her.

To know that people she cared for were in such a predicament and that she could do nothing more than sit at home, safe and sound, while they fought forces beyond earth's recognition, well, that just didn't sit well with her at all. Not her pride nor her conscience, and all she wanted to do was hold onto them for dear life; to hold them hostage until it was all over..

"Karin?"

But she couldn't, even if she tried, and it pained her heart more than words could say.

"Yeah?"

His hesitance to continue coaxed her into meet his eyes, teal depths full of uncertainty, and her brow furrowed with question. Although, even before he averted his gaze to the skyline once again, she knew what his next words were,

"The war is starting soon." His tone was as cool and even as ever, but his vexation, albeit low-levelled, was prominent. "And... I might not make it," he paused, putting his next words together carefully, "this could very well be the last time we see each other."

Her heart sank.

She had become quite attached to the young captain throughout the year and a half they had known each other, and even though his visits were scarce, each was special to her. He was special to her. Beyond his cold demeanor and ever present pessimistic, grumpy attitude, he was an extraordinary person. Her first true friend. And the thought of losing him was, unbearable, to say the least. And now, with his sudden statement, one he seemed to have made with a backbone, she felt her eyes sting, threatening to well with tears.

However, despite her woe, she felt even more angry, and that emotion was projected through her fist as she whacked him upside the head. "Toshiro Hitsugaya! I will not have you talking like that!"

It was a glare of both bewilderment and chagrin that he cast upon her. "You have to be confident!" she asserted firmly, unfazed by his glower. "Confidence is key."

At that, his eyes softened and his mouth twitched with newfound amusement. "'Confidence is key'?" he repeated with a tinge of mockery and raised a frosty brow. "Really Karin?"

"What?" she shrugged, lips curling into a smirk, mirroring his own. "I read it on a bumper sticker.."

"Ah," he nodded, tone dripping with sarcasm, "well, can't deny the wisdom of a 'bumper sticker', now can I?"

She forced a scowl. "Shut up!"

A soft chuckle escaped him. "But you're right," he admitted, casting her another glance. "I have to be optimistic if I intend to win."

Her grin returned full force. "And you will," her tone rang with assurance. "Those Espada bastards don't stand a chance."

He merely smirked, oddly appeased by her declaration.

It was rather blasphemous that a thirteen-year-old human girl could cause him such alleviation, but, then again, that was what drove their friendship. Her view of the world and her perspective of reality was refreshing to him, so much that he'd made several unnecessary trips to the Human World in the past year just to 'coincidentally' run into the raven-haired Kurosaki twin.

He'd never admit it out loud, but he found her quite amazing.

Toshiro's mouth parted with pending words, perhaps of gratitude, but the sound of his phone halted his precedent, and with an inward sigh, he answered - "Yes?" he frowned almost instantly, eyes hardening once again. "I see.. I'll be right there."

He turned back to Karin, who had already climbed back over the rail and was now loitering on the pavement, scuffing the toe of her sneaker against the cement - an act she did out of anxiousness, he'd noted.

He was soon in front of her, prompting the meeting of their eyes with the needless announcement: "I have to go."

She inclined her head, chewing her lower lip and wringing her hands slowly, then, with the essence of a smile, she closed the distance, bringing him into an embrace.

His eyes widened on reflex, but he wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her, feeling both joy and sadness at the gesture, and her own hold on him tightened, a full fledged smile spreading.

It was the first time they'd ever hugged. She liked it.

To let it last any longer would make for her 'hostage' plan to take effect, and so, with one last doting squeeze of his shoulders, she drew back- but not before planting a kiss on his cheek.

She felt his skin heat up against her lips, and with a smirk, she uttered her words of farewell, her voice an almost whisper, "I'll see you later."

Without another look, she retracted herself, turned on her heel, and ran off in the opposite direction, leaving a pink-faced shinigami captain in her wake.

"Bye Hitsugaya-kun! Kuchiki-san! See you later Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime called, receiving waves from said soul reapers before she, and her new roommate, entered their apartment and shut the door.

The three of them began walking once more, in the direction of the Urahara shop for their gigais, and eventually - "I can't believe she brought him home."

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Let it go already, Ichigo."

He shot her an incredulous glare. "Have you forgotten that he killed me?! Twice!"

"No, I haven't," she affirmed with the makings of a scowl. But instead, she merely smirked. "But, honestly Ichigo, you've died like, what? Four, five times?" His glare magnified, and she shrugged noncommittally, setting her gaze on a distant point. "Don't be so dramatic."

He could hit her right then and there, yet he refrained, and simply crossed his arms over his chest, ignoring her presence. His gaze soon landed on the white-haired captain walking a few paces ahead of them, and his brow furrowed. "Er.. Toshiro, what are you doing here? I mean, shouldn't you be up in Soul Society?"

"That's Captain Hitsugaya to you," he corrected coldly, shooting the taller man an icy glance. "And I have important matters to attend to here."

With that, Toshiro disappeared by way of shunpo, and Ichigo scratched his head dubiously. "What the hell does he mean by that?"

Hunched over her desk, Karin stared blankly at the books before her and chewed on the end of her pencil, her mind focused on issues that had absolutely nothing to do with quadratics.

It had been what felt like ages since she last saw him, and her heart swelled at the possibility she would never see him again. It was wrong to think that, she knew, as the very thought betrayed her confidence in him, but she couldn't help it. Her patience, as well as her fortitude, was wearing thin, and vexation was taking it's place.

In utter frustration, she let out an exasperated groan and ground her teeth into her pencil, putting dents in the wood.

This chagrin soon dissipated, however, when she felt a sudden breeze waft through the room, followed by an unmistakable voice, "Homework at the last minute?" he 'tsked'. "As always..."

Her heart audibly skipped and she whirled her chair around, her eyes instantly settling on Toshiro Hitsugaya, in all his undead glory, sitting on her window sill.

He smirked at her bewildered expression. "Hey Kurosaki."

"Toshiro!" she exclaimed, radiating with enthuse as she practically leapt from her desk to the bed and brought him into a chokehold, swinging his slightly larger frame back and forth as if he were a common ragdoll. "I'm so relieved!"

His eyes widened even further when she drew back and grasped the collar of his hoodie, appearing to be looking him over. "Are you alright?" she questioned with a tinge of concern. "I mean, you look alright.. or do gigais hide wounds?"

"I'm perfectly fine," he attested, curling his hands around both her wrists and pushing them back with gentle force. "I wouldn't be here if I were still injured."

He would refrain from telling her the gory details, and she didn't press any further, as her concern shifted with a frantic inquiry - "Where's Ichigo?!"

"He and Rukia are on their way -" he paused for a millisecond, "- they're here now."

Karin had bolted from the room and down the stairs so fast he swore she'd used shunpo, and with a sigh, Toshiro abandoned his place on the bed as well, following suit in a leisurely manner.

"Ichigo!" He heard her greet excitedly, and reached the foyer just in time to see a rather shocked Ichigo being straddled by his younger, much smaller sister.

Next to the reunited siblings, Rukia was grinning, and she soon shot the tenth's captain a knowing look, of which he ignored, with the ruling that whatever was going through her mind was completely false, and silently leaned against the adjacent wall, crossing his arms over his chest with indifference.

The eldest Kurosaki child staggered once he was let out of the near-death inducing embrace, and once composed, he let out a warm chuckle. "Good to see you too, Karin."

Said girl beamed up at her brother and exchanged simple pleasantries with Rukia before swivelling around to regard her proclaimed best friend, grin still intact, and he couldn't help but return it with a faint smile of his own.

It was only then that Ichigo took notice of the fourth presence and immediately pointed an accusatory finger. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

Toshiro's cold glare bore into the hot-headed shinigami. "That's none of your concern."

"Bullshit!" Ichigo refuted with broad hazel eyes. "You're in my house!"

"Ichigo," Rukia intervened and grabbed his arm in a restraining manner. "Shut up."

"But Rukia!" he practically whined, his stance unwavering, but before he could say anything else, Rukia yanked him down to her level and whispered into his ear. His face prominently brightened and he straightened up once more, shooting Toshiro one last look. "We're not done here."

At that, he let himself be dragged upstairs by his girlfriend, leaving the young pair alone once more, and Toshiro merely shook his head in annoyance. "Your brother.. is extremely disrespectful."

"That is his way.." Karin concurred with a chuckle and approached him. "So.." he met her gaze then, of which was gleaming with hope, "are you staying a while?"

A second thought was unnecessary and he simply nodded, receiving an instant grin. "Great!" she practically skipped down the hallway. "I'll make us some pancakes!"

His smile was insuppressible, and once again, he followed her lead, taking his place at the kitchen table whilst she went about preparing their 10 o'clock feast.

"Hey Karin," her honey-blonde fraternal twin addressed several minutes later as she entered the room. "I just got done helping Dad-" Yuzu paused when she regarded the boy sitting at the table, and her eyes widened, "Toshiro!" she clapped her hands together, her mouth spreading from ear to ear. "Does that mean Ichi-nii is back?!"

Karin cast her sister a grin and nodded, "Yeah, he's upstairs- Yuzu!" she bolted to the threshold, spatula still in hand. "Wait, don't go up there! He and Rukia are-'

"AH!"

"YUZU!"

The sound of a door slamming was followed by Yuzu's frantic tones as she ran down the stairs, "I'm sorry! I swear I didn't see anything!" Then added for unnecessary measure: "Glad you're back, brother!"

Karin exhaled and slapped a hand to her face, shaking her head. "Honestly..."

"You're pancakes are burning," Toshiro stated flatly, breaking her from her trance, and she bolted back to the stove with an immediate groan of anger, attempting to salvage her food. Whilst he just watched in amusement, 'this family is... ridiculous.'

A/N: I've made Karin 13 in this, instead of the canon age of 11, and the next chapter takes place three years later.

Hope you enjoyed and please review!