A little fun and set up. Again, ideas and plot bunnies are appreciated. I will credit you if I use them.

Disclaimer: Ichigo is overrated. Hitsugaya would be the main character if this was mine.

Chapter One: The Situation

"Karin."

The 19-year-old looked up from the soccer ball she was currently dribbling, brushing a few strands that had escaped the ponytail, from her face. She caught sight of practically fluorescent white hair and startling blue-green eyes and grinned.

"Toushirou! Long time no see!" She kicked the ball over to the short (never say that out loud) boy, who gracefully caught it without even looking. She ran up to him her face flushed from her physical exercise and something else that she would never address, even in her mind. "What are you doing here? Did you get time off?" She tried hard not to sound hopeful.

He nodded in reply to her greeting, his face softening in his own personal version of a smile (which some would say was just him not frowning so deeply and most would say was the same expression he always wore with no change whatsoever.) "I'm on a routine check-up. Soul Society still wants to send only taichos and fukutaichos here. For obvious reasons." He gave a small smirk. Most would be put off by the fierce expression that framed the smirk but Karin knew that his expression was not intentional.

"Cool." She bobbed her head. "So… you have time for a game?" She grinned, snatching the ball away with her foot, taking a few steps back.

He huffed and crossed his arms in annoyance (or at least, anyone but Karin would say was annoyance). "I just told you I was here for work."

"I'm pretty sure I hear the word 'routine check-up'." She bounced the ball on her knee in what she hoped was enticingly. "Meaning, you don't really have any work. Especially with a substitute-shinigami like Ichi-nii living here. He takes care of most everything anyway." She started to bounce the ball back and forth on both knees.

"He's kind of the reason we have these check-ups to begin with." He grumbled but Karin could feel his icy professionalism quickly melting.

She had her own smirk on her lips as she watched him unfold his arms and let his posture relax almost two whole degrees. For him that was the equivalent of lounging on his back in the grass.

"Come on. First to five wins. Just you against me. It's been a while since I've totally dominated you on the field. You and your paperwork."

He raised his eyebrow. "You never 'dominate'."

She allowed the ball to drop to the grass, snorting. "Oh please. The only thing you've got going is your freaky dead guy skills. Without those, I would totally win."

"'Dead guy skills'?" he asked dryly, walking onto the field.

She grinned again. Victory was sweet. She shrugged with fake nonchalance. "Yeah. Dead guy skills. The weird ability to walk on air and teleport."

He darted forward and snatched the ball from Karin, quickly dribbling it away before turning to look at her, his foot resting on it, one eyebrow raised in almost a teasing way. "It's called controlling your reiatsu. But considering your family I understand that that's a foreign concept." He flashed her a smirk before quickly heading off to the goal.

She raced after him, feeling lighter than she had in weeks. Since his last visit if she was being specific. Which she wasn't.

The soccer pair walked companionably along the path on the side of the hill, Karin talking about nothing in particular and Toushirou listening, adding in sardonic and dry remarks every now and then that caused her to laugh. The abused soccer ball was in its netting, slung over her shoulder. He had offered to carry it for her but she was kind of possessive about the ball. They reached the apex of the hill and hopped over the railing, Toushirou casually leaning against, Karin balancing carefully swinging her legs slightly to stay on. The soccer ball sat on the grass between them.

They watched the sunset in its brilliant and vibrant array of reds, yellows, and oranges in comfortable silence. It was a tradition they had inadvertently developed.

She broke the silence first. "How long are you staying this time?" She hated to ask but she knew she needed to mentally prepare herself for the inevitable. He always left. No matter how much she pleaded and begged him in her mind and heart. He had his duties. His life. And she was simply someone he visited occasionally in the human world, like grandma Haru or even Ichigo.

He was silent for a moment longer before he answered. "Not long. A few days at most. Probably just the weekend, realistically." His deep voice was soft as he surveyed the picturesque scene in front of them. "Like you said before, it's just a routine check-up. No real work to do, especially with your brother here." She had never disliked her brother more than at this moment.

The sun was nearing the end of its performance, the shadows elongating and darkening, the sky replacing the brilliant hues for a deeper purple and blue. A few stars could be seen above them.

She didn't reply. There wasn't anything to say. His leaving was inevitable. As inevitable as the sun setting. No matter how much you willed it, it would continue its course, eventually disappearing entirely, leaving nothing but cold darkness and empty hearts in its wake.

At last, the final ray of sun sunk below the horizon, it's glow quickly fading with it. They stayed for a few minutes more, watching the stars twinkly into existence now that the main competitor was gone.

Karin sighed and hopped off the rail, the night chill causing goosebumps along her bare arms as she reached down and picked up her soccer ball. She hopped over the rail, back on the path, before turning back to Toushirou who hadn't moved.

He was staring up at the stars. Karin couldn't see his expression from her angle but his voice had a strange tone to it when he spoke.

"You know, there are always more stars than you realize. You forget about them when the sun is in the way. But in actuality, they are always there. The sun is just closer. Temporarily. But it always leaves. The stars don't. They stay."

Karin was confused. She glanced up at the stars. She always liked the stars. There were so many, each unique, twinkling merrily. They gave off a surprising amount of light. Nothing compared to the sun, but enough. She continued to stargaze while Toushirou spoke again.

"I think people need to appreciate the stars more. The sun is nice but it's not forever. It can't be. The stars are always there. Just waiting for their chance to shine. Waiting to be noticed."

Karin looked back at Toushirou. He was no longer looking at the stars. Instead he was looking down at his own feet, a strange sadness seemed to emanate from him. Finally, he turned to look at Karin, his eyes shining in the starlight. "Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

She blinked. "Not even a little bit." She pulled a face as he looked annoyed at her response. "You're being weird Toushirou. What's wrong?"

He shook his head and climbed over the railing to join her, leading the way down the path to her house. He always walked her home. She always tried to not read anything in it.

After a brief pause, she jumped after him, catching up and walking next to him. "I know what's wrong."

"Nothing's wrong Karin."

She brushed him off. "It's okay Toushirou. I get it." She said seriously. He paused, turning his head to look at her.

"You do?" He asked uncertainly, feeling strangely suspicious of her serious expression as she nodded solemnly.

"Yes." She said, her tone even. She looked him straight in the eye and he could see a teasing gleam in them. "It's that time of the month for you, isn't?"

His expression dropped into a deadpan stare. She kept up her own serious expression for only a few seconds longer before busting up laughing.

He snorted and continued down the path, he hands jammed in his pockets. She kept pace with him easily, snickering slightly. She slung her arm over his shoulder good-naturedly, pointedly ignoring the weird anti-heat he always gave off that caused more goose-bumps that had nothing to do with the actual temperature.

"It's okay Toushirou. I understand. Truly." She teased. "Yuzu also gets weird and emotional during that time. She can't help it."

He glared at her but didn't bother to remove her arm. She could see the ever so slight smile at her teasing when they passed under a light. She grinned to herself.

She had wanted to get him out of his weird mood and she had succeeded. She had an uncomfortable feeling that she knew exactly what Toushirou had been saying about the stars. And she didn't like it.

I love my OTP. They are adorable. Review please. Criticism is appreciated.