How do you do it?

Karin became acutely aware of how sloppy her side of the bedroom was as soon as she led Toshiro inside. She'd insisted on changing rooms to finish talking; sitting in Ichigo's room for too long always made her feel uneasy. Yuzu's desk had textbooks stacked neatly, her pens aligned by size. The edges of her purple comforter were tucked under the mattress and her pillows were freshly fluffed. Toshiro noted the stark difference between the two sides of the room with a raised eyebrow. Almost directly across from Yuzu's poster of Utada Hikaru hung the image of Mia Hamm above Karin's desk. Her bed was made, if not a bit rumpled. But her desk was covered in a mess of half-written on paper and a soccer ball perched on her desk chair.

She cleared the desk a bit, moving the ball so he could take a seat. "Sorry about the mess," She wasn't, really. But it felt like the right thing to say.

He just nodded wordlessly. It was night now; the sun had dipped beyond the horizon a while ago, revealing the veins of stars that ran across the sky.

Karin cleared her throat, trying to remember where she'd left off in her explanation. She'd been trying to explain why her energy was so much more pronounced than before but was having a difficult time of it. As it turned out, she had no idea about the technical terms for it all. She sat across from him on her bed. She'd wanted to sit cross-legged, but realized she'd left her uniform on. Instead, she ran her fingertips along the hem of her skirt absent-mindedly.

"So…" She pouted, "I guess I've been in training?"

He already didn't like the sound of that, but let her continue. His eyes traveled to where her fingers played with her skirt and he noted that she'd gotten taller. Skirts looked significantly shorter on her now than they did when she was thirteen. It seemed there was a lot she hadn't quite adapted to yet, from her newly long legs to her curtains of hair.

"I've been working really hard for the past couple of weeks. I just know some basic stuff, but it's a definite start."

"Basic stuff?" He asked dubiously, "What basic stuff?"

She shrugged, her wide grey eyes looking to the ceiling innocently, "Just some beginning kido. Nothing huge."

"Kido?" He repeated in surprise.

"Urahara-san just showed me some little things. It' not a big-"

His eyebrows knit together in annoyance, "I should've known this would all lead back to him."

"Don't freak, Toshiro." She shook her head, "I promise I know how to hide my reiatsu. I want to avoid attracting hollows as much as you do."

That just made it worse. He closed his eyes in irritation, his tone measured. "Obviously not, since you attracted me here. You're sloppy."

She replied defensively, "I have never had problems before!"

"That you know of!" He snapped, "You were asleep, you idiot! Of course you wouldn't be aware of problems if they happen while you're unconscious!"

"You don't have to shout at me!"

"I'm not shouting!"

They glared at each other for a moment before he had collected himself enough to ask a coherent question.

"Look, obviously you meant well in all of this… What kind of training are you doing?"

She let out a short annoyed sigh before answering, "Just basic defense. I want to be able to take care of my family, Toshiro. In case you haven't noticed, Zennosuke-san kind of sucks at his job. Not to mention, you guys have been avoiding us like the plague since…" Since Ichigo died.

The words were unsaid, but they hung in the air nonetheless.

She shook her head, "I'm using this thing that helps me form kido attacks. It's not a big deal."

That piqued his interest. "What thing?"

Without a word, she held out her right hand, showing him the delicate silver band that wrapped around her finger. His expression changed almost imperceptibly, but the slight angle of his eyebrows was enough to tell Karin she'd done something wrong.

"Urahara-san gave you this?"

"Yes," She tried to shrug it off like it was nothing, "I promise I'm not doing anything radical."

"Take that off right now."

"Wh-what?"

"You heard me,"

"I can't do that,"

"Let me see it again,"

"No," She replied defiantly.

"Karin-chan," He replied, irritation seeping into his voice.

"Fine," She rolled her eyes, holding out her hand. To her surprise, he wrapped his hand around hers and drew her fingers closer to his face, inspecting the ring close-up. His fingers were warm against hers and she was surprised at the firm but gentle grip.

But then he surprised her even more by yanking roughly on her finger.

"What gives?" She demanded, trying to pry her hand loose from his.

He yanked at the ring once more, "It won't come off!"

"I told you I couldn't take it off! You thought I was joking?" She spat, wrenching her hand loose from his. "Urahara-san said it's bonded to me…or something." She looked away from him, shrugging. "Whatever that means,"

Instead of replying, he got out his soul pager and flipped it open. She watched his fingers dance nimbly across the keys as he punched in some kind of message. He shut the device, his facial expression tighter than before. He'd have to deal with this whole ring ordeal in the morning.

"Are…are you going to leave now?" She asked.

He shook his head. "If my theory is right, and you leak reiatsu in your sleep, I should stick around and make sure things are okay."

"Stick around?" She asked, "No way. You're not staying in my room. Yuzu-"

"She won't know I'm here. She can't see me."

He still seemed concerned about her ring, but she didn't ask any more. She was glad to have moved on. "I don't care. You are not watching over me. I'll be fine. I've been fine for weeks."

"Judging by that catnap of yours, I'd just say you were oblivious to how dangerous you are." He shook his head.

She furrowed her eyebrows, her voice raising a touch, "Oblivious? I-"

"Karin!"

The two froze, mid-argument.

"Karin-chan!" Yuzu's voice traveled to them from downstairs. She sounded distressed, her voice quavering as she shouted.

Karin leapt to her feet and moved to the door, "I'm not done discussing this,"

She made her way quietly through the hall. Isshin had gone to bed a while ago, and while he was a deep sleeper she always tip-toed by his door as if she'd wake him. She could sense that Hitsugaya had stepped out into the hall after her, but she didn't stop him. It didn't matter what he was doing: Her sister needed her.

"K-karin…" Her voice was softer now, and Karin could tell it was coming from the living room.

She entered, hearing the low hum of the television. The room was dark except for the flickering glow of the screen. The light fell unevenly across Yuzu's face where she lay curled into a ball on the couch. She'd fallen into an uneasy sleep. Hitsugaya watched Karin as she shook her head, going to turn the television off. She unfolded a blanket from the foot of the couch and put it over her sister's small form. It was a caring gesture he'd never seen her make before.

"Is she all right?" His voice almost sounded too loud to him.

She nodded, still looking down at her sister. "Sometimes she calls me in her sleep. I've never asked her about it though."

It occurred to him that Karin, too, called out to someone in her sleep. Only it was impossible for her someone to answer. She stood with her back to him for quite some time, only illuminated by the light from the kitchen that spilled over his shoulders.

Finally, she spoke. It was quiet, for her. "You can stay the night."

Hitsugaya attempted to settle into his futon as he awaited the return of the oldest remaining Kurosaki child. He had been surprised to see Karin pull the thin mattress from her brother's closet. Now he lay and stared at the ceiling. That ring of hers…it looked remarkably similar to… He couldn't let himself think about it. He'd just have to confront that madman Urahara tomorrow. He couldn't help but be suspicious that the man was taking advantage of Karin's trust. The thought made his fingers contract into fists around the thin blanket.

"Toshiro?" The door swung open, light from the hall spilling across the floor. Karin entered, holding a folded rectangle of fabric. "I was just wondering if you needed an extra blanket."

"No," His voice emerged in a more curt tone than he'd intended.

She ignored it. She set the blanket on her desk and stepped around where he lay across the floor. "I'm going to bed then. Do you mind if I turn off the light?"

"Whatever," The lamplight was so weak it hardly touched the far end of the room anyway. As Karin drew closer to the lamp, he was able to make out her form more clearly. He didn't know what he'd expected the Kurosaki girl to sleep in, but he was surprised at what he saw. Her shorts were thin cotton that were hardly long enough to cover her bum. Many of the things she owned seemed to be from before some growth spurt, and were consequently now the wrong length. But that wasn't the thing that struck him.

It was her shirt.

The colors looked drained in the dim light, but he recognized it still the same. It had belonged to Ichigo. She clicked off the lamp, and turned around to face him. In the moonlight he could make out the words "nice vibe" printed across her chest. Something about it made him avert his eyes.

"What're you looking at, pervert?"

He sat up in shock, "I wasn't looking at anything!"

"Then why'd you look away so quickly?" She raised an eyebrow. "God, even shinigami boys are gross."

"Th-that's not it!" He stammered.

She climbed into her bed, pulling the blankets up to her chest. "I'm sure," She finished sarcastically.

He muttered under his breath, but she didn't quite catch what he said.

After a minute or two of silence, she probed into the darkness, "Are you still awake?"

"Yeah,"

He could hear the hesitation in the breath she drew. "I think…" She paused, "As long as you're here we should play soccer together sometime."

The two statements had been in two entirely different tones and he knew right away she was avoiding saying something. But he didn't feel the need to push it. "If there's time," He allowed.

"We haven't played together in ages," She sounded far away for a moment, before adding with a chuckle, "I bet you've gotten rusty."

He opened his mouth to reply when the bedroom door creaked open. The dim light from the hall felt blinding as it fell across his face and he squinted at the figure. It didn't take long to figure out who it was, by the sobbing sounds they were making.

Karin sat bolt upright in bed, "Y-yuzu?"

Yuzu ran across the room, slamming the door. It was a miracle she didn't step on the Captain's face as she made her way to Karin's bed. Her tears were coming hot and fast and she struggled for breath. Karin peeled back the covers and her sister crawled in.

She wrapped her arms around Yuzu protectively and asked, "Was it one of those nightmares again?"

"N-no!" Yuzu sniffled.

"What is it then?" She closed her eyes and ran her fingers comfortingly through her sister's light brown hair.

"It was a good dream. About Ichigo." She sobbed.

"Then why're you crying?"

"Because I woke up,"

Hitsugaya could see enough through the darkness to watch Karin's eyes pop open in surprise. She pulled her sister in closer to her and held her tightly as she sobbed into her shoulder. He could see Karin's face above Yuzu's shoulder and could see that she bit her lower lip –hard—her eyes closing tightly. This moment wasn't meant to have an audience. He turned over on his side and faced the wall.

"Shhh, Yuzu. Breathe. I'm here, all right?" Karin's voice was softer than he imagined was possible, "Everything's fine,"

"E-everything's not fine," Yuzu stammered.

She didn't have a reply for that. Instead, she held her close until her sobs subsided. Then she pulled back from the embrace a bit, "I'm going to get you a glass of water, okay? I think it'll help."

Hitsugaya listened to the creak of the mattress as the dark-haired sister climbed out of bed. Her footfalls were light across the cold wood floor and grew even softer as they receded down the hallway. He felt too awake.

Yuzu whispered to herself, unaware of the pair of ears listening in the darkness, "I've never seen you cry, Karin. Not even once." She sniffled, "How do you do it?"

AN: This was mostly highlighting how Karin's continued to mature in the face of losing her brother. In a way, she's taken on a bit of his role in the family.

I hope you guys enjoyed it. Any suggestions? Critiques? Death threats? Let me know by leaving a review! Your feedback makes my day!