Thank you to all those people who've reviewed so far! Lazyguy90, Fallen-Yuki and sayo-chan64 for doing so every chapter. Really makes it worth writing. Keep reading, reviewing and enjoying guys!
Ressie

It reminded her back of options day school. There were desks set around with the fuku-taichos, mostly, from each squad. The eleventh was the only exception with Ikkaku and Yumichika there. On arrival back to the academy, they had found lists on the wall of who was to go where. One group would be remaining in the academy, not deemed ready for squad life, the next were all regarded as potential fourth squad and asked to remain in lessons for the next couple of days to learn some more advanced kido. The longest list was to go to another hall, where they were to be inspected by the fukutaichos of the two or three squads the teachers had deemed them most suited to. The final and smallest group stood with Karin in the room she was in now, composed of those who had battled the hollows or who had shown particular prowess during their classes, just over ten in all. They were given about half an hour to discuss with the fukutaichos there and come to an agreement as to what squad they would join. Tomoko and Kage made no attempt to hide their disgust at having to talk to Omaeda. With grim outlooks they moved over to the second squad's section. Maseru had at the first chance run over the Ikkaku and Yumichika and seemed to be in heated discussion with the first, the second could be muttering at how ugly their discussion was. Alone, Karin wondered where her first stop should be, only to be called over by Matsumoto,

"Karin –chan! You thinking of joining us, ne?" Karin gave a small nod, not really wanted to explain the main reason for her doubt when it was standing right in front of her. She loved Matsumoto, and there were moments when she was simply a brilliant fukutaicho, but the majority of the time? It was a miracle Toushiro hadn't killed her, or at least left her in fourth for a week or two. After having a laugh with the busty blonde she moved on to see Renji, as Rukia was currently occupied with talking to a couple of students Karin didn't recognise. The sixth squad fukutaicho had his head on his desk as she approached, undoubtedly wishing he wasn't there. Karin crouched, so her face was level with the surface and poked him in the middle of the head, adding a 'Yo, pineapple' when he didn't respond at first. With that he looked up a grin spreading across his face,
"Karin! Long time no see. How's Soul Society treating ya?" He stretched up and flexed his back, and several pops could be heard. Apparently that was the first time he'd had to actually talk to someone in a while.
"Good, it took a while to get used to a few of the changes but staying with the Kuchikis at first helped."
"Ah, so you're thinking of working under me and Kuchiki-taicho?"
"Possibly," Renji gave a dismissive snort.
"And what other squads are better than this?" His cocky attitude reminded her of her brother, and she couldn't help but laugh a little. They'd flip if she told them to their faces they were like two of a kind.
"Well there's tenth and thirteenth I was thinking of-"
"No fifth?" He asked, raising a tattooed eyebrow.
"I'd love to work with Ichigo but there'd be issues with us being family and that."
"True." Renji leant back in his chair and chuckled, "It'd be like team Kurosaki. But seriously, you should join sixth. It's the only division with two officers capable of using bankai so you'd have the best mentors when it comes to training. You know me and the taicho and we'd look after you but he's still just enough that you'd be treated like a regular officer. Not to mention our barracks are next to fifth so if you do ever need your brother he'd only be a few minutes walk away. What d'ya say?"
"It sounds good, but I'm going to talk to Rukia first before I chose."
"If you must. Remember you can always swap if you don't like it there."
"Oi, I hadn't said I'd picked thirteenth yet," Renji leant forward and ruffled her hair, again reminding her of his similarity to Ichigo.
"Go one then." As Karin walked away she understood all of what Renji was saying, and he was a close friend of Ichigo too, so if Ichigo trusted him, Karin could trust him. Plus he seemed like he could develop into a good friend. Ah well, it was still worth talking to Rukia.

On approach the girls smiled at each other, and began the obvious conversation. Rukia, like Renji, sold her the benefits of her squad before moving on to say that although it would be a benefit to all involved, as almost a sister to Karin, she felt that it would be better for her to join sixth.
"It's just that we're a large squad and there are already a lot of strong personalities in it. Not that you can't deal with it but sixth, you have Renji and nii-sama for guidance, and you're more likely to get the attention to training and battle that you need. I'm pretty much captain of this squad with Ukitake-taicho's illness and if you're anything as strong as Ichigo, you're going to need people with bankai capabilities around you. I say this as a friend rather than a fukutaicho."

Karin nodded, understanding, though something still didn't seem right about a squad, for whatever reasons, trying to turn her away with her high reiatsu and skills. The idea clicked as she got back to Renji,
"Ichigo set you two up to get me to join your squad didn't he?"
Renji blustered uncontrollably, "No. Of course he didn't-" Karin held up a hand to silence him, getting a laugh at his expense.
"At least he seemed to make the right choice for me. You know if I'll be able to see him any time soon?"
"Well it's Friday and he's become a regular member of the Friday Night Drinking Society so if you tag along with us you'll probably get to see him."
"Friday Night Drinking Society," Karin pulled a doubtful expression, "And your taicho knows of this?"
"All work and no play makes even Kuchiki-taicho a dull boy. Not that he joins us much but he lets it happen."
"I'm sure, I guess I'll meet you somewhere in the barracks?"
"Sure thing. See if you can get your mates to come too, would be nice for some of the onmitsukido other than Omeada to have lives."

Looking over where the afore mentioned fukutaicho stood, she could see him hand on hips and chest out, seeming to be boastful of something or other. Couldn't have been too great from the way Tomoko had hidden behind her fringe and Kage seemed particularly interested with the grain of the wooden floor boards he was standing on.

Yeah, they would definitely need the night out tonight.

The bar was just on the outskirts of Sereiti, close enough to Rukongai to get the local produce but protected from its inhabitants. For something that sounded so against the rigorous shinigami lifestyle, there were a surprising number of recognisable people scattered on the tables around Karin. With her sat her fellow three students, Ichigo, Rukia, Matsumoto and Renji. After many stories at the other shinigami's expenses, such as how Ichigo had genuinely tried to hide under a desk when Byakuya had walked in on him and Rukia making out before they'd told him they were together, Renji had let his pride get the better of him and challenged Matsumoto to a kido battle (he lost when his first spell blew up in his face) and how Kira-fukutaicho wrote a drunken love letter to Momo. It was after that he had left for different company, they had broken into the sake, Karin only needing a couple of shots before her head felt lighter. She'd never seen Maseru this open around strangers before either, nor did she realise Kage had been this funny.

They had to have been there at least a couple of hours when the mood started to subdue. Rukia was now sitting on Ichigo's lap with his chin resting on her shoulder, they murmured gently to eachother and he placed the odd kiss on her neck. She saw that Matsumoto had shuffled up closer to Kage, and he showed no signs of turning her away as she leant her head on his shoulder. Renji and Tomoko's heated discussion about tattoos and who's hair was the nicest shade of red and diminished into a warm informal conversation, that left them both with soft smiles on their faces. Maseru had left early in the evening, the good student he was he didn't want to be tired on his first day in the battle loving squad.

Karin felt alone again, like so long ago.

"Yo, Karin, we're heading home now, look after yourself tomorrow," said Ichigo, kissing the top of her head and ebracing her before Rukia did the same and they left. Kage and Matsumoto kept making light conversation with her but she felt like it was an intrusion, excusing herself she left. Renji offered to walk her back to sixth but she declined. As soon as she left the bar she felt a familiar ache in her chest again, and, at a loss, climbed to the roof. Since coming to Soul Society she'd discovered people seemed to have a habit of star gazing when they were troubled and now seemed as good a time as any. Lying back, she looked for answers. Warm and sleepy from the sake, she closed her eye. It wouldn't do her any harm to just have a short nap here, would it? No, that's be fine.

She tucked her arms behind her head, letting out a gentle sigh. Her mood, erratic. She scolded herself, what did she expect after drinking? But drunk she had and sleeping seemed like the best option, however she couldn't help but let out a grunt of annoyance as she heard someone else join her on her roof. They had a strong reiatsu then kept prodding at her consciousness. A lazy grey eye rolled open.

"Karin?" Oh god, she recognised that voice. It was deeper than she remembered but still that sharp but not uncaring tone. She closed her eye again and pretended to be asleep. Toshiro sat down beside her and gave an irate yet amused sigh.

"One evening with her and Matsumoto's already taught you the 'Prentend you're asleep when I'm around trick'?" Karin gave up the game and looked at him with baleful eyes.

"Shut up Toushiro."

He was about to correct her, remind her it was Hitsugaya-taicho, maybe add a jibe about it being a Kurosaki thing to forget that when he caught a look in her eye and mentally backtracked. If he'd learnt nothing else from his fukutaicho over the last ninety years or so, it was how to understand the many faces of a drunk woman, and this one meant problems, "Want to talk about it?"

Karin shook her head, declining. Now, that was the point where Matsumoto normally became a blubbering wreck and Toushiro just sat tight and acted sympathetic until it passed so this was new. There were two options, the first one which his instincts were begging him to do was to run. Fast. Accept that she wanted to stay silent, abandon his search for his subordinate and go back to him room. That or he could do what his heart seemed to be asking of him – stay, help her. Even if it wasn't about what upset her just to get her talking and maybe een lighten her mood, "So… how do you like where you're staying?"

"It's okay. Sharing a room's new but at least there's only two of us."
"Yeah, that'll go once you become a seated officer. Good evening out?"
"Mostly."
"The others all go?" Karin shook her head again and Toushiro sensed he was approaching the problem, "So they're all still in the bar?" A nod. "But you're here, alone." She nodded again.
"Didn't want to get in the way."
"How so, they're your friends?"
"Well Tomoko and Renji were having there own separate conversation, then Matsumoto looked like she wanted to talk to Kira like that," She sensed an anger emanation from Toushiro, "No, not like that, she told me to stay but didn't feel right. So back here alone.

Except I got you Toushiro, you'll be there for me, ne? Be back like when I was a kid and you helped win that soccer game against the middle schoolers." He knew she was intoxicated, but he still found it cute the way she was smiling at him now, and the same protective instinct he'd felt when he saw he injured in that game flared up again.

"Sure."

He smiled back, looking at her properly for the first time since she'd chosen to be a shinigami. Her hair was longer, pulled back into a pony tail mostly whilst shorter bits stayed framing her face. Her childish body had definitely grown into that of a woman, all lean and toned curves. She was still as beautiful and passionate as he remembered. He knew he should have moved away when she scooted up next to him, and he definitely should have pushed her away as she leant on his shoulder, tucking her face into his neck. Her breath tickled over the sensitive skin.

"Karin, I think it's time-" as he nudged her off he saw her eyes were closed again and her light and even breathing for real this time. Carefully scooping her up in his arms he flash stepped to the sixth squad's barracks, searching the corridors until he found a room with her name on it. He listened briefly until he had established that its other occupant was asleep before going in and placing the girl gently on the bed.

He pulled a blanket from one of the shelves and tossed it over, then pulled it up tighter over her shoulders. He knew he shouldn't be doing this. This was a student, yes one he had befriended before, but not just that, Ichigo's sister. As much as he believed himself superior to the fifth captain he didn't want to know what kind of damage he would receive if he saw what Toushiro was about to do next, as he leant closer to the sleeping girl and brushed the loose hair off of her face, before placing a soft kiss on her now exposed kiss.

No, he definitely shouldn't have done that. But still he had, and there was no regret in his smile and he walked out.

As the door shut, the noise lead Karin to open her eyes a crack, and why her cheek felt so cool and whether she was imagining that crisp smell of winter.

Must… make... couples!