AN: Oh my gosh, I wrote something for this story! Is anyone else excited too? Haha. Unfortunately, I had a bit of writer's block, but since I had some time and I was inspired by another fic that I couldn't help but start, it lit a candle under me and got me interested in working on this one again.

Thank you's for this chapter (because they're so overdue!):

Ultimate Black Ace: Aww, but I really appreciated the suggestion. :) I hope you like this chapter and I certainly hope it was worth the wait.

Freezheer: I actually only read the beginning chapters of the new arc but I got bored. I guess I'm more of an animation girl. Haha. Thanks for reviewing~

RavenBlack: I really do try and make the HitsuKarin feel real, so I'm glad you like their interactions so much. And Nel is just the most amazing plot device ever. Haha. She's so useful.

AnneRose: I LOVE YOU TOO~ =D

Shiro00Kuro: I wish Kudo Tite would give me couples that lived at this point, even if it's not HitsuKarin. Haha. But I agree. I think Karin would inject a lot of awesomeness into Bleach.

Empresseror88: Thank you so much! Wow, I didn't realize that I wrote Hitsugaya a bit differently than most, but I see him as a stubborn guy so I make him one. Haha. I hope this has a little more romance for you~

Liliv00: I play with that idea quite a bit. You'll see~

Spark your Creativity: I've gotten much better just over the last year or so, so it's nice to hear that people appreciate the changes and developments I've undergone to get where I am so thank you. :D

Mary-goround: I hope I live up to the expectation. =D

Ellie22: Thank you! I'll always be here, just typing away so please enjoy this part too!

Oumi: Here you go! Hope it was worth the wait. *fingers crossed*

Black Rose: In my mind, Yuzu was always the scarier twin. LOL! Please enjoy this chapter too~

Warnings: I didn't put Ichigo in this part but I will include him in the next one. Sorry guys! This got a little long and if I'm gonna end it in the next part, I needed to save his cameo for later. :)

Chapter Four: Makeshift Family

From lunch onward, the day was just one travesty after another.

After a tongue whipping that could've put a Catholic school teacher to shame, Karin had all but commanded that Toushirou go to Urahara's and find out what he could do for their new guest. And while he'd tell anyone who asked that he put up a grand ol' fight against the Kurosaki girl, in truth he was a bit terrified of the look she gave him, one he was sure only the soutaichou could use but saved for dire moments. But, with a former Espada breeching what should be human-only territory, he supposed beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Ara? Is this what I think it is?" Urahara asked behind his white paper fan, looking down at the blue-haired child perched on Hitsugaya's shoulder (she had adamantly refused anything other than a piggyback ride before they'd left). Clinging to the black kosode, her head peeked out just over the edge before Hitsugaya grabbed her by the neck of her cloak and dangled her in front of the shop keeper. Between them, a snot bubble popped in hello.

Hitsugaya only had two words for the former captain. "Fix this."

"Now that's not nice at all, Hitsugaya-kun. Poor Arrancar-chan isn't broken." He smirked openly as he took the wriggling child into his arms, her quiet protests over now that she was wrapped in a strong pair of arms. Staring up at the man with light stubble on his chin, her big brown eyes watched as he continued to irritate the young shinigami.

The muscles in Hitsugaya's eyelid contracted abnormally. "That isn't what I meant and you know it."

Deciding that there was still more fun to be had with the current turn of events, Urahara gestured for Toushirou to follow him inside to relay what happened in full. For the rest of the school day, he had to explain Nel's appearance, decide what they should do with her until they could bring her back and find her a proper gigai until her ride home was prepared. But with Nel's excitable energy, Urahara's penchant for mischief and Tessai's weakness for compliments on just about anything, Toushirou felt like he was in a circus more than a secret headquarters for covert soul reaper operations. Then again, with the shelves stocked with candy and the other rooms lined with Kisuke's other damned inventions, he supposed it made sense to some extent.

"Remember to tell Karin-chan that the Garganta will be ready in, oh, about thirty hours from now." Glancing at his watch, Kisuke nodded with a dopey grin on his face, just as Jinta and Ururu were coming up the walkway that splintered off from the main street. Noting that it was a little past three, Toushirou realized that schools were beginning to be released. As he said goodbye with a slight tilt of his head, both him and Nel treaded down towards Karakura High, suited in their respective faux bodies. Now settled into her new form, the pretty hollow looked much more like human child—though her coloring was nearly as outrageous as the shinigami boy's—as she waved goodbye to her new favorite candy shop owner, sucking on a lollipop as they departed.

"Oi, Manager, are you sure you got that right?" Jinta asked, as the overly muscled boy toed off his shoes and entered into the main living area while the other stood in front to greet Ururu.

He chanced a perplexed glance at the younger man. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, doesn't it only take a few minutes to open that Garganta thing, especially after all the so-called 'special upgrades' you did over the last few years?" The suspicion in his eyes was heavy as the other tapped his folded fan against his head, acting as if he was quite befuddled with the news. But that was all it was, an act, and both of the teenagers knew it.

"Did I say 'hours'? I meant minutes! Oh my, in my old age I'm getting more and more forgetful. Not nearly as sharp as I was when I was a hundred. Ah well, they'll be back tomorrow so no harm done." Looking oddly pleased with himself, the young wards could only watch their surrogate father return to his room with sweat drops lining their brows, wondering why they continued to put up with this man's strangeness.

Well, for one thing, the food was good…

Sighing deeply as she was finally released from her hellish history class, Karin could only thank Kami that she'd managed to survive the day in its entirety. As soon as she'd gotten back to class after skipping out on lunch with her friends, she'd promptly ignored any of the questions thrown her way, didn't say a word in PE (though she had been dying to tell her teammates to pass the damn ball) and rushed out of class like a bat out of hell before they could corner her again.

Even Yuzu was getting the 'cold shoulder' treatment, as she asked her sister to wait for her until their class meeting ended so they could walk home together, but Karin had rushed by with the excuse that she had a ton of homework. A complete lie since the only thing she'd been assigned was to begin reading a few chapters due next week, which meant no one would touch it until the weekend. She was home free so long as she got to her house safe and sound, and hopefully to a sight that did not include small, jade toddlers and green-eyed pretty boy spirits.

Karin was expecting too much.

As she stepped onto the outside campus, her eyes were immediately drawn to the crowd of girls huddled there, loud screams punctuated with excited, high-pitch tones that were made for gossip. Deciding that she'd had more than her fair share of it for the day, Karin was eager to get past them and outside to liberty and happiness, two things that were lacking in her school as of late. However, the epicenter of that crowd was drawing her closer to its core and that in itself should've been a warning.

"KARN!" an innocent but booming voice called out to her, making her freeze dead in her tracks. Her spine stiffened as her mind registered who'd shouted out what was to become her new moniker by the small monster.

"What did you just call me?" she asked in kind to the bellowing, as the people around her parted to reveal the source of their obvious fascination.

Of course Toushirou was there as well, dressed in a pair of casual jeans and black shirt oddly reminiscent of their few childhood memories together. And he was still as devastatingly attractive in solid form as he was in his spirit one, a thought that all the other girls seemed to agree with. Vaguely she wondered if there was an incantation to make others fall in love with you and if he'd managed to set every school girl's heart aflame with the fake emotion.

But the boy didn't need it, damn him, as he watched her with measured coolness that hid his simmering curiosity at her attempted escape. In his arms, Nel was waving both of her upper limbs about as if she was calling the girl from far away rather than ten feet, her enthusiasm palpable. If Karin wasn't so annoyed with how her life was going today, she'd have found the little girl adorable, but at the moment it was almost as bad as Hitsugaya's enjoyment at her expense.

"Karn, me and Touchi came heer to get chyu!" the hollow explained, looking so different that Karin had to blink a few times to figure out who was talking to her. Without the bone mask and desert tunic, Nel looked so much smaller, younger in a way that she made her almost ask what happened to the child they'd found falling from the sky.

Ignoring all the curious (and somewhat spiteful) stares, Karin raised a brow to the older boy, obviously amused. "'Touchi,' huh?" She smiled as he started to look uncomfortable, as if the entire name thing was out of his hands, which was more than likely the truth.

"Not a word, Karn," was his only reply, eyes flashing in a way that only made her smirk menacingly.

"Karin-chan, is that your boyfriend?" Peering around her for a second, her eyes came to rest on one of her classmates, her hand up as if she was whispering some secret that no one else should hear. She almost laughed because she was sure that everyone in the vicinity had the exact same question on their minds.

Shaking her head, she tried to clear up the misunderstanding. "No! You see, this is Toushirou. He and I aren't really—"

"Sure what we are," he butted in, coming forward to intercept Karin's words and counter any of her nay sayings. He'd meant it when he said that a 'relationship' would make things infinitely easier, and if that meant getting her into a little bit of trouble, well, then all the more reason to do it in his mind.

Hearts were literally coming out from the teenage girl's eyes. "You're so handsome. Please take good care of Karin-san. She's new to the whole 'relationship with cute guys' thing, so that's probably why she doesn't want to call you her boyfriend." That last bit on the end sounded especially apologetic, as Hitsuagaya did his best not to grin at the insanity of it all.

"I completely understand. I promise to take good care of her," he replied in that gentlemanly way of his, Nel still in his arms when he gave the slightest bow, as if a suitor asking a parent for their daughter's hand in marriage. All Karin could do was stutter and shout off to the side, flailing her arms about in absolute horror. But the way every girl seemed to glow under Toushirou's soft and inviting gaze (one Karin was sure he'd used to get out of a number of things once he figured out how hot he was), her words were just whispers in the wind, nonsensical and unimportant in comparison.

Curious, Nel raised her hand in question. "So… Karn lubs Touchi?"

"Oh my God, not you too, Nel!" Slamming her hands over her face, the inferno of heat from her cheeks was bleeding up through her ears and down her neck. The arrancar's comment only had more of her schoolmates squealing, enthused by the innocent inquisitiveness and encouraged by Toushirou's vague but implied statements.

"Yes, Nel, Karn lubs Touchi," the white-haired boy repeated, not even trying to hide the pleased grin that was overtaking his face. He could feel the angry sparks coming off of Karin, in spite of the bracelet's power, but there was no harm in taking a few cheap shots at her expense. After all, there were worse things than having him as a boyfriend, right?

"And Touchi lubs Karn, lots and lots?" Big, green-brown eyes stared up at him in wonder, as if mesmerized by the idea. Frowning inwardly, he schooled his features to keep that same inviting look, but inside he chewed on the thought, asking himself if it was okay to promulgate this ruse further at Nel's expense. But, even as he nodded, the gentle honesty starting to fill his eyes told the little visitor that they weren't just empty words.

"Don't lie to her, Toushirou!" Snatching the impressionable kid from his embrace, Karin placed her on the floor before squatting down and attempting to explain the situation. "Look, Nel, while Touchi and I don't hate each other, we're not in love with each other either, okay? You should only use the word 'love' with someone you really, really, really care about and not some guy who's just saying this for his own agenda."

Not quite holding back the satisfied smile on his face, Hitsugaya crossed his arms over his front, watching as Karin kept trying to reform the blue-haired demon's mindset. Unfortunately it was a tough sell, as evidenced by the invisible question marks sprouting above her head while watching the high schooler with large, dumbfounded eyes. Perhaps the matters of the heart were a bit too mature for the immature creature, as the Kurosaki eventually gave in with a defeated sigh.

"Excuse me?" Turning, Toushirou greeted the caller with a polite glance, causing her to flush heavily in response.

"Are you really going out with Kurosaki-senpai?" the underclassman inquired doubtfully, eyes shining up at him. When he nodded, she furrowed her brows. "Why?"

He paused before answering. "What do you mean 'why'?" Because I want to was going to be his next sentence but denied himself the little slip, deciding he could only push his luck so far before inciting karma's wrath. The implications and playful responses were enough, but outright declarations were dangerous things he couldn't afford to give.

"She's, well, her. And you're, well, you." The eloquence of teenage girls was nothing if not poetry, Toushirou mused sarcastically, lifting an offended brow in lieu of what would've surely been Karin's angry outburst if she'd heard the other girl.

"Karin is an amazing person and if I have to justify how I feel about her to some stranger, then it's likely that person's opinion doesn't matter to me at all." While not the type to be relentless against such an obviously weaker enemy, Hitsugaya found that he could make an exception just this once. Watching as the girl blushed a furious red, caught between embarrassment and spurned fury, he turned away to call Karin's attention to him, as she lifted herself from Nel's level.

"We're leaving, Karin. It's getting late so Nel and I will keep you company on your way home."

"No, that's not really necessary…" she tried to say, but his eyes hardened in a way that told her he wasn't accepting no for an answer. Bristled by the silent command, Karin opened her mouth with an irritated scowl but stopped when someone tugged on her hand.

Looking down, Nel was gripping her left hand with her right, her big eyes pleading at her. "Pwease don't fight with Touchi. He just lubs Karn," she reasoned cutely, pulling on the other's fingers with shy affection

Somehow it zapped the fight out of her, though her annoyed glance at Toushirou told him that she wasn't through with him just yet. But instead of being annoyed or even entertained by the idea, he looked outright unrepentant. Perhaps, he thought as he watched Karin lead the little arrancar out of the crowd with expressive gesticulations and an excited look, it had something to do with the fact that Nel might not be completely wrong.

"So, what are your intentions with my daughter?"

Choking on a rather large piece of chicken while in the middle of dinner, Hitsugaya gasped and wheezed beneath his host's indigo stare, the other's arms crossed over his broad chest in a mimicry of authority. It didn't hit lightly that Toushirou was not only having dinner with a former captain of the Gotei Thirteen, he was having it under the pretense that he was dating his daughter. Of course, that was mainly because of Yuzu's insistence and since the rumors around school were running rampant because of his little visit he couldn't really say otherwise.

Throwing a small ball of rice at her father, Karin didn't even bat an eyelash at the question, strangely calm about the whole matter. Within him, a small surge of fear settled into Hitsugaya's bones. "Please, spare me, Goat Chin. You know for a fact he's a shinigami captain and therefore practically asexual."

"Hey!" he yelled, frown deepening as his cerulean glare landed on his so-called friend. Her ebony one held none of the regret he had wanted, but he knew he was being stupid for even expecting it. This was Karin's home. She'd bring the whole place down before she admitted anything even slightly close to contrition for him.

She pointed her chopsticks at him, impolitely. "Tell me I'm wrong."

"You're wrong." Glaring lightly, he took another piece of food and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoroughly as he watched her with calculated patience.

"Oh yeah? Name one captain that has a spouse. Hell, I'll even give you dating, just to make it easier on you."

Tilting his head to the side, his audience looked at the young prodigy keenly (and with just a bit of smugness that was all Karin's). Scowling, he closed his eyes and furrowed his eyebrows in concentration. Sad to say, Toushirou had no words and both he and Karin knew it. Throwing him a triumphant look, she was prepared to give him her well-prepared 'I told you so' but was cut off by a counter-argument.

"Well, Touchi lubs Karn."

Four heads swiveled towards the child monster, who was holding her spoon awkwardly as she brought some rice to her dirtied mouth. All around the table, everyone had the most contradicting expressions on and the body language to match. The effervescent joy on Yuzu's was a stark contrast to the horror on Karin's, the latter actually digging her entire face into her palms and asking why anyone would say such blasphemy with her hyperactive family members present.

Gulping a bit on his end, Toushirou could feel a bit of sweat gathering along his neck as dark, beady eyes belonging to a certain doctor eyed him suspiciously. This was a man who had taken a human wife and sired three half-shinigami, someone who had loved his spouse dearly, and Hitsugaya wasn't going to make a mockery of that affection by putting on airs with the esteemed ex-captain. He opened his mouth to deny the claim and be honest with the older man, but Isshin spoke first.

"Hitsugaya." Toushirou clenched his hands into fists, but nodded in acknowledgement. He was prepared to speak his piece after the other said his. What he didn't expect was to feel the clap of a large hand on his shoulder, as the Kurosaki patriarch reached over the table. What was even worse was the fact that Isshin had closed the distance between them and was now crying silent tears that had Hitsugaya shrinking into his seat, wondering what was happening because he was currently being thrown for a loop. And then he spoke, and somehow it stole all of Toushirou's (and even Karin's) protests away.

"Welcome to the family, Second Son."

"So, who's sleeping where?"

Turning to the two supernatural beings to her right, Karin got the oddest feeling that her room was much too small to be harboring overly powerful beings. Granted, her brother had done the same when he was in high school and he'd been fine (barring his occasional disappearances and coming back bloody, of course), but there were some significant differences between her and him. For one, he had powers. And two, she was currently on parole. Hardly fair.

Hitsugaya made his way to the closet unhurriedly. "You two take the bed. I can sleep on the floor."

Nodding, Karin made her way to the newly changed sheets, expecting Nel to follow, but was interrupted when she heard a very distinct sniffle. The high schooler had to fight back a sigh and roll of her eyes, as she turned back to the small ex-Espada, who was looking up at the two of them with glassy hazel eyes.

"Aww, Nel, what is it? What's wrong?" Crouching to kneel against the wooded floor, she patted the seafoam green hair on her head, petting it softly with a matching smile. She rubbed at the child's rounded cheeks, watching as the snot came down in rivulets. Karin just chuckled at the rather unhygienic habit, as she lifted the girl into her arms.

Wiping her face, Nel turned her big, watery eyes to her host and then to the other impatient guest who could only stare at her with a bored expression. "In Hueco Moondo, I sleep wit Pesche and Dondochakka. I always sleep in middle—" she pointed on the side nearest the window, "—Pesche is der and Dondochakka is ober dere on the ossopite side. I can't sleep widout…"

As she quieted into sniffles, Karin shot Toushirou an incredulous look, one that nearly matched his. Nel didn't actually expect them to, well, sleep together, did she? Because there were some things that couldn't be shared between friends and a bed with a Hollow and her dead bodyguard seemed to be at the top of Karin's list. Not to mention the high Yuzu would be on when—not if, but when—she caught wind of the arrangement.

"Nel, I really don't think we should…" Karin began, intent on being firm but kind with her orders, but then those hazel eyes looked up at her and she knew she'd lost. She wasn't usually this weak, especially not for a pretty pair of specs like hers, but no one would blame her for this tiny oversight, right? "Fine, we can sleep in the bed, all… three of us."

A spark of Hitsugaya's aura made her wince. "What did you just say?"

Sighing exasperatedly, she set Nel onto the covers so she could dig herself beneath them, peaking her head out cutely. When she turned to the reaper by her closet, she closed the distance and put up her hand, her whisper mixing in with something close to desperation.

"C'mon, it's her first night here! She has no other friends or family and she's really not even asking for anything. Can't you be the good guy just this once?"

He snorted, as he lowered his head to her level. "Oh, and I don't suppose defending our worlds from Aizen's wrath counts in my favor? How is it that she's the arrancar and I'm the evil one here?"

"Look, either you sleep next to her or on the roof. Believe me, I won't lose sleep over it, but you will."

They both knew exactly what she meant. The air was still ripe with the ending of summer, the humidity a characteristic even Karin couldn't always handle. For someone like Toushirou, it would be like covering him in honey and leaving him out to dry, an uncomfortable stickiness that would only torture him until daybreak. From there, it would be the rays of the sun waking him up and burning him to a crisp that would keep him from a peaceful rest. Luckily for both of them, Toushirou was smart enough to pick his battles carefully.

"Fine. Just shut it and go to bed." There were few things he hated more than the Kurosaki grin of triumph, he thought, as he watched the younger girl climb onto the mattress and settle herself in. Karin could feel the other side shift with his heavier weight, as all of them found their respective places and turned in for the night.

Shuffling beneath the covers, Karin gravitated towards the bit of shade away from the window, the intense light from the sun nothing but a nuisance and one she wanted to be rid of. In hindsight, she should've been more aware of what she was doing but that was hard when she was so desperately tired after dealing with Nel's kicking and drooling all night. It was well past three in the morning when sleep had finally overcome any of the disgusting habits the little creature had, knocking both her and Toushirou out. Only one question remained now.

Why was her pillow so much warmer, larger and comfier than how she remembered?

Squinting once she realized the bafflement wouldn't solve itself, Karin lifted her hand to rub the crust from her eyes as she blinked wearily, staying nearly perfectly still on her side. Of course, once the sleepiness wore off, her common sense was back. And it brought along indignant anger for company.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Screaming at the slumbering soul reaper, Karin also came to notice that her limbs were trapped against her body and that too was the white-haired captain's doing. Who knew the boy was a closet cuddler underneath all that harsh energy and perpetual frowning?

"Go back to sleep…" Toushirou mumbled, somehow turning their non-existent space even smaller, as his face buried further into her bed-tossed hair. Refusing to accept that she was turning bright red, Karin wriggled in his hold, trying to get him to at least loosen his grip so she could crawl her way out from beneath the sheets. It didn't escape her that their demon friend was all but missing from the room and probably wreaking havoc on her home.

Unfortunately, trying to escape Hitsugaya's hold was much like playing with a Chinese finger trap. The harder one pulled in any direction, the harder it was to escape, as evidenced by the arm around her waist and the leg thrown over both of hers. When she wasn't so mad over her failed attempts to flee, Karin was going to make fun of Toushirou so much.

"Please, Toushirou, wake up. Nel's somewhere in the kitchen and I need to find her and make sure she doesn't destroy the fridge or something," she pleaded with the still-sleeping boy, sensing the arrancar downstairs. From what she could tell, she was at the table and her father was nearby at the counter, probably setting something out for her. But that was odd because it was usually Yuzu who did… that…

"She left me behind!"

This time, Toushirou couldn't just drift back to sleep and instead shot up to attention, dragging the human girl with him. But even if his reflexes were working perfectly, Karin saw that his eyes were at half-mast and his brows were scrunched in confused disgruntlement. Not that he'd get any sympathy from her. Not only had she been fighting a battle with him for the better part of fifteen minutes, he was still clutching her to his T-shirt-clad chest.

"You awake now, Romeo?" the obsidian-colored Kurosaki snorted, tilting her head up from its resting place on his collarbone and hoping to snag his attention. Slowly, she saw the comprehension come into his tired eyes, as they fell to her form still trapped in the cage of his embrace. The shine of his emerald eyes were starting to lose that glossy coating and something intelligible was filling his features.

"Karin, why are you in my arms?" But obviously not fast enough because she was sure no one in their right mind would say something so idiotic.

"'Why am I—'?" She tripped over herself, sputtering as she straightened her spine to get closer to his eye level. But her lack of height and his refusal to let go meant she was stuck reaching his chin, as she gathered a little more self-righteous anger. "Better question: why the hell are you still hugging me?"

A pause. "Oh. Sorry about that." In her ears, Toushirou didn't sound sorry whatsoever, but she bit that sarcastic comment back so she could extract herself from his heat. For a second she wondered if his fingers purposely lingered around her middle too long or if it was just her imagination. Since the flush from earlier still wasn't quite gone, she was going to go with the latter.

"Hey, don't you have school?" Hitsugaya asked, as he ran a hand through his messy hair. Leaning on his bent knees, he watched her climb out of bed and over towards her closet. She rifled through a few tops before pulling out a tank top and then a pair of jean shorts, ones he eyed with slight disdain. Those things were much too short to be worn by a child, much less Karin.

"I'm glad you can still remember how to tell time, genius," she said with a roll of her eyes, as she pulled out a jacket and a pair of socks to finish her outfit. "But, as you can see, Yuzu and Goat Chin have decided that I should be home with you two and not in school because I obviously have no need for a future as long as shinigami are willing to butt themselves into my business and take over my life. I feel like Ichi-nii, just upgraded and with less 'I will kill you now' written all over me."

Choosing silence for a moment, Toushirou could only sigh as he let one more stupid query fall from his lips. "You're not a morning person, are you?"

"Wow, you are just hitting it out of the ballpark today, aren't you, sunshine?" Another sarcastic snort. "Get dressed. Let's get outside and do something. I'm not wasting a full day of hooky indoors trying to keep Nel contained in my house."

From the minute they'd stepped out just before noon, Karin was surprised to find that it wasn't such a chore bringing Nel around. To her, everything about Karakura was new and fascinating and exciting, things Karin had often taken for granted. In the park, they'd brought her old soccer ball, the same one that Toushirou had saved that one bad day back when she was eleven. When he caught a glimpse of it, even he had smirked when nostalgia hit him.

After a few failed attempts at teaching Nel soccer, they found that the little Hollow enjoyed wandering away without saying a word. This was supplemented by their panicking, trying to find her before another hollow tried to eat her. Amazingly, what they found when they found her was even worse than that, as they followed the hollers of an ice cream vendor only a few yards away from the field.

"Ahh! You can take the ice cream, kid! Just don't gnaw my hand off!" the poor distributor yelled, as a few of the parents hid their children from the gruesome sight. Skidding to a halt, Karin and Toushirou had to take a moment to stop and stare, their jaws falling slack at what was happening. It was the continued screams of terror that woke Karin from her shock.

"Nel, let go! Are you crazy? You're hurting him!" she reprimanded, moving to tug off the dangling imp from the man's arm. "If you wanted ice cream, all you had to do was ask. Now you've gone and hurt the nice ice cream man." Settling her onto the floor, Karin moved to apologize profusely, bowing as she paid for the massacred dessert Nel was holding and a little extra to hopefully stave off the man's fury.

Walking to stand beside the miscreant, Hitsugaya wasn't sure whether he was horrified or impressed. Nearly chewing off a grown man's limb in public and in broad daylight shouldn't be something that should fascinate him so much, and yet somehow it did.

"Why didn't you just ask nicely, Nel?" he inquired politely, if not a bit distantly, as he watched Karin straighten everything out with the middle-aged man.

"In Hueco Mundo, you don't ask for things, you take." And somehow her explanation made more sense to him than it rightfully should have. While one could argue that Soul Society was highly organized and more than a bit rigid, that mentality of 'eat or be eaten' wasn't an uncommon one, especially in the Gotei Thirteen. A part of him was sympathetic, so much so that he unwittingly patted the girl on the head. In return, Nel turned her starry gaze up at him, as if amazed by the bit of kindness, something he hadn't truly shown her beforehand. In the end, neither of them say anything else about it.

A scolding about her manners from Karin was in order after the whole debacle, as Hitsugaya watched with amused eyes. For some strange reason, he could see an older version of her doing the exact same thing with her own children, pointing a finger as she told them what kind of behavior was to be expected once they left the house. And Nel was playing the part of repentant child, as she hung her head low and nodded, looking awfully sorry and quite ashamed about the entire ordeal. He doesn't notice the smile that slowly spreads across his face, as he leans against a nearby light post and watches with a feeling akin to contentment.

"Oh, and what's so funny, Toushirou? Don't tell me you're encouraging her?" Karin aimed her barb, glaring him down with her hands strategically placed on her hips. If he wasn't grinning before, then he certainly was now, as he took in the offensive stance and her fiery aura. It seemed that the bracelet was still fully functioning because there was no change in her reiatsu whatsoever, but he could see the emotion growing with each passing second.

"You're being too hard on her. She's learned her lesson so let's go to that amusement park she's been eyeing since we got here," he said with a shrug, standing up to full height and moving over to them. Seeing the light come back into Nel's face, the side of his lip twitched at the growing anticipation.

"I'm not being too hard on her. She's in a foreign place and in public too. I can't have her attacking poor citizens every time she has the munchies!" Throwing her hands up, Karin could honestly say she hated the knowing look on her friend's face. "What is it? Tell me what you're thinking right now, or I swear I will hurt you."

Another sly beam. "You sound like a mother, Karin."

"W-wh-what?! No I don't!"

"Yes, yes you do. You remind me of my Granny whenever I used to eat all the watermelon before dinner, except she'd just slide me a little amanatto on the side whenever she felt bad for scolding me too much."

"That only goes to show you were disciplined after you got into shinigami school, or wherever you guys go to study. I guess even you big, bad shinigami captains get coddled too sometimes."

"That's right, which is why I'm not going to let you spend the rest of the afternoon boring Nel and I with lessons on etiquette. When you're through with that, we'll meet you in line for the roller coaster." Reaching out his hand in an honest gesture, he glanced at Nel for affirmation. "Shall we go?"

Nodding happily, she jumped down from her perch on the bench and grabbed his outstretched limb, hopping as he led her away. And as Karin watched them leave for a few moments, she couldn't help but wonder what just happened. Because if she didn't know any better, Toushirou and her just switched places and now she was the one playing the stick-in-the-mud. Not sure whether to laugh or cry, all she could do was run to catch up with them, a smirk falling across her face as she walked along Nel's other side.

"Y'know, Toushirou, I feel like you're gonna be a very indulgent father when you finally settle down," Karin said omnisciently, as she accepted the little girl's held-out hand with a smile. "That means you're gonna have to marry someone who's gonna be good at keeping you and your kids in line."

"Yeah," he agreed, as he watched her make funny faces with Nel out of the corner of his eye, purposely lowering his voice to a near-whisper, "that's the plan, at least."

AN: Really don't know whether or not this story is even considered humor, but let's pretend, shall we? Haha. So, no Ichigo yet BUT I'm gonna throw him in next chapter and probably end the story there. Also fighting myself on whether I should put the epilogue in the upcoming chapter or separately. Advice is thoroughly appreciated. :)

Anyway, thank you guys sooooo much for not giving up on this fic. My writing hasn't stopped, merely stalled because of RL, but I'll try and do it more regularly.

Until next time!