Hitsugaya laid on his bed for a good half an hour processing one thought after another. Dinner went on smoothly, nothing eventful happened thankfully. But something ticked inside him through the dinner. In actual fact, it was not something; it was someone that ticked him off.

Her grey eyes, jet-black hair, fair skin and slender fingers, Hitsugaya wiped his face with his hand. He hardly knew her and he was already fantasizing about her and him together. Sure he had fantasized about other girls before, it was only natural of males. But this was different with Karin. Those other girls, models on magazines, girls on the streets, they were just fantasies. Karin was different. She was real and right above him, most probably in the shower, or maybe already in bed doing whatever a girl does. Her actions, her talk, her laughter and her body all balled up into one were just intoxicating to him. He could hold her, in fact he had in the car and he wanted to do it again. He wanted to feel her skin on his, her hair on his neck, her presence around him, he wanted more than just what they were right now.

Hitsugaya squeezed his eyes tight. He had to banish such ludicrous thoughts and cast them far away from his mind. He and Karin had just met. If anything were to happen, it had to be slow and it had to be right.

He picked up his blackberry that sat next to him and checked for messages. One unread message…he clicked on it and read.

How was your day?

He raised his other hand and started to type back.

Fine. Yours?

Press send. Half a minute later…

I'm okay.…She's not doing so well.

Hitsugaya sighed and propped himself up till he sat upright. He folded his legs and bowed forward, his eyebrows scrunched up into knots of worry.

How is she?

Sent.

Received.

Doctor just left about an hour ago. He says she could go anytime before spring ends. She doesn't have long Shirou-chan…and she keeps asking for you…

A tear slipped from the corner of his eye.

Tell her I'm coming.

Karin stepped into her bedroom and ruffled her wet hair with her bath towel. In a pair of light blue boxers and a red tank top, Karin casually walked over to her window to open it up to allow fresh air in.

'It's nearing midnight, surely the squirrels won't fancy going out so late?' Karin thought as she lifted the latch and slid the window across. A blast of cold air flowed into the room and sent chills down Karin's back. She hugged herself and looked out at the night sky. The stars were still visible. She liked stars. They were the most untouched by man and the most beautiful of nature. Large, mystical and beautiful, it reminded her of the days when her mother would make up stories of buzz light-year traveling through space fighting the evil emperor Zerg.

Suddenly she heard the balcony door below her open. Karin looked down and saw Hitsugaya step, all dressed up with his backpack slung over his shoulder, on his balcony. Before she could open her mouth to say hi, he grabbed his sneakers that were on the balcony and went back into his room. The slam of the balcony doors and the upset look on his face told Karin something was wrong. Her instincts told her he was heading out but to where?

Should she run out of her room and catch him, ask him what was wrong? Or she should she stay in her room and mind her own business? Why had she even considered the first option of running to him? He was not her boyfriend or lover. He was just someone she just met. Nothing more. And yet the mixture of emotions on his face worried her.

She turned to look at the time on her alarm clock. It was close to midnight. Where could he be running off to at that time of night?

Orihime had been at it for ten minutes. She had gotten the lock off fine but the locker was stuck shut tight. She yanked at the handle for ages but the locker door refused to open.

"Come on!" Orihime grunted. After one last attempt, Orihime let go of the lock and panted heavily. There was no way to open it and the janitor was nowhere in sight. It looked like she had to carry all her books in her bag for as long till she got her locker fixed. With a tired sigh, Orihime raised her heavy bag onto her back. She now had her timetable with class indications in her hand, she might as well head to class early and settle down.

It was finally the first day of school and she chose a comfortable pair of black jeans and a yellow off shoulder top. With a medium size school bag on her back and a timetable in her hands, Orihime made her way up the stairs to the third floor and looked around. She maneuvered her way through the crowd until she stopped at a door.

"3G. This looks about right." Orihime checked her papers again. She opened the door and stepped in.

"Inoue?"

Orihime turned to face that blazing orange hair at the back of the classroom accompanied with the sweet mafia looking friend. A smile easily pulled at her lips as Orihime made her way toward Ichigo and Renji who looked as equally pleased.

"Kurosaki-san." She smiled.

"Just Ichigo would do." Ichigo chuckled.

"Looks like we're going to be classmates." Orihime giggled.

"Looks like it." Ichigo leaned against his desk.

"Sit with us." Renji offered and pulled out a seat unoccupied by any student.

"Thank you Abarai-san." Orihime said.

"Same as Ichigo here, just Renji would do." Renji said as he took a seat with Orihime on his left and Ichigo on his right.

"How's your history?" Renji asked.

"Fair. My chemistry needs a bit of pulling up though." Orihime replied. She slid her backpack straps off her shoulders but accidentally let it plummet to the floor with a loud thud.

"Darn…." Orihime sighed.

"Are all your books in there?" Renji asked as Orihime bent down to pick her bag. Ichigo rounded Renji's table and took the bag from Orihime. He carefully placed it on her desk.

"Thank you. My locker door is shut tight and it wouldn't open no matter how hard I try to pull it open." Orihime said before she turned to thank Ichigo.

"What's your locker number?" Ichigo asked.

"2-U." Orihime answered.

"That's a shitty locker." Renji said. "I can't believe the school forgot to fix that. I had it before."

"Tell you what, during break we'll get you a new locker." Ichigo offered. Orihime blushed lightly and nodded.

"Well hello cutie."

All three turned to a guy dressed in a pair of extremely slack jeans, hippie looking shirt and a beanie on his head. He smelt like he drowned himself in coffee and had not shaved in days. His eyes roamed Orihime's body from head to toe before he stopped at her chest.

"What is your name?" He reached for Orihime's hand. Not wanting to be rude but also very weary, Orihime let him take her hand expecting a handshake. Before she could give him her name, he pulled the back of her hand to his lips and gave her a sloppy wet kiss.

Disgust flooded her face as she felt his wet lips on the back of her hand. Before she could react, Ichigo grabbed her arm and yanked it out of his hold. She felt a pair of hands pull her back as Ichigo stepped in front of her. She turned to see Renji who looked just as angry as Ichigo.

"You're asking for it." Ichigo grabbed the collar of his shirt into a fist hold.

"Apologize creep." Ichigo growled. "Before I force the apology out of you."

"Whoa, whoa there, no need to get violent." The man jeered. "You forget, Kurosaki, I can do what I like here."

"So can I." Ichigo threatened. "I won't ask you the third time. Apologize to her."

"First let me know her name then I'll consider." The guy placed his hand on Ichigo's hold on his collar and patted his fist lightly.

"Forget it." Ichigo's eyes hardened.

"What are you going to do huh?" The man laughed.

"Uh…Ichi-nii?"

Everyone turned to face Karin standing in the middle of the classroom. Karin looked from Renji to Orihime, to an angry Ichigo and then to the raggy guy in Ichigo's fist hold. She looked around and breathed a sigh that they were the only ones in class.

"A Professor Ukitake asked me to hand this to you since I was passing your class. It's your essay that he forgot to return back to you." Karin walked toward Ichigo and placed it on Orihime's desk.

"Well, well, Kurosaki's got a little sister. How nice." The guy smirked.

"Yeah so? We're not done here jerk." Ichigo snarled.

"What happened?" Karin turned to Renji and Orihime standing behind Ichigo.

"He took advantage of Orihime. He's a pervert and a sleaze ball." Renji frowned deeply. Karin turned back to the guy who was now eyeing her perversely.

"Let him go Ichi-nii, you'll get in trouble if anyone sees you holding him like this." Karin sighed and placed her hand on her brother's arm.

"Yeah listen to your younger sister. She seems to be more intelligent than you man." The man poked fun. Ichigo clenched his fist, ready to punch the man in the face when Orihime reached for his fist.

"Let it go Ichigo, it's not a big deal. Karin's right. No one has to get in trouble because of me. Please just let him go." Orihime begged. Ichigo wanted to resist, he wanted to teach the jerk a lesson but the look on Orihime's face forced him to let go. The guy dropped onto his feet and pulled at his shirt. He turned to Karin and gave her a smile.

"Thank you sweetheart. What's your na"-

PIAK!

"That's for calling me a sweetheart." Karin snarled. She raised her right foot and brought it down on the guy's foot hard.

"FUCK!" The guy dropped to the floor in pain. Renji burst out laughing as the guy curled and held onto his foot. Orihime looked distressed as the scene unfold while Ichigo looked roughly pleased.

"And that's for taking advantage of my friend. The name's Karin and don't fuck around with me cause I might be wearing heels next time. Got that pervert?" Karin placed her hands on her hips and stared down at the man howling in pain.

"Get lost." Ichigo growled. The guy scrambled to his feet and hobbled his way out of the classroom, bumped into chairs and students as they entered the classroom.

"First day at school, I've got nothing to lose." Karin dusted her hands.

"Okay class, settle down." A tall hairy man with long wavy and curly brown hair stepped into the classroom.

"All those that don't belong here, you better get to class. All those that belong here, well isn't it obvious?" He laughed. Karin giggled at the way the man spoke, like everyday was a relaxing day.

"That's Professor Kyouraku. Our Biology teacher." Renji said.

"Yeah like the man said, you better get to class." Ichigo ruffled Karin's hair. "Don't do that next time, it's so un-lady like."

"Yeah, Photography is up first. And how long have you known me?" Karin gave a lop sided smile before she pushed her brother's hand off her head and headed out of his class.

Through the lesson, Orihime could not help but thought back on the incident between the nameless guy and Ichigo. She was so sure if it were not for her and Karin, Ichigo would have hurt the student, even if the student deserved it. It was nice though, to have someone stick up for you. Back in her old school, she only had one friend that looked out for her but she moved not long after. It became difficult for Orihime because after her best friend left, no one stood up for her anymore.

Now, she had Ichigo…and everyone else. She drew a smiley face on her paper. She liked it here.

Karin stepped into her class and walked to her bag on her seat next to the window. It was only when she reached her bag did she realize it was moved one seat in front, in the second row. She turned to the student with a newspaper in hand raised up high. Irritated that someone casually just moved her stuff without her permission, her temper forced her hand to come down on the newspaper.

"Hey why did you…Toushirou?" Karin blinked at the teal eyes.

Hitsugaya stared at her with a deadpan expression. "What?" He asked.

"So it's you." Karin dropped her temper by a notch.

"No, I have a twin brother named Toushirou. I'm the other." Hitsugaya said sarcastically.

"Ha-ha, very funny. This is my seat." Karin placed her hands on her hips.

"No, it's mine. I always sit here." Hitsugaya said.

"Oh yeah, prove it. It's not like you got your name on the desk or seat." Karin challenged.

"Yeah I do." Hitsugaya pointed his finger behind his seat. Karin turned to look behind his seat and frowned. His name was on it, etched in the middle.

"For all I know you swapped chairs."

"Check the desk." Hitsugaya said calmly. Karin looked down on the desk and searched for his name. True enough his name was carved at the far top left corner of the desk.

"Fine." Karin crossed her hand above her chest and temperamentally sat on her chair. "I like that seat."

"So do I." Hitsugaya raised his newspaper back up.

"So where did you go last night?" Karin asked.

"Why do you want to know?" Asked Hitsugaya. Karin raised an eyebrow at him, his face blocked by the newspaper.

"Well it seems a little suspicious to have gone somewhere in the middle of the night…did you go…see a girlfriend…perhaps?" Karin tried to sound as innocent as possible.

"I don't have a girlfriend. I don't date." Hitsugaya turned to the next page.

"Ever?"

"Not yet."

Karin crossed her leg and shook her foot from left to right like a cat with its tail. "So where did you go off to then?"

"Do I have to actually tell you to mind your own business or can I do it psychically?" Hitsugaya said as he lowered his newspaper just in time to see her inquisitive gaze turned into an irritated one.

"So you're just going to be a jerk…fine then." Karin whirled her head back to the front.

"How did you know I left anyway?"

"I was at my window and I saw you grab your sneakers from your balcony. You looked prepared to go somewhere. And since you didn't deny earlier, you did go somewhere." Karin said refusing to turn back to face him.

Hitsugaya smirked.

"So you were waiting for me to come out?" He lowered his newspaper onto his desk.

Karin felt her eyebrow twitch at the way he posed that question however she refused to turn around to answer him.

"I never said I was waiting for you. I just happened to look out of my window and you happened to have came out prepared to leave." Karin suppressed her temper.

"Oh really? Last time I caught you staring at me half naked." Hitsugaya grinned as her body tensed up at his tease.

"Surprised, was not staring, get that right in your head. And you didn't 'caught' me. I was not hiding." Karin blushed.

"You were awfully quiet." Hitsugaya leaned forward and rest his arms on his desk.

"Was surprised and thus was speechless." Karin scoffed.

"Doesn't sound so convincing to me."

"It's true."

"So turn around and tell it to my face."

Karin whipped her head around, her temper neared boiling point until she froze at how close his face was to hers. If anyone saw them from a distance, Hitsugaya looked smug with a grin on his face while Karin looked caught off guard with a bashful red shade on her cheeks. She gulped at the distance between them. His teal eyes were cold and deep, his hair so naturally white and his smile, god it made her knees feel like soft butter.

"Cat got your tongue?" Hitsugaya smirked.

"I-k-I, no. Stop being such a wise ass." Karin pulled her head back to place distance between them.

"I'm not being a wise ass."

"Tch, yeah you are." Karin rolled her eyes and turned back to face the font.

"Wise-ass."

"Excuse me!" Karin snapped and turned around. She was about to spit fire into his face when the bell rung loudly.

"God!" Karin squeezed her eyes shut.

"Everyone settle down." Came into the classroom was a plump lady in her late 50s dressed in a gaudy purple and yellow suit with large round glasses hanging down from her neck.

"Who's that?" Karin asked.

"Mrs. Lauren Mary Trouperman. She's English and she teaches English." Hitsugaya answered.

"She dresses funny." Karin muttered.

"Class, I am sure you are well aware that Mrs. Caroline won't be teaching you Photography for the year. We hope for an early return but for now, we are priviledged to have not only a substitute teacher but also a well known photographer. Please welcome Ms. Jacqueline Diaz." She clapped her hand.

A young lady walked into the classroom with a pair of black leg hugging jeans, high black heels and a dark blue vest top. Karin glanced around to see the guys in the class in awe by her exotic looks.

She looks really pretty in person. Karin thought. Last night she searched up on Jacqueline Diaz. She started out as a freelance model before she picked up Photography. She found love in being behind the lens than in front of it and her awe inspiring photography had grasped the world. Soon enough she became one of the highest paid photographers in the world.

"I expect you all to behave. I won't hesitate to come in here and correct any of you if I ever hear difficulties faced by Ms. Diaz. Is that understood?" Lauren tilted her head down and gave everyone the eye. The class remained quiet. Some nodded their heads.

"Good, Ms. Jacqueline, I shall leave them to you."

"Thank you." Jacqueline smiled and waited for Lauren to leave the classroom. Once Lauren had disappeared around the corner, Jacqueline reached for the door and gave it a shove to a close.

"Right, a few things you should know about me first." Jacqueline planted her backside on the teacher's desk.

"I hate essays so don't expect me to ask you to do essays on historic photography or what not."

A number of "Yes" were head around the class.

"I don't like boring lectures so I'll use these times to get to know you guys. I believe in learning first hand so all you need are your cameras and a partner." Jacqueline swung her left leg over her right leg and laced her fingers together over her left knee.

"Don't back sass me because my bark is worse than my bite."

A smile tugged at the side of Karin's lips. For some reason, she had a feeling she would enjoy being taught by Jacqueline. For one, she was not like any other teacher.

"I do allow students to eat in class so long you clean up after yourselves. And lastly, every week I'll hand you two assignments to complete and they are to be handed up on time. For every day you hand in late, you'll have to pay ten dollars and your money goes to charity. Fair?"

Everyone nodded their heads but remained silent.

"Good. Okay, first thing's first. Pick your partners. Remember, once you pick your partner, it's for the rest of the year. You can only change partner if you got a valid reason to do so and if I accept that reason. Get to it. You got thirty seconds." Jacqueline hopped off the table.

Suddenly Karin felt alien. She knew no one in the class except for Hitsugaya and she was not about to ask him. She looked around and everyone had already found his or her partners. She glanced over to see Hitsugaya leaned back in his chair with his newspaper held up in front of him.

"Aren't you going to find a partner?"

"I got one."

"Who?" Karin turned fully.

"Twenty seconds." Jacqueline chimed.

"You." Hitsugaya flipped to the second page.

"What? Why?" Karin grabbed the edge of her chair, her voice panicked.

"Because this is an even numbered class. Everyone has already found a partner except for the two of us so logically and basically, we are inevitable partners." Hitsugaya stoically replied her.

"That's not true. We can switch with others." Karin growled.

"With the limited time and the fact no one here are friends with you, I doubt so." Hitsugaya lowered his newspaper and folded it back up.

"Five, four, three two, one. Right, I want all of you to come up, write your names on the board and circle your name and your partner's name together." Jacqueline reached into her pocket and pulled out her blackberry.

"Hop to it." Jacqueline waved everyone to the front and headed to the back. She took a seat at a student's table and watched as everyone got up to the board and took turns to write their name. On her left she noticed two students still in their seats. They both exchanged a few irritation glares with each other before the girl got up from her seat and grabbed a marker from the teacher's desk. The guy sighed and got up from his seat. He walked up behind her and bumped into the girl as she turned back with her name written on the board.

"Here." She huffed and smacked the marker in his palm. Jacqueline smirked as the student wrote his name and circled his name and the girl's together.

"Right, clear the path in front of me." Jacqueline raised her blackberry up and took a snap shot of the white board.

"Cool. Okay go grab a five-minute toilet break. I need a coffee." Jacqueline saved her picture.

"But Ms. Diaz, you haven't taken our attendance yet." A student asked.

"I split my coffee on my student name sheet this morning. This is quicker." Jacqueline smiled and got up.

It's 3am in the morning and boy I need some sleep. Please ignore any spelling errors. I've corrected some, and some grammatical errors but not all.

Anyway I think I should head to bed. Don't worry, How do you explain us is under progress of being updated. :) thanks for your messages of asking, I really appreciate it.

Goodnight everyone, I should nod off now. Please review and leave your comments. I really will like to hear your thoughts. :}