Around the middle of the first year at the Academy.

Karin sat annoyed at the desk. It was only the middle of the first year and there was already boatloads of homework. There were sheets of paper that had to do with study guides and essays and so on so forth. She was working on something that had to do with the history of Soul Society. She knocked her head against the desk..multiple times. She pushed herself away from the desk, too tired and sore. She walked to the door, hunched over.

"I'm so tired," she muttered to herself.

She walked into the hall and turned directly to her left. She knocked lazily trying to make the largest amount of sound the smallest effort.

"Come in!" Aimi sang.

Karin opened the door and looked inside. Aimi was doing up her purple hair into a bun with her hair's layers framing her face. She had barely any makeup on. Karin felt the pang of envy. Aimi looked so happy and magical just getting ready for wherever she was going to. She had on a kimono that was very flair and short. It was really cute.

"Where are you going?" Karin asked, rubbing her very tired eyes. She bet she had dark circles under them. She just hoped she didn't have bags.

Aimi turned to look at her since she had entered the room. She looked her up and down, disapproving. Karin was about to punch her for such a look. She was so deprived of sleep she didn't care that Aimi was her best friend.

"You're not really going to wear that to the party, are you?" she asked Karin.

Karin looked at her outfit. She was wearing the standard uniform. The only thing about it was that it had major food stains and was the trousers stopped at the ankles. Karin had grown a bit since then. She glanced at Aimi. She still hadn't grown an inch. In fact, she looked perfect. Why was that? Karin thought that life could not get any more unfair.

Aimi walked to her closet and skimmed over the contents. She pulled out something after many 'would this be good' or 'maybe that one..' rejects. She threw it to Karin.

"Change into this," she said, still singing. She danced into the bathroom for God knows what reason.

Karin held up the object. It was a kimono like Aimi's but it was blue. It had an insignia on the edge of it. It looked like it had been pulled out on purpose. Karin quickly shook off her uniform, making sure the door was closed and locked first, and put on the blue kimono.

Aimi returned from the bathroom carrying many hair and makeup products in her arms. She dumped them all onto her desk and twirled Karin over to her. She turned the mirror so that Karin could see herself as Aimi worked her beauty magic.

She quickly did Karin's hair up into a neat ponytail. She pulled out a curling iron she had gotten from the real world. Karin didn't know how or when but she had learned not to judge many of the things that Aimi somehow managed to get.

Karin couldn't even remember asking Aimi anything about her past. She never thought it was important. Plus she was afraid of how Aimi would react. Karin didn't remember her memories when she had first come to the Soul Society. Maybe it was the same concept to Aimi.

As Karin thought about all the questions she had never bothered to ask, Aimi curled her hair that was held in the ponytail. They were loose and looked natural. Aimi went to the front of Karin and curled the shorter hairs that had escaped the ponytail. She let it frame Karin's face. She then unplugged the curling iron and pulled out some makeup. After Aimi commanded Karin to smile and close her eyes, Karin almost fell to sleep. When was the last time she did that?

"Okay!" Aimi said excitedly and stepped out of Karin's line of sight of the mirror. "What do you think? Hitsugaya will love it."

Karin looked into the mirror. At first she was a little surprised that the person staring back at her was herself. She had light makeup on like Aimi but that makeup made up a lot of difference. She had pink eyeshadow on and black eyeliner. She eyelashes had been curled so they were longer and curled up. There wasn't a drop of mascara on them. She had a light blush on her cheeks. Aimi had put lip gloss on her lips that were a rasberry color. It was bright and sparkly but pretty all the same. Karin blinked slowly to make sure it wasn't some trick of light.

She then heard Aimi's words. "Hitsugaya is coming?" she asked her. "I don't remember inviting him. To tell the truth I don't remember saying I was going to whatever party you're going now."

Aimi pouted. "That's not fair, Kar!" she said using the nickname that Karin loathed. "You promised I could take you out to a party. All you've been doing is studying!"

Karin nodded. "That's what I need to be doing now!" she announced, heading for the door. She walked outside. Aimi slipped out behind her, shutting off the lights while she was at it. She grabbed Karin's arm and dragged her out of the front door of the dorm. There waiting for her, was Hitsugaya.....and Shota.

Hitsugaya was in his standard black kimono with the exception of the haori. He looked her up and down. "You're finally wearing makeup," he commented. "It looks...nice."

Aimi's right hand clenched into to a fist. She was about to punch Hitsugaya when Karin held her arm. "Don't worry," she muttered. "He says that when he's embarrassed to say anything about anyone's appearance when they look amazing."

Karin didn't really think she looked amazing but Aimi had spent a lot of time working on Karin's makeup. The least she could do was compliment that.

Hitsugaya looked at Aimi, looking shocked. The only times he had ever seen her fully was whenever she had her nose buried in some deep and complicated book. Karin looked at him staring at Aimi with jealousy that it burned her heart. He looked at her with such lust that she wanted to punch out his lights.

Hitsugaya smiled as he looked at her. He then snapped his head to Karin and winked. Karin stuck out her tongue at him. He had only been pretending to look at her?! She was mad. He knew she would notice the gaze and gotten jealous. She hated it whenever he toyed with her feelings like this. Stupid Hitsugaya!

Karin, enraged, stomped her high heeled foot and walked in a random direction. She was a full amount of five steps before Aimi gently pulled her arm. She pointed in the opposite direction.

"The party is that way," she said sheepishly. She knew what her friend was thinking. She couldn't help feel bad that Hitsugaya had looked at her that way in order to make his girlfriend, Aimi thought that was what she should be called, aggravated.

Karin just stomped her foot again and walked the other way. Aimi smiled helplessly at Hitsugaya and walked slowly behind her. Hitsugaya just shrugged it off. He was use to Karin's attitudes. He thought that maybe she was having her monthly...er...thing.

Karin was so angry at Hitsugaya that she didn't care that she was hurting Aimi's feelings, not to mention her shoes, by making the evening unpleasant with her rage. Karin simply walked forward. She was so tired of Hitsugaya's pranks. She liked it when he use to just walk next to her with nothing to say and absolutely no expression on his face. Something that Karin did changed him to become like this, free and happy. She loved it...at certain times.

Aimi could tell that Karin was rambling in her mind. She always did this whenever she was in a fight with Hitsugaya. She knew that Karin couldn't live without Hitsugaya. They were destined for each other. At least from all the romantic novels that Aimi poured into her brain, the signs were clear. They were soul mates.

Aimi had once read a book that there was some sort of birthmark that people were born with that gave them the ability to see who was their soul mate. She wondered if Karin and Hitsugaya had something like this so that they knew they were made for each other...figuratively of course.

Aimi nodded obviously to Hitsugaya and nudged her head towards Karin.

"Aimi, there is no need for you to tell the Captain to apologize," Karin was very sarcastic on the word captain. She only called Hitsugaya that when she was bugged by him. This was not usually a very good sign.

Hitsugaya sighed dramatically. He was learning from Karin every day. She was an excellent teacher of Drama for Teenagers.

"Naoko, can you leave me and Karin alone?" he asked with a certain authority. He had never called Aimi by her first name. He was so polite that it freaked out Aimi a little.

"Sure," she nodded. She walked quicker so that she could get ahead of the two. She would just meet Shota at the party. The two were getting along. Aimi was a little curious about Shota's feelings for Karin. She didn't know if he still liked her or even loved her. Ever since Karin had found Hitsugaya, the very few hours that Aimi got to know Shota, he has been like a giant stick in the mud. All he would do whenever he and Aimi were alone, kissing or doing whatever, he would somehow manage to bring up Karin.

Like once, they were behind the school in the forest that Aimi loved and Karin and Hitsugaya professed their love for each other, making out, and Shota pushed Aimi away from him a little.

"What do you think Karin and Hitsugaya are doing?" he asked.

"Hopefully something like we are," Aimi answered. She loved how much Karin was in love. She hoped that Karin got to enjoy this before it was all ripped away from her because of titles and bloodlines. She shook her head. Wait, she was over that.

She thought of Shota. Sure, she was over that. He was nice too. Even of he was a little young for her. He had the same brown hair as...

Aimi walked on forward. She was dwelling on the past too much. No one would know her in this uniform. It was all pretty and cute. It never even changed. It is the perfect outfit to escape away from all the responsibility. She thought of her dad. Would he miss her?

Karin turned back and looked at Hitsugaya. "Let's just go to the party and have a good time, eh?" she asked.

She sort of jogged on her heels. It was so annoying. She couldn't balance correctly on high heels. When she was strutting away from Hitsugaya at the beginning of the night, she had secretly been concentrating hard on not falling so she didn't look like a complete fool.

She was getting over her temper and walked towards the party. That's when she fell and twisted her ankle. It was a big jumble of falling and twisting and hurting.

She was looking up at the night sky. Suddenly the light went out of view. She saw Hitsugaya and his spiky white hair falling downwards into Karin's face. She giggled.

"That tickles," she said, blowing his hair out of her face.

He smiled down on her. She was beautiful even if she refused to believe it. Hitsugaya leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead. She turned a light pink under her blush and foundation.

He stayed leaning over her. He leaned forward again, about to kiss her on the lips.

"What are you doing?"

Hitsugaya brought himself up straight and turned to see who interrupted such a sweet moment.

"Hello.....Shota," Hitsugaya said. This guy had such bad timing. Or was it good? Hitsugaya had his suspicions about Shota. He seemed too fond of Karin. It bugged him how he wasn't fast enough to find her so she made Shota her best friend.

Before Shota could even think of a reply, Hitsugaya knelt down in front of Karin. He winked at her and picked her up, scooping him into her arms. He cradled her in his arms with such ease. Karin had to remember that despite his still child-like appearance he was actually really strong. She blushed madly, now turning a strawberry red. She didn't look Shota in the eye because of her embarrassment of having to be carried, but she could tell from the corner of her eye, as could Hitsugaya who was staring at his face to see his reaction, that he was red in the face. It could either be from embarrassment to witness such a scene, or something that Karin didn't want to think that Shota would feel: rage and irritation.

Karin had been making up excuses for Shota to Hitsugaya on a daily basis now. She had known since Shota had kissed Aimi for the first time, that he was just using her. She also knew on some level that Shota had a crush on her. She had hoped in the beginning that it was just puppy love for his best friend. Boys often got their feelings mixed up. Karin just told her self that for the first months that he was only mixed up. That he would come to his senses and choose Aimi, who was clearly attracted to him.

Then there was Aimi. Whenever Aimi looked at Shota, she looked through him as if she was looking at someone else. Karin had seen this look once when she was looking at the back of his head at the picnic and they were practicing kidou since Aimi's voice had gotten sore from all the reading. Aimi had been looking at the brown hair and saw something else. Karin always had trouble to know what her friend was thinking of whenever she was thinking of her past. Aimi always got tense when asked about her past. She would put on a fake smile that anyone but Karin could mistake for a genuine smile.

"Nothing much has really happened," the response came from any question.

Karin wasn't fooled. She saw the way that Aimi's hand clenched and unclenched that indeed something must have happened. It wouldn't surprise Karin if she had some deep dark secret that if Aimi ever told Karin, she would have to kill her.

"We're here," Hitsugaya said, placing Karin carefully into a folded chair.

Karin, immersed in her thoughts, hadn't notice them coming up to the party. It is really surprising because the music was turned up to the maximum volume that was possible on the stereo that someone must have brought back from the real world.

Probably a sixth year brought it back from a practice mission to exterminate some monstrous hollow wandering around devouring any human's soul that walked across its path. Unlike black cats, the hollow aren't at all scared and eat them. So the Shinigami has to make its way all the way over there and go and chop them in half.

Karin loved Aimi's explanation when she was suppose to give a report in one of their classes. Of course, Aimi said something smart, while Karin abbreviated into her slacker and dumb-ed down version.

The teacher just shook her head and frowned when Karin gave her report. The funny thing was that they understood Karin's version better than Aimi's, who included complicated tearms of the slaying of a Hollow. Karin thought that she even included the anatomy of Hollows in her presentation.

Even thought Aimi was her best friend, Karin still thought of her as a mega nerd. She was more of a genius than the teacher. Karin would chuckle in class whenever Aimi corrected the teacher.

Karin sat in her chair, searching the dance floor for Aimi. She found her...within a circle of guys. She scoffed.

Unbelievable! She beat them to the party by just a few minutes and Aimi was already the center of attention. Not that Karin was surprised. With that face and body, it would be a wonder if all the guys in the room weren't staring at her.

he stole a glance at Hitsugaya. He was looking at her concerned. When he saw her glance at him, he looked at what she was looking at before. He smiled at her and made an exaggerated effort to be ogling Aimi.

Karin puffed out her cheeks and turned her face away from Hitsugaya. She let the air loose from her cheeks and looked at all of the guys that were surrounding Aimi. She yelped in surprise.

"Hitsugaya," she called him over to her.

Hitsugaya waltzed on over and smiled. "Not mad at me anymore?" he asked slyly.

Karin ignored the question. She simply motioned her head to Aimi. "Have you noticed a striking resemblance amongst all the guys?" she asked him.

Hitsugaya studied the group that surrounded Aimi in a circle. "They all have brown hair?" he asked.

Karin nodded. "Exactly, brown hair and green eyes," she observed. She saw another boy coming up to her with rather extraordinary black hair. "Watch this next part."

The black haired boy walked up to the group. He looked like he wanted to talk to Aimi, at the very least, hit on her, but as soon as he walked up, Aimi didn't even notice him. She was completely occupied in continuing to look at all of the brown haired boys of the group.

"Wow," Hitsugaya observed. "So cold. I didn't know that Aimi had a type."

Karin patted/ slapped Hitsugaya on the cheek. "Come on!" she said. "If Aimi ever worked her strange and powerful magic on you, you would dump me in a second."

Hitsugaya frowned and deeply looked Karin in the eyes, bringing his face in front of hers. "I would never," he promised. "ever ever ever ever leave you for any other person."

Karin kissed his cheek. "Thank you," she said laughing. She then turned to look around the party. It looked like so much fun.

She gently put some pressure on her ankle. "Ow," she muttered.

Hitsugaya dashed to her side. He had wandered away to go and see if there were any drinks. He brought had brought two back with him. They sloshed over their edges when he had run back as soon as he heard the word 'ow.'

"Are you okay?" he asked concerned, handing her a drink.

Karin had to take her hand from where she had held it against her ankle. She wouldn't be sparring for a while. This might put her behind the class. The student Shinigami weren't allowed to have kidou used on their wounds yet. It was really unfair in Karin's mind. Now she would be behind the class.

She took the drink and smelled it. It smelled funny. She took a tiny sip. She coughed it out.

"Yuck!" she said. "What is this?"

"You don't like se srink?"

Karin looked up from the cup with the yucky liquid to see Aimi flowing towards her. She seemed kind of ditzy.

"At least four guys have brought me that stuff," she said, giggling crazily. "I-t's sreally good."

"Are you slurring your words?" Karin asked. Oh no.

She smelled the drink closely. Yup, there was definitely alcohol in there. She could smell it because of when she was a nurse working in the Kurosaki Clinic. She had gotten in close contact with the alcohol in order to clean the wounds of all the people that had cuts or infection. It worked nicely, to heal, but that when only 12% of it was put into a drink, it can make people drunk.

Uh oh. Hitsugaya had gotten some of that drink. She turned to see him drinking it. There were three more cups next to him. Hitsugaya drank the last sip and looked at Karin. He had flushed cheeks just like Aimi. He walked, swaying to Karin.

"Y-you look so beaustiful," he slurred. He leaned in and kissed her.

Karin, disgusted by the smell and taste of alcohol in his mouth, pushed him away after he kissed her four more times.

He fell into a faint on the ground. She sure hoped that no one recognized a renowned captain of the Gotei 13 getting drunk. He lied in a dead heap, his face still red. He smacked his lips together and scratched his chest. A little drool came out of the side of his mouth.

She looked at Aimi. She was making out with each of the guys. She kissed one of the guys and then she moved on to another one of them. Karin frowned. She even kissed the black haired guy she had been oblivious to earlier.

Was she going to have to take care of them all tonight? She then remembered Shota was here too. She turned her head to Shota, he would be a big help in this situation.

Crap!

Shota was drinking some of the drink too. His face was bright tomato red. He probably had more to drink than Hitsugaya or Aimi. She slowly got to her feet in order to keep Shota from drinking anymore. She pulled the cup gently from his hands, keeping most of the weight on her other unhurt ankle.

"Bwut I want swome," he said stomping his feet.

Drunk Status:

Aimi- flirty and uncontrollably a blond ice cold bitch

Shota- whining child (spoiled)

Hitsugaya- can't hold his liquor

Karin- smart enough to stay away from alcohol

Her vein popped. If she ever found out who spiked the punch, she would kill them. It was probably another sixth year. You could get many things from the real world. Plus most of them looked like they were over twenty one. The perfect and infinite disguise.

"Shota," she commanded in a yelling voice. The music was so loud she couldn't hear herself think. "stop acting like a baby and help me carry Hitsugaya."

Shota sat on the floor crossed legged. "I don't wanna!" he whined.

Karin was going to lose her temper real quick. She limped over to Aimi and pulled her off of her latest boy toy. She used all of her strength to pull her to the side where Shota sat lazily with his arms across his chest and Hitsugaya slept.

"Karin..." Hitsugaya said, smiling. He licked his lips and rolled to his other side. "Karin..."

Karin blushed despite herself. He seemed to be having a good time in his dream. She didn't really want to know what 16 year old (well he looks 16) would dream about.

Karin sure hoped that Hitsugaya- wait, none of her friends wouldn't get drunk again, as Aimi pulled away from Karin and sat in Shota's lap, kissing him. She bent down to pick up Hitsugaya.

Ugh! He was so heavy. She used all of her strength to lift him up. Normally both of them could lift each other up but with her twisted ankle, Karin couldn't even lean him against her shoulder.

"Aimi!" Karin yelled at her friend. "Get off Shota and help me with Hitsugaya."

Aimi flounced off of Shota and walked over to Hitsugaya. She leaned over him and smiled.

"I've never stried sa scaptain befsore," she murmured and leaned in. Karin slapped her across the face before she had the chance to kiss Hitsugaya.

"What the hell do you think you're doing trying to kiss my boyfriend?" she demanded.

Aimi lay on the floor, now unconscious. Karin's face fell from anger. Now she had concern. Had she slapped Aimi too hard? When Aimi murmured a random name, probably one of the boys she kissed, Karin sighed. She was just sleeping.

Shota got up and picked Hitsugaya up.

Karin looked in surprise. "Are you sober yet?" she asked.

Shota looked at her. "A bit," he said wearily. "Someone spiked the punch."

(ahem, Shota did. :P)

Karin smiled gratefully. "Thanks," she said. "I'll get Aimi."

She grabbed Aimi's arm and put it over her shoulder. She limped and dragged Aimi. Shota and Karin walked in silence, pulling and carrying their friends were too focused on carrying them to start a conversation.

When they finally reached Karin's quarters, Karin put Hitsugaya on the bed and Aimi on the couch. No way would she have the flirt in the same bed as her boyfriend. She pulled an extra blanket from her closet and pulled it over Aimi.

She smiled at her best friend as she turned over on her side and put her hands under her head, cuddling under the soft blanket.

Karin sat on the bed next to Shota. She looked back on her boyfriend. He looked so peaceful. Karin decided she would have to stay here and watch over the two so they won't wake up and wander off somewhere.

Shota smiled weirdly. He pulled Karin's face to face his. Karin noted that he was still flushed on his cheeks. He leaned into her, his eyes closing.

Karin slapped his hand then punched him in the face. "What do you think you're doing?!" she yelled at him.

He smiled weirdly. "You're swo beautiful," he said, leaning in again. Karin thought he might still be drunk. She might as well make him sleep like the other two.

Karin punched him in the stomach. As he leaned over and coughed out some water or saliva or whatever, Karin pressed a pressure point in his neck to make his pass out.

He fell to the floor in a heap. Karin looked around the room, where else was there room for the him to lie down and get over his drunk-ness. She saw that the only place left was at the desk.

Karin dragged his 21 year old body and pulled him to the table. She pulled him up so that he had his head on his arms, sleeping on the table. She thought that the room looked natural enough. Karin sat on the side of the bed again.

She curled her hand into a fist and pounded it against the soft mattress. She was the one with a sprained ankle. Yet because of some stupid student, she had to take care of all of them. The vein on her forehead popped out again. She would kill the stupid head.

"P-punch......s-sake....mix..." Karin looked at Shota.

Was he talking in his sleep again? She laid down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. She was so tired. She closed her eyes.

"Karin?" a voice entered her realm of blackness. "K-arin?"

Karin opened her eyes. She found herself looking into Aimi's.

"Aah!"

Karin bolted up straight.

"What's wrong?" said a concerned Aimi.

Karin carefully scooted closer to Hitsugaya. She looked at him. He was still asleep.

"A-are you okay?" Aimi said, reaching out a hand to place on her shoulder.

Karin gently pushed the hand away.

"Not still drunk, right?" Karin asked.

Aimi laughed nervously. "S-sorry about that," she said, blushing and looking at her toes. "Shota told me already that I went after all of the guys at the party."

Karin looked to the desk. Shota was gone. "W-where did he go?" she asked.

Damn, she was suppose to watch them to make sure they didn't all go berserk in their drunk stage.

Karin got out of the bed and stepped on her ankle. She fell forward and hit her head on the edge of the desk. She passed out again.

When she woke up for the second time, she turned her head to the desk to see Hitsugaya working. Aimi was nowhere in sight.

Hitsugaya smiled and looked at her. "Well, that was my first time being drunk," he said laughing.

Karin smiled weakly. Her head and ankle were throbbing. "You can't hold your liquor," she muttered.

"That's not my fault," Hitsugaya frowned.

Karin giggled. "Maybe we can try it again later," she sat up a little. "Just come here."

Hitsugaya got up from the bed and sat on the bed next to Karin. She maneuvered her body so that her head was leaning on Hitsugaya's groaned.

"Are you okay?" Hitsugaya's brow was furrowed in concern.

She shook her head and looked at him with a fake look of seriousness. "I have to go back to school tomorrow."