AN: I'm back~ And with Part Two of HitsuKarin Week 2013. :) I've been meaning to upload this (it's already on my tumblr so maybe some of you have seen it there) but I've been reading and writing and doing stuff for the family so I've had no time. But I'm happy to say that Go Against the Grain will be up soon~ The chapter is finished so I'll be posting it sometime this week so watch out for that! :DDDD

Thank you's for the last chapter:

Liliv00: I'm glad you thought so~ :DD I hope you enjoy this chapter too!

Themes Used: Pony Tail, Blush and Future

Summary: High school!AU. Their story starts with an issue of challenge by a seven-year-old girl to an eight-year-old prodigy.

Warnings: I've messed with their ages a bit. Karin is seven, Toushirou is eight and Ichigo is nine and they age from there. Oh, and I changed my writing style a little. Just for fun. ;)

EDIT: The bit about archery has been changed a bit because Kendran was kind enough to tell me a bit more about the sport. Doesn't change the story but it's nice-to-know information.


April 2013: We Are Young

"I'm going to beat you one day, Hitsugaya Toushirou."

It's a declaration of epic proportions, one that wouldn't suit any other seven-year-old. But Kurosaki Karin is different, all guts without the sugarcoating, and no one can say otherwise. So when she issues a challenge to the school's resident genius there's only stunned silence from their audience, plus a flash of discomfort that flits across his face. But it's gone as soon as it appears, as he shifts his features into that well-known mask.

It's not him who speaks next but her brother. "What are you doing, Karin?"

"What does it look like, Ichi-nii?" she asks right back, crossing her arms defensively. But her eyes never stray from her opponent, even as her sibling steps out from the crowd to call her out.

"It looks like you've lost your mind." He moves between his good friend and little sister, noticing that she glares up at him for interrupting. But Ichigo isn't cowed by a look that he practically invented.

She shakes her head. "I'm only doing what nobody else in this school is willing to do."

"Oh? And what's that?"

"I'm challenging Toushirou."

There's nothing anyone can do but stare and process Karin's words, as if she's an alien from a different realm. Because no one's ever been brave enough to confront the genius only one year her senior. Hitsugaya's reputation precedes him well before he enters a grade, before he enters a school even, so that every student feels inadequate before he even arrives.

It doesn't make him many friends, only enemies who are either passive-aggressive in nature or straight-up bullies. But while he may be small for his size Hitsugaya has proven himself to be far from weak. Few have the balls to mess with him outright so the rest stand idly by and observe, letting it happen with ugly fascination.

For a moment, her older brother can't seem to form a proper sentence. "Y-you're kidding me, right? That's… Is that even legal?"

"Won't know until someone tries it," Karin shrugs easily, as if facing a prodigy was an everyday occurrence for her. "It's not like anyone else is going to."

"That's because they know that doing something like this is a little crazy," Ichigo says, raising a brow high at her seriousness. But she's always been a confident little thing, knowing exactly who she was and what she wanted. And it seems that she's set her sights on his friend without hesitation.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Sighing, she has the gall to look exasperated at him—at everyone, really—as she tosses her head back and forth. "I'm not doing this because I dislike him or anything. He's your friend so of course I have to not hate him." Neither notices the slight contraction of Hitsugaya's left eyelid.

"Then I don't get it. Why even bother?"

"Because no one else will." The fact that it's stated so plainly that it almost doesn't make sense coming from a child has people reeling, confusion crossing their faces. Even Ichigo, who knows and understands Karin so well, can't seem to grasp what her intentions are. But the pensive look that crosses Hitsugaya's face means he might get the dark-haired Kurosaki better than one would think.

"I… don't understand," Ichigo frowns, the hallway ripe with anticipation. While Toushirou might have the most complex and compelling mind for cities around Karin's looks to be just as interesting.

"I'm challenging Toushirou because there's no one with enough courage here to do it themselves," she starts, sizing up her small frame and looking him straight in the eyes. "People talk behind his back, whisper rumors and even call him names to his face but no one's brave enough to actually confront him. They're jealous so they can only be mean.

"So why doesn't anyone compete with him head-on? If they think they're good enough to look down on him, then they should make the playing field equal." She stops here before shifting her gaze directly onto her target, pupils dilating in fierce resolve. "You may be a genius, Toushirou, but you're not perfect. One day I'm going to prove that to you and everyone else."

When Ichigo opens his mouth—to admonish her for the childish notion or reprimand her for her thoughtlessness, she isn't sure—Hitsugaya steps in. He bypasses Ichigo to stand in front of little Karin, who straightens herself up to meet him halfway. And he knows that there's a reason why he likes her more than pretty much any other girl he knows, as he nods his head in agreement.

"Then I accept your challenge, Karin."


She spends the next four years trying to catch his shadow. Not that anyone thinks she can hold a candle to him. Hitsugaya's greatness is innate, a combination of genetics that comes together as often as the planets aligning. And while Karin is smart she's no mess of cleverness on the same level as him.

She knows this better than anyone and she still doesn't care.

Yuzu thinks it's a wonderful idea, encouraging her to do her best and work hard. It's the journey, not the goal, that matters, she tells her twin as she sets down a tray of snacks so she can do some late night studying. They're only in elementary but greatness is habitual. Karin knows that Toushirou doesn't get good grades because of his head alone, it's a matter of repetition. So she does the same, reviewing notes and books and pre-reading to give herself an edge.

So it's no wonder she becomes first in her grade, a feat that stuns her peers and pleases her teachers. They're impressed by her work ethic while others are scared by her progress but Karin has no interest in their opinions. All she can think about is how she falls a few crucial points below Toushirou's perfect records scored only a year before, and she feels like she has so much more to prove.

Ichigo knows he can't talk her out of it, not when she's so determined, so he helps when he can. But he realizes that Karin's stubbornness will eclipse his own abilities soon, as she eats up knowledge with dizzying speeds. He tells Toushirou that she could very well be the smartest out of the Kurosaki children one day as they're walking home from school. Hitsugaya asks why that should concern him and all he gets back is a careless shrug of shoulders.

"She's relentless. One of these days I can definitely see her beating you with sheer determination alone," Ichigo says offhandedly.

"Isn't that the goal, to beat me?" And, for the first time since she issued the declaration, Hitsugaya is interested in how the girl is doing. But it's been more than two years since that confrontation and honestly he'd forgotten it until that moment.

But it seems like he's the only one. "Yeah but I wonder if it's what she needs right now. It's a lot of stress to take on as a kid," he rambles on, all the concern of a big brother contorting his features. But Ichigo is still just a teenage boy so he only lets so much emotion show. "It's hard enough growing up but to do it with your eyes on someone else all the time? I just don't want her to lose sight of herself."

For a moment Toushirou wonders if they're talking about the same girl. Because the Karin he remembers has confidence as large as the Pacific and a self-concept derived from Michelangelo's hands. She's clear and crisp like a breath of fresh air and he's always been intrigued by her strength. A child's attention span goes for a few minutes, their long-term goals little longer, but not hers.

Karin has all the makings of someone he could grow to admire.

But he never tells her these things, especially not when he's about to move at the tender age of twelve. His family's going abroad because of his father's job relocation. And while he's not exactly sad to be going there is some anxiety for what the future might bring. After all, fear comes with change.

He guesses that's what causes an eleven year old Karin to come barreling down the street the day of the move, boxes packed and luggage already in the trunk. He sees her in the uniform that she uses for archery, meaning she must've stolen out of practice without anyone's consent. It almost makes him smile that she's really not as mature as she looks, as she stands up straight to level him another one of her infamous glares.

She's as blunt and un-cute as ever. "You never told me you were leaving."

"It was a late-minute thing. I hardly had time to tell my friends," he explains, turning to face her wrath fully. She's taller than he remembers but he can finally say he's a few good inches bigger. There's some satisfaction in that.

"Yeah, but you didn't tell me." It's that last word, so filled with finality and hurt, that tugs at his heartstrings, as she slants her hip to the side and stares right through him. Meeting that haughty gaze, he understands that she's not actually mad at what he hadn't done but what he was doing, her challenge unfinished. The smile comes unbidden to his lips when he crosses the short distance between them, as he gently ruffles her hair.

He knows that Karin will never say that she doesn't want him to go.

"I'll be back someday," he soothes, offering a small farewell with all the kindness he can summon. She doesn't cry but nor does he expect her to, as she swats his hand before running back down the street from which she came. But something stops her before she gets too far, calling his attention as she turns around and yells back at him.

"I haven't beat you yet, Toushirou, so you'd better keep your promise!" And then she's dodging out of sight, not a trace left of her presence. And he knows he will, as he's ushered into his family's car to head off for the airport. Because now he knows that there's someone waiting for him and he'd hate to disappoint her.


It's almost four years later when Hitsugaya moves back to Japan, convincing his parents that he wants to finish high school in his hometown. Karakura is bright and lively, just as he left it, and he feels right at home as soon as he gets there. His parents let him get an apartment not too far from school, wiring money that they know he'll spend wisely.

So he enrolls and catches up with his old friends, finding a spot on the kendo team despite the fact that he's trained in fencing rather than its Japanese counterpart. But with Ichigo as captain there's a lot of faith the older man has in him, as he clasps his shoulder without a word and lets him back into his life as if he'd never left.

And for a moment Toushirou wonders where Karin is, though he'd never say that to the upperclassman. He's curious but not enough to ask for a death wish and he knows that's what courting a Kurosaki equates to. There's a reason no one has messed with the youngest of the family and he stands far too large and foreboding for any mere mortal to overcome.

Her reputation reaches him before she does, and he's thoroughly impressed but hardly surprised. Graduating with honors from middle school, obtaining the highest marks on last year's entrance exams, class representative and set to lead the girl's archery team to National's this year.

Rumors go that she has a bit of a fan club, hidden from the ears of her menacing older brother and is almost obsessively dedicated. Even without knowing them Hitsugaya snorts at their idiocy. Karin has no need for spineless guys who can only watch her from afar and pine for her affection. She needs strength and stability, someone who will keep her on her toes and that smart mouth of hers preoccupied.

On their first meeting, he learns just how right he is.

"I see someone's decided to grace us with their presence." It's a voice that's far too deep to be childish and too velvety to be anything less than seductive. The ripple it sends down his spine makes him that much more wary when he sees Karin standing in the doorway of her brother's room, smiling that cat-like smirk of hers.

His eyes take in strong limbs from her sport's training and long hair that he hadn't been expecting. Feminine curves fill out the blazer of their school's uniform, her hips sashaying as she sits beside him on Ichigo's bed. To her all of these changes are unspectacular, nuisances even, but Hitsugaya can't help but take in every piece of her and marvel.

Still, he refuses to give her the advantage. "I can say the same for you. I've been over here a few times and yet you're never home."

"I have practice every day, just like you. I just happen to stay longer," she supplies, tossing her pony-tailed mane over her shoulder. The smell of jasmine hits him and a part of him wonders if her skin holds the same scent.

"Up until now? That's a bit excessive," Hitsugaya says as he glances at the clock. He won't say it's too late for a girl to be out alone because that would make it sound as if he's worried and he's not. She'd hate him for the concern anyway,

Karin doesn't say anything, only stands up as she rolls her eyes and makes her way back to the hallway. But she stops again in the doorway before she gets too far and throws a wink over her shoulder. "If you come around more often maybe I'll clock out a little earlier." And then she's gone like the wind, leaving his jaw slack and his senses roused. It takes all he has to keep his cool when Ichigo returns, asking him if he's alright when he sees the odd look on his face. Toushirou's no good at lying so he merely refuses to say anything at all.


When Toushirou comes back, it's like taking in a big gulp of oxygen after being underwater for so long. Karin almost loses herself when she hears the news of the handsome new transfer student who speaks four languages and looks like something out of a foreign fashion magazine. At first she's not interested, because her sights have always been set on one specific target. But when she recalibrates her system to lock onto her brother's newly returned friend Karin isn't prepared for the man that waltzes back into her life.

The girls in every grade fawn over him and those pretty eyes, loving the stern face that never changes. He's taller than she thought he'd turn out, reminding herself that he wasn't the runt she first met as a kid. And he's still as smart as ever, taking the top scores in both his grade and the district.

He's perfect, the people around him say so in both awe and envy, but Karin already knew that. It's what's beneath that pristine surface that she wants to find out, discovering the weaknesses he never gives up to anyone. And yet he continues to treat her with that cool disinterest she grew up with, making her feel small and unworthy in spite of all the things she's accomplished.

But what she hates more is that she's still chasing him even after all these years.

Her old declaration is brought up again whenever anyone catches them talking, usually something concerning Ichigo or their clubs. At first people are worried that they like each other because, well, why wouldn't they? There's enough history and chemistry between them that it only makes sense that first love prevails in the end.

But fangirls and fanboys alike breathe sighs of relief whenever Karin demands he acknowledge that she's finally caught up to him. But all Toushirou can do is smirk, causing every female fan to fall over themselves as he pats her head like a child. And Karin can only swat his hand away, pouting so adorably that every boy in the vicinity grows even greener at Hitsugaya's existence. However, she doesn't notice any of that when she stalks away, determined that she'll defeat him once and for all.

Toushirou never says that she'd beaten him long ago, or that he's just waiting for her to claim her prize.


Occasionally he slips into the archery team's practice room to watch before going to his own. It's because Karin is always there first, arrow in position as the string is pulled taut. Even from afar Toushirou can see her perfect form, legs spread as her arms and back support the recoil of her bow.

With her eyes narrowing as she aims, he follows the flow of his stare to her hair tied up in a white ribbon. His fingers flex as he wishes to untie it, let it fall against the column of her neck as he combs through the strands. He doesn't need to look in the mirror to know his pupils have grown darker, as he watches her release her loaded weapon.

It's close but the bull's eye is a scant few millimeters to the left.

Karin curses loudly, slapping a hand to her forehead as she paces for a moment. Even now Karin has that old temper of hers and he finds himself smiling at her tantrum, as she picks up another arrow and preps for her next shot. But Toushirou is feeling charitable so he steps into the room and she turns to face him. Her already sour scowl deepens at his appearance.

It takes everything he has not to laugh. "Would you like a hand there, Karin?"

"No, not from you at least," she mutters under her breath, turning away to take her stance. There's no doubt she's nervous now, with her shoulders tense and her body language rigid. They both know what's causing it but he doesn't leave.

"You should probably relax a bit or you'll overshoot your target," Hitsugaya instructs, treading silently along the floorboards. Although she loathes to admit that he's right Karin does as he says, shaking her limbs before pulling back on the string of her bow again.

But nothing prepares her for the feeling of a hand along her waist.

"W-what the hell are you doing?" Karin yells, as Toushirou's presence comes up behind her. It's the heat from his body that hits her first, followed by the strength of his fingertips. The movement of his hand along her back calms her as much as it knocks her off center, as she moves to put her bow down and face him.

"Don't. I'm trying to help you," Toushirou murmurs and the sound goes straight to the hairs on her neck, becoming conscious of how close he is to her ear. But he doesn't back off, only slides in closer to press front to back and she almost drops her weapon. Or aims it at him. The confusion is making her hasty but slow.

When he doesn't move and she doesn't pull away, Karin can't help but hit herself mentally for not doing the obvious thing and get him to back off. But there's something comforting about the feel of his hand holding her straight, his other clasping the hand around her bow. She's not prepared for the tingles that flow through her fingertips, eating up her senses. There's some comfort there too, in his ability to soften her lines and let her concentrate the way she couldn't the first time.

Whether the difference is him or her Karin can't say, but as she releases a perfectly arched arrow into her target the results speak for themselves. All she can do it turn around and grab Toushirou around the middle, ecstatic about her success. Because while she's made several perfect shots in her career she's never done it so early in her warm-up. In her happiness, Karin forgets what she's doing and who she's with.

But Toushirou doesn't.

Untangling her hair from its noose, he kisses her like he's been doing it forever, like it's his right. Her eyes go big at the action and a part of her wonders if she should push away or pull him closer. But the way he slips his hand into her hair and takes a gentle hold of her hip tells Karin that he's not letting her go, not again. So she grins playfully as she winds her own arms around him, parting her lips in hopes he'll take the hint.

"You have five seconds to remove yourself from my sister before I beat you within an inch of your life."

Toushirou pulls back but more out of politeness than any threat Ichigo can make, as he tucks Karin beneath his chin to glare over at the orange-haired menace. The one he gets in return is a hundred times blacker, the bokken in hand aimed readily at his face.

On her end, Karin doesn't take being ignored well. "Will you both stop it? We are not having a dick measuring contest just to satisfy some weird male instincts you guys might have," she grumbles, pulling away to turn and glower at her sibling.

"We're definitely not!" Ichigo raves, waving his sword indignantly, "And you can't say stuff like that!" He sends another glare in Hitsugaya's direction, who does little more than stare right back. "Is she learning this stuff from you, Toushirou? For cryin' out loud, she's my baby sister!"

"I like her. That should be good enough, right?" he shrugs, smiling gently as he watches Karin color at the confession. Even when they were kids he had liked her, he just hadn't been prepared for how much.

"You can't! She's off-limits!"

A white brow tilted skeptically. "Is she really? And where did you get that information?"

"Yeah, Ichi-nii, I'd love to hear where you got that idea," Karin snarls, obviously not having heard it before. And by the way Ichigo flushes, embarrassed and moving into self-preservation mode, he stutters out his reasons with as much familial authority as he can muster.

"I just— And he is— But you're—!" He doesn't get much farther than that when someone else enters the room.

"Why are there two non-club members here and why is one of them carrying around his sport's equipment?" Ishida inquires, pushing his glasses up his nose. When he meets Karin's gaze his look speaks of expectation, as she sighs and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Don't ask me. I was practicing and then it somehow degenerated into this mess." Waving her arms at the other two, she sends an angry Ichigo and indifferent Toushirou icy beams.

Ishida is smart enough not to ask anything else. "Then I'll have to ask Kurosaki and Hitsugaya-kun to leave. Karin-chan, will you help me set up a few things? We'll have the freshmen take care of everything else later."

"You do know I'm a freshman, don't you, Captain?" Karin jokes, completely ignoring the other two to make her way over to Uryuu. She doesn't notice how it rubs Toushirou the wrong way, hearing the senior call her name so easily or how she follows his orders without a fight (he may be purposefully forgetting that Ishida is her team's leader).

So he doesn't regret a thing when he pulls her back and plants a quick but possessive peck on her lips before moving away. It takes everything he has not to grin smugly as she licks at her own, as if trying to keep his taste on her tongue. But Hitsugaya is more than happy to help with that, giving her one last kiss on the cheek before moving towards the exit and a seething Ichigo.

The discrete smiles he gives her—the one that screams, we're not done here, not by a long shot—nearly steals Karin's good sense, as she watches them go. She can even tune out Ichigo's screeching, as he chases down Hitsugaya to properly put him in his place. Not that he can but he's certainly welcome to try.

After all, the only person Toushirou acknowledges as his equal is the one girl who's ever managed to see right through him.

THE END


AN: And that's the last part for that. Sorry I forgot, guys! But I hope you enjoyed it. Obviously I've been watching far too many shoujo anime so what can you do? LOL I'm trying to watch other series but my internet hates loading things so I've been a bit deprived lately. Gotta work that out somehow.

Anyway, reviews are loved beyond all belief so please drop one if you enjoyed. :D Until next time, everybody~