AN: This is a little bit filler-ish since I still don't have the guts to write the confrontation yet. Hang tight it is coming...

Her phone rang again, but she didn't pick up. It had been like this for the last three months and she had yet to crack. She heard Yuzu sigh as the phone in the kitchen rang and she picked it up. Karin heard the mumbled conversation before her twin walked in to their room her face stony as she placed her hands on her hips.

"You are going to have to talk to him at some point!" Yuzu said with concern brimming in her eyes, "I can't keep answering the phone and telling him that you are at soccer practice or helping dad. I think he's got it by now that you are avoiding his calls." Karin looked up from the book she was pretending to study and smiled softly at her sister.

"If he can drop classes, then I can drop him." Yuzu shook her head and walked out of their room not wanting to argue. If there was one thing she knew about her twin; it was that she and their older brother were far too alike and that they were both too stubborn for their own good.

After Yuzu left her alone again Karin thought over the first day back after Momo had woken up and felt the distinct prickle behind her eyes. She was stronger now though and she wasn't going to let her feelings for him over take her.

She had walked in to class as normal and had sat in her usual seat, when her lecturer came in they took attendance, but didn't call his name, Karin had raised her hand to question it only to be told that he had dropped classes and as her lecturer had put it,

"It would seem that having as many degrees as he does, it would appear that Literature is not one of the ones he needs." The thought of not being able to see him at all cut her the most, but the fact that he hadn't even had the decency to ever say that he would possibly drop classes if Momo woke up made her angry enough that she didn't contemplate the hurt.

Sitting at her desk shaking off the reverie her phone rang again and leaning over she saw that the number was withheld and because that couldn't be Tōshirō she picked it up,

"Karin Kurosaki?" She asked softly trying to package all the hurt she was feeling in to a box at the bottom of her soul,

"Karin-chan?" a smooth almost smoky voice asked and she felt her nerve start to shred.

"Uncle Shu..." she replied holding the phone closer to her ear to absorb his warmth even across the phone line.

"He needs to speak to you," he said softly not needing to say who,

"I can't," she said and heard the distinctive click of another phone being added to the conference,

"You should," A softer voice spoke and her resolve wavered again,

"Uncle Jū... it's easier said than done. I don't know what to say to him."

"Then say nothing, just let him talk," Her godfather said softly and she could hear Jūshirō grunt in affirmation.

"I can't do that either," Karin said her voice breaking, "Every time he tries to explain I end up begging. I can't do it anymore." She felt the tears slip down her cheeks, "I'm not Momo and I never will be." She heard a sharp exhale of breath followed by a whistle which she knew came from Shunsui her godfather,

"I am grateful for that Karin-chan," he said his voice light in tone.

"We wouldn't want you any other way Karin," Jūshirō added his voice sincere.

"But that is what he wants," She said brushing away the tears with the back of her hand,

"He doesn't know what he wants," the pair replied in unison making her smile and it was the first real smile for a long time,

"Are you still coming for dinner this weekend?" She asked, "Ichi-nii can't make it due to some grand opening of a club he designed, but he told us to send his love."

"We wouldn't miss it for the world," Jūshirō chortled and then Shunsui added,

"We have big news to tell you so you bet we'll show; wild horses couldn't stop me coming to taste Yuzu-chan's cooking." Karin laughed and the pair of older men sighed; clearly knowing that she hadn't laughed in an age and she was warmed by their concern. As much as she loved her family and all the support they had given her in the last few months it was nice to find out that there were others that loved her too. She just wished deep down inside that Tōshirō had loved her that much as well.

"If he wants to talk to me so bad, he can meet me at the top of the hill where the road curves around the valley at sunset tomorrow, if he doesn't show; that's it no more chances and he has to stop phoning the house, because Yuzu can't take it anymore." She heard one of the older men laugh, but on the phone it was difficult to discern who it was until they spoke.

"We will pass the message on to him Karin-chan, good luck honey." Shunsui said, his voice warming her up from the inside.

"If you need us you know where to reach us," Jūshirō added.

"Thank you Uncle Shu, Uncle Jū." Karin said as she went to hang up the phone, "Love you both."

"Love you too," they chimed in before all three of them hung up the phone. As she laid her phone of the desk she couldn't believe that she had really agreed to do this, she was going to see him again. Even after all they had been through.

Why did she think this was a good idea?


Karin had just gone back to studying when her phone rang again raising her hackles until she saw her brother's name flashing on the screen in an impatient fashion. She sighed and as she picked up she remembered what had happened after she had got home the morning Momo had woken up.

The taxi driver had refused to let her out down the street from her house. He had insisted that he make sure she got home okay until she had given up arguing with him and snuggled in to the back seat hoping that she could just vanish in to the ether.

She had stumbled out the taxi an hour later at the doors of the Kurosaki Clinic and when she had tried to pay him for the return journey; he had shook his head before slapping the door of the car lovingly.

"Bonnie and I are happy to help damsels in distress so your money is no good here little one." She had once again tried to convince him that she was good for the money and that he should take it, but he had once again shaken his head before saying, "The self proclaimed protector of Karakura will never take the money of a girl suffering from such a broken heart." He had then laid his hand on her arm before grinning wickedly and finishing with, "I meant what I said earlier my sister makes the best fireworks, so be sure to come and see the Shiba display at the summer festival in two Sunday's time. You better come early; the places by the river sell out fast... so to speak." Karin couldn't help it, his enthusiasm was catching,

"I wouldn't miss it for the world," she found herself replying.

"Good!" With that he drove off waving manically from the driver's side window as he vanished around the corner. At his leaving Karin felt the enthusiasm he had passed to her wane and she walked robotically in to the front parlour of the house hoping against all hope that she would be alone.

Blissfully she was.

She had told Tōshirō that she wanted to get to class, but that had been a lie. All she wanted to do was curl up in her brother's bed and pretend that the world outside didn't exist. She went to the fridge and retrieved her emergency chocolate from the back of it; where she hid it from her dad with some of her protein shakes and took a quick swig of the whiskey that he hid under the sink before she went upstairs.

She rounded the corner of the upstairs landing and saw her brother's door with the '15' plaque still hanging pride of place in the middle. Even though he had moved out a few years ago none of them wanted to change his room, because if they left it the way he had; then it was as if Ichigo was still in the house with them. It was the same reason why her dad Isshin kept the picture of their mother in the living room; although Karin and Yuzu could barely remember her it was as if she were still living in the house with them. One thing that Kurosaki's couldn't let go of were family ties; no matter how much they may hurt.

She opened the door and looked inside his room, as always it was practically empty as if the idea of clutter offended him, she walked across the clean floor and realised that Yuzu had been in recently to tidy up; which was so like her twin. She stared out of the window imagining her brother sat on the ledge outside as if he was waiting for something exciting to happen in their little suburb.

In her mind she could see him turning to her, his stupid orange hair in his eyes as he smiled at her the frown that normally marred his handsome face gone and replaced with soft laughter lines and open optimism. She ran across the room to the phantom image of her brother and fell on the bed in a heap pulling his pillow in to her chest as she cried. When she had finally calmed down she pulled out her phone and phoned Ichigo hoping that he had finished with the lunch date he had with his client. He picked up on the first ring,

"Yo!" he said in greeting and Karin hugged his pillow harder,

"Ichi-nii..." she said and she could hear her brother sit down on the other end of the phone,

"You want me to kill him, because I can you know," She stifled her laugh at her brother's reaction,

"No," she said softly taking comfort in his warm voice, "I just thought he would pick me," She heard him sigh before he covered the receiver to say something to one of his colleagues.

"He's an idiot," he said finally, "Anyone who passes on you is an idiot."

"Ichi-nii, you are biased," she replied trying not to sound as happy by the compliment as she felt.

"You bet your ass I am, if that little white haired punk thinks that Miss I only have eyes for Sousuke Aizen is better than my sister then he deserves all the misery that is undoubtedly coming to him." Karin sniggered at that,

"Is it okay if I sleep in your bed tonight," she asked before she could stop herself; she waited for her brother's confused response, but it didn't come instead he chuckled warming her to her ice cold bones,

"Sleep there as long as you need sis," he said before adding, "Sweet dreams," she went to say something back, but fell asleep the minute he said those words.

He could always make the demons go away Karin thought as she picked up his call and put the phone to her ear,

"Karin?" he asked his voice sounding broken,

"What has happened Ichi-nii?" Karin asked her heart beating too fast in her chest as she started to panic about her brother. In response to her fight or flight reaction to his tone she began to shovel her books in to her bag to go see him, damn school! Family trumped everything else. Ichigo snorted at the concern he heard in his sister's voice, it was why he had phoned her. Yuzu was sweet and lovely, but she was too soft in all likelihood she would have cried with him. Karin however was as hard as nails and he knew that she would break walls and faces to get to his side.

"Calm down Karin," He said pushing a hand through his hair dishevelling it more than he already had in the hours since the incident. "I was only calling to say that you don't have to worry about Grimmjow anymore." Karin bit back her sigh of relief before it left her lips because she knew that no matter what the bastard had done to her brother, for better or worse Ichigo had loved him.

She dropped her bag on the floor knowing that she didn't need to rush to her brother's side just yet and walked to his room closing the door silently behind her.

"Tell me what happened Ichi-nii don't leave anything out. I have all the time in the world."