It was dark by the time they returned to the house. Karin hadn't really thought about how to explain Hitsugaya's sudden appearance to her family, but she decided that she would worry about that when they got there.

"I'm home," Karin announced, removing her shoes and stepping inside.

"Welcome home! You're late Kar…" Isshin began, but stopped dead when he saw who was standing behind her. He snapped back almost immediately.

"Ah, Karin, you've brought a friend home! Yuzu, one more for dinner!"

"Karin," Hitsugaya whispered, "go help your sister. I want to talk to your tousan alone." Karin's stomach flipped upside down.

"Alright then," she said and pulled Yuzu into the kitchen with her, closing the door behind them. The first thing she did was grab a glass and press her ear to the door.

"Karin-chan?!" asked Yuzu, thoroughly confused. Normally she was the one that listened through doors.

"Shhh!" Karin whispered.

"Demo Karin-chan!" insisted Yuzu, lowering her voice.

"Quiet Yuzu, I want to hear!" Karin stopped talking just in time to hear her father say,

"Long time no see, Hitsugaya-kun."

"Ah, it has been taicho."

"Taicho?!" thought Karin. "Who's the taicho? And how does oyaji know Toushiro?" But she was interrupted in her musings by Yuzu, who kneeled beside her, glass in hand.

"So, Hitsugaya-kun," Isshin continued. "What brings you here this time?"

"Actually taicho, retirement."

"Nani!?" Isshin shouted.

"I've retired. I'm no longer a taicho." Karin had no idea why Hitsugaya was telling her father this. Yuzu was even more confused. But they didn't have time to decipher it.

"Well then!" Isshin cried jollily. "You must come live with us! Making it in the human world isn't easy at first, but I'll help you in any way I can!"

"Arigato taicho," Hitsugaya replied. "Demo, I'd like to live with you as more than just a house guest. I'd like to live with you as a son-in-law. I want to marry Karin."

Luckily, Yuzu's cry of surprise was drowned out by the crash that came from the next room.

"Karin-chan, are you really getting married?!" Yuzu squealed. But before Karin had time to answer, Ichigo burst into the room.

"I heard a crash, are you two alri…"

"Shhh!" hushed both girls, waving their arms at him. Isshin was talking again.

"Marry Karin?!"

"Hai."

"Demo Karin, my precious daughter, who I love more than my life! You really want to take her from me?"

"Ow, oniichan!" whispered Yuzu as Ichigo bumped her head in his attempt to press his ear to the door. If Karin found this conversation interesting enough to eavesdrop on, then it must be really important.

"Shhh!" hushed Karin as Hitsugaya spoke.

"Taicho, can you honestly think of someone you would rather have marry her?"

"Oi, that's Toushiro!" exclaimed Ichigo, receiving more hushes from his sisters. "Taicho who? Marry whom? What's he talking about?"

"Shhh!" insisted Karin and Yuzu together as Karin rapped him on the knee.

"Taicho," Hitsugaya continued. "You've told me many times that you trusted me more than anyone else you knew. And once before you trusted me with your most precious possession. You trusted me with squad 10. Now, I'm asking you to trust me again. Trust me with your most precious possession. Trust me with Karin."

"Nani!?" Ichigo couldn't stand it anymore. He leaned forward and the door flew open. Karin, Yuzu, and Ichigo tumbled into the room, landing in a heap. Isshin roared with hysterical laughter. Yuzu squeezed Karin and sang, "Karin-chan's getting married, Karin-chan's getting married!" Karin tried futilely to push Yuzu off. Ichigo was bumbling a hundred questions. "How do you know about 10th squad? What's Toushiro doing here? Who's marrying Karin?" Hitsugaya observed the scene, a sweat drop forming on the side of his head.

Finally, things settled down enough for Karin and Yuzu to get to their feet and for Ichigo to stop screaming. Isshin turned to Hitsugaya and stuttered through gulps of laughter,

"Well, Hitsugaya-kun, if you think you can handle her, she's all yours! You have my permission!"

Dinner was a joyous affair in the Kurosaki house that night. Karin and Hitsugaya told their story (leaving out several choice details that they thought were better kept to themselves.) Isshin finally told his children that he was a shinigami and a former taicho, and his true relationship with Hitsugaya.

"Baka," he yelled, smacking Ichigo face down into a bowl of noodles. "Where did you think you got your reiatsu from?"

All this required an enormous amount of explanation for Yuzu, who knew nothing more about hollows and shinigami than the weird feeling she got sometimes that often accompanied loud noises.

All in all, it was a very long day. The sun was rising as Karin climbed, exhausted but ecstatic, into bed. She held her bracelet fondly.

"I have to remember to thank Rukia-nee," she thought briefly before she fell asleep.

There, that was part 2. Not as much as a cliffhanger as the last one, but this story was lighter anyway. Story is continued in Part 3: Sacrifice.