A/N: Hey guys, here's the next chapter of forbidden for you, it would have been up sooner but I managed to fracture my wrist and wasn't able to type. But anyway, I'm not sure whether I like how this chapter came out, I was writing it in bits so I think it may feel a bit pieced together. I'll probably read through it again later on and make some changes if I don't like it (though the storyline will stay the same, just sentence structure and specific words will probably change if I don't like how they sound.)

So anyway, in this chapter we find out that Karin's got a secret, what is it? :P read it to find out.

I couldn't resist putting Ran in, she's just so much fun to write :D On another note, we're starting to reach the end of the story. There will probably be another 2 or 3 chapters after this one so it's not over yet :) I'm thinking about writing a sequel but I'll see what you guys think after I've finished the rest of the story. Trust me, I highly doubt it will end how you expect it to end XD

As always, reviews and comments make me the happiest fanfiction writer ever, even if it's just a smiley face. I'm not too sure about how this chapter came out so feedback would be good :D

And on with the show...

Chapter 14

*…* = thinking
"…" = speaking

It had been eight months since the fateful day which finally brought Karin and Toushiro back together and Karin still found herself dreading the inevitable walk from her house to Urahara's store. She found herself avoiding the shop and its inhabitants as much as possible, cutting her training hours down whenever she could by using the excuse that the clinic had gotten even busier recently. But any amount of avoidance still couldn't stop the morning of their last day arriving in what seemed like minutes each time he visited. She had found herself hating the sight of his back as he stepped through the gateway back to his own world.

And yet, for every heart-wrenching goodbye there was an equally emotional hello. When he was on a mission he would visit her every evening and stay for as many days as he could get away with. They both knew that there was no way the captain-commander hadn't realised what was going on; Karin found herself waiting for the time when he didn't come to see her, but she knew deep down that they were in too deep for them to just stop seeing each other. Even if the Captain-commander tried only death would keep them apart.

Karin didn't want to think about that, it had been almost two months since his last visit and she was beginning to get worried- the longest he had been away before was three weeks. At first she hadn't wanted to fear the worst but now tendrils of doubt were beginning to sneak into her mind and she was having a hard time pushing them away.

She sighed heavily and rolled out of bed, there was no way she would be able to sleep any time soon. She was restless, her entire body thrummed with energy as she began her regular routine of pacing through every room of the house. The monotonous surroundings soothed her and when she finally began to drift and made her way back to her own room she would almost be able to put the image in her mind. The image of her family gathered around the dinner table. Or her father working in the clinic. Yuzu would chase him down occasionally with a cup of tea and scolding words about not resting enough. Ichigo would be sprawled on the sofa as he flicked through TV channels with a disinterested look on his face. But they would all smile and wave when she got back home. Somehow the thought made her happy and sad at the same time.

She didn't know when but at some point she must have made it back to her own room because when she woke up she was snuggled deep beneath the covers with the slightest rays of sunlight teasing at her sleepy eyes through a gap in the curtains. She yawned, stretching her arms high above her head before tossing her bedside-clock a glance. 9 am. Not too bad, considering she'd been up almost all night. She stomped downstairs, a nice strong cup of tea was just what she needed right now.

She didn't even notice the other presence in the room until she had put the kettle on to boil. She rested her elbows on the counter, her weary eyes wondering to the right, watching a bird which had landed on the tree outside the window. She jumped when someone spoke from behind her.

"Don't I get a cup of tea?"

Although if she looked back on it she would deny it profusely, Karin jumped a foot in the air at the sound of the unexpected voice in her kitchen. She whipped around, her sleep-weary state dulling her senses and denying her access to the knowledge she needed to identify the familiar voice.

At her kitchen table, with a huge cheek-splitting grin across her face, sat Rangiku. When Karin didn't respond she waved a hand in front of her face, "Helloooo, Earth to Karin. Anyone in there?"

Karin blinked several times before returning to herself. For a moment she had allowed herself to hope that the unexplained presence in the room was a certain white-haired captain. She sighed and moved to begin making another cup of tea. "Hey Rangiku, What are you doing here?" She didn't even bother asking how the vice-captain had gotten into her house, since the first time all those months ago she had begun turning up at seemingly random times. *At least she's sober this time.* She thought to herself as she brought the steaming cup over to the redheaded woman. She sat down opposite her before offering her an expectant look.

"I'm playing messenger." She smiled as she saw Karin's eyes light up unconsciously. "The captain's been sent on an extended mission, he doesn't know when he's getting back so he sent me this to give to you." She waved an envelope in front of the younger girl's eyes with a flourish; from where she was sat Karin could see her name written in familiar handwriting across the almost-white paper. She instinctively reached for the tiny lifeline to Toushiro.

She didn't pause, the envelope was open in seconds and her eyes were glued to the paper. At first the words ran into each other; she revelled in the sight of the scratchy-neat script which stretched across the page, she could almost imagine Toushiro as he was writing it- hand working quickly across the page as he chewed his bottom lip. She smiled at the image it raised in her mind- so like him, he would have wanted it to be perfect.

Her eyes were already brimming with tears when she began reading:

Karin. I miss you. I can't believe how long it's been since I last saw you. I want to beside you right now, but I can't. Believe me, if I could leave this mission I would do it right now and come and see you.

Sadly, I'm needed here. I know you'll have been worrying about me but I'm fine. I'm not planning on being taken down anytime soon. You have to stay strong for me, okay? You're not allowed to become like some normal simpering little girl. You're strong, that's what attracted me to you in the first place, and you have amazing power despite the odds. Use that power; keep Karakura town safe and I'll be back before you know it.

I love you and if it were up to me I wouldn't spend a single moment away from your side. But fate has conspired against us; a weaker man would give in and give up. But you are worth any and all effort I have to put into this relationship and I don't plan on letting you get away from me now.

I miss you so much and I will see you soon.

Toushiro x

Karin's tears stained the page, accompanying identical older stains which surrounded the writing. Rangiku looked on with a sad smile on her face- this was the girl who had finally managed to pull her captain out of his shell. She had been by Toushiro's side as his lieutenant for over ten years now and had been the one to find him all that time ago. It was almost impossible to recognize the tiny little troublemaker she had found in Rukongai when she looked at the man who had become one of the most powerful and respected captains in the history of Soul society.

She watched as Karin's eyes darted back and forth across the page, reading and re-reading the note until the words were ingrained inside her mind. Rangiku lost track of how long they were sat there, but it was easily long enough for Karin's untouched tea to go cold. When Karin finally seemed to have recovered enough to respond properly she looked up to meet Rangiku's kind gaze; she felt as though she was waking up from a dream.

"So, um," Karin began, hastily wiping dampness from her eyes with the edge of her sleeve, "What are you doing all the way out here? I would have thought that you would be looking after the tenth division whilst Toushiro's away."

"Ha! The captain doesn't trust me to do my work properly, so he asked Hisagi to keep an eye on me." Karin raised an eyebrow at that; since new-years even Karin knew about the attraction between the two lieutenants, surely Toushiro wouldn't make such a rookie mistake. Rangiku grinned sheepishly beneath Karin's gaze before jumping to explain herself. "Okay, so originally it was supposed to be Kira, but with a little persuading I managed to get him to ask Hisagi to take over."

"Oh, really? And exactly how much work have you gotten done?" Karin asked playfully, her hands unconsciously running across the paper in front of her.

"No less than if he hadn't been there." The redhead responded with a giggle.

"So, none then?" Asked the younger woman, cocking her head to the side cheekily.

"Haha, you know me so well Karin!" Rangiku smiled down into her empty tea-cup for a moment before glancing back up at the black-haired girl. A small grin graced the girl usually sombre face; the lieutenant had to admit that seeing the naturally happy expression on the other woman's face made her feel warm inside. The girl had gone through a lot to get to where she was today. She was just glad to see that, at least from where she stood, it seemed to have been worth it.

Rangiku folded her hands beneath her chin, propping her elbows up on the table. "You seem really happy today. And not just because of my special delivery either." Curiosity lit her joyfully childish eyes. "Sooo, what's going on?"

Karin glanced around the room conspiratorially before leaning across the table to whisper in Rangiku's ear. The redhead's expression changed from confusion to concentration, then to surprise and finally to completely unbridled joy. She practically dove across the table as she moved to pull the younger girl into her embrace.

"Awww, I'm so proud of you!" She held Karin tightly against her chest, slowly crushing the girl as she showed her overzealous affection in the only way she knew how. At some point whilst squashing her friend she managed to catch sight of the time over the black-haired girl's shoulder. "Oh dear, is that the time! Ahh, I've really got to get going or even Hisagi won't let me off." She was sure to give the younger girl one last affectionate squeeze before letting her go.

"Well, I need to be off. I'll see you around yeah?" She turned to leave but found herself held back by a small weight on her back. She turned her head to find Karin clutching her tightly, her face buried between her shoulder blades. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Ran, do you really think it's okay? I mean, do you think we'll be okay?"

Rangiku turned in the other's arms and pulled her away from her body so she could look into her eyes. The dark pair which stared back at her were damp, but she knew that Karin was just too stubborn to let the unshed tears fall when someone else was around. So instead of wiping away her tears she settled for being the older sister the girl so desperately needed.

"Karin, you and Toushiro are both strong. I honestly think you could go through anything and still find your way back to each other. You were meant to be together and I'm sure that no matter what life throws at you next you can get through it together." She lifted the younger girl's chin before tapping her playfully on the nose, "Now, chin up. The captain could be back any time and you don't want him finding you in a mess like this now, do you?" She grinned as the younger girl shook her head, unable to speak. "That's the spirit! Now, I'm off. I'll see you around."

Karin walked with her to the front door, as she turned to leave she heard a tiny murmur from behind her. "Thank you." Rangiku smiled at the sound, but she didn't respond. Karin had taken enough of a bruise to her ego to accept any more pity- that was something she'd learned from her years with the captain.

After Rangiku's departure Karin found herself in a daze. She completed her usual day-to-day tasks, working in the clinic with a smile on her face despite all the worries flying around in her head. By the time lunch came she was just about ready to go back to bed- it was exhausting to keep up a positive outward show when her mind was in such disarray. Luckily for her it was a Wednesday, which meant the clinic shut at 12. She let herself flop down on the sofa in front of the TV, refusing to allow her thoughts drift to how much easier working in the clinic had been when she had had someone else there to help her.

At least this afternoon she was helping at Tatsuki's, she would be able to blow off a bit of steam and see some of her favourite students at the same time. After she finished her lunch she decided on a quick shower before a surprise visit to Urahara's. It had been so long since she'd last had a proper training session with Kurohime that she was starting to feel a little rusty.

She was met with the usual reception; kindly silence from Ururu and Tessai, sarcasm and support from Urahara and the inevitable never-ending spiel of abuse from Jinta. She blocked the majority of it out; she found it much more satisfying to hit things for the remainder of the afternoon. Especially if those things were Jinta shaped. As five o'clock approached she bid a hasty farewell to the occupants of the shop, shot one final biting insult in Jinta's direction, and left in the direction of Tatsuki's school.

"What do you mean 'go home'? You need me here!" Karin was fuming, what did Tatsuki think she was doing?

"I mean that although you are quite capable to look after yourself, at the moment you are too vulnerable to be surrounded by small, energetic children who like to punch things." Tatsuki smiled sadly at Karin, "You know this is for the best, Karin. I would offer to let you work in the office but I know you wouldn't be able to resist joining in. And I'm willing to bet my life that the one time you join in something would happen."

Karin dropped her head; as much as she hated to admit it Tatsuki was right. "Okay then, but if I'm not allowed to work here then you've got to come and visit me often enough to make up for it."

"Ha, of course. And don't worry; you'll be back before you know it." Tatsuki sent her off with a wave before turning to greet the first of her arriving students.

Karin sunk into her sofa for the second time that day, her hand absently switching between channels even as her brain switched off. She probably sat there for over two hours, staring at some mindless drama on the screen in front of her. After she felt suitably tired she managed to lug herself up the stairs and fell into her bed, still fully clothed, before slipping into a restless sleep.

When she woke up it was pitch black, she could hear rain crashing against her window and it took her a moment to realize that she felt a breeze on her exposed feet. When she did she jumped into action, scrambling against the headboard and grasping whatever was in her reach. Then she sat, ready for whatever was going to jump out at her.

A sudden flash of lightning silhouetted a figure against the backdrop of the billowing curtains. For a moment the breath caught in her throat, maybe this was it; maybe she wasn't going to get out of this one. Then another flash brought colour to the scene before her. Silvery-white hair hung damply around deep turquoise eyes. Her breath caught for a completely different reason to before.

It was Toushiro, he was here and he was safe. Paying no heed to the fact that her lover was currently soaked through to the skin she threw herself at him. He eagerly caught her and their lips sealed together in what Karin believed may have been the most perfect kiss ever. She sighed as they drew apart. He still held her close to his body; she could feel the warmth radiating from him despite the wet clothes which hung from him.

They stayed like that for a moment before Toushiro tapped her on the head playfully, "What exactly were you planning on doing with that?" He asked, pointing to the plastic alarm clock she still held in her hand.

"Well you shouldn't have been sneaking in through my window then, stupid." She chastised, though since she punctuated each word with a small peck to his nose the scolding was unlikely to have much effect. "Now," She started, clapping her hands together. "You need to go and have a shower, you might be a shinigami but you could still catch a cold if you sat there dripping like that. I'll bring you some dry clothes, okay?" She smiled at him and he thought that he physically felt his heart swell.

Half an hour later Karin was comfortably wrapped in the arms of her, now dry, boyfriend as they both slowly drifted into sleep. He pressed one final kiss to her forehead as they both began drifting; she smiled in response before nuzzling further into his chest. Toushiro's only response was to tighten his arms around his sleepy lover and let himself fall into one of the most restful sleeps he'd ever had.

Toushiro was woken up by the sound of retching coming from the bathroom next door. He quickly scrambled out of bed and into the other room only to find Karin resting her burning forehead against the rim of the toilet in a vain attempt to cool herself down.

Toushiro was not usually one to be proud about his expertise in dealing with illness but he had to admit that after living with Rangiku as a lieutenant he had picked up a few tips and (despite most of his experience being with illness of a more self-inflicted nature) he thought he could probably help.

He knelt in front of Karin and offered her a glass of water, "Here, clean out your mouth and then we'll get you cleaned up and back to bed for a bit." He smiled at her reassuringly and she took the cup from his hands.

He quickly stood up and grabbed two face-cloths which had been folded up in the tiny linen cabinet under the sink, he soaked the first in warm water and the second in cool before turning back to Karin. She'd just finished cleaning out her mouth and was looking at him with a lost expression which made him want to gather her up and protect her from anything which may try and hurt her. He didn't, instead he knelt back in front of her and began cleaning her face with the warm cloth when he was done he placed a kiss on her brow before tossing the cloth in the sink to be cleaned later.

"Do you think you're going to be sick again?" He asked kindly, careful to keep his voice low enough not to aggravate any headache she may have. After a moment's thought she shook her head slightly. Toushiro smiled and gently lifted her into his arms; he was surprised to find her slightly heavier than before, though she didn't look it.

Once they were back in her room he settled her in the bed and sat down beside her. When he checked her for a temperature he found her only slightly warm, he hid the sigh of relief and placed the cool cloth on the forehead. He smiled as he watched her visibly relax at the cool touch. For a while he was happy to just watch her rest as he played with her hair, but something was shouting in the back of his mind, begging him to ask her what had happened. He'd never seen her ill before and it made him worry.

"Hey, Karin?"

"Hmm?" She asked, opening one eye to look at him sleepily.

"What happened? You seemed fine last night…" He was twirling a strand of dark hair around his finger but he had to let go when she moved to sit up. He helped her into the position and then sat beside her, both of their backs to the headboard. Karin let herself lean slightly on the broader shoulders of the white-haired captain.

"Well, it's a long story but…" She turned to see him looking at her expectantly, "I guess I can just give you the short version for now." She moved herself again so that they were facing one another and Toushiro was surprised to see a huge grin splitting Karin's face as she spoke her news out loud to the one person she had been waiting to tell.

She took his hands in hers and smiled happily "Toushiro, I'm… I'm pregnant."

A/N: okay guys, so I know I usually don't write an author's note at the end of chapters but I had to say some bits which couldn't be said at the beginning without giving anything away, so what do you think of Karin's big surprise? Don't worry, the story is far from over and it won't turn into a pregnancy fic. Also, I tried really hard to keep Toushiro in character whilst writing the letter but it was really hard because I can't really see him as being one to ever write a love letter. I hope it turned out okay and you all enjoyed the chapter, see you next time :D