Author's Note:

Hi everyone! I hope chapter 2 lived up to my usual standard :-D I had fun starting to figure out how to capture Toshiro and Karin's interactions. I think I need more practice, but It'll be fun continuing with that X-D

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach, unfortunately (Sigh)... All credit goes to Tite Kubo.


Pulling into the driveway, Karin, Yuzu, and Toshiro exited the car, and made their way over to the front door of the clinic.

Opening the door, Karin hollered out "We're home!". Thankfully, Isshin hadn't returned from grocery shopping yet, so she'd be spared the theatrics of her father for a little while longer.

Upon hearing his sister's voice, Ichigo came out from the kitchen, where he'd been helping Orihime with dinner. He was curious to see if Karin had her new instructor with her. He'd been informed earlier in the day by Head Captain Kyoraku that her teacher had been sent to her school to meet her, so he wondered if she'd brought the mystery person back with her and Yuzu.

Upon his entry into the living room, he could see his sisters taking off their shoes by the doorway. Instantly, his eyes caught the sight of snow-white hair beside them, and he did a double-take. Beyond his surprise that Shunsui had sent Toshiro of all people, Ichigo had kind of assumed that the pipsqueak captain would always remain a pipsqueak. Well, to his surprise, the leader of the 10th division was no longer a shrimp, but just as tall and broad as he was; a full-grown man.

It took Ichigo a minute to process the change, but once he did, his mind started thinking of reasons why Toshiro was sent as Karin's new teacher. They seemed like too different of people to him for the training to work out well, but maybe there was something he was missing. Putting that thought aside for the time being, and putting on a smile, Ichigo walked over to the group congregated by the door. "Toshiro! Long time, no see. You look different; you're not a shrimp anymore."

Toshiro's eyebrow twitched in irritation. Glaring at the strawberry, he replied, "How many times have I told you, Kurosaki, it's Captain Hitsugaya to you."

Ichigo just smirked, and waved it off in response. "Sorry, Toshiro, but I'm never calling you that. Just get used to it, cause it's not changing. Besides, you'll be here for a while, so you're gonna have to settle in to the whole 'relaxed family atmosphere' setting." he replied; a smirk on his face.

Toshiro thought about retorting, before letting out a sigh of resignation; deciding not to fight this battle again. Instead, he just nodded, took off his shoes, and proceeded to the kitchen with Karin and Yuzu.

Ichigo was surprised that the young captain didn't put up a fight like he usually did, but he was pleased as well. 'Huh, maybe he's loosened up a bit in these past twelve years, and gotten that stick out of his ass.' he thought, smirking, as he joined the others in the kitchen.

No sooner had they all settled down at the table, and Orihime and Kazui had greeted Toshiro, than Isshin barged through the door. Whisking his way into the kitchen, he threw the grocery bags he'd been carrying onto the counter, and put his unsuspecting former third seat into a choke hold, giving him an affectionate noogie. "Toshiro, my former third seat! It's so good to see you! My, how you've grown since the last time I saw you!"

Toshiro, struggling to get out of his former captain's embrace without resorting to violence of some form, looked to Karin for some assistance.

Karin understood immediately; giving a single nod to Toshiro, and rising from her chair. Before Isshin could process what was happening, she punched her father in the face with significant enough force to get him off of her teacher.

Isshin lost his grip on Toshiro, and went flying into the side of the kitchen wall; barely missing the stove. Only slightly dazed for a moment, Isshin quickly rebounded with a smile and a thumbs up at his daughter. "Nice right hook, Karin! Keep up the good work!"

Karin and Toshiro shared an incredulous look before shaking their heads, and sighing at Isshin's antics. If he kept this up, it would be a looooong several months for the both of them. Still, though, Toshiro had to admit that he'd missed his old captain. He thought of Isshin like a father, and it was good to see him again. Offering a small smile to the older man, Toshiro decided to reply. "It's good to see you too, Captain Shiba. It's been too long."

Isshin gave a warm smile back to his former third seat. "It's just Isshin now; Isshin Kurosaki. And yes, you're right; It's been far too long. How are things in the Seireitei and Soul Society? How's Rangiku doing?"

Toshiro's smile grew at the mention of his lieutenant. Even after all these years, Isshin still remembered them all. The knowledge warmed his heart a little. "Things have been good. We just finished the last of the reconstruction from all the damage caused by the war, so everyone is settling down now. Matsumoto's been taking advantage of the more relaxed schedule, but she's actually been performing her duties with more energy than I've seen from her in the past. I'm not sure what the cause is for this sudden desire to actually do her job, but it's helping me out, so I'm not going to complain."

Isshin laughed; happy to hear his former lieutenant was still doing well, and still sounding like the Rangiku he remembered. Looking back at Toshiro, though, he could see the young captain was reflecting on years past.

Toshiro, lost in thought, spoke again. "It's strange, to be honest; we've been at peace for twelve years now. So much has changed, yet stayed the same."

Isshin understood where he was coming from, and merely hummed and nodded silently in response.

The table was quiet for only a moment, until Kazui piped up from his seat next to his mother and father. "So, Mr. Toshiro, are you a Shinigami? Did you come from Soul Society? Are you here to teach Auntie Karin?" he asked in rapid succession; excitement in his eyes, and a smile on his face.

Toshiro smiled back at the boy, clearly amused by his curious mind. "That's right, Kazui; I'm a Shinigami from Soul Society, and I'll be teaching your aunt while your father teaches you."

Kazui's smile grew wider. "What kind of Shinigami are you? Daddy told me there are lots and lots. He said that the strongest ones are captains, and then the second strongest are lieu-lieu..." he started; trying, and failing, to pronounce the foreign word.

Toshiro, enjoying the enthusiasm from the child, decided to help him out. "Lieutenants?"

Kazui nodded emphatically in reply. "Yeah, those!" he responded; eyes bright.

Toshiro chuckled slightly before responding to the boy. "I'm the captain of the 10th division; the same division your grandfather was the captain of many years ago."

Kazui's face lit up, and he stared at Toshiro in awe-struck wonder. "Wow! So that means you're super strong, just like Daddy, Grandpa, and Auntie Rukia! That's so cool! How-"

Ichigo interrupted his son by placing a plate of food in front of him, which drew the boy's attention away from the conversation immediately as he stared at the dish with hungry eyes.

"Don't worry, Kazui, you'll have lots of time to ask Toshiro questions. He'll be here with us for a long time, so save the rest for later, okay? We need to eat, and head over to Mr. Urahara's if we want to start training tonight." Ichigo said; watching his son begin devouring the plate of food that had been given to him.

Toshiro offered a small smile to Ichigo in thanks before looking back at the boy. "That's right, Kazui. I'm going to be here for a while, so we can talk later. Besides, I'm sure your father will be happy to tell you all about the Shinigami, too." he finished; a smirk on his face directed at the orange-haired substitute.

Ichigo rolled his eyes in response, but had a good-natured smile on his face, while Kazui nodded in response to the two men; his mouth full of food.

With that, the rest of dinner was quiet as everyone ate. Those who needed to leave ate quickly, put their dishes in hot water to soak, grabbed everything they needed from the house in terms of equipment and any medical supplies they felt might come in handy, and headed out. It was time to start training.

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The group of five arrived at Urahara's a little after 6:00. Orihime had made it clear to her husband that she expected Kazui back home by 8:30, as his bedtime was at 9:00.

Ichigo had begrudgingly agreed, though he really would have liked to have Kazui on a 3-hour-a-day training schedule to start. He wouldn't complain, though...at least for now. He knew he could work Orihime into it with enough time.

Upon entering Urahara Shop, all of them set their packs down, and were greeted by Jinta, Ururu, and Tessai. Kisuke emerged from the back of the shop; his typical fan in his hand obscuring most of his face, per usual. "Welcome back, everyone. It's been far too long since we all hung out together. So, is everybody ready to start the big experiment?" he asked; the smirk on his face hidden behind his fan.

"Hey Kisuke. Yeah, it's definitely been a while. Thanks for letting us use the training area; it's appreciated." Ichigo responded while getting his substitute Shinigami badge out of his pack.

"Urahara, do you have my gikongan?" Toshiro asked from beside Karin, who was getting her own gikongan out of her pack.

"Good to see you too, Captain Hitsugaya," Kisuke responded sarcastically. "and yes, I do. Here you go." he said; tossing the pill to Toshiro.

Toshiro caught it, nodded to Kisuke in thanks, and popped it into his mouth. Emerging from his gigai, Toshiro instructed his body to go have a seat somewhere, and do some reading from the books he'd brought with him. His gigai nodded in understanding; grabbing a couple books from the stack, finding a cushion near the back of the shop, and beginning to read.

Karin popped her own gikongan into her mouth, and, upon her soul emerging from her body, instructed her gikongan, Teru, to do the same as Toshiro's. Teru gave a cheery nod before grabbing a couple of romance novels, and plopping herself down next to Toshiro's gigai.

The young captain, along with everyone else, took a moment to analyze Karin's Shinigami appearance. This was the first time they'd seen it, so they were all curious.

To their surprise, she wore a sleeveless and backless shihakusho, similar to Yoruichi's and Sui-Feng's. On her hands were black fingerless gloves, and she carried her zanpakuto on her right hip; tied to her standard white belt. The zanpakuto itself appeared to be a standard katana, with the tsuba taking the shape of what appeared to be a storm cloud. The hilt wrapping created a diamond pattern, and was light grey; contrasting nicely with the stormy dark blue coloring of the hilt itself. The sheathe was more ornate than was typical for most other Shinigami: On the top and bottom of it, there were silver designs that resembled a storm.

What Toshiro noticed most, though, was the necklace she wore around her neck. 'I think I remember that. I'm pretty sure she said her mother gave it to her, but I never saw her wear it.' he thought to himself.

The necklace was a simple silver chain, with a pendant in the shape of a small butterfly. Toshiro remembered her saying that inside the pendant was a picture of their entire family, before her mother had died. She had shown it to him on his last visit to the world of the living, and the memory had stuck with him. He knew Karin never used to wear jewelry, so he was pretty surprised to see her wearing the necklace now. 'Come to think of it, she had it on back at school, too.' he thought; recollecting seeing it around her neck in class. 'Huh, I guess she's gotten a bit more feminine over the years.' he thought; a slight smile on his face. Maybe she'd changed more than he'd realized.

"So, what do you think, Toshiro? Feel strange seeing me like this, and knowing that once training is over, I'll be able to wipe the floor with your ass?" she asked; a smirk on her face.

Toshiro smirked back; enjoying her playful attitude. "Don't flatter yourself, Karin. You have a long way to go before you're a real threat to me. Also, don't get cocky. I have high expectations, and I'm going to hold you to them; even if I have to bring you to the breaking point. Don't forget, your father is my former captain, and your brother is a freakishly overpowered mutant. I expect a lot from you."

Isshin started laughing while Ichigo loudly and irritably objected to being called a freakish mutant in the background. Karin gave Toshiro a challenging smile; determination in her eyes. Kazui just stood next to his father with a smile on his face; not understanding what was so funny, but waiting patiently for the adults to finish.

Turning to her father, Karin began attempting to get him to stop laughing so they could get going to the training room.

Toshiro looked Karin up and down while she tried to calm her dad down, and analyzed her overall appearance. It was strange seeing her like this, yes, but he was also excited to see how well he could train her. He'd just recently aided Matsumoto in acquiring and mastering her Bankai, and he'd enjoyed the training process, overall. He was looking forward to taking on the role of mentor once again.

When Karin finally quieted her father's laughter, Isshin and Ichigo started towards the entry to the training area with Kazui while Karin grabbed an extra hair tie out of her bag before looking at her teacher expectantly.

Confident the men were now out of earshot, Toshiro spoke again; this time in a softer tone. "It is different, I admit it; seeing you like this. It'll take some getting used to, but you look good; the outfit suits you." he said with a sly smile on his face.

Caught off guard by the compliment, Karin broke the eye contact, and averted her gaze slightly; looking at the wall across the room with a light blush adorning her cheeks. "Thanks." she muttered before looking to Kisuke, who was observing the interaction with keen interest; a smirk adorning his obscured face.

Karin directed a glare towards him; silently warning him not to comment lest he risk her rage. Kisuke merely nodded slightly before closing his fan, and ushering them over to the entry of the training area. "This way, if you please."

Taking the queue, teacher and student made their way over to the door, and began the descent into the basement; with Kisuke following behind them, and closing the doors.

Time for the hard work to begin.

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Karin wasn't exactly sure what to expect, but she definitely wasn't expecting to walk into a room decorated as though she were in some barren wasteland. It was pretty cool, if she had to be honest. She definitely wouldn't be telling that to Kisuke, though; it'd go straight to his already-too-large head.

Ichigo, Isshin, and Kazui were at the side of the room closest to the exit door. Karin wondered if they'd stay close to her family, or if Toshiro would create some distance between the groups for safety purposes.

Sure enough, Toshiro brought her to the opposite end of the room; very far away from her father, brother, and nephew. She couldn't even see them due to the boulders that were blocking her field of vision.

Toshiro took a few steps away from her, and centered himself; his demeanor shifting from casual to focused.

Karin stared back at him, shifting her own expression, and waiting for instructions from her teacher.

Toshiro allowed for a moment of silence to pass before speaking, "Alright, Karin, let's begin your training. First, I need to assess how well you know your basics. I'll stand five feet in front of you; I want you to draw your sword, and swing directly for my neck. Don't hesitate, but stop the sword right before it makes contact with my skin. Understood?" he asked.

Karin nodded in reply as Toshiro made his way over to his designated spot. Readying herself, she drew her sword, and went directly for his neck, as instructed; pausing just before the edge of her blade made contact with his skin.

"Again." Toshiro said.

Karin repeated this movement three more times before her teacher told her to stop.

Slightly irritated by this seemingly random and pointless exercise, Karin spoke. "Okay, Toshiro, what on earth is this telling you about my basics? I know basic form for swordsmanship; I've watched Ichigo battle hollows about a thousand times now, and I've been practicing for a while on my own. What's the issue?"

Toshiro did not respond; instead, he started walking toward his pupil. "Karin, do I have your permission to make some adjustments to your stance?" he asked.

Karin looked at him confusedly, but gave him a nod in approval.

Toshiro nodded back, and proceeded to bend down; his hands moving to her mid thighs.

Karin tried to mask her surprised flinch while also attempting to relax her body, and calm her mind. 'Oh my god, I'm gonna kill him!' she thought; slightly freaking out by the unexpected, forward action, and doing her best to refrain from whacking him on the head with the hilt of her sword.

Toshiro adjusted the angle of her left thigh, knee, and foot ever so slightly, opening up her hips more. After, he moved her feet slightly closer together, got back up, and resumed a standing position in his original spot.

All at once, Karin could feel a slight difference in her body; it felt better...a little tight, but much better, overall.

Upon instruction from Toshiro to strike at him again, Karin obeyed her teacher, and repeated the action once more.

The speed of her strike increased significantly, and she didn't feel the usual extra tension in her arms. She was amazed that such a slight adjustment could make such a big difference in how she wielded her weapon. "Holy crap, Toshiro, what did you do?! That felt so much better; I could tell instantly!" she asked excitedly; sheathing her zanpakuto.

Toshiro smirked, quite pleased with the result. "It's pretty simple, actually. Males and females have different anatomy and muscle development. Females have a huge advantage over males in terms of flexibility due to the female pelvis being shallower to accommodate for pregnancy. That difference changes your center of gravity, and it gives you a wider range of motion, along with better lateral movement. By adjusting your stance, the result was you moving your entire body using your hip joint. Also, when you block and defend, the impact will travel down, and be absorbed by your lower body instead of your arms. Males have a very strong upper body, while females have a stronger lower body. Absorbing the impact where you're least likely to be negatively affected by it will prolong the time you can fight before fatigue really starts to set in."

Karin just blinked at him; a theoretical light bulb going off above her head. 'Of course...why didn't I think of that? Idiot! Of course I can't use my body the same way Ichi can use his, because of our natural physical differences.' she thought to herself; frustrated with her own lack of observance.

Toshiro continued smirking, a quip on his tongue. "I'm pretty surprised Dr. Kurosaki over here didn't even think about that herself." he said; enjoying taunting his pupil.

Karin's face turned red in both embarrassment and anger, before she took a deep breath to calm down a little. She didn't want to start her first day of training with an argument; so, once she was calmer, she offered a smirk back at him. "Sorry I don't live up to your high and mighty standards, Captain Stick-Up-His-Ass. What can I say, not everyone can be perfect all the time...though, I do come pretty damn close, let me tell you."

Toshiro's eyebrow twitched in irritation at the first part of her comeback, though he found himself chuckling slightly at the second part. Karin always did have an over-abundance of self-confidence. If he were to be honest with himself, he rather envied that Kurosaki pride at times.

Merely shaking his head in amusement, Toshiro unsheathed Hyorinmaru, and took a fighting stance. "Alright, Karin, fun's over; back to work. Let's see what you can do."

Karin nodded, slipping back into training mode, and unsheathing her own zanpakuto. She was looking forward to actually fighting the man who'd saved her life on at least two occasions. She wanted to see what he was made of, and if he really was as strong and talented as she'd been told.

Taking a fighting stance, and remembering the adjustments Toshiro had made, Karin readied herself. Things were about to get fun.

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By the time their two-hour training session was up, Karin was exhausted. Toshiro had pushed her pretty hard; assessing her zanjutsu, Hakudo, and Hohō skills. He wasn't surprised to learn that she'd had training in Shunpo from Yoruichi, and the only thing she seemed to be lacking completely was Kidō, though that wasn't surprising to him. One needed an instructor for Kidō, and, up until now, she had none. She definitely had far greater control of her reiatsu than her brother, so he was confident that she'd pick it up easily.

All in all, he had a pretty good idea of exactly what Karin knew, and had natural talent in. Now, he had to come up with a proper training regimen to make her into the exemplary Shinigami he knew she could be.

Looking down at his student, who was spread out on the ground catching her breath, he extended his hand to her.

Begrudgingly, Karin took it, and Toshiro helped her up. Her legs were a bit shaky, and she was drained, but she'd loved every minute of training...minus when Toshiro would take a sarcastic jab at her. She always gave it right back, though, so it was really more playful banter than anything else. He was definitely stronger than she'd anticipated, and she knew that he was going easy on her, too. That only made her more excited to get to work, and really start progressing in her skills.

Seeing that she could use a stabilizer, Toshiro offered her assistance with getting back to her family, and she took it without complaint. Throwing her right arm around his shoulders while he supported her, they began making their way back to the entrance.

Upon arriving back at the other side of the room, she saw a sleeping Kazui in his father's arms, with Goat-chin looking proudly at his grandson.

Once the men caught sight of Karin, the panic on Ichigo's face was visible. "Karin, are you alright? Did you get injured? How bad is it?" he asked in rapid succession; Isshin shaking his head in amusement in the background.

"Relax, Ichi, I'm fine; just exhausted. The task master put me through my paces today." she said; a tired smile on her face.

Toshiro smirked down at her; rolling his eyes. "True, but now I know exactly what your capabilities are. So, now I can train you properly." He said in response, looking from Karin to Ichigo and Isshin. "You two should be proud of her. She's far more skilled than I expected, given she's had no proper training outside of Shunpo from Yoruichi. She did well today."

The smile that made its way onto Isshin's face was bright enough to light up a cave. "That's my Karin! Way to go, sweetheart!"

Karin offered him a tired smile in return, failing to muster up the energy to rebuke him for the sappy nickname.

Moving her attention from her father to her nephew, she got curious. "So, how did Kazui do today? Did he keep up okay?" she asked, watching her nephew as he slept; completely out cold.

The proud smile on Ichigo's face in response to her question told her everything she needed to know. "He did great! There's still a long way to go, but he's got a lot of potential. I can't wait to see how the next few months go with his training." he responded; excitement in his eyes.

Karin was happy to hear that Kazui had as good of a training day as she did, though she was definitely ready for bed now. Vocalizing her desire to grab a shower, and crawl into bed, everyone exited the training room. They got back into their bodies, grabbed their things, thanked Urahara again for letting them use the training room for the foreseeable future, and headed home.

Upon arrival back at the Kurosaki Clinic, Yuzu bombarded them with questions while Orihime took Kazui upstairs to bathe, and get him to bed.

The others gave Yuzu the basics of how training went, and told her they'd go into more detail tomorrow, when everybody was rested.

Karin headed up to take a shower, while the boys sat in the living room; waiting for their turns to use the bathroom.

All was quiet for a few minutes, with only the sound of running water from the shower floating down the stairs, until Ichigo decided to speak. "So, Toshiro, why were you picked for this mission? To be honest, you and Karin seem too different to me, so I was kinda surprised that Shunsui sent you. What's the deal?" he asked the 10th division captain; curiosity and skepticism in his eyes.

Toshiro focused his attention on Ichigo; understanding his confusion to an extent. "Simple: I have the time and experience to do the job properly. Head Captain Kyoraku wanted to send someone Karin already knew, and Kuchiki wasn't an option. So, after Matsumoto told him that I'd met Karin in the past, he thought I'd be a good choice. In addition, I've recently acquired quite a bit of practice training female Shinigami; I've just come off of a training regimen with Matsumoto to help her achieve and master her Bankai. Not only that, but I'm the most recent captain to go through significant Bankai training myself. I believe Head Captain Kyoraku thought that experience would be beneficial to Karin."

Ichigo nodded slowly; finding all of the young captain's explanations reasonable.

Toshiro paused for a moment before speaking again; a small but warm smile on his face as he thought about past memories. "Besides, you're wrong about us being complete opposites, Kurosaki. We're actually alike in many ways. That's why we were able to form a friendship twelve years ago."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow incredulously in response. His sister was loud, hyper, and hot-headed; but, also kind and caring; overflowing with life and good humor. Toshiro, on the other hand, was serious, level-headed, and calm (most of the time); often coming across as cold and distant, with little visible joy in his life. Ichigo couldn't see any similarities, if he was honest.

The young captain merely smirked at the confused strawberry; enjoying watching him struggle.

"Give it some time, Kurosaki. You may see it eventually." Toshiro said before hearing the bathroom door open, and Karin holler down to him that the shower was all his.

Rising from his seat, he said goodnight to Isshin and Ichigo, and headed upstairs to get cleaned up and in to bed.

Ichigo sat there, dumbfounded, still not seeing whatever it was that Toshiro saw.

Isshin, who hadn't said a word during the entire conversation, merely closed his eyes, and smiled. He knew exactly what Toshiro had meant. They were both stubborn, strong personalities that cared deeply for their friends and allies. They were both fearless; never backing down from a fight, even if the odds were stacked against them. The most important thing, though, was that they were both willing to give up everything, even their own lives, in order to help others; steadfastly loyal, even to death. While they did have several opposing personality traits, Isshin suspected that Shunsui (rightly, as it turned out) believed they would be the perfect counter-balances to each other. In the end, he knew that the Head Captain's real goal was to create as many powerful Shinigami as he could in order to bolster the Gotei 13's ranks now that many of their very powerful Captains were dead. He was a smart man who knew what opportunities to exploit, and Ichigo had already proven the success of this particular experiment. It didn't surprise Isshin that Shunsui had green-lit the idea without any protest at all. Karin, combined with Ichigo, Kazui, himself, and the rest of the Gotei 13, would be able to stop anything that came their way.

Isshin suspected the Head Captain had another motive in mind, as well, but he couldn't confirm it yet.

Chuckling under his breath, Isshin got up, and headed off to bed; bidding his still confused son goodnight. 'We'll see if I'm right; but, even if I'm not, I'm glad to have Toshiro around for a while. He'll be a good teacher for Karin.' he thought happily to himself as he headed in to his own room; closing the door behind him.

No sooner did Isshin close his door than Toshiro emerged from the bathroom; dressed in sweatpants, and a baggy white T-shirt. He hollered down to Ichigo that he could shower now, if he wanted, and started walking towards the spare room that he would be staying in. Drying his still wet hair as he went, he stopped when he heard someone say his name. Turning around, he saw Karin standing in her doorway at the other end of the hall, ushering him into her room.

He raised a curious eyebrow at her, but complied; making his way to the opposite end of the hallway. Upon entering her room, he looked around quickly as she closed the door behind him. There had been a few changes, from what he remembered of her room in the past, but the overall aesthetic was the same. There were fewer soccer posters on the wall now, and more biology textbooks. Her bed had been sized up to a queen, and her bedspread was now a pastel plaid consisting of yellow, green, blue, silver, white, and turquoise. She had painted the walls a seafoam green, and had a few family pictures on the wall: Their entire family before her mother was killed (he assumed that was also the picture in her locket), her at one of her soccer games with Ichigo, Isshin, and Yuzu; her and Yuzu's high school graduation, and one of the entire family at the hospital when Kazui was born. Seeing that last one made him smile warmly. Karin always presented herself with a mask of toughness and self-confidence, but he knew she had a softer side to her that not many got to see. He felt lucky to be one of those few people.

'Speaking of Karin' he thought; turning his attention back to the young Kurosaki.

Karin had made her way over to her bed, and was now seated; patting the spot next to her with a warm smile.

Toshiro gave her a small smile back, and made his way over to sit beside her. It still shocked him to see how much she'd grown in their time apart. The silk crop top and pants she had on showed off, and accentuated to a degree, her now very curvaceous figure, and her eyes held a maturity and depth that he hadn't seen before. 'With age comes wisdom, I suppose.' he thought as he took his spot next to her.

Letting his facial features soften a bit, the young captain gave her a more genuine smile this time. "It's good to see you again, Karin. Today's been so busy, we haven't really gotten a chance to talk."

Karin smiled back affectionately, happy to finally be able to catch up with her old friend. "Why do you think I dragged you in here?" she asked playfully. "We haven't gotten any time to just talk and catch up, so I thought 'why not tonight, before I collapse from exhaustion?'" she said; a smirk on her face.

Toshiro could see in her face that she was indeed wiped out from training, but he was glad she was making the effort to stay awake to talk with him.

"So," Karin began, "How has everything been since the war? Have you been wicked busy rebuilding Soul Society? Also, you owe me some explanations about that whole 'zombification' thing." She said with a smirk. "I wanna hear about everything you've been up to these past twelve years." She finished; smiling at him.

Toshiro nodded in reply; smirking back, and taking the next hour to fill Karin in on everything that had happened in the twelve years since they'd been apart, including explaining his zombification, Mayuri's treatment, and the long-term effects it had on him.

Karin was happy to learn he could still look forward to living for, hopefully, many more centuries, even though the treatment did shorten his life span; and that he wasn't facing death any time soon other than on the battlefield. She was amazed by how busy everyone had been, how much damage had been inflicted on Soul Society by the war, and how much effort it took from everyone to get it back to its former glory. She was actually quite curious about this world that she was now technically a part of, but had never visited. "Hey, Toshiro?" she started.

Toshiro nodded once as a sign for her to continue, so she spoke again. "Could I come visit Soul Society at some point in the near future? I'd like to see it; meet the people you spend every day with. I wanna get to know your world, and technically my world now, a little better. Plus, I'd like to see Rangiku again; she's tons of fun." she finished with a smile on her face, and mischief shining in her dark grey eyes.

Toshiro smiled slightly back at her; nodding in agreement. "Once you've had a little more training, Karin, I promise I'll bring you to Soul Society so you can see what exactly it is you're stepping into. I have a feeling that Head Captain Kyoraku would like to meet you, anyway, so you'll be taking a trip there, no matter what."

Karin's smile practically split her face as she leaned in, and gave her teacher an excited hug. "Awesome! Thanks, Toshiro! I can't wait!"

The young captain was caught off-guard by the hug at first; not used to anyone other than Rangiku and Momo initiating physical contact with him. Normally, he didn't like hugs; but he found he actually did like this one, so he returned it. He felt Karin give him a squeeze, before they both let go of each other.

He was about to ask Karin what she'd been up to during the past decade plus, when she yawned deeply; rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Toshiro gave her a tender smile, before rising from his spot on the bed. "You should get to bed, Karin; you've had a long day. How about we save your stories of the past twelve years for tomorrow night?"

Karin nodded; her eyes already starting to fall closed. "Yeah, that's probably a good idea, Tosh. I feel like the walking dead."

With that, she crawled under her covers as her teacher walked over to her bedroom door; opening it, and shutting off her light.

"Goodnight, Karin. Sleep well." He said as he began to close the door behind him.

He heard Karin mutter back a goodnight, and almost had her door completely closed behind him when he heard her speak again. "By the way, Toshiro, you look good, too. You were always a cute kid, but now you're a pretty handsome guy. Good job." she said; sticking her hand out from under the covers, and giving him a thumbs up; a tired, but amused smirk on her face.

A little flustered by her words, Toshiro muttered a quick thank you before closing her door completely; hearing his student chuckling softly from the other side of the wood.

He quickly made his way back to his own room; closing his door, and crawling into bed. He had a feeling he was blushing, if the heat on his face was any indication. He knew she partially said that just to get a rise out of him, knowing he would feel uncomfortable with such praise; but he couldn't help feeling proud of the fact that that's also what she genuinely thought. Karin never said anything she didn't mean, and that compliment made Toshiro dislike his adult self a little less than he used to. 'Maybe being like this now isn't so bad, after all.' he thought to himself as he drifted off to sleep; surprisingly excited about the next several months he would be spending in the World of the Living.


Alright, that's a wrap on Chapter 3! I don't claim to have any knowledge of human anatomy beyond what I learned in science, so I can't make any claim that Toshiro's corrections to Karin's form during training are grounded in scientific fact. I actually heard that entire thing from the anime "Chivalry of a Failed Knight". The fight scenes in the show were spectacular, but the anime itself was way too fan-servicy for my taste. When I heard that piece, though, I thought it would fit perfectly with Toshiro beginning Karin's training, so…here it is! Just for good measure, I'll add this, too: I do not claim any ownership of Toshiro's instructions to Karin. All credit goes to the anime "Chivalry of a Failed Knight".

If any of you are wondering why I'm making Toshiro smile more, and appear more relaxed, it's because I honestly think he seemed more relaxed and easy-going by the time the ten-year time skip happened. They're in an era of peace, and he's maturing; it seemed rational to me for him to have a slightly more open demeanor, without losing the nonchalance and disinterest of the typical Toshiro we all know and love.

Zanjutsu = Swordsmanship

Hakudo = Hand-To-Hand combat

Hohō = Step method/fast movement

Alrighty, folks; that wraps it up for now. See you in chapter 4!

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