Chapter Two: Not like the rest

Karin did not like dingy bars with dim lighting and question waitresses. Nor did she like karaoke rooms that reeked slightly of cigarette smoke. So the fact that she was in both completely baffled her.

What is this? She scowled, as she casted a resentful gaze towards Yuzu who was presumable having the time of her life, while her beloved sister was, quite evidently not. Yuzu had promised free drinks and hot boys. But the reality was free apple juice in tacky wine glasses and hormone fuelled boys.

There was an odd number of people, because one of the boys were late, so Karin was alone, as she opted to wait for the last boy to arrive. If he ever arrives.

I'm never doing this again, Karin scowled. I could have been at home playing soccer. Although I'd probably be studying instead.

"Sorry I'm late!" The door burst open, and an attractive but violent looking boy rushed in. His hair was a sky-blue colour that drew Karin's attention immediately. One of the boys paused their song, and lit up to see their late blue haired comrade.

"Hey Grimmjow, nice of you to join us!" He heartily greeted, "As a penalty you have to sing the next song!"

"Yeah whatever," The boy cheerfully replied. He noticed Karin sitting in the corner, and dutifully moved to sit next to her.

So Grimmjow's his name, huh. Karin noted, that's such a weird name. He'd probably get bullied at school if he wasn't so good looking. Actually it looks like he'd be the bully… I hope his not a bully. Karin, stop thinking mean thoughts. Maybe he's a good guy.

As if on cue, Grimmjow piped. "I look like I'd be a delinquent right?" Karin stared at Grimmjow, not sure how to reply.

"Yeah." Her traitorous mouth replied before she had time to process. "I mean no! I mean you look angry but…" she trailed off, realising she was making things worse for herself. Karin you stupid, she cursed, bye chances with hot guy. Wait I didn't want hot guy to begin with.

Shut up Karin, Karin shook her head, trying to clear her head of those thoughts.

Grimmjow grinned, "Its okay. Everyone says I look like I'd be the kind of guy who'd take money from weaklings." He paused. "You're the first girl to say it so bluntly."

Karin shook her head animatedly. "No, no, no- I just said whatever I thought. I wasn't being blunt or whatever. I was just being stupid." At that Grimmjow burst out laughing, his ocean-blue eyes lighting up.

His eyes, are really pretty. Kinda like Hitsugaya's. Karin thought as she stared at the guy who laughed at her bluntness.

"You're a cool person- let's be friends," He stated, offering his hand, "My name is Jaggerjack Grimmjow, nice to meet you." Karin tentatively took his hand, and shook it, offering an awkward smile of her own.

"My name's Kurosaki Karin, if you like running around with a ball on Sunday afternoons, then we'll probably hit off well," Karin replied. Grimmjow's smile grew even wider as he made animated hand gestures with his arms.

"DO YOU LIKE STUFF LIKE SOCCER AND BASKETBALL AND VOLLEYBALL?" He asked, his voice rising with each syllable. Karin's soft chocolate-brown eyes lit up, as she realised a fellow comrade in the world of sports.

"According to the magazine here, Taurus had a lucky week in romance~" Yuzu giggled, as she flipped the pages of magazine while lazing on Karin's bed. "Think it worked out well for you, meeting two hotties in less than seven days."

"What?" Karin replied, only partly paying attention, as she marked the answers for her English homework. Damn, she kept getting them wrong. "Yuzu, you're a Taurus as well."

Yuzu sighed. "Yeah, but I didn't exactly hit off with boys so hot they'd probably fry an egg with their gaze." She sat up, and ripped off the sheet mask she had on her face, "Argh, I'm so jealous! Where are MY hot foreign boys with mysterious eyes and soft hair?"

Karin turned around, taking note of what she said. "Yuzu- Hitsugaya and Grimmjow are my friends. If you like them so much you should hit on them or become friends with you or whatever's the moral thing to do. I'm sure they're nice enough not to shoot you down."

Yuzu frowned. "Karin, you're dense."

"Am not." Karin turned to her homework, eyebrows knitting in frustration.

"Am so." Yuzu patted her face gently, as she inspected herself in the mirror, "Listen here dumbass. The new kid? Hitsugaya? He's so closed off, most girls have given up and resigned themselves to the fate of gazing from afar. When I showed him around the school, he asked like one sentence. The only time I see him not being like a block of ice is when he interacts with you." Yuzu paused.

Karin opened her mouth to respond, but before she got a word in Yuzu continued, "And you know that Grimmjow from the mixer. You said he seemed really cheerful and talkative but he's famous in his school as a genius delinquent who glares at all the girls that approach him. Why is he so different when he was with you huh?"

Karin stood up. "I don't know okay? Maybe it's because I'm tomboyish and they see me as a dude or something?" She walked to the door and paused, "I'm going to buy pudding. You want any?"

"It's okay," Yuzu replied, her gaze softening. She knew how sensitive Karin was about people treating her like she was a guy. She sighed, maybe she should ease up on Karin's love life.

You doofus, Yuzu was just looking at for you. Karin mentally hit herself, as she trudged down the street towards her local family mart. Yuzu's always been looking out for Karin, despite being the, marginally, younger sister, since her mother passed away.

She's just probably worried, you react like a dead fish towards anything that romance related. Karin reasoned with herself, as she approached the store. The automated doors opened, as she stepped inside, with an automated voice welcoming to her. The cashier looked bored, as he stood behind the counter, his eyes glazing over, as though in a trance.

She made her way to the ice cream section, when she noticed a familiar white tuft of hair in the magazines section. She was about to shout his name, when a thought struck her. Wait… Hitsugaya's in the magazine section…and he's a seventeen year old boy. Can it be…?

Sure enough, upon closer inspection, he had many magazine of questionable taste in his basket. "I didn't know you were into stuff like that," Karin commented, making Hitsugaya jump. Karin laughed, as his ears turned in a shade red enough for him to disguise as a tomato.

"I-It's not what it looks like," He mumbles, his eyes downcast giving Karin the full view of his long lashes. Damn, I wonder if he used mascara. Or a lash lengthening serum. Karin thought, as she grinned and patted him on the head.

"Okay then, explain," Revelling in his discomfort, Karin realised she was a very bad person. Toshiro grimaced, as he scratched at his head uncomfortably.

"Well," He started, lifting his head so that his eyes met Karin's. Toshiro's face scrunched up as his explanation would make things even worse. "Never mind." He concluded.

Karin frowned. "You're hiding something."

Hitsugaya shrugged. "Live with it."

Karin was about to reply and burn him so hard, he'd have a one way ticket to the seventh level of Hell, when the automated voice interrupted her thoughts. Well, to be fair, it wasn't the voice that interrupted her, but the words uttered after the welcome.

"Everybody hands up, or I'll shoot."

If they have guns and all, why did they decide to rob a family mart? Karin sulked as she petulantly raised her hands, and the boy next to her did the same- dropping his basket of items in doing so. Her eyes scanned over the shop, there were no other customers in the shop other than her and Hitsugaya and the cashier was shaking in fright.

There were three masked robbers, one of which was holding a gun. If I was the robber, I'd rob a bank. That way you'd get more money, with the same amount of effort. Karin kicked herself inwardly, dude there's a robbery in the store and all you can think is how you'd do it better?

Focus. There's gotta be something I can do.

"So we have two little ones here," One of the three robbers smirked, ambling up to Karin and Hitsugaya. There was a few cuts in the mask to allow for the eyes and mouth, revealing his almost blindingly bright white teeth.

Never had Karin wanted to knock out the front teeth of anyone so much, as her hands clenched into a fist in the air. Be patient, she told herself, you'll have your chance.

Her eyes glanced over to the cashier. He was fumbling, trying to open the register while the other two robbers were getting increasingly frustrated. They were distracted, and probably wouldn't be able to react immediately. This was her chance.

Perfect.

A/N:

Okay, honestly I wasn't really happy with what I've written. But I really wanted to update it today, because my school starts tomorrow (bye holidays :( ). So here is the sub par chapter *sighs* I'll try make it better when I have time I guess- I'm going to try update (roughly) every week but who knows my workload could be ?

But yeah please comment review/idk I try *sighs* Thanks for everything and please look forward to next week's *? hopefully* chapter! I really appreciate all the support ^_^