"Interesting drawing you have there..." Her aunt commented at Karin's work on the canvas. It was another picture of sand dunes in a place enveloped by night time. Karin was at her aunt's workplace after school for her first session of therapy. Her aunt was an art therapist who worked a lot with non-verbal patients so sometimes, drawing would help. Karin appreciated that she wouldn't be forced to speak continuously but then again, she did have the ability to speak so her aunt would ask her some questions. "Do you know this place?" Karin shook her head. "You know what's interesting is that with someone experiencing amnesia, you shouldn't be able to recall places in great detail. It is almost bizarre."

Her aunt went back to sit in her chair and Karin sighed. "Did they... tell you about the people?" She asked in Spanish.

"The ones you drew? Yes." Her aunt confirmed back in Japanese.

"... Okay." Karin withdrew into silence.

"Are you comfortable now to speak?" Karin looked hesitant but nodded regardless. "... would you prefer we speak Spanish?" Her aunt asked and Karin nodded. "Okay. Do these paintings hold any significance to you?"

"... No." Karin shook her head.

"Do you have any idea why you keep drawing them?" Her aunt asked.

"I... have felt very out of touch with reality and the images I get in my head give me a sense of..." She paused, trying to rethink her statement and find words to express herself. "It makes me feel less detached."

"So by recalling the places, you feel as though you don't have any gaps in your memory?" She nodded. "But how does it make you feel that you can't remember?"

"... Like a weight is lifted off my shoulder." Her aunt looked intrigued.

"How come?"

"It's like how I can't remember most of what I did at four years old but I remember being four." Karin said. "I only associate the good things I remember then reach the conclusion that I had a good time as a four year old."

"Sounds strategic." Her aunt nodded. "But is there anything good you can associate to those drawings?"

"... the drawings are more of... relief of not knowing what happened compared to... " She stopped and her aunt didn't press her further.

"You said you have felt out of touch with reality." Gina said. "How long have you felt this way for?"

"Months." Karin admitted

"Months?" Gina echoed. "Is there any factors that contributed to this?"

"... I was in a very... unhealthy relationship with someone and I never realised that when it was over, I was going through the motions." Karin shakily admitted.

"May I ask what made you realise that?" She asked.

"When I met him again, I realised that I didn't know I was still grieving and in pain."

"And what was your encounter like?"

"Confusing." Karin admitted. "I remembered a monster but he was acting like a lamb."

"So it felt as if he was a completely different person?" Karin nodded. "Do you think he has changed?" Karin fell silent. "Is that... too personal?"

"... They aren't the same person." Karin confessed and her aunt was confused. "He was... just as confused as I was."

Her aunt looked down and scribbled something in her notebook before looking up at her again. "Right, do you mind if we... discuss this relationship in greater detail?" Karin shook her head. "Good. What kind of relationship did the two of you share?"

"... A confusing one." Karin could not think of another word.

"... We can do this in Japanese if you —"

"No," Karin shook her head. "Saying it in Spanish makes it easier for me. I don't sound like myself when I'm speaking Spanish so it feels like a second person is speaking."

"Is this another way of... taking the weight of your shoulders?"

"... yes." Karin agreed.

"Okay." Her aunt nodded. "You were... describing the relationship you and this individual had. Do you mind sharing a name so that it is easier to follow along? It doesn't have to be a real one."

"His name is Tōshirō." Karin did not hesitate.

"Okay. Getting back on track, what was so confusing about your relationship?" Her aunt asked.

"... we knew it would never work and we had both admitted it to each other... but we both decided to keep it going." Karin said.

"Why so certain?"

"... He's a shinigami and I am not. He is very important in Soul Society and he is one that the higher ups wouldn't let go of." The teenager said. "I'm... a human girl. My father was previously his captain and left for a human woman. I would grow old and gray long before he would age into it and even after I die, there is low chances I'll ever meet him again or remember him. It was inevitable."

Her aunt scribbled more things down. "So I'm getting that this was a romantic relationship?"

"... In a normal sense, yes." Karin nodded.

"How long have you been involved with Tōshirō for?" She asked.

"We first met when I was 10. I met him again when I was 15 and we started... being more intimate when I was 16. We were friends for a few months before that." Karin explained.

"So you knew him a long time?" Her aunt asked

"He was here and there when I was younger." Karin said. "We only got to properly know each other when we met again,"

"What was that interaction like?"

Karin huffed. "I hated him. I was very rude and mean to him,"

"Any reason why?"

"... because he was a shinigami and all of them were bad in my eyes." Karin said. "I reached that conclusion after what happened to Yuzu."

She nodded, aware of the incident she was talking about. "So this prejudice... What made you change your mind about him in particular?"

"... He shared the same sentiments."

"Go away." Karin muttered as she walked through the empty streets at night, trying to enjoy the warm spring breeze but she was annoyed by the presence behind her.

"I'm not following you." He said and Karin stopped to turn and look at his face.

"Then stop." She said.

"I'm going to Urahara's. Is it my fault that it is this way?"

"Flash step."

"I'm wearing a gigai."

"Get rid of it."

"And leave a lifelike dummy lying on the streets?"

"Take it with you then."

"... Because certainly, the only thing more normal than a person flying through the night is an unconscious gigai floating through the night."

Karin huffed, throwing her head back into an exaggerated groan. "Ugh! You're so annoying!"

"If it bothers you that much, why not take a different route to where you're going?" He asked.

"And what if this is the only route?" She asked.

"Then accept that I'll be somewhere in your proximity until we part ways." He said. "Would you prefer me to run ahead of you?"

Karin sighed. "Whatever, I really don't care." She turned back around to continue walking.

"What did I ever do to you?" He asked and Karin turned back around, walking backwards as he followed.

"I just don't like you." Karin shrugged.

"That doesn't explain anything." He said.

"I don't owe you an explanation." She said. "So finish your mission and leave."

Hitsugaya looked incredibly annoyed, letting out a heavy breath through his nostrils. "... it would make very little sense for you to dislike me. You don't even know me that well."

"I don't have to." She said.

"I don't care if you do." He said. "I'm most likely going to finish my mission and never see you again... but you seem to hold a personal grudge and it has nothing to do with me."

"Then why does it bother you?"

"I could ask you the same question." He said. "Especially since you seem to hate your brother as well." Karin paused in her tracks and stared at him. "Taichō can't keep anything to himself."

"... bloody Shinigami." She tsked.

"So you don't like shinigami? Is that it?" Karin said nothing before turning around and walking. "I don't blame you if you do." The words he used to call out to her stuck but Karin continued to walk. She stopped, realising that she couldn't just let it past but when she turned around, he was gone.

Karin easily found him the next day by the river on her way home from soccer practice. He was sitting on the hill, staring out into the port. It reminded her a lot of when she was younger on her walks between Haru baa-chan's and her house. The only thing out of place was that he was smoking a cigarette. Karin quietly went over.

"Didn't take you for a smoker." She said. Hitsugaya looked up at her as she sat down. "Do you mind?"

"... you came and sat next to me." He pointed out.

"Because I want to ask you something." She said

Hitsugaya raised an eyebrow at her before relenting and stubbing the roll dead. "What?" He asked.

"Don't you have a job to be doing?" She asked.

"... I thought you wanted to be left alone." He said, looking back onto the river.

"Just trying to make small talk." She said

"I have other matters to attend to." He said, moving to get up.

"Didn't you want to talk to me yesterday?"

"Kurosaki, you're wasting my time." He said and Karin rolled her eyes.

"Wasting what time? Your cigarette break? Didn't look like you had shinigami duties before this."

"Karin, if you hate shinigami so much then this is a clear waste of both our time." He said.

"... you said you can't blame me for not liking shinigami." She said and Hitsugaya looked back at her. "I think you're worthless, selfish and exploitative. Would you still hold it against me?"

"That's how you feel." He shrugged.

"No, you said you can't blame me." She said. "Meaning you know there's a reason why I don't like you before I even said it."

Hitsugaya shook his head. "Is there a point to this conversation?"

"Do you feel the same way?" She asked. Hitsugaya looked back out to the river.

"... what does it matter if I do?" He asked and Karin frowned as she stroked the grass.

"Yuzu could have died." Karin said and Hitsugaya looked back at her. "If none of you ever came into our lives, none of this wouldn't have happened."

"How far back are you considering? Your own father?" He asked. "Do you wish your father never came here?" Karin said nothing as she held her knees to her chest. "Your anger is valid... but irrational."

"I'm allowed to feel this way." She claimed.

"But is it productive?" He countered and Karin stayed silent. "When you find hollows, be careful." He turned to leave but Karin called out.

"I'm sorry..." She said before standing up. "I'm still salty about the way you didn't do anything when Yuzu was taken." Tōshirō turned back around to face her. "But I can't deny that I hate everything you stand for."

"Like I said, you don't know me."

"You're a shinigami captain. You're one of them." She said. "You and Ichigo and all the rest of you have me constantly looking over my shoulder, feeling unsafe... Yuzu as well."

"... Trust me, we are much worse." He admitted. "I know that just by being one, I'm complicit. And I don't like it just as much as you do."

Karin cocked her head to the side. "... then why don't you quit?"

"Because giving up is just as bad... maybe even worse than you imply." He said.

Karin frowned. "That's a lot of weight for a kid to carry."

"Tch! I'm not a kid." He insisted.

"In the eyes of everyone around us, we look around the same age." She said. "I'm sure even in Soul Society, you are considered a child."

"Then why give this position to child?"

"That's the golden question." Karin said and Hitsugaya was taken aback. "... there's no shame in childhood. It's part of growing. Why demonise something so normal? I almost feel sorry for you." She picked up her duffel. "By the way, the strange reiatsu you're after is strongest by the bay." She walked away.

"So how did your interactions change after that point?" Gina asked.

"... It reminded me of when we first met. I would intentionally piss him off just to make him annoyed." She admitted. "It was childish but... he needed to remember that he was a child and that there is no shame in that."

"You felt as if he held too many responsibilities for someone of his maturity?" She nodded. "Did he have any friends his age?"

"No." Karin said. "He has a brother who is basically a childhood friend but in Soul Society, found families are more likely to form relationships."

"I see." She said. "So you wanted to be his friend?" Karin nodded and her aunt scribbled in her notebook before her timer went off. "Okay, that was enough for today. We will continue tomorrow." Karin nodded and her aunt started to pack up. Karin pulled her phone out of her pocket to check if anyone had contacted her and noticed an email waiting for her.

A rejection letter from John Hopkins. Karin shook her head before tucking her phone away. Why she let Yuzu convince her send in an application to these schools was beyond her.

Yuzu was lying down on the carpet of Kei's room staring at the ceiling. Normally, Yuzu would walk home with Karin but Karin had to go to her aunt's place for afternoon sessions everyday. Yuzu offered to accompany her but Karin shook her head and went off. Karin has not said a word to Yuzu since they came back. Not a single hum or a puff or as much as a syllable. Nothing.

The sound of the door opening and closing made it to her ears and Kei looked down at her. "So... are you going to tell me?"

"... I would like to but I would sound like deranged." She clarified

"I would never think that." He sat down next to her, cross legged. "Did you and Karin fight?"

"I wish." Yuzu sighed as she sat back up. "It would have been much easier if we did."

"Then what is it?" Kei asked. "The only time she was acting this strange was after the cultural festival in first year." Yuzu frowned. Until this day, she has no idea how it all happened. All she knew was that she was having seizures for days after the fact. Another time she acted strange was after the last time she saw Hitsugaya... or whoever that was. "Did something happen to her at soccer camp?" Kei asked.

Yuzu hesitated but nodded. "What was it?" Silence. "Yuzu, you've been acting strange, you missed school for days and you've been talking cryptic about being deranged and kidnappings and..." He paused. "Karin was kidnapped? She wasn't at soccer camp, was she?" Yuzu shook her head and Kei sighed. "Why didn't you guys say anything?"

"We decided to keep it a secret." Yuzu said. "But she's back and... that's the best thing we could have."

Kei looked slightly conflicted before deciding to reach over to hug her which she accepted willingly. "It doesn't matter. I'm just glad the both of you are okay. And I promise to keep this to myself."

Yuzu smiled, resting her head against his chest. "Thank you... for being there for me."

"You don't have to keep things to yourself, you know?" He said. "... Like earlier today, when Kazuya asked you about going to the US?" Yuzu frowned slightly. "Duke was your dream school, Karin didn't even want to go abroad."

Yuzu pulled away and looked at him before laughing and scratching the back of her neck. "I don't even know why I bother sometimes. Of course Ka-chan is the better twin. She's done so many amazing things and... here I am." She paused. "I don't even think I want to go to school abroad for the right reasons. Maybe... I just wanted to prove that Karin isn't the only... never mind." She shook her head, abandoning that thought but it was loud and clear to her friend.

"You're selling yourself short." Kei said.

"But it's the truth." Yuzu admitted with a sad smile. "And sometimes, I'm scared of how that makes me feel. I love Ka-chan more than I love myself but... sometimes, I just have these weird thoughts, y'know. About not being a twin? About... being the one she could depend on? I feel like a lot of the decisions I made recently were for making myself feel better and not to help her." She scoffed. "I'm so pathetic." Kei looked at her and sighed before sliding over to his backpack to look for his homework books. "You won't say anything?"

"No..." Kei said. "That's just you being a sibling. I don't understand the pressure you must feel but I can imagine it. Karin has always been that girl. She's good at everything, she takes on any challenge... and she's pretty humble too despite doing all these amazing things. But who can say that you haven't done amazing things too. Not many people can say they stepped up to take care of their family by the age of six. We don't all have the same path. Yes, the Karin's of the world are amazing people... if they are humble-" Yuzu slightly giggled at that. She loved her sister and always would but if she was one of those people who acted better than others, loving her would be much harder. "But if every person in this world was like her, then the world would be boring. There are so many different areas in life where people can thrive... yours is different from Karin's. So yes, she may be better at the things she is good at, but she'll never be you or be good at the things you are good at. But all things considered, both of you are better together."

Yuzu smiled at what he said before he waddled back over to put his homework books on the rug. She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "You always know what to say."

"I was student body president for a whole year." He bragged and Yuzu rolled her eyes. "The people wanted me again for re-election."

"They were also calling you Obama."

Kei cringed at the memory. It made him very uncomfortable because he never knew whether it was a compliment or otherwise. "Don't remind me."

"Are you still considering political science?" She asked.

"I don't know." He said. "I don't think my political career would go far anyways." Yuzu frowned but said nothing as she picked up a book to start on studying but she felt her phone buzz. "Who is that?"

"Email." Yuzu said. "And it's from... John Hopkins?" Yuzu looked at it oddly before opening it up. When Yuzu researched schools overseas, she mostly considered schools with internship and co-operation programmes so that she could work around the labour laws and earn some cash if she decides to go. That's when she found Duke and fell in love with it. But she had to send her SAT scores to other universities so that her money could not go to waste. Sure, she applied to a few schools that were easy to get into at her level but had no interest in pursuing them. She also applied to schools that she loved but she believed were far out of her reach in a sense.

But this time, she was shocked by the reply.

Karin meandered slowly down the street as she walked back to the clinic. It had been long since she spoke that long. It almost felt foreign to her... in fact, it hurt. She was not expecting to speak so much about him, to make sense of what happened. Yet, she could not stop the memories that continued to flood her head after.

She saw him again by the river bank, in his usual spot, staring out into the river. Every day at the same time, he was there. Some days she was from soccer practice, other days, she was from her part time job at the library... but he was always there. Sometimes, he was smoking a cigarette, others, he was just there. One particular afternoon, he was reading.

Karin couldn't help but be curious.

"The Republic... Plato? You truly are an old man." Hitsugaya looked up as Karin dropped her soccer bag and sit next to him in the grass. "Why am I not shocked that you read philosophy?"

Hitsugaya turned back to his book silently but a few seconds later, he decided to respond. "What gave you that impression?"

"... my brother mentioned you were a genius in passing." Karin said.

"Ah..." He said as he continued to read.

"So, you're a Plato fan? Or are you into that other shit like Socrates or Scotus?" She asked

Hitsugaya paused before putting the book down. "It's... more out of curiosity how this world works. And the more I read, the more I find that it isn't different from Soul Society."

"Well you're not going to figure that out from a book from centuries ago, that's for sure." She said and she wondered if he ignored her. "Somethings hold true but it's more complex than it seems." More silence. "How did you find out about them?" Karin pressed on. "If you don't mind me asking..."

"... when I was first stationed here, I had to find ways to keep myself busy." He explained. "Haru-baachan had a lot of books and I read them. This is hers in fact. I was mostly familiar with ideologies Norinaga Motoori and Kamo no Mabuchi because we had to study something similar to that in school."

Karin narrowed her eyes at him. "Motoori? Mabuchi? Are you serious?"

"It was all we were ever exposed to. Other authors from the land of the living are banned in Soul Society."

"Like who?" Karin asked

"The ones who had Confusian ideals." Karin frowned

"No wonder Soul Society is so backwards." Karin scoffed. "You haven't gotten out of the Edo period."

"Well... you aren't wrong." Hitsugaya said. "From the perspective of someone living, the richest districts in Rukongai look like the Edo period and the poorest is trapped in what you would consider as the Heian period. Looks like time travel when passing every district."

"So... people don't know those phases in history existed?"

"They're dead, Kurosaki." He said. "They forget everything when they arrive to Soul Society and are stuck in a time loop. Even multiple shinigami never leave Soul Society to come to the land of the living." Karin nodded and Hitsugaya picked his book back up to read.

"I would have thought that meant Soul Society was a reflection of the current world we live in... since Motoori and Mabuchi most likely forgot who they were when they died." Karin mentioned and Hitsugaya paused for a moment.

"Now that you mentioned it... that is strange." Hitsugaya said.

"Most likely, they chose aspects of the world of the living to parrot I guess but saw the dangers in parroting everything... conflicting ideals maybe." Karin sighed. "From a historical standpoint though, that sounds dodgy."

"Perhaps..." Hitsugaya looked up at her. "Are you interested in this story topic?"

"History is one of my favourite subjects in school so... I guess?" Karin shrugged. "Not that philosophical nonsense. A lot of them are too old and too dense and difficult for me to read. You're a grandpa so I don't expect much." Hitsugaya glared at her and Karin chuckled. "I prefer things that are... simpler and more in touch with the times."

"Like?" Karin smiled deviously before picking up her duffel bag and grabbing his arm. "What the —oi!" Hitsugaya protested as he was brought to his feet.

"Animal Farm, it has talking animals but it is far from silly." Karin said as she placed the book in his hands before searching the shelves. "Fahrenheit 451," She stacked the book on top of the previous one. "Battle Royale," She stacked this one. "Another one, Hikaru..."

"Kurosaki, I can't read the whole library." Hitsugaya commented.

"Shush! I only have one left for now." Karin said as she scoured the shelves. "Neh! Arimura-san!"

"You're loud! This is a library." Hitsugaya hushed her.

"Relax. It's still closed." A middle aged woman walked over. "Neh, Arimura-san, where is the Lord of the Flies translation? I thought I categorised it as 671."

"We moved sections so it is next to the original."

"334?"

"Point 03." She added.

"Thanks." Karin said. "But Fahrenheit 451 and Animal Farm are here."

"We're sorting by genre as well." Arimura said. "You should help me categorise when you come in tomorrow."

"I can start today, I have nothing planned."

"But you're here with a friend." She pointed

"Oh! He's barely a friend." Karin said and Arimura frowned at her. "What? He's an acquaintance."

"Your name, acquaintance-san?" She asked

"Hitsugaya Tōshirō," He said

"Nice to meet you, I'm Arimura Toko." She smiled. "I apologise for my assistant. She's a sweet girl when you get to know her but difficult and stubborn!"

"Arimura-san!" Karin whined and Arimura smiled,

"Go get Lord of the Flies." She ordered and Karin pouted before going over. Arimura laughed before turning to Hitsugaya. "I'm not joking though, she's a very lovely girl. Extremely talented. The library is closed for a bit because we are rearranging things but she is also painting a mural upstairs."

"Painting?" Hitsugaya echoed and Arimura led him out of the main hall and up the stairs.

"She insisted." Toko-san said as she led him to the reading room where the walls were painted in a mural of calming colours. Two dark haired children reading a book with thought bubbles surrounding them of different themes and motifs. Hitsugaya was taken aback and pleasantly surprised at how captivating it was. "Incredible, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is." He said

"Arimura-san!" Karin came up the stairs and placed the final book on his stack. "This room isn't finished."

"I was just showing acquaintance-san." She smiled and Karin frowned. "Anyways, Hitsugaya-chan is welcome to come read any time. I'll just go register the books that were borrowed. Does he have a library card?"

"Put it on mine." She said. "He's not from here. He's from Korea."

"Oh?" Arimura looked confused.

"Yeah, he lives there but his dad is from here. He's here for rotary for a little bit." Karin lied.

"The exchange programme you had in Colombia?" Karin nodded. "Very well. I'm going downstairs to sort out the categorisation." Arimura said.

"Thank you for your kindness." Hitsugaya bowed and Arimura giggled.

"No, thank you as well." She bowed before straightening up. "What a charming young man, Karin. You choose well."

"Oi! Wait a minute." She complained but the old lady already went down.

"How did you meet her?" He turned to her and Karin calmed down for a moment.

"She's a friend of Haru-bachan's. They have book club together." Karin said. "Said she worked at the library in town and I could drop by anytime and help out so now I'm her little assistant."

He nodded and stayed silent for a moment before asking. "Exchange programme? What is that?"

"It was two years back." Karin said. "I went to Colombia and a girl was sent here in my place. The point was to integrate into another culture and learn the language."

"Why there?"

"My mom is part Colombian." Karin admitted. "I was curious to meet my grandmother and it happened."

"... you seem to do a lot." Hitsugaya noted and Karin shrugged.

"Not really." Karin shrugged. "I just like doing stuff I enjoy. I'm pretty lazy but I can't sit still either."

"That made no sense." Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes at her and she giggled, shaking her head before looking around for something then finding a cup of paint brushes in the cabinet. Karin felt him still looking and turned her head to look back at him.

"What?" She asked

"Which one do you recommend I start with?" He asked

"Which one do you think sounds the silliest?"

"Animal Farm."

"Start with that one." She suggested.