Renji was probably wondering where he was. He told them he would go back to them last night, yet it was morning and here he was with the light from the sun stinging his eyes... and a warm body snuggling into him. It wasn't a dream. He thought as he looked down at Tatsuki's sleeping form. This face was a new one; it looked peaceful. He doesn't think he has ever seen it before.

But then again, she did put him to sleep.

Ichigo was a simple man: he didn't need much to keep him happy. Beer and videogames were enough to make his day. But like most other living, breathing men on this planet, sex was also a sure fire way of making him happy for the next week or so. It was hard to come by, especially since he didn't actively go out looking for it and medical school being the most effective form of birth control, but the few times it happened, it was satisfying for the most part. This time around, he was self conscious because that was the best he felt in a long time. Whether she felt the same way was what made him anxious.

I should get going... He thought, trying to pull away but Tatsuki refused to let go. Her grip tightened and she squeezed. Ichigo knew she wasn't sleeping. It may have been an amazing night... but this was still Tatsuki and her ass was still very annoying. "I know you're awake." He sighed

"You were planning on leaving without saying goodbye." She said.

"Well, you ruined the plan." He gave up. "Did you sleep good?"

"Yes, I did." She said.

"Did you... last night... uh?"

"Did I enjoy it?" She asked and he nodded. "Did I look like I stopped breathing at some point?"

Ichigo laughed at that. He had to stop to ask her if she was fine but she insisted he keep going. "If you want to put it like that, yes."

"Then congrats, champ. You did it. Can barely feel my legs." She said

"I hope you're not being sarcastic." He said.

"I never joke about getting laid right. I'm basically an actress at this point for how much I've had to fake it in the past." She said. Something surprising about Tatsuki once they got to university was how open she was about having sex and exploring her sexuality. In high school, she was staunch against the idea of dating but in university, she was still pretty much against it but she was more open to getting relief from exploring. She was never disrespectful in bringing someone home. Her rule was to always go to their place instead.

"That bad?"

"It's like getting your favourite meal then realising there's a roach in it after the first bite." Now Ichigo believed her, and was laughing at how specific that was.

"As much as I want to stay, I really have to go." He said.

"I can't convince you to stay?" Tatsuki leaned up to kiss his collarbone before letting her hand wander.

"You can... but you shouldn't." He said, trying to stay focused but she caught onto him. "So you aren't going to beg me to stay?"

"If I beg, I'm going to look needy. If I don't, I'm going to have to watch you leave and be sad about it. Third option is seduction." She rolled the both of them over so that she was on top. Ichigo groaned softly as she kissed the side on his neck and let her hand wander down to his waist. If she succeeded, then he would never want to leave. He was already hesitant to get up as is.

"I should really go." He struggled to say as he found himself losing focus.

"Are you passing up the opportunity to make me go cross eyed again?" She joked in a whisper to his ear before sucking on his earlobe. It was official, this had to end for the sake of his sanity.

He took her hand and stopped her. "Who are you and what have you done with Tatsuki?"

Tatsuki pulled away, looking down at him. "What? So I can't be sexy and attractive?"

"Never said that." He said. "And you've clearly proved your point. I just find it hard to believe that you want it with me." He sat up and Tatsuki scooted and straightened her back as well to sit up.

"I can't convince you to stay, can I?" He shook his head no and Tatsuki frowned. "I really don't want you to go."

"I hate it too but I have to." He said. "My sister's life depends on it." She looked unconvinced but nodded regardless. He leaned over to kiss her and she responded in kind, trying to convey to him everything she felt and every thought she had. Ichigo still found it hard to believe that this was them. After years of constant arguing and bickering, after years of friendship and years of living together, they finally reached this point. Ichigo acknowledged that he had feelings for her a while ago, but he never thought she would feel the same way. But that still didn't trump the amount of support she gave to him in general. Even when he pushed her away, she was always there, waiting for him to come back to his senses.

"Do what you can and come back safe." She whispered against his mouth as they kissed. "I'll be waiting for you."

Yuzu yawned as moved downstairs to make breakfast, only to be surprised by the smell of food and a sizzling sound from the kitchen. Did ōto-san wake up early? She wondered as she approached only to see her grandmother setting the table. "Oh! Morning!" Her grandmother greeted as she set the table.

"Good morning." Yuzu replied. "Oba-san, you didn't have to cook."

"But you have school! Rin-chan told me about how you have to get up every morning to cook for everyone. It's only fair you get a break once in a while." She said as she set the table. "I haven't cooked like this in a while. I normally just eat bread in the mornings and go about my day. I forgot how meticulous it is this side."

"But it smells really good." Yuzu commented as she moved to serve herself but her grandmother did everything already.

"Has your sister woken up yet?"

"She's getting ready." Yuzu frowned. When she had gone to wake her sister up, her sister did not say a single word to her. Karin has been back for almost a week now and she has not said a word to anyone but their aunt.

Sofia noticed her granddaughter's sadness and patted her shoulder. "Well, eat." She smiled. "You're still a growing child."

Yuzu picked up her chopsticks and took a bite. "It's delicious!" She grinned at her grandmother who smiled back at her before sitting down.

They heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Morning." Karin greeted lowly.

"Morning!" Yuzu greeted perkily and Karin sat down, saying nothing as she reached out for the food.

Her grandmother spoke to her in Spanish and Karin replied promptly, picking a bowl of rice and a soup bowl before noticing something. She looked up and asked her grandmother something and she replied. Karin smiled - the first time in ages, Yuzu notes - before taking a the soup bowl and eating it heartily. While Yuzu was grateful that her grandmother was someone Karin felt comfortable talking to, Yuzu was not particularly happy that Karin only spoke in a language no one else could understand and that she only spared the interactions for others. "What are we talking about?"

"Oh! I made changua." Sofia said

"Changua?" Yuzu parroted.

"Yes, it is a Colombian milk and egg soup." Sofia said. "Karin used to love eating it back when she was staying in Bogota. Would you like to try some?"

"Yes, that sounds very interesting." Yuzu said and her grandmother exited the room into the kitchen. Karin continued to eat while periodically scrolling through her phone. "So... did you sleep well?"

"Mm." Karin nodded as she continued to eat and the silence kicked in immediately after.

"It's almost the Christmas break." Karin paused for a second to look up at her sister. "We should do something. Any ideas?"

"No." Karin said before looking back down and Yuzu frowned, continuing with her breakfast in silence.

Sofia came back out with a bowl of changua for her and Yuzu thanked her before taking a spoonful. "Mmm! It's delicious! And really flavourful!"

"Really?"

"I've never tasted anything like it." Yuzu grinned. "Thanks, oba-chan."

"My pleasure, amorcita." She smiled. "Well, I'm going to knit. I'll see you girls after school?" Yuzu nodded and Karin looked up and nodded as well. "Have a good day." Sofia said before waving and going off in the direction of the staircase, leaving the teenage girls to finish breakfast. It was silent as they ate and Yuzu looked up.

"This is really good. You got to experience a lot of Colombian food while you were there, huh?" Yuzu asked.

"Mm." Karin hummed.

Yuzu felt awkward about her responses but pushed on anyways. "Wah! I wish I could have experienced rotary as well! You must have had a lot of fun." Nothing was said in return. "I uh... I got an email yesterday from John Hopkins. I got in for nursing."

"... Congratulations." Karin replied.

Yuzu's face fell completely. "You could even pretend to be just a little bit happy for me." Karin looked up at her and said nothing. "I'm tired of these one word responses."

"I would like to be left alone." Karin said.

"And then you suddenly don't have an issue speaking to just about anyone else in a different language?" Yuzu said.

"Because they understand that I want to be left alone." Karin said.

"As if I'm not your sister!" Karin looked up, very annoyed. "I'm concerned about you! Do you not trust me?"

"... No, Yuzu. No, I don't." She shook her head. "Because in some sick, twisted way, you got to be the hero." Yuzu's eyes widened at her choice of words. "I love how you used 'sick' and 'twisted' because you have to be a real bitch to think that I went through what I did just for you to have a shining moment."

"That's not what I meant." Yuzu argued

"Oh, really?" Karin scoffed, laughing in hilarity at the situation but it sounded so cold. Yuzu does not think she has ever heard Karin like this before. "Because nowadays you are so good at lying your pants off. The other day when you told everyone that you never wanted to go to America in the first place when Heita mentioned Duke even though it was your idea? You even told me that if both of us don't get in, neither of us are going. So what was going to happen today? You were going to waltz up to Heita, Ryohei, Kazuya and Kei and brag about your achievements. That you got into John Hopkins and I didn't? In fact, I even think Kei already knows by now since you've been fucking around with him for the past few months and you thought I wouldn't know?"

Yuzu frowned. "That... that has nothing to do with-"

"Yes, it does, Yuzu!" Karin screamed at her. "Because you've always wanted what I had! You would butt into my life, my friendships, everything I did you wanted to do too! You've always been jealous of me and now that I'm in the worst space I have ever been in, you are reveling in being the better sibling and it makes me fucking sick! " Sofia came marching down the stairs.

"And what is all this screaming about?" Sofia asked before turning to Karin. "Rin-chan. What has gotten into you?"

Karin looked at her grandmother then at Yuzu. "Nothing." She pulled away from the table and picked up her school bag. "Thanks for the food. I'll see you in the afternoon."

Sofia looked at the table. "But you haven't fin-" Nothing more was said as the door slammed after her. Sofia looked at Yuzu who was on the verge of tears and Sofia sighed, shaking her head. "What a mess."

Karin rounded a corner as she walked in the opposite direction from school. She was tired. Everything was just tiring to her. She wanted answers to the way she was feeling but knew that no one currently had them... at least, only one person had a piece to the puzzle. She did not read his letter. It was still on her night stand. She was getting round to reading it but she was scared. Now she was tired of being scared and she didn't want pretty penmanship squabbled on a piece of paper. She needed to hear it herself. So she marched to Urahara's shoten and pounded on the doors.

"Kisuke!" She called out before pounding again. "Kisuke!" The door slid open as the disheveled hat and clogs answered.

"Karin? It's 7 in the morning."

"Where are Renji and Rukia?" Karin asked before slipping past him

"You can... enter? Good morning to you too?" Urahara mumbled to himself in confusion, scratching his head

"Where. Are. They." Karin demanded angrily and Urahara sighed.

"Tokyo." He said. "They were chasing the next lead on finding Aizen."

"And?"

"Dead end." He said. "They found out what Aizen was planning... or they have an idea of what's going on. But still no sight on him or whoever was with him." Karin frowned, shaking her head. "Do you remember something?"

"No." Karin said as she calmed down. "I just... needed to ask for a favour."

"What might that be?" Urahara asked.

"... those Hell Butterflies," Karin said. "Shinigami use that to communicate with people from here to Soul Society, right?"

"Correct." Urahara nodded.

"Do you... happen to have one?" Karin asked. "I really need to talk to someone right now."

Urahara sighed heavily. "Normally I don't but lucky for you, Renji left me one because they would be moving around a lot." He said as he summoned one. "Would you like to speak to Hitsugaya taicho?"

Karin looked a bit hesitant but nodded.

Hitsugaya frowned as he sat on his porch before work as he thought over what the sotaicho called him for yesterday. "So, you're taking me off the investigation?"

"Not necessarily." Yamamoto said. "We just received word from the Soul King's court that requires immediate attention and after how well you handled the intruders recently, the Soul King asked for you to oversee this request."

Toshiro leaned forward, holding his fisted hand to his mouth, deep in thought. "Okay... what is their request?"

"This decade, they request that Jūbantai be in charge of transporting the ōin."

While Hitsugaya knew that the sotaicho did not plan this, he could not help but think that the sotaicho was in some way happy it panned out this way. He probably thought that this was going to be the assignment that reminds Hitsugaya why he strived to achieve great things as a shinigami. Hitsugaya already knew that his trajectory was either to become the sotaicho in future or to be part of zerobantai. He had been considered for zerobantai from the start but the sōtaicho was concerned he was too young and inexperienced which is why he was placed in the 10th.

A hell butterfly approached him while he lit a cigarette and exhaled. "I'm not in charge of this investigation anymore. Report to Kuchiki."

"... Not sure what I have to report." Hitsugaya was confused by the response and then he realised who he was talking to.

"Kurosaki?"

"Uh, hi." She said. "I wish there was a better way to... talk but... is this a bad time?"

"No, no." He shook his head, dropping the new round on the ashtray and letting it go to waste. "I... uh. We can talk. How are you?"

"I... genuinely don't know how to answer that." Karin said. There was an awkward silence that permeated between the two.

"... Karin, I just-"

"I didn't read your letter." Karin said. "Because I wanted to hear the truth... from you."

Hitsugaya blinked in surprise. Knowing her, he should have expected it. She always encouraged him to speak. But he wished she would at least take the time to read it. "Okay." Hitsugaya said. "How much do you want to know?"

"... When was the last time you saw me? Date... specifics."

"24th of December last year." He replied honestly.

"Time?"

"... Sometime before midnight when I left." He said.

"Did you have any intentions of coming back?" She asked

"Yes. I had a reconnaissance mission with my division immediately after nibantai gathered intel." He said.

"Then what happened?"

"It was reassigned to the gobantai."

"Okay." She said. "... why?"

"The sotaicho found out about... what I did when I was in the world of the living." Hitsugaya was tired of stumbling around his words. "He found out about you."

"Are you... sure there was no way that you may have... slipped past and came by?" Karin asked. "Any time at all? Are there any... lapses in your memory?"

"Kurosaki... I'm being monitored." Hitsugaya said. "The sōtaicho knows where I am every single moment of the day. Everytime I go near a senkaimon, he is alerted immediately."

"... Good to know." She sniffled uncomfortably. "So... I'm the crazy one?"

"What happened to you?" Hitsugaya said.

"It's not important." She said. "I just... I really needed to hear from a friend right now."

Hitsugaya frowned but he did not want to distraught her any further. "Are you reading any new books?"

"... what?" Karin questioned but Hitsugaya knew he hit a mark because she sounded slightly amused.

"You said you needed to hear from a friend and... so do I." He said and Karin chuckled.

"Uh, no actually." Karin said. "I've been drawing more though. Decided to try and learn how to draw digitally."

"And how is that going for you?"

"I suck at it." She said. "It's too complex. I guess you're not the only old man here."

Tōshirō rolled his eyes. "Will you ever let that go?"

"I could hear your eyes turning all the way from here." He started to laugh and so did she. "Are you okay though? You just said the sōtaichō took you off the investigation?"

"Yeah..." Hitsugaya said. "It wasn't his plan though genuinely. I just happened to be... noticed by the Royal Family and assigned to a new task."

"Fancy."

"Hardly. Just more stress."

"Bummer. You can't say no, can you?"

"Not at all." He sounded annoyed

"So... what about Aizen?" She asked.

"Kuchiki is still on it." He said.

"Okay," She said. "I just... feel more comfortable knowing that you're on the case."

"I won't lie, I do too." He said. "It's the least I can do for... everything I've done."

There was a pause on her end. "You didn't do anything to me."

"It feels like I did."

"... Tōshirō, I don't think you understand what happened to me these past few months."

"I don't." He admitted. "I'm not going to pretend that I do and I'm not going to ask you to elaborate. But I'm not going to deny the role I played into all of this happening to you."

"But you didn't do-" She stopped herself. "You did nothing wrong. I was stupid. I trusted someone-"

"You didn't know it wasn't me."

"But I should have." She complained. "I should have known! I could tell that their reiatsu was off for a while but I didn't think of it. I was having seizures continuously that I couldn't explain... but everything else was—" She paused. "He looked like you, spoke like you, acted like you... you even had the same zanpakuto."

"Wait... what?" Hitsugaya interrupted her in shock. "What do you mean? That's impossible."

"Maybe I imagined it." Karin faltered as she started to panic from the tone of his voice.

"No... no, you didn't." Hitsugaya said as the pieces started to form in his head. "Please just calm down. Okay? Breathe. Is anyone there with you?"

"Urahara is nearby."

"Okay, just calm down." He said. "Do you have school today?"

"I... I really don't wanna go." She said.

You have work.

"I can stay on as long as you need me to, okay?"

But.. you have work.

Hitsugaya told Hyōrinmaru to shut up in his head. "We can talk about anything... just as long as you're not putting pressure on yourself. Okay?"

"Okay." She said. "I... I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault." He assured her. Karin eventually calmed down and Hitsugaya brought up something else to calm her down... but Hyōrinmaru was pestering him in his mind.

You figured it out. He observed.

He did not reply to the dragon. But he was correct. After all these weeks, the full picture started to come together.