Hey! I'm back again. It's a little short, but I think the next segment I have planned is most likely going to be very long and will take me some time to write. So, because I get a really happy feeling every time I see I got a review, follow or favorite, I am giving you something else to read. Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who reviewed, followed, or Favorited this story!

Remember, If you don't think I own it I probably don't. And constructive criticism is always welcome!

It had been several weeks since Karin had first appeared at the Shiba clan's house, and she was starting to feel like she belonged there. After that first meal with the siblings, Kukaku had invited Karin to stay the night. Ganju had apologized for scarring her, and the next day Kukaku had managed to talk Karin into staying another night. Since Karin didn't have any knowledge of needing to be anywhere else, she let the Shiba clan leader convince her to stay over and over again, till Karin began to feel like this was where she belonged. And as far as she knew, it was the only place she belonged.

Kukaku and Ganju had talked with Karin a lot, trying to get to know their young guest. Unfortunately, the more they talked, the more Karin became frustrated with her lack of knowledge. Questions like "Where are you from?" and "Do you have any family left?" that should have been no-brainers escaped her, and Karin was starting to get worried.

"You shouldn't worry, Karin-chan," Kukaku would try to comfort her, "It probably just means that you died recently and your memories are just muddled upright now. It happens to a lot of people. And till you get your memories back, you're welcome to stay with us."

Although Karin appreciated the sentiment, she was still worried.

Despite those worrisome thoughts, living with the Shiba clan was pretty nice. Every meal was cooked by the two giants, and Karin definitely wasn't going hungry. Every day, Ganju would head out with his friends on their pet boars, and sometimes he would take Karin with him and show her around town. Although it was still pretty far away, the West Rukon district was the closest urban area to the house. It was there that Karin would wander around the marketplace, looking at everything that was being sold. Although Ganju offered to buy her anything she wanted, Karin always declined his offer. She wasn't really interested in buying anything, just looking.

But as much as she liked taking in all the sights, Karin really preferred all the people she met in town. There were several old men who would smile at her when she waved at them, and most of the grownups she ran into would be nice and pleasant. The kids were absolutely adorable, if a little delinquent and bratty at times. But there were also a bunch of teenagers close to Karin's age, and they were really fun to hang out with. Karin found that she made friends easily, and almost everyone she met became her friend.

But it wasn't her new friends that Karin found to be the best part of living with the Shiba clan, as petty as that may sound. What she really enjoyed the most were the evenings. Not evening, mind you, but about every third night Kukaku would test out her most recent brand of fireworks and put on a show. It would be those evenings that Karin would sit back on the ground not that far from the launch and just let herself enjoy the moment. There was something about watching the colorful explosions that put her mind at peace, and it was one of the only moments she wasn't constantly worrying about her lack of memories.

"You really enjoy watching these, don't you Karin-chan?" Kukaku enjoyed trying to catch the girl off guard. For some reason, Karin had amazing reflexes and it was almost impossible for her to be surprised. Probably the only times she could be slightly surprised by anything was when she was watching the fireworks.

"Of course, they're beautiful. And since you made them, they are obviously the best." Karin smiled at Kukaku. Even though she had every reason and right to chase Karin out onto the street, the woman had been welcoming and warm toward her. Karin wasn't sure what she would have done if it weren't for Kukaku and Ganju.

Kukaku smiled at Karin. "You know Karin, I've been thinking. I'm not sure I like the idea of having a permanent guest in my house..."

Karin's face fell. But then again, she should have known. Something as amazing as what had been going on for the past few weeks couldn't last. However, after seeing what she did when Ganju decided to piss her off, Karin did not want to get on Shiba Kukaku's bad side.

"I understand, Shiba-sama. I'll get ready to leave tonight..." though where she would go, she had no idea.

"Hey! Don't go expecting the worse when I haven't even finished talking yet!" Karin turned to Kukaku, surprised to see the woman with a joking look on her face. "Jeez, why do you think I hate you so much? It's starting to get annoying." Kukaku smiled. "What I actually was going to say, is that I wouldn't mind the idea of a little Imouto-chan to share things with"

Karin was dumbfounded. "You mean... you actually want me to be your Imouto-chan?"

"Yep. I already ran it past Ganju, and he would love to welcome you to the family. So how about it, Karin-chan? Do you want to be a Shiba?"

Karin considered Kukaku's offer carefully. On one hand, Kukaku and Ganju were really nice people and would be wonderful siblings. Kukaku had already told Karin about her older brother Kaien. She never mentioned how or why he died, but she did express how much she loved and missed him. Ganju didn't talk about it, but Karin suspected that was just how he deals with it. The fact is, Kaien's death had left a deep hole in both siblings' hearts, and Karin suspected that it was her presence that was starting to help them. They were good people and had been nothing but kind to her.

But on the other hand, there was the matter of her missing memories. There was a chance - very slight, but still a chance - that Karin already had a family that loved and missed her that she couldn't remember. For all Karin knew, she already had a mother and father and a brother and sister that were waiting for her to come home.

"You don't have to answer me right away. I know it's a big decision." Kukaku started to walk away and leave Karin to her thoughts.

"No, wait!" Karin called back. "I already have my answer. I would be honored to call you my o-nee-san." If Karin did have a family that she couldn't remember, she would just deal with it when the time came.

Kukaku smiled. "Hey Ganju! Karin agreed!"

"Really? Yay!" Ganju attacked Karin with an overbearing hug that Karin barely avoided, making the older boy fall slam into the ground. Of course, Ganju immediately popped back up and started patting her head. "Hey, you've already got those Shiba reflexes. Now all you need to do is practice calling me o-nii-san. Come on on, I wanna hear you say it. Repeat after me: o-nii-san."

"O-nii-san..." As soon as she said it, the word felt wrong on her lips. No, the word itself wasn't wrong per say, but it was as though she knew it was meant to refer to someone else. That word was meant to be associated with someone... warm and comforting. Someone who protects her, someone she adores. And someone who is somehow associated with strawberries and the color orange.

Karin shook the feelings off. Like she had already decided, she would deal with whoever or whatever her memories led to when the time came. But at least now, she knew she wouldn't have to deal with them alone. She was no longer just Karin. She was Shiba Karin.

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