Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters.

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Toushiro was sitting on the roof of the Kurosaki residence. The encounter with that arrancar yesterday made him antsy and Karin's words just kept running through his head as an unwanted reminder of her feeling towards him. He was unable to sleep last night and was equally unable to stand Matsumoto's complaints about not having enough time to go shopping. That was why he decided to leave Orihime's place early in the morning before everyone woke up, at least he could have some time alone with himself. He was sent to investigate the growing reiatsu and Yamamoto soutaicho made it clear, at least to him, that this reiatsu belonged to Karin. However, what happened yesterday was just too strange; that arrancar wasn't after Karin because of her reiatsu but because she was with him. What the hell was going on? He didn't understand it. Did someone plan to take Karin away and use her against him? Well, he knew she wasn't with him now but he was worried about her. Then he felt guilty too, he knew he should be worried about Hinamori instead.

"I don't think I will go with you Shiro-chan." Hinamori replied sweetly when he asked if she wanted to go to the real world with him. "Unohana taicho asked me if I wanted to help her takinging care of shinigamis who were injured in the battle and I already accepted her offer. I want to take care of them Shiro-chan, it is what I can do after everything that happens. "

"So do you mean that you are moving to the 4th squad?" He asked.

"Yes, I cannot go to the 5th squad office without thinking of Aizen taicho," She told him. "I know it sounds pathetic, but I cannot do it. Unohana taicho told me that I could help her the 4th squad if I wanted to, she would ask Yamamoto soutaicho to transfer me to the 4th squad. She also said that all I needed was learning how to use kido for healing, instead of fighting."

"I see. What about the 5th squad? He asked. "Who is going to take care of it? I mean the paper work and everything."

"I don't know Shiro-chan. Right now I'm starting to do the paper work for the 5th squad because it was my resposibility, I will stop when I know who is the next lieutenant. Renji told me that maybe the shinigami representative will be the next captain. You know him right?"

He nodded and was about to say something when he saw Hanatarou running towards them.

"Hinamori-chan..Hinamori-chan.." Hanatarou called as he was running. "The 3rd squad lietenant just wake up, but his condition isn't good. Unohana taicho send me to ask you if you can come and help her."

Hinamori turned to look to him, not sure if she should go or not. She was guilty for attacking Kira, and she didn't have a chance to say sorry for him before the war started because she was in a coma. She was afraid that he would be mad at her.

"You should go." He said and smiled at her. "Kira will never be mad at you. He knows you worship Aizen and he knows you were confused and sad when you found out that Aizen was dead."

"You think so?" She asked him again.

"Yes, I do." He assured her.

"Okay," She said, smiling widely at him "I guess I will have to go now. And Shiro-chan, I will go and visit you in the real world when I'm free."

He smiled at the thought of Hinamori, thinking of her made him feel better. The hell butterfly came to give him the news couple days ago that she would be here today. He just knew everything would get better once she was here. Maybe he could leave his job to Matsumoto and avoided Karin completely.

Karin sat curled on the sofa watching a movie. She didn't know what to do early in the morning. She didn't sleep all night because of her encounter with Toushiro; it really bothered her that he appeared at the right time when that arrancar was about to attack her. Was he following her? If he was, then why? She knew he was not that kind of person and she was certain that they broke up badly and there was no reason for him to follow her but he did. Did it mean that the arrancar yesterday was after her? She was disturbed by the conversation between them but she was sure he knew something she didn't. When she got home yesterday with Yuzu, she considered telling this to Ichigo but decided against it later because he already had a shock of his life when he saw Yuzu. She knew him well; he would probably leave the house and demand the truth from Toushiro if he knew the arrancar attacked her, and that wasn't what she wanted. So she needed to find out everything by herself this time. And to make everything worse, she could feel Toushiro's reiatsu above her. Damn it! he didn't even bother to hide his reiatsu when he was sitting on the roof this time. She was about to go up to the roof, but stopped because she heard someone knocking on the door. 'You're lucky Toushiro' She thought before opening the door.

"Err.. Karin" Kenji started to speak nervously when he saw Karin was the person who opened the door.

Karin just looked at him. They didn't talk after that incident. She still went to her soccer practice but she kept avoiding him all the time. Part of her was mad that he was the reason that she broke up with the Toushiro, but she knew she knew she couldn't blame him for that; Toushiro was supposed to trust her.

"Oi, why are you standing in front of my house early in the morning like this?" She asked and narrowed her eyes when she saw that he was speechless in front of her. If he came to her house to tell her that he was in love with her again, this time she would make sure he was in a big trouble.

"I... I was wondered if you could forgive me?" He asked her hopefully. The moment he looked at her he knew he picked the wrong time; she was already mad about something. And he knew immediately that the best thing he could do was getting straight to the point why he came to house and leave; he really didn't want to deal with mad Karin.

"Forgive you?"

"That.. I..err..I kissed you. Karin, I'm sorry. I just.." He sighed, then continued. "I don't know what got into me. It just happened. I know you don't feel the same and I know what I did was wrong."

"Oh"

"Please, I want us to be friends at least." He begged her softly. Yes, he loved her. But he knew it was better this way. They were better being friends, he realized that now.

"Who say that I'm not going to be your friend?" She asked, then smirked. "I forgive you, just don't ever do that again, it creeps me out honestly."

"Haha.." He laughed softly and scratched the back of his head. "So, will I see you this evening for the practice?"

"No, I don't think so. Yuzu just got an accident. I will have to take care of her."

"I see, I hope she gets better soon. Bye, Karin. I will you at school." He smiled and said goodbye.

Karin waited until Kenji walked away before she looked up to the roof. She knew Toushiro was sitting on her roof and he heard everything; She swore she felt his reiatsu spiked when Kenji was talking to her.

"Are you having fun listening to my conversation Hitsugaya Taicho?" She shouted before storming into the house.

...

Toushiro opened Karin's bedroom window slowly and looked out. He has to make sure she wasn't in the room. Thankfully that Ichigo wasn't a morning person and he was bad at sensing reiatsu, if not he would be murdered by now. He heard the conversation between Karin and Kenji earlier and it caused an inner turmoil. Somehow he had to talk to her about it. He knew this was the last place he needed to be after what happened between them, but he couldn't help it. He just realiazed that he hadn't been in her bedroom for a long time. Her room was a nice actaully. It was room with a large bookcase and a desk on one side. He looked at her soccer posters and piles of clothes discarded near her closet on the other side. It seemed like her; a nice balance of order and chaos. Finally he decided to sat down on the bed to wait.

Karin entered her room later. She just finished her breakfast; waking up early made her extra hungry. She found him lying on her bed, staring at the ceiling with his arms folded behind his head. He looked like he had been here for awhile. He looked over at her when he heard her enter and she paused for a second before walking to her desk.

"What are you doing here?" She asked and narrowed her eyes as she started to choosing her soccer magazine on the desk and pretending that he wasn't there.

"You know what I'm doing here." He said quietly, trying to control his emotion.

"Oh, can you tell me Hitsugaya taicho? I really don't know what are you doing here." She replied sarcastically.

"What was that Karin?" He asked her again, trying to be calm. They really needed to talk.

"What was what?"

"Why Kenji was here asking you to forgive him that he kissed you?" He demanded.

"That was because there was nothing between us," She yelled at him. "I already told you, when will you believe me?

Toushiro felt something rising in him, but he couldn't pin point what it was? Was she lying to him? Why would she lie to him? To be honest, he knew he should be glad that he knew this but the truth made him feel bad. She didn't cheat on him and he was blaming her for something she didn't do. Now what?

"So..so you didn't..." He trailed off and looked at her.

"No, I didn't cheat on you, if that is what you mean." She whispered as she was studying him carefully. "Why don't you believe me? I will never do that to you."

He was slient watching her before he decided to pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her.

"I'm so sorry." He said; his face paling as he realized what it must have seemed like to be her.

Both of them fell silent, and just kept holding each ither. It was as if their anger melted away and they stood there, leaving sadness in its place. Karin was glad he believed at at last while Toushiro just simply needed to feel her in his arms again.

However the silence was broken as Matsumoto's voice rang through the room.

"Taicho!"

Toushiro stiffened automatically at the sound. Karin looked up immediately as a horrible expression filled his face and he cursed under his breath.

"What is it?" She asked as he dropped his arms and stepped back. He looked at her and then looked at his lieutenant who appeared outside waiting for him to go with her.

"I..I have to go." He said simply, but the look in his eyes told Karin that it meant something else, something deeper but she didn't know what.

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