Neither Bleach nor its characters belong to me.

Enjoy

"Let us resolve to be masters, not victims, of our history, controlling our own destiny without

giving way to blind suspicions and emotions." -John F. Kennedy

"Karin, what in the world is this?" Yuzu demanded, stomping into Karin's room, obviously upset, and shaking a fistful of papers.

Karin looked up from her book; she had read and reread the first line on the page what must have been a dozen times, she was so distracted, but she had not been expecting her sister's outburst. Her head began to ache.

"What?" she asked, taken aback.

Yuzu thrust the papers in her face. "These! They're papers from your school. Withdrawal papers!"

Karin set the book down. "Oh."

Yuzu looked furious. "'Oh?' Oh! That's all you have to say? Oh? No explanation, no-"

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Yuzu," Karin said defensively, standing. Her book fell to the floor with a thud.

"You dropped out of school?" Yuzu asked, her face falling. "You-you didn't even speak to me about it?"

Karin tried to ignore the guilt creeping over her. She rubbed her head. "Uh, yeah, I dropped out, like, last week."

Yuzu's jaw dropped.

Karin scowled. "Don't do that," she said. "Don't look at me like that. School-"

"School is very important, Karin," Yuzu interrupted. "How are you going to do well in life if-"

"That's so cliche, Yuzu. School's not synonymous with success, not anymore." Under her breath, she mumbled, not intending for her sister to hear her, "Besides, maybe 'life' isn't where I'm meant to be."

But she did.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Changing the subject, Karin said, "Look, Yuzu, I know you're worried...about me, but I'm a big girl. I-I need to figure a few things out...on my own."

Karin expected that to be the end of it. For the most part, Yuzu only hovered like a mother, she never got fully involved.

Yuzu shook her head. "No," she said.

"'No?'" Karin questioned, confused.

Yuzu pursed her lips and continued to shake her head. "No, I won't let you just-just throw your life away like this."

Karin stepped toward her sister. "That's not your decision to make; it's mine. And who says I'm throwing my life away just because I can't do school right now? Not everyone needs college."

"That's besides the point," Yuzu said obstinately, folding her arms across her chest.

Realization dawned on Karin as she watched her sister. "That's not what this is about though, is it?"

"Yuzu, I can't stay holed up here forever. School...it was doing nothing for me. It wasn't for me." She took her twin's hands and looked into her eyes, begging her to understand. "Please. I-I know you only want what's best for me but...you just have to trust me on this. I know what I'm doing."

But Yuzu shook her head. "You're going to run off, just like Ichi-nii, for weeks on end; I can feel it. That's not the life that-that you deserve."

Karin smirked sadly. "But it's the one I want," she admitted quietly.

Yuzu's face fell.

"I'll come back, Yuzu. Always. I won't ever disappear. I won't keep you in the dark."

She scoffed. "You all think the dark has blinded me; it hasn't. I know more than you--and dad and Ichigo--think I do."

"I don't doubt it," Karin stated truthfully but not wishing to discuss it any further. Her passive little sister could be deceptively aggressive when she wanted to be.

"So what are you going to do? Now, I mean. No more soccer, I'm guessing."

"No, no more soccer. I'll play with the guys weekends and stuff but...oh well," she shrugged. "As for how I'll spend my days, Urahara said he could use a little extra help, maybe I'll find another job. I'm not really sure yet."

Yuzu sighed, and her sweetness quickly returned, if a little saddened. "Well, if you're sure this is what you want, sign the paperwork and I'll mail it tomorrow morning."

"Thanks."

Yuzu nodded and closed the door behind her.

Karin sighed and fell back on her bed. That hadn't gone as planned; she hated upsetting Yuzu. But now she could move on. Relatively, at least.

She had tried to return to her classes, but, halfway through her first class, she had realized how pointless and idle sitting there really was, and she'd walked out. School had never been for her. It's not like she wanted to be a doctor or a lawyer or anything aspiring like that. A part of her felt she wouldn't be able to figure out her future until she had figured out her past, and she was no closer to doing that than she had been the day she woke up on a cot in her father's clinic, surrounded by the unfamiliar faces of her family and friends. Or so it often seemed.

And now, there was him. He just further complicated things. She hadn't seen Toshiro for about a week now, but she could tell he was around. Every so often, she could sense his reiatsu, but he did a good job of masking it most of the time. He was like another piece to her unsolvable jigsaw puzzle, and she was no closer to seeing the full picture. She felt him over at Rukia's a lot--that was his assignment, she knew--and she had repeatedly deliberated over making up some excuse to visit her sister-in-law...

Not that she cared or anything. He was a jerk. Why would she want to waste her time with him?

She sighed. Besides the fact that he seems to know more about my past than I do? Or that he doesn't treat me like a complete child?

Yoruichi was away, Urahara told her, so her lessons had been postponed "until further notice." She thought a break might be nice; it would give her time to think. But now she was restless, bored.

She trudged downstairs and found her father in the kitchen making a mess. "What are you doing?" she asked exasperatedly.

He spun on his heels and exclaimed, with a silly grin on his face, "My sweet Karin! How are you, my darling daughter?"

"Yuzu's going to kill you if you burn down her kitchen," she said.

"You're concern for your father is endearing, Karin, but there is no need to worry. Daddy will take his punishment bravely."

She rolled her eyes. "Whatever. What are you doing?" she repeated.

"I'm making dinner," he said, sounding somewhat serious. "Yuzu needs a break."

Karin sat up a little straighter. "Wow, Dad. That's...nice of you," she said, trying not to sound too suspicious.

"I know. Daddy just loves his family so much," he said, sniffing histrionically, back to his foolish self. "And my other daughter is joining us tonight, so we'll have the whole family together."

"Rukia's coming over?"

"Yup. Yuzu went to get her and your brother."

Karin started. Ichigo was back?

"You should invite that friend of yours, too."

Karin arched a brow in response.

"Daddy is not as dumb as he looks, sweet Karin. I know about that boy, the one with white hair-"

"Wait, you know what?" she asked, incredulous.

"Now, Karin," he said, leaning against the counter to look at her. "I know there comes a time in every young girl's life when you start having 'feelings' for boys; I just want you to know these are totally normal feelings, nothing to be embarrassed about-"

"Shut up, Dad. You have no idea what you're talking about." She mulled over how to best change the subject. "Are you sure it's best for Rukia to come over? She's pretty close to delivery and I think she's on bed rest."

"Now Karin, Daddy is a doctor. He knows what he's doing."

Karin rolled her eyes. This is just what she needed: a family dinner with her crazy family.

Please let Karakura be attacked by Hollows tonight, she begged silently to no one in particular.