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"The worst lies are the lies we tell ourselves." -Richard Bach

Before Hitsugaya could answer, Isshin, once again acting the fool, nearly barreled over his daughter to get to the door.

"Karin! Don't be so rude. Introduce Daddy to your friend!" he said, readjusting his neon green apron and matching chef's hat.

Karin folded her arms across her chest and scowled. "He's not my friend and I don't know what he's doing here-"

"Oh my daughter, no need to feign ignorance for Daddy. Don't be so stiff! Your frown will freeze on your face, just like your brother's," he said in his strange method of giving fatherly advice. "I know who Hitsugaya-san is!"

Karin started and her eyes grew wide again as she looked to her father. "Y-you do?"

Isshin reached over Karin to shake Hitsugaya's hand enthusiastically.

"Of course! He's your brother's friend from work. We've spoken before. He's a doctor, too, just like your daddy! Now, don't be rude and invite him in," he commanded, prancing theatrically back to the kitchen. "Dinner is almost ready," he announced.

Karin looked back at Hitsugaya and gave him a once-over. Finally, through gritted teeth, she said, "Won't you come in, Hitsugaya-san?"

He nodded cooly once and stepped inside. He could see Rukia speaking with Yuzu on the couch, and Kon was engaged with Isshin outside the kitchen, and their conversation looked serious, despite the anything-but-serious personalities of the two speaking.

Karin's hands on his shoulders startled him until he realized she was offering to take his coat. He shrugged out of it fluidly.

"I know Ichigo doesn't really work at the hospital. What are you doing here?" she asked again, but she no longer sounded surprised. She didn't sound upset though, either. She asked it like it was just a question.

He turned to face her. He must have grown even taller in these three years. Although tall for a girl--definitely taller than Rukia--the top of her head barely reached his shoulders. He had been much closer to her height when she had been fifteen. She looked...pretty. Her now-long hair was clipped back and she wore a maroon V-neck sweater that accentuated her pale skin. It was a different look from that of her shinigami robes. She looked like a human girl, a normal, human girl with her whole life ahead of her, and yet he was about to swoop in and help take that all away from her. It was per her wishes, but that didn't make it easier...or right. He swallowed, fighting to control his nerves and emotions.

"I-"

"Toshiro!" Kon said, more or less like Ichigo, coming over to shake his hand. "Glad you could make it." No, Ichigo was never this cordial.

He struggled not to correct his name and shook his hand. "Kurosaki."

"Come. Sit. I see you've met my sister Karin," he said, leading them both over to the sofas. "You know my wife Rukia. And this is my other sister Yuzu. Toshiro works at the hospital with me."

Hitsugaya nodded, somewhat awkwardly, to Yuzu in greeting. "Nice to meet you."

Karin scowled at her brother. "Quit acting weird."

Kon looked at her and shrugged. It appeared Karin did know about Kon and noticed when Kon did not act like Ichigo. Her glare was telling him to snap into character, but no one seemed to notice or care, especially Kon.

"Don't be so mean to my idiot son, Karin," Isshin called from the kitchen. "He's giving me my first grandchild!"

Rukia rolled her eyes but smiled slightly.

"Do you need help in the kitchen, Dad?" Yuzu asked.

"No, no. Daddy has everything under control. You just help your brother help Rukia to the table."

Hitsugaya scowled. He had better things to do than attend a Kurosaki family dinner. He did not need to be here for Isshin to announce to his daughter--and the rest of his family--that he was shipping her off without her consent, nor did he want to be. Especially with part of the family totally unaware of her family's supernatural tendencies. How was this going to go down anyway? "By the way, my dear and loving family, Karin will be attending a school for death gods"?

I don't think so.

He watched Kon help Rukia to the table and Yuzu flutter to the kitchen, only to have Isshin shoo her out. He watched from the sidelines, not wanting to get in the way and halfway hoping he'd find an opportunity to split. Or maybe his Hollow phone would buzz him away.

"Did my father invite you?" Karin asked from his side.

He looked down at her; she had forgotten, momentarily, that she was still standing there. Her arms were folded across her chest defensively and she looked as if she expected a truthful, straightforward answer.

"Yes."

"Why? Who does he think you are?"

He still couldn't believe she didn't know the truth about her father. Ichigo was one matter, but Karin? She should have been able to figure it out. Her father wasn't exactly inconspicuous, though he did hide his reiatsu expertly.

"Like he said, I'm a friend of Ichigo's from work."

She moved to stand in front of him, blocking his path to the table. "Cut the crap, Hitsugaya-taicho. What are you doing here?" she asked for the third time.

He looked down at her, resigned. Urahara and Isshin had come up with a cover story, one that kept Isshin's identity secret and sounded plausible, but something about lying to Karin made him feel a little sick. Lying in general made him sick. Lies just build and consume and destroy, like fire. And they end up being hard to keep track of. He'd prefer Karin just know the truth, all of it, if need be, even though that would further complicate just about everything. Namely her memories.

He nodded to the side, indicating she follow him back into the foyer, out of the earshot of her family. "Yoruichi got you into the shinigami academy," he said, perhaps too bluntly.

Her brow furrowed and her mouth fell open a little. "What?"

"Yes, Urahara sent me earlier to talk to your father about an internship at the hospital."

She closed her mouth but her scowl remained. He was jumping around too quickly. "An internship? I...I don't understand-"

He sighed frustratedly. "Would you rather tell your father and sister all about Soul Society and your aspiring dream of being a death god? Or would things go smoother if you were simply taking an internship at the hospital to explore a career in medicine?"

A pause, then realization dawned in her expression. She ran the plot through in her head, looking for flaws or loopholes.

This is what I've wanted, for so long.

But she couldn't believe it was that easy. "But if I'm just working at the hospital in town-"

"Not Karakura Hospital. You'll be at a sister hospital...in Kyoto."

Her eyes grew wide and she wrapped her arms around her stomach. "In Kyoto? But that's-"

"You're not really going to Kyoto, remember; you're going to Soul Society. This is serious, Kurosaki. If this is what you want, you have to pursue it wholeheartedly. Yes, you will be separated from your family, but not forever. If this is important to you, prove it. Don't let your doubts get in your way, not now, not when the path has finally opened for you. Not when you've worked so hard."

She looked up at him, slightly in awe. That was perhaps the most she'd ever heard him say, and his words were heartfelt and encouraging. Warm. They answered her questions before she'd asked them. Was this the ice captain who had been burning her so badly the past few weeks? His eyes were serious and intensely beautiful and felt as if they were searching her very soul until she couldn't bare his gaze any longer and looked away.

He stood up straighter and his jaw tightened a little. But he wasn't upset. "So tonight, you're father is going to tell you about this 'internship,' and, having talked to him earlier, I know he is going to suggest you take it. But, ultimately, it's your decision."

She nodded, but did not look back up at him. He moved to pass her, but she grabbed his forearm before he disappeared into the other room. His skin was ice-cold and her stomach clenched at the contact. "Wait."

He did as she asked, but he did not turn to meet her eyes.

"Why you?" she asked.

He blinked. "Why me what?"

"Why'd Urahara send you to speak with my father? Why are you getting invested in my enrollment at the academy? In constructing this hoax for my family?"

Why am I doing it? I shouldn't invest any more of myself in this girl or her family but...why do I want to? The best thing for her would be for me to just step aside, step out of her life for good, like she wanted, like she requested before her accident. Her true desires couldn't have really changed just because her memories did.

Something changed in his eyes. His jaw tightened again and he gently pulled his arm out of her touch, but he answered, "Because I will be responsible for you during your stay in Soul Society."

Karin could barely breathe let alone think. He was going to be "responsible" for her in Soul Society? What the hell did that mean?

He stood there, watching her warily for a minute more before, apparently deciding to give her space, he turned to join her family in the other room.

Her emotions were riding the fence. On one side, she was furious. How dare he be that presumptuous. She did not need a-a chaperone, she did not need anyone to be responsible for her. She'd be fine on her own.

On the other side, she was...relieved. Abnormally so, but there was this immense relief in knowing she wouldn't be alone.

I'm really going to Soul Society? Is...is this what I really want? It is, but why...why does something feel off? Why am I not happier? This is what I want!

She rounded the corner slowly to see Toshiro sitting at the table with Rukia and Yuzu. Yuzu was attempting small talk, and his polite smile looked more like a grimace. He looked so uncomfortable. She leaned against the wall and began biting the tip of her thumb nervously.

What is he doing this? This is definitely not a Gotei 13 captain's job. Why is he here? He's way out of his comfort zone; why hasn't he gone back to Soul Society? Why does he venture out of the Urahara Shoten at all? There couldn't possibly be something in the human world keeping him here...

She put her thoughts in reverse and chose not to go that way again. She needn't get her hopes up. He must have been ordered to be her--what was an appropriate word?--babysitter.

There's no way he would ever volunteer.

Rukia laughed at something Yuzu said and Toshiro's smile became more sincere, though remained just a sliver.

There was something...right about this scene. It felt right, it looked right; in fact, it looked familiar.

She hated that she couldn't remember! It was getting really old, these haunting, familiar feelings encroaching on her heart and the depths of her very soul. She was still missing a part of herself.

Why did it feel as though Toshiro held a missing piece?

Maybe because I entrusted him with one.

That possibility sent her reeling. Why couldn't anyone just be honest with her?

She had so many unanswered questions, it was beginning to piss her off.

He looked different in human clothes. He'd always stand out, what with his white hair totally defying the laws of nature, society, and gravity all at once. He'd also be considered extremely handsome, however. She nearly drowned in his eyes. And his perfect body...and his flawless, snow-white skin...there just weren't words-

"Karin, come sit down."

Her father's voice interrupted her thoughts, and Karin refocused to see her whole family, sans Ichigo's soul, now seated at the table with Toshiro.

"Sorry," she said, but when she got closer, she noticed the only open seat was the one next to Toshiro. She sat down wordlessly.

Great. But she really didn't feel as irritated as she thought she would.

Dinner looked less than appetizing, but at least it looked edible. Dishes were passed around, plates were filled, and neither Karin nor Hitsugaya looked at the other.

"Dad, this is...really good," Yuzu managed between painful swallows.

"Inoue's cooking is better than this," Karin mumbled under her breath and, though no one else at the table seemed to hear, she could have sworn she saw Toshiro smirk, if only slightly.

"Why we're all together, I have some exciting news for Karin," Isshin said.

At the same time, Rukia gasped and Kon stood and shouted, "Rukia, why are you all wet?"

Time froze as all eyes flew to Rukia's face, which was growing ever paler.

Kon's eyes grew even wider as realization struck and his hands flew to his hair. "Shit! She's in labor!"

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