Karin wondered why she was behaving like a moron, following Urahara's orders to follow Hitsugaya back to Orihime's place.

It was obvious he was not going to tell her what was going on; he was like her brother in this respect. All the burden in the world, and one person to bear it.

Come to think of it, she wasn't the only moron around here.

"Why am I doing this?" she wondered silently to herself. "As if some stupid author of my life has no idea what to do next and is putting me up to do weird stuff..."

Hitsugaya had stopped, and was talking to the large-bosomed Matsumoto.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hitsugaya knew Karin was feeling out of the loop, but he was still in deep thought and could not be bothered updating her.

She's just a girl, he told himself

"Taichou!" Matsumoto waved cheerfully. "It's here!"

Two other shinigami stood at attention and Hitsugaya nodded curtly. "Matsumoto, get them to load the screen and set up the connections asap. Seireitei says there's an update regarding the Aizen situation."

Matsumoto shooed the delivery shinigami ahead of her. While they were struggling up the stairs, Matsumoto whispered to her captain, "Taichou, Karin is-"

"-behind me. I know."

"And, taichou?"

"What?" Hitsugaya paused in his ruminations.

"You were humming as you came up the street."

"Shut up." He waited for Karin to catch up. The brunette girl was sulky-faced, no doubt mulling over some imagined slight again. He raised an eyebrow when she made to troop after Matsumoto, who was directing the delivery shinigami up the flight of stairs. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To Inoue's place?"

He shook his head. "I don't want more people aware of your training as a shinigami. It'd put you at greater risk."

Karin's eyes narrowed. Hitsugaya turned away, but was stopped by a firm grip on his arm. Surprised, his gaze fell on her determined face.

"I don't care how many people know," she stated quietly. "What is happening, Hitsugaya, is of more importance than whatever risk I'm in."

They stood, gaze locked, before he finally acceded with a curt nod.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"... Hitsugaya-taichou," Yamamoto had said as a form of goodbye.

Hitsugaya looked up and cursed the treacherous captain mutely.

By now Matsumoto and Inoue were gone, looking to update the rest of the shinigami accordingly. Karin had hidden in the bathroom at Hitsugaya's behest. This way she would be updated, and Soul Society would be kept in the dark about her existence.

He didn't want to have to worry about Karin's safety from Seireitei.

But he was now brooding over Hinamori's condition.

And Karin was leaning on the inner door of the bathroom, her expression unreadable save for a tightness around her lips.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"There's something odd going on, I know it." Tina shredded paper almost unconsciously, her fingers clenching and unclenching.

Her older sister peeked into the room. "Hey, kid, get to work on my white leather bag, will ya? I got a date coming up."

"Do it yourself." Tina was not in the mood to humor her sis.

Her sister strode into the room, slamming the door open. "Tina, you know you owe me big. Get to work," she said, one eyebrow raised high, "or I'll tell mom about you casting those 'spells' again."

"I wasn't casting," protested Tina, her face growing hot. "I was just-"

"I know a spell when I see one, kid." The older teen smirked. "The red candles, the stinky incense, the strange black stones... Mum thought I was doing some drugs. By the way, Tina, what spell was that?"

"It wasn't a spell!"

"Whatever. Get my bag cleaned and I won't talk."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Yuzu knew from her sister's face that Karin had had a bad day.

So Yuzu did what she could – her specialty: rose coffee, with a dash of cinnamon, and a blueberry muffin warmed up from the morning's batch.

Karin warmed her hands with the cup, thanking Yuzu absently while she stared out of the window from Ichigo's bed.

Yuzu sat beside her, just listening to the silence of Ichigo's absence roaring over both of them.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Dinner was a subdued affair. Isshin tried to liven up the atmosphere, but failed to elicit more than an annoyed grunt from Karin.

He missed his son's presence too. Whether the boy liked it or no, he had taken Masahi's place and become the central figure of the Kurosaki household. And now the family was off-kilter because the center was no longer there.

He washed up that night, excusing Yuzu, who was still a little feverish. Karin had pulled herself upstairs, obviously bothered and tired, but unwilling to confide to anyone.

And Rukia had not returned either.

Isshin scrubbed the pot harder, willing everything to return to normal as soon as possible.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Karin was already in bed when Yuzu came in.

"What's wrong, Karin-chan?" Yuzu finally ventured to ask.

Karin was silent for a long, tense beat. Then she sat up. "Yuzu, what do you think of Hitsugaya?"

"He's... kind of scary." Yuzu brushed her short hair before changing into her pajamas. "But somehow he feels like a reliable and responsible person. He hardly smiles, though, so I don't dare to try talking to him."

"Hmmm." Karin hugged her knees.

"You like him, don't you, Karin-chan?" Yuzu climbed in the bed and sat beside Karin. Karin started to deny everything but halted when she saw the mischievous glint in her twin's eyes.

Finally, Karin nodded, just a little. "But Yuzu... he's not for me."

"He hangs out exclusively with you, Karin-chan. He barely talks to anyone else."

"I know, and that's why I, like, kind of... like him. But he's..." Karin thought about the happy gleam in Hitsugaya's ice-blue orbs when the dark-haired shinigami appeared on screen, the joy evident in his voice when he was telling her to address him as 'Hitsugaya-taichou', the genuine smile on his face, and the hatred when he muttered the word 'Aizen'. "Yuzu, he likes someone else."

Yuzu pursed her lips. "Does he? Do I know her?"

"No, I don't know her either. But she's really pretty, and they... I believe they've known each other for a while. They have this – I don't know, chemistry?"

Yuzu stroked Karin's hair from her face. "That doesn't mean you can't like him, you know."

"I know." Karin patted Yuzu's hand. "You're not well yet. Go and sleep."

"Don't stay up too late, Karin-chan." Yuzu yawned and clambered over to her own bed, Bostafu already lying on her pillow.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Ikkaku and Yumichika appeared punctually at the meeting point. "Hitsugaya-taichou."

"I trust Matsumoto has updated you both on the situation."

"Yes taichou," Yumichika nodded once. "But is Seireitei certain of the timeline?"

"As far as Urahara was willing to divulge, yes." Hitsugaya folded his arms over his chest. "I, for one, am maintaining an open mind. Aizen might be thinking of an attrition war – wear us out one by one, instead of an all-out battle."

"Or he could be considering guerrilla warfare." Ikkaku mulled aloud. "Ichimaru seems the type to press for it."

"How much influence does Ichimaru have over Aizen?" Hitsugaya asked abruptly.

Ikkaku was startled. "I don't know... a lot?"

"He has quite a fair bit, but not enough to sway Aizen's mind on the type of battle." Yumichika placed a manicured finger on his lips thoughtfully.

Hitsugaya barked, "On what basis do you make that assessment?"

Ikkaku and Yumichika shared a look. Ikkaku mouthed, "Tell him."

"Um... we sort of... walked in on them some years ago."

"Walked in...?" the captain repeated dumbly. Then the light bulb brightened. "Oh."

"Yeah." The two eleventh division officers shifted. They weren't sure if the young captain was already... exploring, and they were definitely not about to pry.

Hitsugaya's attention returned to them. "You may go. I'm on this shift."

"Isn't Rukia supposed to be here as well?"

"She's gone back to Soul Society for intensive training. With Inoue."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Karin waited until she was sure Yuzu was asleep. Then she sat up and dug around her bag.

She pulled out a small badge.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Karin patted herself on the back for not screaming with fright. She barely looked around. "I'm getting into shinigami form."

And she did. Then she carried her inert body onto the bed as best as she could. "You know, it wouldn't physically kill you to help move, uh, me."

He ignored her statement. "If you want to move about as a shinigami, you might as well go on patrol with me then."

"What?"

Hitsugaya unslung his sword. "You don't feel it?"

Karin climbed out the window and hopped to the ground after Hitsugaya. She closed her large eyes and, as Yoruichi had taught her, let her senses expand over the neighborhood...

She felt it, a jarring discord in the night.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Tina could feel the spell working.

It was easy to slip back into voodoo; easier to break the unwritten code. The smudge of bone ash on the symbol began to glow, and she could sense the spirit of her father rising. The power was rising.

"Come on, dad, please..." she pleaded in her mind, willing the spell to work. It had to work. "Please, I need your advice..."

The window splintered into glittering shards, slicing her arms and legs, and suddenly Tina was terrified.

There was nothing there.

She blinked her eyes, then leaped to her feet in abject fear.

The window was whole and unbroken.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hitsugaya unsheathed his sword. "Now we know why she was hunted by the hollow."

"She's been raising them," Karin snorted, Yuutsubame already primed. The tassels sunk deeper into her flesh and she swallowed involuntarily; it was as if Yuutsubame wanted to channel all of Karin's blood into raw reiatsu.

Both shinigami felt the coppery blood-tang permeate the room. Tina's glance was darting about, but she was frozen in position.

Karin realized she was perversely glad the girl was scared. That'd teach her to mess with the occult.

Then she heard a soft tune coming from her right. "Hitsugaya."

"Hmm?"

"You're humming."

"Am not."

"Are too – look out!"

A large clawed hand shot through the floor where Hitsugaya had been standing. The floor splintered and Karin tackled Tina to the corner. Even though she knew the girl couldn't hear her, she yelled, "Stay here!"

Hitsugaya had skewered the hand to the floor, then braced himself as the rest of the hollow followed. Its jaws were snapping wildly.

Karin angled her zanpakuto but Hitsugaya yelled for her to guard Tina. "Remember the previous hollow?"

"Right." Legion – multiple copies of itself. After corroborating with Urahara, Karin and Hitsugaya found out that there had been six appearances of the stinking hollow. One had turned up at the shop, and one had shown its mask near Yumichika's favorite manicure cum hair salon.

Hitsugaya sliced the hollow apart, then jerked when his communicator beeped noisily. He flipped it open.

Eight glowing dots were making their way towards them.

Karin glared at Tina, still cowering in the corner. "Can't we just let her see us for a second just so I can CHEW HER OUT?!"

"No." His matter-of-fact tone irritated Karin further.

"Why were you humming?"

"No I was not humming!"

"Were too – hey!" A skeletal arm, similar to the one Hitsugaya just dispatched, smashed through the window, and shoved Karin all the way to the far wall. Pinned, Karin tried to push her way out but cold hear something crack.

Then the pressure fell away, leaving a scowling Hitsugaya and a dismembered hollow arm on the floor. The limb disintegrated, as did the rest of the hollow. "Eight more, remember?"

"Shouldn't we fight outside then?" the brunette asked. "Less chance of Tina getting involved."

"We need to undo whatever spell she's been using first."

The two looked around, not heeding the stunned Tina still cowering in the corner. It wasn't as if she could see them anyway.

Karin located it first. "There. Candles, incense, and a strange glowing thing. Could be some ritual, could be a night light setup."

Hitsugaya came over. "That is the resurrection symbol from the cult of Isis and Osiris. I don't think it takes batteries, Karin."

The girl was impressed despite herself. "You actually made a joke."

"I'm a funny guy," he said, his intense gaze flickering to her for a second.

Oh boy. I'm not already confused enough?

I'd say. Girlie, go for it. He's really cute. And I guess I could learn to live with that annoying, I'm-so-superior dragon.

He's a shinigami. And a captain who's goodness-knows-how-much older than me. I'm human. Also, he has someone he likes – I think.

So? He's still a hottie. And all's fair in love and-

Would you focus? We have more hollows coming.

Yeah, I know. We're gonna have a proper conversation after this.

"Hitsugaya?"

"Hmm?" The white-haired captain's eyes were still fixed on the setup.

"Is your zanpakuto chatty?"

Hitsugaya shook his head, then knelt down before the candles and the symbol. He made to sweep everything off the small table but was suddenly thrown aside.

Karin dashed over to him. Hitsugaya rolled his shoulders, and winced. "Damn. Tina has a sacred circle about the thing. Can't break through." He looked at Karin. "And of course you're useless when it comes to kido barriers."

"Hey!"

"You are," he restated calmly. Flipping his communicator open, he dialed quickly and got Urahara on the line.

Karin sensed the next attack before it came. She flash-stepped to Tina and braced herself against the snapping jaws of the hollow.

This one looked like a piranha. Needle sharp teeth were inches from Karin's face and arms, as she valiantly used Yuutsubame to fend off the hollow, she was aware that Tina was whimpering.

"Oh shut up," Karin muttered under her breath. Tina's thin reiatsu still grated across her nerves.

Tina snapped suddenly. "I'm seeing monsters, you and Hitsugaya are playing some sort of... dress up or cosplay in my room, and my daddy hasn't appeared since I got to Japan even though I'm using the same spell as I did in UK, and who the hell do you think you are to tell me to shut up?"

"What?" One moment of distraction was all the hollow needed to sink its teeth into Karin's arm. She shouted with pain, then drove her sword into the slitted eye-holes and tore her blade through the entire mask.

Hitsugaya came over. "You can see us?"

"Yeah. What's with the outfits? You two look ridiculous."

Karin hissed as Hitsugaya examined the puncture wounds. Then the captain spoke. "Stop the spell."

"I want to speak with my dad. This spell raises him."

"It's raising demons, ignoramus," Karin snarled. A quick glance outside the window and she saw Yoruichi and Ururu dispatching another piranha-face. Tessai was in his element: one kick and an open-palm blow, and one hollow down for the count. Urahara was on the sidelines, and he nodded to Karin with a fan raised in greeting.

"It's under control outside." She looked at Hitsugaya and jerked her chin at Tina. Hitsugaya pulled out a small toy.

"Tina," he said, kneeling down to look into the girl's eyes. "Please stop the spell. I don't want you to be in danger."

"Kiss me first and then we'll talk."

Karin's eyes widened as Hitsugaya considered the proposition. He wasn't going to do it. He definitely wouldn't do it.

Would he?