Hitsugaya said back on his haunches.

"Let me get this straight," he said at last. "You have just seen monsters attacking, you suddenly gained the ability to see us in our, uh, outfits, and you were trying to raise the dead... and you want me to kiss you before you'll stop the spell. You don't seem afraid or surprised."

With a one-shoulder shrug, Tina cocked her head and pointed at Karin. "She said it's all taken care of."

"I'm not going to kiss you." Hitsugaya walked to the window and hollered for Urahara to come up to the apartment. Then he swiveled on his heel and folded his arms. "Tina, how often do you cast spells?"

"It's only voodoo," she said. "I've been casting since... three years ago, when daddy... when daddy died."

"How did you come to know these spells?" Karin asked.

Urahara popped his head into the room, and Hitsugaya nodded at the setup. Urahara took one look and began muttering something under his breath.

The girl peered at the shopkeeper. "What are you doing?"

"Your sacred circle has been tampered with," the shopkeeper answered gravely. "And I suppose you've seen holl- uh, monsters when your circles are activated."

Karin interjected. "You haven't answered my question."

"I haven't got my kiss." She stood, matching Karin's fierce glare and Hitsugaya's cool one. "Besides, what I do is entirely my own business."

"What you did almost killed people." Hitsugaya's tone was icy and cutting. Karin was pleased to see his incredibly blue eyes narrow with restrained fury. "I suppose you also cast a spell that morning of the fire alarm."

"How did you- yeah. So what if I did?" Tina was defensive now. With one last deft swipe Urahara cleared the circle of its equipment.

Karin was infuriated by her belligerence. She grabbed Tina's hand and yanked the taller girl to face her. "A fire-breathing monster attacked the school because of you, Tina! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I just wanted to speak with my dad, okay? God, I didn't mean for monsters to appear out of nowhere and, and attack-" she suddenly paused, and gasped. "you mean, that day when I fainted, I was..."

"Yeah, you were kidnapped by a monster named Legion. It was trying to eat your soul, Tina. It had already tossed you into a bog and was waiting for you to drown when we stopped it." Karin folded her arms and stepped back a pace. "Actions have consequences, Tina. It's not like you can just call up the dead without repercussions."

Urahara pulled his hat lower, hiding his amusement that Karin was mirroring Hitsugaya's stance and tone. The two were spending far too much time in each other's company.

"I miss him, alright?!" Tina shouted at Karin.

"That doesn't give you the right to do what you want without thinking!"

Hitsugaya spoke up. "Enough. You'll wake the others up if you quarrel any further. Tina, forget the spell. And forget about raising your father from the dead. He's at peace now; let him be."

Tina was about to argue but was distracted by Urahara removing his hat and snapping open his fan. "Who the hell are you anyway?"

"I'm just a handsome shopkeeper, Urahara Kisuke, at your service," he said, and bowed elegantly.

The brown-haired girl frowned, unsure of how to respond, when suddenly a puff of smoke announced the utilization of the memory modifier.

Urahara said brightly, "Come on, kids! We've got to go!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Dumb airhead," Karin muttered as they clambered out of the window.

The captain turned to Karin and said in an undertone, "You were thinking about putting your mother's soul in a gigai, so I don't think you have the right to lecture Tina at all."

They sprinted back to the shop. "I only thought about it, I didn't do it."

"And yet. You should be able to see from her point of view, Karin."

"Don't talk to me like you're my dad!"

"I'm old enough to be your grandfather," Hitsugaya said nonchalantly. "In human years anyway."

Karin stood at the door, trying to absorb the information. The white-haired shinigami didn't look back at the girl as he followed Urahara into the back room for a cup of black coffee.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

He is old enough to be my grandfather.

Girlie, you wanna talk? Now's a good time as any.

The brunette debated following the others into the back room, but decided against it. She wandered out again and flash-stepped to the roof. Finding a spot where she had an uninterrupted view of the stars, she lay back on the tiled roof.

Yuu.

Yes?

Why do you like to talk to me so much?

For a moment she thought she had offended her zanbakuto. But then she heard the swish of a tail and the faintest murmur of currents. She closed her large eyes and willed herself to the strange world of Yuutsubame.

Hey.

Karin opened her eyes – and was rewarded with a cool sea-green view. Yuutsubame was lounging on a rock, his green eyes emerald-brilliant.

"Hey girlie," the merman greeted. "Nice to see ya."

"You said we should have a conversation soon, so here I am." Karin settled near Yuu. "You look good."

"I always do. What, you too dumb to notice my gorgeousness?"

They watched a shoal of bright yellow fish swim past. Yuu broke the silence. "You seem stunned by his revelation."

"I was. Still am, a little." She rubbed the back of her hand. "I never really thought about his age, y'know? He looks like he's my age. Heck, I think he's a little shorter than me, even."

"Does that stop you from liking him?"

"I don't -" she saw the knowing look in Yuu's face, the same one Yuzu wore earlier. "Alright, fine, I do, but... he's a dead guy. I'm a human being. It won't work."

"You're also a shinigami," Yuu pointed out. His hair flowed and ebbed about his head like a halo of seaweed. "Gosh, girlie, how dumb are you? If you're shinigami, you actually stand a chance!"

"Will you stop saying I'm dumb?"

"Will you stop acting dumb then?"

The two glared at each other.

Suddenly Karin burst into laughter. "You are the most irritating, snarky, sarcastic creature I have ever had the misfortune to meet!"

"And since I'm based on your soul, what does that say about you?" Yuutsubame zinged back.

"Shut up!" Karin tried to smack the fish man across his head.

Yuu dodged with a quick wriggle of his fins, then settled again. "Look, girlie, whatever happens with the dragonboy, I'll still be here to snipe at ya."

"Glad to hear that. I think." The grin on Karin's face was more appreciative than her words, and she closed her eyes again.

And opened them to see a head silhouetted against the night sky.

"Whoa!" Karin jerked upright. Then she grimaced. "Hitsugaya, you don't just sneak up on people like that. You make sounds when you walk. Like, stomp, or, or wail. Or sing an aria or something."

"Now you know how it feels," Hitsugaya said, sitting beside the girl. Karin smirked at the oblique reference to their early meetings. "And I wasn't silent when I came up here."

Karin leaned back again, her arms propping her up. "You were probably humming."

"I probably was."

She stole a glance at his face. It was, again, unusually relaxed, the stern mien of the captain replaced by the face of a young boy. She wished he would smile more, as he did when they first got to know each other. Now he was almost always frowning, or serious, or burdened...

"Why are you studying my face?" he said without turning his head.

"Uh..."

Heh. Busted, girlie. Told you you were dumb.

Shut up.

"I was wondering about... about the tune you used to hum."

Hitsugaya closed his eyes. "Wildflowers in summertime."

"Huh?"

"That's the title of the song. My granny taught it to me after Momo went to the academy... I used to sing it under my breath while I was clearing fields or looking for food."

"You had to clear fields?" Karin was impressed. "That's hard work."

"No work meant no food," he said simply. "It was tough, because I was the only one that needed to eat everyday. The rest, they just needed water and we had a river nearby."

Karin and Hitsugaya sat side-by-side, each musing over their own thoughts.

Finally Karin gathered up her courage. "Who is Momo?"

"The shinigami you saw today on the monitor."

"Oh."

Further silence fell, and Karin took to naming the stars in her head, ignoring Yuu's urging for her to get him to sing. She was about to stand and go when she heard him humming again. She listened for a while then decided to break the spell.

"You're humming."

"Hmm?" Hitsugaya opened his eyes. "Oh... I was thinking of the things we have to do before we return to soul society."

Karin fidgeted with her fingers, now clasped in her lap. Finally she decided to listen to Yuu. "Will you please sing the song?"

He shrugged. "I don't remember the words."

Neat excuse.

Maybe he really doesn't remember, Yuu.

"Why do you hum then?" Please let it be for some reason other than thinking about someone...

Hitsugaya frowned again. "I don't really know. Usually it's when I'm very stressed out about my responsibilities."

"So it's the hard work that gets you to hum?"

"Yes." He sighed and stood up, brushing himself off. "I should get you home. It's getting late."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Matsumoto patted Kon on his bonneted head. "Good job, Kon dear. These are great photos!"

"I bet Hisagi would pay to publish these in the next circular," Yumichika giggled.

Ikkaku tapped Yumichika on the head with a large knuckle. "Then he'd pay, period, when Hitsugaya-taichou sees these."

"You're such a wet blanket, Kaku-chan!"

Matsumoto picked the stuffed toy and gave him a hug. "Thanks again, Kon! Now, run along and be careful okay?"

The new camera, specially adapted to photograph shinigami, hung around Kon's neck in the disguise of a bow. The modsoul scratched the back of his head, pleased with the praise and especially pleased with the hug, scuttled out of the alley and clambered back to the girls' bedroom.

Yumichika flipped through the stack. "Them talking on the roof, them in her bedroom, them talking in the shop, him correcting her stance, that's from yesterday – ooh, check out his piercing gaze – them sharing a meal, that's also yesterday's..."

Time to show who's the boss of this venture. Ikkaku grinned lopsidedly. "I also got one from Urahara's security cameras... with a large bribe."

With a flourish he held it before their eyes.

"What?!" "Oh my gods!"

The other two snatched the small shot from the bald shinigami and screamed with excitement.

"This is priceless!" Matsumoto squealed.

Yumichika handed the photograph to the busty lieutenant. "He is such a spunk! And in a few more years he'll be breaking hearts all over Seireitei! Thanks Kaku-chan!"

Matsumoto was still squealing with excitement. "A blushing Karin next to a half-naked Hitsugaya-taichou... I'm gonna blow this up into a poster for the office!"

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Hitsugaya wondered why he felt a chill down his spine as he brushed his teeth to ready for sleep.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

In his office, Kurosaki Isshin made a few more notes in his laptop, and leaned back in his chair. "This an official visit or a visit from old friends?"

"Both, actually," Yoruichi said with a feral grin. Urahara inclined his head in acknowledgment of the statement.

Isshin grinned brightly. "I've ice-cream in the freezer."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"So she's good?" Isshin ran his fingers over his stubbly chin.

Yoruichi nodded. She had not eaten ice-cream for a long time. She wondered why not – it wasn't as if she was lactose intolerant... and then she remembered Kisuke. And his tricks with ice-cream...

The ex-captain said, "In slightly more than a month she has demonstrated remarkable progress in zanjutsu and shunpo. I'll say she's pretty much at lieutenant level in one more month if her progress continues at the same rate."

"Courtesy of Yoruichi's training," Isshin thanked the goddess of flash, "and that white-haired kid who took my place."

"That white-haired kid may be leaving soon," Urahara said. With Isshin, it was best to get to the point, else all three of them would be engaged in some silly game and forget about their true purpose in meeting. "And there may be a problem after that."

Isshin looked grave. "Is your hypothesis confirmed?"

"Verified." Yoruichi stole the rest of Urahara's ice-cream. "And it may be some time before things will settle."

Isshin leaned back and mused aloud, "Sousuke wasn't power-hungry in the beginning... I wonder what happened?"

"You used to despise humans, Isshin," Urahara reminded his old colleague. He snapped his fan shut. "And Yoruichi used to be the enforcer of laws and rules."

"And you used to be a pervert. Wait, you still are," Yoruichi put in. Over Urahara's weak protests the other two chuckled with nostalgia. "Most people change."

Urahara clapped his hands. "Alright, back to business. Isshin, your reiatsu recovery: how's it coming along?"

"Pretty okay."

"At this rate do you think you can participate in the winter battle?"

"Not a problem."

Urahara leaned forward. "What about your children?"

"Ichigo will fight," Isshin said without hesitation. "Karin..."

"She will fight." Yoruichi saw the doubt in both men's eyes, then snickered. "She will fight because he will fight. It's that simple, boys."