Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach.

Author Note: So yeah, I'm back from the dead. I'll probably be updating my other fics soon as well, this was one was already half done, so I finished it first. Not that great a chapter, in my opinion, but it works. Anyway, read and review.

Have you ever had liquid fire burn through your veins?

Well, I haven't either, but whenever I caught sight of Toshirou's smug face after the party debacle, I felt like I knew what it was like to have liquid fire burning through your bloodstream (minus the screaming in agony part. Obviously).

"Argh!" I said angrily (expressing my emotions aloud always gives me this contented, fuzzy feeling), giving the soccer ball in front of me a hard kick. It soared all the way from half-point, where the soccer team was meeting, into the goal.

"And what do you think you're doing, Kurosaki?" Came that familiar, aggravating voice, and I slowly turned to see Toshirou smirking at me. It just wasn't fair; the idiot had (somehow) been picked captain by Zaraki, and was now using his new powers to boss me around.

"Can you feel that, Kurosaki?" He had said with a smirk afterward, when Zaraki had made his choice; "That's the feeling of defeat."

"Can you feel that, you bastard?" I'd retorted, eyes flashing angrily; "That's the feeling of me choking you- from a distance. And then laughing giddily as I throw you off a cliff."

Anyway.

"Do the world a favor, and fuck off." I advised, and Toshirou narrowed his gorgeous blue-green eyes. Before he could prolong our confrontation, however, Zaraki let out a cry.

"HEY! GET OVER HERE! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THAT LOVEY-DOVEY CRAP!" Zaraki roared, and we both gagged while the team burst out laughing (except for Ichigo, who had a partly horrified, partly shocked look on his face. It would've been comical if I hadn't just gone into cardiac arrest) as they were all well aware of our hatred for one another.

After that embarrassing incident, soccer practice proceeded on as normal until Zaraki said we could work on slide tackles (this elicited giggles from several members of the summer team, and both Toshirou and myself flushed). He also said that I was proficient enough to practice something else with Ryu, who was also good enough at slide tackling to pass Zaraki's muster.

"You alright?" Ryu asked as we juggled to one another, or at least tried to, since I was still terrible at this aspect of the game. "You seem kind of out of it."

"Aye? Oh, yeah, I'm- ah shit..." I grumbled as the ball went bouncing off the side of my foot in another direction, and I trotted after it. Ryu laughed, and watched with a grin on his face as I brought the ball back.

"That's not funny." I said snippily, and Ryu grinned good naturedly.

"I'm so very sorry." He told me with a little half-bow, and I grinned back. It was always easy to talk with Ryu, much easier than anyone else (with the exception of Yuzu) at this school, even Ichigo, Rukia, or Matsumoto.

He had been furious when he found out that Toshirou had pushed me into the pool, and it took quite a bit of reasoning on Rukia and Chad's part to calm the boy down, much to my pleasure.

If I were honest, I wouldn't have minded seeing Ryu, a bigger, stronger boy, rip Toshirou to shreds. But alas, I didn't get my way, though I was content that Ryu had tried. Suddenly I noticed that the boy looked rather sheepish as he watched me make a pathetic attempt at juggling.

"Err... Hey, Karin, can I ask you something?" He said nervously, and I caught the ball in my arms, blinking at him.

"Sure, what is it?" I asked, and Ryu smiled hesitantly.

"Well... I was wondering if maybe... just maybe... you wanted to go to this coffee shop with me tomorrow." He said slowly and carefully, and I stared. Huh?

"L-like a, like a date?" I said, stuttering from my surprise. Ryu flushed and looked away, scuffing the ground with his toe.

"Of course not," He said quickly, looking thoroughly embarrassed. "Just as friends, obviously." I gazed at him seconds longer before shrugging.

"Sure, I don't see why not." I told him with a smile, and Ryu grinned back enthusiastically in response.

"Great! I'll pick you up at 9:30 in the morning tomorrow. Sound good?" He asked, and I nodded, feeling suddenly more cheerful then ever before.

"YOU TWO, FOR THE LAST TIME, GET YOUR BUTTS IN GEAR!"

The next day I woke up feeling excited and slightly apprehensive. Today Ryu was taking me too the rather famous coffee shop, called Latitudes. I think that the name is rather odd, but hey, to each his own.

Even though Ryu had told me that it wasn't a date, I still got dressed in semi-nice clothes, for I wouldn't feel comfortable otherwise. Even then, I really wasn't confident, so I decided to call Nel.

I wasn't sure if this was the best idea, for she'd been very sad when she found out I was moving, but I desperately needed to talk to my old- to my best friend.

Ring, ring, ring.

"Hello?" I felt immediately relieved upon hearing Nel's voice, and almost wanted to cry. But I never cried, so that was most definitely out. I opted instead for over-excited teenager mode.

"Nel! It's me, how are you, how is everyone at the academy, how's Ulquiorra, has practice started yet, what about-"

"Woah, woah, woah, slow down there," Nel said with a laugh; "First of all, who is this? Karin?"

"Yeah," I said eagerly, relishing the news I was about to tell my friend. "And guess what? I have a date!"

"No way!" Nel shrieked, and then we started chattering animatedly about Ryu, soccer, and cursing Toshirou's names. Then I glanced at the alarm clock in my room.

"Shit!" I shouted, feeling the edges of panic hit me. "It's 9:25! I need to go!"

"Alright, call me afterwards and tell me how your date goes." Nel told me, and I smiled, feeling happy for the first time since coming to Karakura.

"I will. See you later." I said automatically, then felt a pang as I realized that I wouldn't be seeing her soon. Nel didn't notice, or didn't show it, and said a cheerful good-bye before hanging up (along with a threat to hang me by my toes if I forgot to call her back afterwards).

Running a comb quickly through my dark hair, I then raced down the stars two at a time before tackling my dad.

"K-Karin!" He said, and tears began to fill his eyes as we hugged. Then I punched him in the face, shoved on my tennis shoes by the door, and ran out the door. After my dad recovered, he frowned and touched his pocket.

"NOOOOO!"

"What's wrong?" Ichigo shouted, running in with his shirt off and pants unzipped.

"MY WALLET! IT MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEARED! AND- DELINGUENT SON, WHY ARE YOU PRACTICALLY NAKED?! ARGH!!!!"

"Your house sure is noisy." Ryu commented as I jumped in his car, and I grimaced at the sounds of shouting and furniture breaking coming from the insane asylum known as the Kurosaki residence.

"Tell me about it." I grumbled, and Ryu laughed before driving off towards the shop. Latitudes had a rather quaint feeling to it, with crème colored walls and a dark, comfortable interior.

Everything was patterned in shades of brown and tan, giving it homey sort of feeling, helped by the comfy lounge area and squishy chairs. We headed over to the bar and ordered some coffee, then opted to sit down in the lounge rather then at the tables.

We talked happily about soccer and schoolwork while sipping our coffee (it was really quite good) before a soft jingle filled the air, and I absently turned to see who was walking in the door.

My heart froze- it was Toshirou.

This is so cliché, I feel like someone is writing a freakin' book about Toshirou and me. I thought, disgusted, watching as the silver haired boy walked in with Matsumoto and a little boy who looked similar to Toshirou. And of course, Matsumoto being Matsumoto spotted me almost immediately.

"Karin-chan!" She squealed, bounding forward with abroad smile on her beautiful face as she pulled me into a bone-crushing hug. Toshirou, meanwhile, spun around and glared at me, while the little boy cowed behind Toshirou's clothing.

"Ah... can't... breathe..." I wheezed, and Matsumoto reluctantly pulled away to smile at me and then glance at Ryu with curious eyes.

"Are you two on a date or something?" She asked, and we both flushed.

"N-no, of course!" Ryu stammered, his cheeks turning red from embarrassment. "We just decided to...you know, hang out." He finished lamely, and Toshirou's eyes twitched.

"This is stupid. I changed my mind Matsumoto, let's go do something else." He said sullenly, and I glowered at the boy. Could he be any more direct? How rude. I stuck out my tongue, feeling childish, and Toshirou's eyes narrowed as he gave me the coldest glare he could muster.

This caused me to laugh; the guy looked like he was constipated. Toshirou flushed, spun around, and then strode off towards a bench as far away from Ryu and myself as possible. I grinned, triumphant, and Ryu looked at me curiously.

"You really don't like Toshirou, do you?" Ryu asked, and I glared at my coffee cup.

"I hate him," I said bitingly, and then paused, glancing at Ryu. "Why don't you like Toshirou?" Ryu hesitated, looking as though he was going to deny what I said, and then sighed.

"I dunno... I guess its cuz' I always feel inferior compared to him. Second best. You know what I mean?" He said in a rush, and I considered the boy a moment before nodding.

"Yeah, I think I do." I said solemnly, and Ryu smiled at me.

"I don't want to!"

"Don't be silly; Taichou, Ryu and Karin are our friends!"

"No she's not!!" Both Ryu and myself turned and blinked in surprise at the sight of Matsumoto forcefully dragging Toshirou to where we were sitting, who was fighting her all the way. But I guess Matsumoto Power trumps Toshirou Power, because he was fighting a losing battle. The little boy walked nervously behind the two, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Hey there." I called, smirking, as Matsumoto pushed Toshirou onto a plush chair opposite from us. Toshirou glared at us, and I rolled my eyes, though inwardly I was chafing at the bit to kill the guy.

"And who might you be?" Ryu asked the little boy politely as he carefully climbed up onto Matsumoto's lap. He shot Ryu a surprised glance, and I found myself staring into eyes the exact same shade as Toshirou's.

Oh man, was this kid Toshirou's son...? That would be so gross.

"Takashita Dai." The little boy said in a whispery voice, and Matsumoto smiled broadly.

"He's Taicho's relation, but they're very poor, and Dai's parents abused him. Taicho found out about it and demanded to take the boy in. Dai also has problems speaking, so Taicho offered to pay for his-"

"Matsumoto!" Toshirou yelped, flushing slightly, while I stared at him in surprise. I'd never imagined Toshirou to be the type to help out poor, sickly kids, and yet here was, showing unexpected generosity. He caught me staring at him, and scowled.

"What are you staring at, stupid?" He asked aggressively, and I glowered back, feeling irritated.

"Not your ugly mug, that's for sure." I growled, and Toshirou looked pissed, which made me happy. Deciding to see how hard I could push his buttons before Toshirou exploded, I lightly knocked over my coffee so that it spilled all over the white shirt Toshirou was wearing (he looked really sexy in it, by the way. Not that I'd ever admit that to anyone). The boy let out a shout and leaped to his feet, looking furious.

"What the heck was that for?!" He shouted angrily, and I smirked.

"It was an accident." I said as obnoxiously as I possibly could, and Toshirou turned several different shades of red (I'm pretty sure some of them haven't been invented yet).

"You want an accident; I'll give you an accident!" Toshirou said furiously before flinging the jelly filled croissant he'd ordered at me. It hit my face with a sickening splat and, smiling serenely, I wiped off the jelly sliding down my face.

"Oh my." Matsumoto murmured, while Dai had a horrified look on his face. Ryu looked torn between outrage and amusement.

Then I threw myself at Toshirou, knocking him to the ground.

"Freakin' bastard." I snarled, punching him in the face as best as I could. Toshirou rolled over and pinned me with ease, a disdainful look in his eye. I was surprised by his strength, for such a thin boy, he had a grip like iron, and didn't budge an inch as I struggled furiously. The American who owned the restaurant rushed out, speaking in broken Japanese as the place erupted into chaos.

"Out! Out! Out!!!" He screamed, and Toshirou's face disappeared from my line of vision as he leapt off me and hurried Matsumoto and Dai out of the restaurant. Ryu and I were a bit slower, earning the threat of clouting as we escaped.

I felt bad for ruining our 'date' as Ryu drove me home, brooding and silent. Finally I dared to speak.

"Hey, uh, sorry." I managed to choke out. I really hate saying sorry, it tarnishes my pride, but I felt bad about the whole food debacle. Ryu looked astonished.

"For what?!" He said, and I blinked in surprise. Not exactly what I expected to hear.

"For ruining our... you know, outing." I said awkwardly, and Ryu gave me a broad grin.

"Are you serious?! I had to stop myself from laughing at the sight of you guy's face when you nailed each other with," Ryu said with a laugh, before scowling. "The only thing that bugs me is the way Toshirou practically assaulted you at the end."

"Err, well technically, I did start it," I admitted, and then blinked. Wait a minute, was I actually defending Toshirou? Ryu looked startled as well, so I quickly clarified.

"That doesn't make him any less of an asshole." I explained, and we both laughed heartily. We spent the rest of the day cruising around town and talking, and then Ryu dropped me off at home.

"See ya at school Karin!" Ryu called, and I waved as a way of replying. Then I trotted inside, carelessly tossed my father's wallet on the dresser (I had planned to use to pay for latitudes before getting... sidetracked) and headed up to my room.

Sighing from the busy day, I lay down and closed my eyes, eager for some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, it was not to be. There was a the sound of thumping several moments later, followed by a door slam and a shout;

"DELINQUET SON!! I FOUND MY WALLET! IT HAS MYSTERIOUSLY REAP- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" The voice without a doubt my father, who didn't have the frame of mind to be quiet at this hour (then again, I'm not sure if he has a frame of mind, period). The announcement was followed by a lot of screaming, yelling, and breaking furniture, which meant my father most likely walked in on Ichigo and Rukia having sex. Ick.

"Oh god." I moaned, burrowing my head in my pillow. It was going to be a long night.

Author Note: Again, not oneof my favorites, but I couldn't help but lol at the ending. I hope laughing at what you wrote isn't considered wierd... Anyway, I want to try and come up with ten chapters filled with pranks and other crap be fore I move onto the next arc, which should be a good deal more romantic. So if you have any ideas, feel free to post them, and I might use them!

- Firefox