I'll admit right now that this is a linker chapter. Not a whole lot of plot happens, but it's all stuff I just couldn't leave out if I wanted the story to make any sense. So I hope you enjoy it anyway (I did my best to make it entertaining) and look forward to the next chapter where something actually happens.

"I'm home!" Karin announced, dropping her load of shopping bags in the hallway and ripping her hat off her head. Hitsugaya was equally burdened and he again cursed his gigai; he wouldn't have found this stuff remotely heavy in his real body.

"Moving in?" Ichigo asked incredulously, eyeing the rather enormous pile of shopping bags. "What did you guys buy, a whole nursery?"

"Babies need a lot of stuff Ichi-nii," Karin said annoyed. "But wow, carrying all that sure helped fight off the cold. I think I'm sweating." She pulled off her coat, hat, scarf, and boots. Hitsugaya did the same, although with a bit of difficulty owing to the presence of Hoshi.

"Where's oyaji?" Karin asked with mild interest. "He hasn't come to greet us yet. Not that I'm complaining."

"Clinic," Ichigo answered. "The flu, frostbite, twisted ankles from slipping on ice, some idiots got hypothermia by trying to ice skate on the river and falling in. You know, the usual winter injuries." Karin shrugged.

"At least he's out of our hair. Come on Toushiro, let's get this stuff upstairs." They picked up their shopping bags, with no help from Ichigo, and lugged them up the stairs.

"Sorry the place is such a mess," Karin apologized, pushing the door open, "but with Yuzu out of town, all motivation to clean just kind of disappeared." Hitsugaya entered the room and felt like he had just stepped into a bad remake of the twilight zone. The room had such a clear division down the middle that it might as well have had a big black line drawn right across it. The right side, as Karin had forewarned, was kind of a pigsty. Clothing and sporting equipment were scattered haphazardly on the floor. There were some dilapidated posters of soccer players on the walls, a random collection of trophies, and a desk that was so stacked with books it was impossible to see the surface. Hitsugaya was reminded forcefully of his own desk and he wondered just how much paperwork Matsumoto had managed to avoid today. He instantly suppressed the thought. It made him nauseous.

The other side of the room was, for lack of a better term, pink. Pink rug, pink bedspread, pink desk chair. The pictures on the wall were of flowers and mermaids and, instead of books, every surface was covered with a collection of stuffed animals that would have put Noah's Ark to shame.

"Whose room is this?" Hitsugaya asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"Mine and Yuzu's," Karin responded distractedly. Her finger was pressed to her lips, as if she was contemplating something. "Well, I guess Hoshi can sleep in that basket. I'm sure the stuffed animals won't mind if we move them somewhere else and it should be relatively comfortable. And we can store all the other stuff…"

"Wait," Hitsugaya cut her off. "Didn't you say I was sleeping in Yuzu's bed?"

"Yeah. She's not here, she won't mind."

"But," Hitsugaya protested, "isn't this your room?" Karin didn't seem to understand.

"Your point being?" she asked. Hitsugaya shifted uncomfortably.

"Well, is it really ok? Us…um…sharing a room?" Karin finally realized what was bothering him and she burst out laughing.

"Aw, that's so cute!" she said in a false squeal. "Innocent little Toushiro doesn't want to share a room with a girl." Hitsugaya turned beet red.

"Do not call me 'little Toushiro!'" he snapped. "It's Hitsugaya taicho! And I just…want to make sure that you're comfortable…with this." Well, at least, that was the gentlemanly thing to say. But the fact was, it was himself he was worried about. Sure, he had slept in the same room with girls before. He had Hinamori had shared a room for years when they were kids. And just recently, he and Matsumoto had shared Inoue's apartment. But for some reason, the thought of sharing a room with Karin made him nervous in a way that he hadn't felt with either of the other two.

Karin glared at him.

"Toushiro, it was my suggestion, remember? You shouldn't have to be relegated to the couch or Ichi-nii's closet. Plus, I've slept in the same room with boys dozens of times. You met my friends. Besides, I trust you. Like I said, you already have one baby. You don't need another." Hitsugaya had the same reaction this time as he did when she first said it.

"Well, alright than," he scoffed, turning away from her in a vain attempt to hide his red face.

They unpacked their new purchases and Karin decided that she was hungry. While she went downstairs to see what she could scrounge up from the kitchen, Hitsugaya changed Hoshi (with much more success this time), and settled him down in the basket Karin had pointed out. It did fit him rather well, and he seemed to like it. At least, he stopped crying and fell asleep when Hitsugaya put him in it, which was about as much of a statement of approval as Hitsugaya could hope for.

"I hope you like turkey," Karin said, holding up a plate of sandwiches and closing the door behind her. "It's all we've got without me cooking something, and trust me, you do not want that. Unless you like poison."

"Turkey's fine," Hitsugaya replied. They sat in silence on the floor, munching their food, and for the first time since arriving, Hitsugaya felt slightly awkward to be in her presence.

"Now what?" he wondered. It occurred to him that he was stuck in this house with Karin for the next who knows how long, and he didn't really know all that much about her. He had no idea what to say to start a conversation. Luckily, Karin didn't seem to have that problem.

"Want to play shogi?" she asked, downing the last of her sandwich.

"You play shogi!?" Hitsugaya tried to hide his excitement. He loved shogi, but unfortunately, he couldn't find anyone in Seireitei to play it with him. He didn't have much time to play games to begin with. That, coupled with his antisocial nature made it almost impossible for him to find a suitable shogi partner. And, even if he could find someone, it was unlikely that they would present much of a challenge. Hitsugaya was quite good at strategizing.

Karin grinned at him.

"I never knew you played anything," she teased, rummaging around in her closet for her shogi board. "I thought you were too uptight."

"Shut up," Hitsugaya grumbled. Karin laughed.

"I warn you," she challenged, producing the board and plopping it down between them. "I take my shogi games very seriously." Hitsugaya smirked.

"Give it your best shot."

Hitsugaya won of course. No one was better at battle tactics than the 10th squad taicho. But Karin put up a valiant effort.

"Damn you!" she cursed. "How did you beat me?"

"Sheer talent," Hitsugaya bragged, clearing the board and setting up for another game.

"You know, no one has ever beaten me at shogi before," she told him, grabbing a handful of tiles and helping him set up the second round. "Oyaji's actually come close a few times, but I'm the champ."

"No you're not," Hitsugaya pointed out. "I just beat you." Karin scoffed.

"Oh, don't get me wrong," Hitsugaya continued. "You put up quite the fight. Seriously, I'm actually impressed." He tried to make his voice sound less sarcastic to let her know that he was actually giving her a compliment, and she seemed to understand. "But you'll never beat me."

"Is that a threat?" Karin asked wryly.

"More like a challenge," Hitsugaya replied.

"Bring it!" They played two more games, interspersed with temporary breaks to feed and change Hoshi when he cried. Hitsugaya knew he shouldn't be enjoying himself so much on a top secret mission, but he just couldn't help it. He hadn't played shogi in years.

They were about to start their fourth game when they were interrupted by the oh so dulcet tones of Karin's father.

"Oh, my lovely Karin-chan," he exclaimed, flinging the door open and launching himself at her for a bear hug. "I have come to announce that dinner is ready…" POW.

"Don't you knock!?" Karin yelled as she removed her fist from his face. "Seriously, who do you think you are, barging into a girl's room like that? What if I was changing?" Isshin, who had been suspended in midair as he threw himself at his daughter, lost his momentum and crashed to the ground. He pouted.

"Oh, how sad! My daughter is growing up so fast, and…oh!" he exclaimed, brightening up instantly as he saw Hitsugaya. "And who is this handsome young man?"

"This is Hitsugaya Toushiro," Karin introduced. "He and his baby brother just lost their house and they needed a place to stay, so I invited them here." Hitsugaya was impressed at how casually she made up that lie. Then he remembered how she had sweet talked Urahara before. This girl was seriously an expert at manipulating her words.

"Oh, how horribly awful!" Isshin cried dramatically, leaping off the floor. "Welcome to the family, my new sons!" He wrung Hitsugaya's hand and shook it so fast, Hitsugaya could feel his whole body vibrate.

"And what a cute baby," Isshin gushed, looking into the basket that Hoshi was currently sleeping in. "What's the little angel's name?"

"Um, Hoshi," Hitsugaya replied awkwardly, still recovering from being shaken so violently. He was slightly concerned for this man's sanity.

"Awww, what an adorable name!" he cooed, wagging his butt in the air as if hoping a tail would appear to emphasize the effect. "I wish I had thought of that!"

"God I'm glad you didn't," Ichigo grumbled, appearing in the hallway looking bored. Hitsugaya shot him an icy glare.

"Oh please, Ichii-nii," Karin groaned, rolling her eyes. "Like being named after a fruit is much better."

"I'm not named after a…"

"Can I hold him?" Isshin begged. "Please? Pretty please with sugar on top!"

"I don't think that's a very good idea," Karin butted in before Hitsugaya could respond. "You might strangle him."

"Oh, but I'm very good with children," Isshin declared proudly.

"Yeah, and look how great we turned out," Karin said sarcastically.

"Oh Masaki!" Isshin continued, clasping his hands together and making goggly eyes off into space. "I have another addition to our family! Oh how it's grown! We now have two more sons! Isn't it beautiful?!"

"What did I tell you?" Karin said to Ichigo. "Instant acceptance."

ooooooooooooo

Dinner was an awkward affair to say the least. Apparently, Isshin had attempted cooking, but finally abandoned his pursuit when he coated the kitchen with a sticky blue liquid.

"What the hell were you making that turned blue?!" Karin shouted so loudly that she woke up Hoshi.

"Aw, Karin look," Isshin said affectionately. "The baby's crying."

"There's nothing cute about a screaming baby!" Karin scowled, reluctantly forfeiting hitting him in exchange for helping Hitsugaya. "Seriously, what kind of father are you?"

They ordered take out, but it took so long for the delivery man to get there in the snow that by the time the food arrived, it was practically iced over. Munching on partially frozen ramen, Hitsugaya watched with apprehension as the Kurosaki family interacted. Three times during the meal, Isshin and Ichigo broke away from the table to have an all out fist fight, which Karin intentionally ignored. Isshin cried his eyes out over missing Yuzu, but proclaimed that it was alright, since he had added two more sons to fill the void, a statement which earned him a punch in the face from Karin.

"So this random kid you just met is more important to you than your daughter!?" she snarled.

"Ah, no no no Karin, you misunderstand," Isshin defended. "Hitsugaya-kun hasn't taken Yuzu's place. But an addition to the family can help brighten us up."

"He's not an addition to the family," Karin grumbled. "Just a friend who's staying for a while."

"Oh," Isshin replied knowingly. "But he will be an addition to the family when you two get married." He winked at Karin who promptly put a fist in the offending eye.

"Don't say ridiculous things!" she shouted as Hitsugaya attempted to hide his blush from Ichigo, who was glaring at him in a not-so-friendly way. He didn't think of Karin that way at all! At least, he was pretty sure he didn't. No, she was just a friend who was helping him out of a rather tight spot. That was all. Right?

"Uch, I can't deal with this anymore!" Karin declared. "Let's go Toushiro." She grabbed him by the collar and yanked him out of his chair, pausing only long enough for him to scoop up Hoshi before dragging him up the stairs. Hitsugaya was very grateful for the excuse to get away from Isshin, who he was worried had more than one screw loose, so, although it was mildly demeaning to be forcibly moved that way, he allowed it.

"Goodnight lovebirds!" Isshin called back at them. Karin threw a vase at him.

"Honestly," she yelled in frustration, slamming the door behind her. "That man! Every time I bring a friend home, oyaji is convinced I'm going to marry him the next day. It's like he wants to get rid of me or something."

"I'm sure he just wants you to be happy," Hitsugaya offered. "Isn't that what parents want for their children?" Karin glared at him.

"Oh because you know so much about parenting," she ridiculed.

"Shut up!" Hitsugaya retorted. Karin grinned.

"Speaking of parenting, let's get Hoshi to bed. It's late."

They gave Hoshi a bath in the kitchen sink, which turned out to be quite a wet activity.

"Who's getting a bath, us or the baby?" Hitsugaya asked annoyed after Karin sprayed him with water for the hundredth time.

"Hey, it's hard to control this thing," she defended, indicating the snake-like hose she was using. "But if you'd like to take your clothes off and climb in the sink, I could give you a bath too." Hitsugaya turned as red as a radish. Karin snickered and sprayed him with the hose on purpose.

Once they were sufficiently dry, they returned to Karin's room to get ready for bed. Despite assuring himself that there was no difference between sharing a room with Karin and sharing a room with Matsumoto or Hinamori, Hitsugaya was still incredibly nervous about the prospect. But, as it turned out, his anxiety was unfounded, as neither of them did very much sleeping. Hoshi cried so often during the night that, even though they took turns, they didn't get more than a few hours combined sleep.

"Don't babies ever sleep?" Hitsugaya grumbled at four AM as he crawled out of bed for the eighth time. Karin rolled over and jammed her pillow over her head.

"I can't believe I volunteered for this," she said in a muffled voice.

"You can quit if you want to," Hitsugaya told her apprehensively, picking up Hoshi and trying to shush him. He really didn't want Karin to leave, but this wasn't her problem. It was his. She technically had nothing to do with this.

"What kind of girl do you take me for?" Karin retorted, pulling her pillow off and whipping her head around to face him. "I'm not backing down. I made you a promise." Hitsugaya breathed a sigh of relief of her words. Now that he saw what taking care of a baby was really like, he had no desire whatsoever to do it on his own. But, for some reason, he found that he was grateful. And not just because he didn't want to care for Hoshi on his own, but also because Karin was going to stick with him, even for a bit. She was so different from Matsumoto, or any of the other people he usually dealt with. He really liked having her around.

They quickly fell into a routine. They both decided that bringing Hoshi into the ice kingdom outside was not a good idea, and that they would only do it when necessary. Besides, the more time he spent away from the public eye, the better. Hitsugaya refused to let the baby out of his sight, so he and Karin spent most of their days confined to her room, catching up on lost sleep and playing shogi. Karin was actually an incredible player, and although she still hadn't beaten Hitsugaya, he was having a harder time winning with every game they played. Hitsugaya felt relaxed and content for the first time since the Aizen fiasco began. He had even managed to push the war into the back of his mind and simply enjoy his time with Karin.

Until one night, just over a week into his stay, when Hitsugaya woke up to the smell of green.

"Damn it," he cursed. "This can't be happening."

Yay, plot! I'm so excited that something is finally happening in this story. Yes, me, the author. This story kind of has a mind of its own and started to run away from me, so I'm doing my best to rein it in. This is proving to be much harder to write than I thought it would be, so please forgive me if you don't find it as good as you expected. I'm doing my best, but so far, I don't like it nearly as much as some of my other stories. I'll try to make it more exciting in the future, especially now that something interesting is happening (yes, you read that sentence right, he is smelling green. All will be explained.)