Disclaimer: Kubo is god. Kubo is king. Tite Kubo owns everything. Except the quotes used at the start of each chapter. They were all found on the internet, and if they have an author I say who it is.

AN: See all author's notes in part one. Well, I didn't get blasted nearly as much as I thought I would for implying it was about to turn lemon. Although the one random reviewer who simply asked "why is Karin super slutty?" kinda bothered me. She's with a guy she loves that she's been with for two years, and you think she's a slut for implying she's willing to sleep with him? Especially after they almost lost each other? You don't even know her reasoning, as the last part of the chapter was written almost entirely from Toshiro's POV. If it's just because she's 14, then I sort of understand, although I think that given the life she's lived she's emotionally much more mature than most 14 year olds and could in theory be ready for sex. But anyway, all of this doesn't really matter. Here's the final chapter… (Although I will probably write a one-shot M-rated fic with them at some point, set several years in the future. It will come after some of my other stories get written, once my storyline is more to that point.)

Thanks to all who have reviewed and enjoyed this story. I'm gonna take a short break, especially with my family stuff, but look for the first chapter of "Behind His Mask," my Rangiku/Byakuya fic, to come soon. It's the next story in the "After The Winter War" series. Yes, I'm gonna take the crack-pairing lots of people secretly love and see if I can actually make it make sense in a major story. Which should be interesting. Because one of my reviewers gave me the best description of Bya that I've ever heard… "The stick up his ass has a stick up its ass." So how do him and Ran find common ground? Here's hoping I can keep this believeable and not too OOC…

No Warm Memories

By Lady Callista

Chapter 13: Forever

OoOoOoOoOoO

"There are no happy endings. Because nothing ends."

- from 'The Last Unicorn'

OoOoOoOoOoO

Karin held his gaze as she pulled her hands from his chest to let her arms fall to her sides, shrugging her shoulders enough to make his gi fall off her shoulders and to the floor.

Toshiro kept his eyes on her face as she shifted her shoulders, although he did remove his hands from her back enough for the gi to slide off. "Karin…"

"Shhh." She whispered, and her voice was steady although her cheeks were flaming pink. "You said only I made you feel warm. Let me make you feel more…"

Karin leaned in to kiss him again, and although he kissed her back he kept control this time, keeping the kiss gentle, his hands resting lightly on her waist.

His mind was whirling as her hands slowly slid up his stomach again. Although her hands on his chest was nothing new, he found it a very different and much more distracting sensation now that he was shirtless.

He was also wondering what had brought this on.

Although they'd kissed all the time, they had only begun to do so deeply and at length in the past few months. Although they'd held hands since the beginning, and he'd enjoyed cupping her cheek when he kissed her, or holding her in his arms to cuddle, they'd only recently begun to touch more than that. And still, it had always been innocent. Her hands resting on his chest while they kissed, or his running up and down her back. She'd liked to wrap her hands around his upper arms, often laughing as he purposely flexed his biceps. He'd liked running his fingers through her hair, and had discovered that he could make her shiver by gently massaging the back of her neck as they kissed.

Yet she'd always been slightly shy, waiting for him to kiss or touch her first before returning the affection. It had been part of the enjoyment for Toshiro, the slow building of trust, the full enjoyment of each small step, each new closeness that both were comfortable with. For despite the differences in their ages, when it came to romance and 'being a couple' he had no more experience than she did.

Although he'd had much longer than she had to think about it and grow comfortable with the idea, if not the actual acts. Notwithstanding the fact that he enjoyed savoring each small step, he was fully comfortable and ready to make love to her. He hadn't thought she was anywhere near ready, even now he didn't, but she seemed to be implying that she was.

A moment later he knew he was right, for her hands slid down to take his own from her waist and guide them around to the clasp of her bra.

Toshiro broke the kiss gently, taking a small step back as he kept her hands in his own and let them fall to their sides.

"Karin, wait." He whispered. "Slow down."

She looked up at him with an expression that he couldn't understand. "Don't you want this?"

He let go of one of her hands to cup her cheek. "Do you? Last night you were more nervous than I've ever seen you when you misunderstood why I wanted you to stay here. Why are you doing this now?"

"Because I don't want you to be cold inside." She whispered, a single tear sliding down her cheek before he brushed it away. "I want to make you as warm and happy as you make me."

Toshiro smiled gently as he understood, and couldn't help feeling humbled by her. "All I need for that is to know you love me. To have you with me. You don't have to do anything else until you're ready to and want to. For yourself, not for me."

"I am. Ready. I am, I mean…when you touch me I want to…I think…"

The instant she went from 'I am' to 'I think' he knew he'd been right earlier. He also knew she was stubborn enough to try and force herself to do this because she thought he wanted it.

And because he couldn't in absolute truth tell her that he didn't, he went another route.

Toshiro leaned in to kiss her deeply, loving the feel of her going pliant in her arms. Then he pulled back and held her gaze as he feathered his fingers over the sides of her neck before tracing her collarbone gently. She sighed, her eyes sliding shut as her hands came up to rest on his waist. She swayed slightly closer to him, and although the temptation was there he resisted it and kept his eyes on her face, waiting for what he knew he would see.

Leaving one hand resting on her shoulder with his thumb tracing lightly up and down the side of her neck, he slid his other hand down the front of her body until his fingers danced over the top of her breast. He saw her face slide from pleasure to nervousness, and leaned in to kiss her as he relaxed his wrist to lightly cup one breast, still covered by a bra, in his palm.

This time it was Karin who pulled back, her eyes opening wide and her body vibrating slightly with something other than pleasure. He saw the uncertainly on her face.

But there was another emotion playing through her eyes as well, the same one he had seen earlier and hadn't understood. He knew now, and knew he'd been unable to place it because it was an expression he'd never seen on her face. It was fear. But it was fear almost covered by selflessness. The selflessness he'd seen in her before, but never covering fear. He'd never seen her truly afraid before, and although he knew it wasn't really of him but was of what she thought was about to happen, it still hurt his heart a little. She acted so mature that on occasion it was difficult to remember how young she really was.

"All I need is to know that you love me." He repeated his earlier words softly as he dropped both his hands to rest lightly on her waist again. "Do you think it would make me warmer or happier inside if you pushed yourself to do something you don't want to do?"

"I do want to." Karin whispered. "Every time I think about you touching me, about touching you… Whenever I think about it I think about how amazing it is, and how much I want to feel more of what you make me feel… But I think that thinking about it and actually doing it are two entirely different things."

He smiled slightly and drew her into a gentle hug, his hand again running soothingly through her hair. "We have as long as you need." His whispered in her ear, unable to help himself from kissing the top of it gently. "The good thing about being dead is that your life suddenly gets a lot longer."

Karin managed to laugh. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm not ready for…"

Toshiro cut her off. "Don't apologize. If it's not right for you, it wouldn't be for me either. Karin, you've never asked and I've never brought it up, but I've never done this either. You're my first…my only…girlfriend. Just because I'm older I've obviously thought more about it, and you're right that I would be ready to… But I don't need to. I'm not even sure I would want to. I like how our relationship is going. I enjoy savoring every moment."

"Every moment." Karin whispered. "I know once I start at the academy I'll have to live there, but can I stay here until then? Can I stay with you?"

"Of course." Toshiro replied. "You didn't even have to ask. Do you want me to have one of the guest rooms…"

Karin shook her head, cutting him off. "Can you just hold me every night? Can we lay awake for hours talking about stupid things? Can I go to sleep knowing that if I have a nightmare you'll comfort me when I wake up?"

Toshiro smiled fully. "It's a few hours yet until I have to be anywhere. Would you like to get a little more sleep?"

Karin shook her head again. "No, I'm awake. But can we lay back down? I've missed being in your arms. Can we just talk? I want to know more about Soul Society, and the Gotei Juusantai, and such."

"We can talk about whatever you want."

Karin smiled at his response, and moved over to sit on the bed.

Toshiro followed her, bending down to retrieve his gi and offering it to her again.

Although she blushed, she shook her head and curled up on her side with her back to him. "My bra covers the same thing as my swimsuit top, and I wear that to the beach where anyone can see."

Toshiro chuckled as he spooned himself behind her, one arm curled lightly over her to rest his hand on her bare stomach. "So do you blush the entire time you're on the beach?"

"No." She said quietly, "But there's no one there that looks at me the way you do."

Toshiro sighed. "I should probably warn you that a lot of people here will be looking at you. You're going to get a lot of attention, and not all of it will be good."

Karin bit her lip, beginning to absently run her fingers up and down his arm. "Because of you? I mean, because of us?"

"And because of your brother. People will compare you to him, expecting you to grow in power at the same rate he did. Because you're the only student who will already have a zanpakuto when they enter the Academy. The only student in the whole history of Seireitei who already had one when they started the Academy. But yes, mostly because of us."

"Does that bother you?" Karin asked quietly. "Should I not stay here? Should we go on pretending that..."

"No." Toshiro replied just as quietly. "It doesn't bother me, I've never cared what people think, not really. And I don't want to have to pretend anymore. But my position is secure, most people wouldn't dare to say anything to me about this. It will be much worse for you once people, especially your fellow students, find out that we're together."

"I've never cared what people thought either." Karin replied. "And it will be nice to be able to see each other all the time, and not have to pretend anymore. And as far as having a zanpakuto, I'm not sure that will help me much. I don't know how to use a katana; I don't know how to fight that way. And didn't Matsumoto-san say that my powers might change once I came here?"

Toshiro nodded. "I'll take you out to practice someday soon and we'll see what you can do."

Karin agreed. "Sounds good. So now my question is what should I do with myself until classes start? I know Yamamoto-soutaicho said that I could go anywhere, but I really only know you and Rukia-chan, and I know you're both busy with your divisions."

"Well, I do have to go to the office in a few hours, but I should be done by noon. We can spend the afternoon wandering around. I can show you places you might like, and I can introduce you to some friends. Or you could always just wander around by yourself, I'm sure everyone knows by now who you are and will want to meet you."

As if to emphasize his words, the doorbell rang less than a second after he had finished speaking. Toshiro sighed, kissing the back of her neck before reluctantly releasing her and rising, putting on his gi as he headed for the door.

"Do you want me to stay in here?" Karin asked quietly.

"No, I'm pretty sure I know who it is, and I'm sure she's anxious to meet you." Toshiro replied as he pulled the bedroom door closed behind him to allow her to get her shirt back on. His voice came through the door. "Besides, we don't have to hide anymore, remember?"

Karin pulled her shirt on quickly, running her fingers through her sleep-tousled hair before reaching for the doorknob. She was just about to turn it when she heard an excited female voice.

"Is she really here, Shiro-chan?"

"She'll be out in a minute, Momo. I figured it was you." Toshiro replied.

He must have glanced towards his bedroom door as he spoke, for the next thing Karin heard from the female voice, from Momo, was a giggle. "Couldn't bear to let her out of your sight?"

"If you'd almost lost Izuru-san, would you let him out of your sight?"

"Fair enough." Momo replied. "But you know people are going to talk. And they're going to get the wrong idea."

"I know, so does she." Toshiro replied. "But neither of us really cares about gossip. We've waited so long to be able to be together..."

They fell silent after that, and Karin opened the door quietly and stepped into the living room to find a girl who didn't look much older than she was sitting on the couch next to Toshiro. They both rose as she entered.

"Kira Momo." Toshiro introduced them. "Kurosaki Karin."

Both girls bowed to each other, Momo with a smile, and Karin with a look of slight nervousness on her face. The fact that the girl had called Toshiro 'Shiro-chan' said that they were very close, and Karin wondered what the girl would think of her.

"Kira-fukutaicho." Karin replied, taking in the armband and remembering all the things she'd learned about the Gotei Juusantai. The name didn't ring a bell, but she was wearing the armband of the Gobantai. Slightly confused, as she'd thought the fukutaicho of that division was Toshiro's childhood friend Hinamori, Karin was cautious. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Momo giggled. "Call me Momo, please. Kira-fukutaicho is my husband."

Karin smiled, realizing her mistake. She'd completely forgotten Toshiro mentioning a few months back that his friend had gotten married. "Momo-san, I've heard a lot about you. I'm Karin."

"I know." Momo smiled. "Although I haven't heard as much about you as I would have liked to, we have plenty of time to get to know each other. Any friend of Shiro-chan's is a friend of mine."

"Thank you." Karin smiled at the girl. "I'm sure we'll be good friends."

Toshiro's eyes widened slightly. His best friend and his girlfriend becoming friends. Sharing secrets about him, talking about him... this couldn't be good.

Momo laughed as she saw the look in his eyes, although her laughter faded and a soft look graced her face as Karin crossed the room to him and she saw how the two of them looked at each other.

She waited till Karin's attention was back on her before saying quietly, "Welcome to the rest of your life. I hope you, and Toshiro, will be very happy."

"I'm sure we will be, Momo." Toshiro said quietly. "I'm sure we will be."

THE END